Adult complete food

[adrian hyslop]

My puppy is reaching 6 months old and I'm looking for a suitable adult complete mix.currently he is having wet mixed with dry biscuits but I'd like to wean him onto dry mix if possible,what do people suggest?? There's just so many onbtge market, thanks

 

[JoanneF]

Have a look at www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk.

It's an independent review site that assesses dog foods. You can add filters if you like to set your dog's age, weight etc and if you want to include or avoid specific ingredients and the site will list the foods with scores out of 100. It will also show daily feeding cost if you put the filters in, so you can see what gives you values for money. It is only someone's opinion so it isn't perfect but it is a good place to start.

What brands are you feeding now? And remind me what sort of dog you have?

 

[adrian hyslop]

I'm feeding pedigree puppy biscuits with the pedigree pouches.he is a jug and v active

 

[excuseme]

What breed or cross breed is a jug?

 

[JudyN]

A Jug is a JRT x pug, @excuseme. Rather a lovely cross, in my opinion

Pedigree is a bit rubbish, really, so good for you for wanting to move to a different food. The site JoanneF recommends above is good - do also consider a raw meat diet, there are many here who regard it as one of the healthiest options.

 

[adrian hyslop]

Sorry to sound stupid..can you go into a little more detail about a raw diet.im assuming it's just a raw diet and no dry food is included in the diet,thanks

 

[adrian hyslop]

What breed or cross breed is a jug?

Jack Russel/ pug...

 

[JoanneF]

Raw is - well, raw. It is a balanced mix of muscle meat, organ meat and bone, and because it has no fillers (manufacturers often add things like maize or wheat for bulk rather than nutritional value) it results in the dog getting a lot more nutrients so less is waste, and you have smaller poos.

If you look at the ingredients in any food, the greater amounts are listed first. So in Pedigree, in the puppy dry food the first ingredient I saw was corn. Then it is quite vague with exactly what is in it (my bold).

Cereals (including 4% Rice),Meat and Animal Derivatives (28%, including 14% Chicken),Oils and Fats (including 0.4% Sunflower Oil),Derivatives of Vegetable Origin,Minerals,Vegetable Protein ExtractsAnalytical constituents (%): Protein: 28, Fat content: 16, Inorganic matter: 7, Crude fibres: 1.5, Calcium: 1.4, Phosphorus: 1, Additives per kg: , Antioxidants: , Nutritional additives: , Vitamin A: 13601 IU, Vitamin D3: 1500 IU, Vitamin E: 450 mg, Cupric sulphate pentahydrate: 36 mg, Manganous sulphate monohydrate: 113 mg, Potassium iodide: 3 mg, Sodium selenite: 0.33 mg, Zinc sulphate monohydrate: 300 mg


I may not have been looking at the exact one you use but close enough. In wet, as you would expect, water is the biggest proportion.

My dog is eating this (I'm not naming it because I don't want to influence your choices with mine) -

Fresh pork meat (70 %, Iberian pork only), dried potatoes, dried fish, dried brewers’ yeast, dried apple pulp, salmon oil, yucca extract, cold-pressed flaxseed oil, cold-pressed olive oil, green-lipped mussel extract, dried carrots, dried tomatoes, dried african marigold, dried dandelion, dried broccoli, dried green tea, dried chamomile, dried oregano, dried milk thistle seed, dried cranberry seed, dried seaweed

If you compare the labels, the food we are using is much more clearly labelled and specific, which I think is important.

I don't know if you are on a budget, but if you are, Guru looks good.

 

[JudyN]

Yep - raw is as JoanneF said. Some people feed 100% meat, some add vegetables & fruit in some form, often people will add extras like raw egg & yoghurt. Some combine raw & kibble, and you can still use kibble for treats (though some purists would disagree on this).

You can get complete raw, or have a more DIY approach. One big advantage of including whole raw bones is that they are excellent for dental health.

 

[excuseme]

I'm sure we would all like to see a picture of your little chap.

The suggestion by @JoanneF and @JudyN to feed raw is a very good idea, they have stolen my suggestion but have not mentioned my favorite little book that easily explains all about the raw product and how to feed it.

I always mention a little book that can be purchased from Amazon.
"Honey's Natural Feeding Handbook for Dogs", this little book is easy to read and easy to understand. It is very useful for both beginners and regular feeders of raw feeding. It can be purchased on Amazon for as little as 1p (used but as new). It is full of information and has many useful tips.

Pets at home sell raw frozen pet meats, it is not messy or smelly, and they sell a good variety of most products. A nice convenient product for starting with.

PS, Don't forget a picture.

.

 

[Finsky]

And if I can add and blow into the 'raw food trumpet'...
One of the things that I find makes VERY noticeable difference when feeding raw vs. commercial moist/kibble type of feeds is that dogs teeth are and stay MUCH cleaner with raw diet.

 

[adrian hyslop]

I will look into this.is there any particular raw diet anyone can recommend.

 

[Colin]

I will look into this.is there any particular raw diet anyone can recommend.

Hi Adrian, we feed Cotswold Complete which is a very simple way to start. Our dog loves it, but there are many alternatives which I’m sure are very good.

 

[Hemlock]

Jack Russell x Pugs are such lovely dogs! Any time you care to post some pictures, we'd love to see them.

I'm another raw feeder - since 1988 - but I make my own, so don't know much about the commercial mixes, but I've read a lot of ingredients lists and most sound really good.

 

[Finsky]

I will look into this.is there any particular raw diet anyone can recommend.

I don't feed any particular brand but mine have tried various 'bits and pieces' first before I've committed to buy more in larger quantity. I tend to buy what ever is on offer or 'best' price at the time. (eg. chicken wings can be cheaper in supermarket than in pet shop!)
Mine does eat minces only occasionally and only particular type (beef, rabbit, pheasant) and I've found mine have liking for more bite size meat pieces or 'chunks' and chicken/duck wings which I tend to chop into few pieces rather than give them in whole. Few times a week they also get either chicken hearts and/or chicken livers (which I cook a little). So basically they get any of those mentioned in combination or individually as mine are bit fussy eaters and won't eat same food day after day so I alternate the ingredient combinations. During last hot weather they even had some of the duck wings frozen...their 'ice cream' to keep them cooler
Those are my dogs basics and anything else I get them to eat is bonus.
Oh...they do have their treat foods too that are not so good for them but the day cannot start without it. A little piece toast or piece of rich tea biscuit that must be dipped into tea/coffee first...and once I've eaten the soggy bits off, they get to have the dry piece....but without the damp edge they won't have it!

 

[excuseme]

I do the same with the rich tea biscuits