Dog food-wet or dry?

[sarahp]

Dogs only got it because it was so old and lost flavour - some of the soup was 2002! We try not to eat any processed food, and I'm fussy about quality of what dogs and ponies get too.

[freyasmum]

I have done a dog nutrition course! this is interesting thread, dried dog food is convenient for the owner NOT the dog, very high in protein, energy, NEVER NEVER mix it with anything else.

My 3 dogs have tesco own brand tinned dog food with mixer on top, never had a problem from 6 weeks old to when they have left this world! one feed once a day, i know exactly how much and when they eat, they are and have never had weight problems.
DOGS ARE MEAT EATING SCAVENGERS, will prefer meat anytime.
(by the way, before i did the course I used all the top quality dried feeds my vet recomended, faffed around grating cheese on top, making up gravy for it just to make it look more palatable! now like my ponies feeds, I KEEP IT SIMPLE)

[sarahp]

We're too mean to throw away anything suitable that the dogs would happily eat, but they don't get a lot of scraps most of the time. Otherwise as you say it's kept simple, just dried Burns with water on as they prefer it that way to dry. Why do you say never mix it with anything else? Yes of course as a general rule as they are designed to be complete foods, but what harm do a few scraps do occasionally? In nutritional terms, where is the difference between a meat and rice dried food and tinned meat with mixer?

I've studied horse nutrition but dogs have always been seat of the pants stuff!

[honeybees]

Nov 2, 2011 12:24:01 GMT freyasmum said:

I have done a dog nutrition course! this is interesting thread, dried dog food is convenient for the owner NOT the dog, very high in protein, energy, NEVER NEVER mix it with anything else.

My 3 dogs have tesco own brand tinned dog food with mixer on top, never had a problem from 6 weeks old to when they have left this world! one feed once a day, i know exactly how much and when they eat, they are and have never had weight problems.
DOGS ARE MEAT EATING SCAVENGERS,

Firstly depending on the dry dog food you buy varies in protein content etc.
It will tell you on the back.
They thing to avoid is cereals, corn and anything coloured/additives.
Dogs are scavengers but in the wild would eat everything including the bones which meant they're teeth we're kept clean.
Dry dog kibble does the same by reducing tartar and plauque build up on the teeth.


Tesco's own brand wet dog food contains :
Cereals, animals by-products which could be anything from animal digest, animal fat, basically the parts not fit for human consumption which only makes up 8% of the by products and worst of all is, and I coloured with EC additives and colourants.



Feeding wet dog food without any kibble all it's life will really damage your dogs teeth risking things like gingivitis...also you will notice the putrid smell!!




Edited to also say :
AVOID AVOID AVOID
anything with Ethoxiquin / BHA / BHT

[sarahp]

Mmm, don't really fancy feeding that then!

[hatman]

My chocolate lab has james wellbeloved and nothing else. When i was taken into hospital and we ran out of food my friend gave us some bakers for her she could have sh1t through the eye of a needle. She has a lovely coat and is a good weight as labs can get fat. She sleeps in the kitchen and does not empty the bin which im told is good for a lab.

All my animals have dried food can't stand the smell of the wet stuff.

[JaysMum]

my dog is fed twice a day a small portion in the morning and a normal for her portion in the evening..... dry kibble with a spoonfull or two of wet (nature's Menu tinned) she is a healthy weight, has a lovely soft coat, good teeth, fit, and does on average 6 walks in 5 days with weekends off.

[freyasmum]

What did dogs get fed before complete dried food?? Looks like everyones opinion is different, so a bit like horse nutrition, as all animals are different what suits one will not suit another!??

[sarahp]

Wet stuff with cereal mixer I suppose, although in the wild of course raw meat, bones, skin, organs and all!

Any animal nutrition is a constant though in terms of what they need, ie protein, energy, vits and mins. Different feeds are just different ways of supplying it, some better than others, and it's a question of owners' choices and prejudices too. As time goes on more research is done and different sources of raw materials are used so hopefully feeds should be improving all the time.

[amumwithapony]

I think dried food has been around for a long time. I remember my step dad feeding it our greyhounds when I was a kid so at least for the last 25 years! It was very different to how it looks now though.

It had mixed flakes in it with pellets of dried meat and he used to add hot water to it, then let it stand. But you could tell what each bit was, like the peas and the wheat or corn so I suppose as time has moved on, like our food, dog food has developed and got more processed I suppose.

[amumwithapony]

I think dried food has been around for a long time. I remember my step dad feeding it our greyhounds when I was a kid so at least for the last 25 years! It was very different to how it looks now though.

It had mixed flakes in it with pellets of dried meat and he used to add hot water to it, then let it stand. But you could tell what each bit was, like the peas and the wheat or corn so I suppose as time has moved on, like our food, dog food has developed and got more processed I suppose.

[JaysMum]

Nov 7, 2011 19:59:00 GMT amumwithapony said:

It had mixed flakes in it with pellets of dried meat and he used to add hot water to it, then let it stand. But you could tell what each bit was, like the peas and the wheat or corn so I suppose as time has moved on, like our food, dog food has developed and got more processed I suppose.

Exactly!

peas in dry food these days is just coloured kibble... look it's green, it must be a pea...

[auntiebarb]

Arden Grange every time, one collie I had was 22 when he was pts. There is a great range, from puppy to low cal. It is excellent and they do provide a tinned variety if you want to pay for water. You can only get it from proper pet shops or kennels usually but it goes such a long way, it lasts for ages in a large bag.

In my opinion it is the equivalent to Top Spec for dogs.

[gtr121]

My dog was fed on dry dog food and he started to fit on several occasions. Took him to the vet and was told I had a healthy dog! No questions asked about diet. Totally changed his diet to raw meat and brown rice, he has not had a fit again and thinks he is a puppy despite being at least 12 yrs old. I swear that it was the additives in the dog food that made him fit.

[kayjayem]

I fed James Wellbeloved for years to my old dog(RIP) who could not tolerate anything else and continued after she'd gone to heaven with my other dog. My girls are now on Beta chicken and rice plus our leftovers(within reason - no pork and no fat) but I don't know quite why I bother as they do supplement themselves with copious amounts of horse(or any other flavour as available) poo and the odd dead rabbit

[padon]

Eukanuba for me, really suits my dogs.
All 3 breeds that I keep have clean and tartar-free teeth too - In the past I have found that canned and pouched meats have caused this. All my dogs live in the kitchen and have no interest whatsoever in the food that gets cooked- so I would say they are very happy with their diet.

[sarahp]

Dry feeds do come in different qualities though gtr121, there are some really good ones made from quality ingredients only. I swear by Burns as I've said above, all my dogs on it have been fit and healthy up to good ages. Current dogs are on the Lamb and rice one, no colourings or preservatives, I've just checked the back of the bag!

[xxshowponyxx]

I am another Eukanuba fan and leave food down all the time for my two. They maintain a healthy weight and have good teeth.

I did have one dog which we were campaigning at shows who could not tolerate it so he was fed raw tripe and organic rusk. He won 4ccs and people often asked us our 'secret' as he was in incredible condition.

My personal opinion is that the quality dog food manufacturers invest a lot of money in nutritionalists so dont mix anything else with their food unless it is designed to be. I think dogs would be healthier fed scraps and a supplement than the cheaper brands on the market which are full of 'waste' and fillers.

[whilloer]

i feed my dogs (whippets) fish4dogs complete and i swear by it, i am constantly getting critiques on lovely skin and coat condition.

[honeybees]

Nov 19, 2011 15:37:41 GMT whilloer said:

i feed my dogs (whippets) fish4dogs complete and i swear by it, i am constantly getting critiques on lovely skin and coat condition.

Thats what mine are on...brilliant stuff

[gtr121]

Sarahp I think you also have to consider the cost. A large bag of Burns is £47. I can buy an awful lot of meat and brown rice for that. With the help of my friendly Butcher I doubt that I spend that much in a year to feed Fudge. I realise now that there are good and bad dog foods but like many others I was using a Supermarkets cheap mixer and a well renowned tinned dog food. I will never repeat my mistake. To think I was killing my dog is just too much

[sarahp]

Fair enough! But your post above implicated "dried dog food" in general, and I was just pointing out that they vary in quality, not all are full of undesirable stuff.

[brt]

Mine don't get dog food, they all have cooked veg and meat.
Not that much more expensive than feeding dog food but at least i know exactly what they are eating...