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Best pet food

anniemac

Well-known member
I use a special food for Ella that I have to get through her vet but it is expensive. Can you recommend any food that is good for our dogs
 
Hi Annie

Have you ever thought about raw ie ckicken wings ,lamb breast etc ,I thought my four never would and they did all very easily and all love it and I am sure it is cheaper though I do buy steak sometimes and ask for it to be minced as I can see how much fat is there before mincing , and now we would never ever go back and I enjoy preparing their meals.:)

Have a look at http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/RawMeatyBones/
 
I think foods are a pretty subjective topic and most decent foods are going to be in the medium to upepr price range. They can also vary quite a bit from country to country. If you do a search you will likely come up with many previous discussions too that might be helpful as you consider options. :)

If you consider raw bones (as opposed to raw meat with ground bone), do be aware that there are risks -- despite what the websites and ardent pro raw feeders insist (it is almost impossible to have a reasonable discussion about the risks of raw feeding because people feel so passionately about this). Last time I visited a vet friend in the UK she was deeply distressed because a large breed dog and longtime client fed by its experienced owner on raw, meaty bones and raw diet generally had a ripped colon due to a raw bone and was in severe pain and the practice had accepted was not going to survive. So please, weigh up the benefits v the risks. I know of more than one dog that has died from having its colon or rectum ruptured by a raw undigested bone and have seen my own dogs vomit up large raw bone shards from chicken wings up to 10 hours later (I saved one of the pieces as evidence of how risky those bone pieces can be). It is a slow and painful death if they get an internal tear to the bowel or stomach. :(
 
If you are looking into feeding raw, a safe alternative is something like The Honest Kitchen's Preference which has all the raw fruits and veggies, you just supply the meat (I used cooked ground turkey).

I'm moving away from that, back to kibble for convenience. I'll be feeding Natural Balance Duck and Potato. Several high-end brands have given Guinness terrible gas, so there's a lot of trial and error before choosing a food.
 
I used to prepare a raw fod breakfast and dinner fresh everyday. I now use Darlings, they are a small company who provide a tailor made diet for each dog http://www.darlingsrealdogfood.com/ I have to say it has taken a lot of pressure of me having someone else doing the hard work. We still give our dogs RAW wings but we always chop them up because I have heard some terrible stories where dogs have swallowed them whole with dreadful consequences. Plus Molly scoffed one whole, fortunately it came straight back up, it didn't half make me panic :yikes
I am sure it is thanks to this food that Dotty has a fabulous shiny coat with good healthy skin. My Vet could not believe the difference in her.
This doesn't help you much Annie as Darlings wouldn't ship to the US but it is an idea to consider.
 
There are lots of great high quality kibble available out there.....or maybe try the Honest Kitchen like Soushiruiuma was using, it's a great alternative to raw. What kind of special food was Ella being fed? What was it for? I feed raw but don't feed raw bones. I have two gulpers and just won't risk it. They have plenty of other things they eat that "exercise" their mouth and scrape their teeth.....raw carrots, chew toys, kongs, nylabones, etc.
 
I use a mix of 3 foods (this might make me sound like a crazy!)
Cava wont eat the same food - fussy madam she is so i have to mix it up.

I buy 1 bag of Royal Canin puppy & 1 bag of Royal Canin for Cavaliers (small bags about €12/15 each) and 1 medium bag of branded kibble (usually €20). I buy different flavours and mix them all together in a large tub. Means they are getting goodness from the 3 different foods.Usually get 2 months out of it all, so spending about €60 is ok. I dont buy Pedigree or Brandy, or department stores brand - ive heard these arent good for your doggies.

If im cooking veg i will always make them a little bit, they love carrotts. Small pieces of chicken/mince for treats. Never anything with bones, as previously said.
 
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