Dog food recommendations

[andy_vtec]

We are picking up our 1st dog in a couple of weeks and i wanted to get a bit of advice on the best dog food for our new friend.

He is a 15 month old Cocker Spaniel and is being fed on Bakers complete at the moment. Some friends have suggested that Bakers is not very good and that James Wellbeloved would be better.

Am I good keeping to dry food, or should I mix with meat regularly/occasionally

Finally I have told that if I mixed in some pilchards/sardines once a week it would lesson the burning on the lawn - does anyone else do this?

Thanks,

[Jasandjules]

What about raw meat and cooked rice?

You can get tripe and all sorts on-line these days if your butcher can't do it. You can get chicken carcasses, and from my butcher "pet mince" which is beef offcuts with fat in them minced together. These are all fed raw to our dogs. We also give them carrots (raw and organic) and other natural wormers and anti-flea treatments.

[xspencex]

I have two dachshunds and use Natures Menu , seems pretty high quality wet food. For dry we use Royal Canin again can't complain.

[Rouleur]

I used to have my Springer on Skinner's Field & Trial but have recently moved on to Chuddley's Senior. Both are great for him and better than JWB was as it was twice the price and made him fart a lot!

[R1gtr]

Bakers is like giving your kids McDonalds every day, full of additives and rubbish. Ask your vet what they would reccomend, just because a food is expensive and may have the best of ingredients, it may not agree with your dog.
For the record one of ours is on Chappie dried food, two meals a day, vet recommended it and Daisy is doing great on it. Ava is on JWB fish and rice.
I would say give Chappie a try, it is a complete food so you wont need to add meat etc, maybe soak one out of 4 meals with a bit of water to add variety and maybe some tuna every few days.

[parakitaMol.]

xspencex said:

I have two dachshunds and use Natures Menu , seems pretty high quality wet food. For dry we use Royal Canin again can't complain.

Also two Dachshunds fed on Natures Menu (wet) and Royal Canin (dry) both completes. I also use the Natures Menu in their Kongs as I would never give them that vile Kong paste.

The sometimes get coley or chicken which they love.

[rovermorris999]

Four healthy hounds here on JWB plus a little cooked chicken.

[RB Will]

Arden Grange here, JWB gave mine the squits.

[Uhura fighter]

JWB is great - Bakers is terrible stuff.

You can buy it on Amazon if you struggle getting it local.

[Sargeant Orange]

Rouleur said:

I used to have my Springer on Skinner's Field & Trial but have recently moved on to Chuddley's Senior. Both are great for him and better than JWB was as it was twice the price and made him fart a lot!

My lab is currently on Skinner F&T (widely used for lab's) as he's particularly active so the high rice content isn't a problem. Good stools and <£20 per 15kg, so can't complain at the moment

ETA: As ever: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

[pikeyboy]

Used to use arden grange for my two GSP's, now I have them on a comparable dried food from the local farm/ agricultural suppliers. Doing just as well on it and 25 percent of the cost of arden grange.

[andy_vtec]

Thanks for the feedback so far. One other question - I have been advised not to change the type of food too often as it can upset their tummies, so once I settle on a brand I should stick to it - yes ?

Thanks,

[grass widow]

Yes, and if you change foods you should do it gradually by adding the new food to old food and slowly reducing the amount of old food so they end up with only the new.