Dog Food Questions - merged

MrsE_2

astonsmummy wrote: »

No, I dont need anymore convincing!
Now do you have any tips on getting my sons aris to stop smelling like something has crawled up it and died? :rotfl:

Don't feed him Royal Canin:rotfl: :eek:

Lay off the beans & brussels for breakfast?:D

suki1964

MrsE wrote: »

.

If you must use supermarket dried food, I think iams is the best they do IMHO.

Personally - on ethical grounds I wouldnt touch Iams with a barge pole - unless of course it was the only food my dog would eat, then ethics have to go out the window

astonsmummy

suki1964 wrote: »

Personally - on ethical grounds I wouldnt touch Iams with a barge pole - unless of course it was the only food my dog would eat, then ethics have to go out the window

Why is that?

MrsE_2

astonsmummy wrote: »

Why is that?

They don't have a good rep in the animal testing world.

I do wonder if the others are all the same though & they just highlight them because they are so big

BUT pound for pound they do sell the best food for your pet the supermarket has to offer.

foreign_correspondent

I feed Wagg, it is a complete dry food, a 15kg sack is just under a tenner most places, your dog would need about 300g a day so it would last over 45 days. It is made in the UK with human food grade meat, no colourings or preservatives, and they do not do any cruel animal testing!
Wagg working dog is VAT free, and my dog likes that too, but its a bit higher in calories so your dog might put weight on it (depending on the dog this can be a good or bad thing!)
My dogs have always done well on wagg and lived long lives and it suits me and my budget too!
www.waggfoods.co.uk

MrsE_2

No disrespect, but I looked up the ingrediants for Wagg v Royal Canin

WAGG - Wheat, Meat Meal, Wheatfeed, Maize, Oils & Fats, Linseed, Beet Pulp, Peas, Lucerne,Vitamins and Minerals. Added Citrus, Yeast and Yucca. With Antioxidant: EC additive

ROYAL CANIN - Dehydrated poultry meat, wheat flour, maize flour, maize, wheat, animal fats, hydrolysed animal proteins, dehydrated pork protein, beet pulp, fish oil, soya oil, yeasts, minerals, yeast extract (source of manno-oligo-saccharides), egg powder

See the top ingrediant for wag is cereal rather than meat, thats why Royal canin costs more.


And IAMS - Chicken (>24%), maize, wheat, animal fat, poultry meal, sorghum, barley, dried beet pulp, chicken digest, fish meal, dried whole egg, brewer's dried yeast, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, sodium hexametaphosphate, DL­methionine.


I'm surprised that Iams seems as good as Royal Canin.

suki1964

astonsmummy wrote: »

Why is that?

Because they animal test, not just usual taste testing but vivisection

As MrsE says, they are no doubt not the only ones, anything made by the big name companies will have been animal tested to some degree or other which is why so many of us advocate foods such as Arden Grange, Burns and Nature Diet which are all just taste tested.

But If Iams was the only food my dog would eat then of course I would feed it. Same as I quite happily take medication thats been animal tested if I need it for my own health. Just when I can I try to be as ethical as possible about what I buy

suki1964

And Arden grange ingredients


Ingredients: Chicken Meal* (min 27%), Whole Grain Rice (min 26%), Whole Grain Maize, Chicken Fat*, Beet Pulp, Fresh Chicken (min 5%), Dried Brewers Yeast, Egg Powder, Fish Meal*, Linseed, Fish Oil*, Minerals, Vitamins, Nucleotides, Prebiotic FOS, Prebiotic MOS, Cranberry Extract, Chondroitin Sulphate, Glucosamine Sulphate, MSM, Yucca Extract. *Preserved with mixed tocopherols and rosemary extract.

MrsE_2

suki1964 wrote: »

Because they animal test, not just usual taste testing but vivisection

As MrsE says, they are no doubt not the only ones, anything made by the big name companies will have been animal tested to some degree or other which is why so many of us advocate foods such as Arden Grange, Burns and Nature Diet which are all just taste tested.

But If Iams was the only food my dog would eat then of course I would feed it. Same as I quite happily take medication thats been animal tested if I need it for my own health. Just when I can I try to be as ethical as possible about what I buy

I think Iams is the best available in the supermarket.

But there are better in the pet shops.

foreign_correspondent

MrsE wrote: »

See the top ingrediant for wag is cereal rather than meat, thats why Royal canin costs more.

That is absolutely true, but if the dogs are happy, healthy and fit on it, then whats the problem?

My last dog was about 15 or 16 when she died (I rescued her when she was about 6 or 7) and was lively and happy right up until her death - so I don't feel it did her any harm at all! My current dog is thriving on it, as is my mums dog. All of the dogs I have fed on it have had great coats and looked in good condition.

The OP asked what we feed and why - I have given my reasons and I (and my dog) are happy with Wagg - Unless I had a good reason to swap (eg. if it didnt suit my dog or the vet recommended a different diet due to medical reasons) I will stick with what works for me and my dog, and is affordable.

MrsE wrote: »

I think Iams is the best available in the supermarket.

But there are better in the pet shops.

- after googling Iams and animal testing I really could not buy it and still consider myself a dog lover!