dodger 2,765 Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 Nutrivet is good if you wanna go down the biscuit rout.. Iv been a fan of raw for over 10 years always rated it and had no trouble but then my dogs became really ill earlier in the year from eating raw took a lot of time and expense to put em right still not back to 100% even now so Iv had to go back to basics there on either biscuits n some meat now either cooked or tinned or rice/pasta cooked meat n abit of veg with a few biscuits or eggs n rice / fish n rice or chicken n rice with yogurt so you could say Iv gone backwards with feeding n hopefully il go back to a raw natural diet in the future but it has put me right off.. Quote Link to post
gnipper 6,487 Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 What made them ill mate? 1 Quote Link to post
dodger 2,765 Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 Really weird one mate and we never got to the bottom of it they had stool tests 3 day stool tests full blood tests and nothing came up electrolight potassium levels fine but they had diarrhea and lost all there weight was back n forth from the vets for ages trying different medications n at one point there was the usual vet an outside vet they'd got in and a food specialist going over them at the same time I don't know if whatever it was irradiated by medication in the end or it passed on its own but the only conclusion they could come up with from the symptoms was a bad batch of raw meat.. Quote Link to post
arcticgun 4,548 Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 the top end ones really are meats equal the other stuff they put in unreal arctic krill, and quality fruit n veg, theres nothing untoward in the bags, unlike the majority of dry feeds, Gain a good range at sensible money too, not eveyone lucky enough too be able to get meat all the time, Likesay Id not use one without the other in the balance of things, best of both worlds does for me 2 Quote Link to post
boyo 1,398 Posted July 18, 2016 Report Share Posted July 18, 2016 Dont know bout the Best but Skinners Field & Trial range & Csj cp21 are imo very good & good value for money. Atb 1 Quote Link to post
Butler 396 Posted July 18, 2016 Report Share Posted July 18, 2016 I use redmills engage beef or chicken alongside meat... And rear my pups on beta puppy and flesh never had any problems... Dogs always in top order and worked harder than most through the winter months.. Quote Link to post
sandymere 8,263 Posted July 18, 2016 Report Share Posted July 18, 2016 To my mind I’d say it would depend on how much of the diet is going to be complete, if 100% then use a decent one based on trial and error as to what suits the dog. If feeding it along with meat, bones etc then it’s less important as it’s just toping up the protein but more importantly supplying some carbs, important for quick energy replacement, the carbs in turn, especially the less digestible components give fibre to the diet, which helps keep the digestive tract healthy and well-populated with symbiotic bacteria. These of course have a host of benefits including reducing the incidence of infection, supplying fatty acids as a byproduct of their activity and improving uptakes of things like iron etc. Oh course carb can be sourced without completes ie pasta etc. A byproduct of fibre and the resultant increased bacterial activity results in increased stool volumes but if it helps and is done appropriately not by a drastic amount. As to the olden days I like some have already mentioned have raised and ran dogs on some pretty poor stuff, bags of vitalin which was pretty much just oats, with a few cod scraps, but they worked hard and in the case of the greyhounds raced well so perhaps these days some people get a little carried away on diets but if it makes people feel better about things. 10 Quote Link to post
thefensarefarbutistillgo 2,482 Posted July 18, 2016 Report Share Posted July 18, 2016 A lot of you may laugh at this but a good complete dry food I've found is called Orlando from lidl it's £6.99 for a 10 kg bag, I do mix it with minced beef, tripe, minced lamb or sardines on different days but even fed on its own the dogs have good small firm stools and look well on it with a shiny coat, it's a bit low in fat so I add a tablespoon of vegetable oil or a slice of lard to it most days but for the price it's a good complete for over the summer when the dogs arnt working, someone off here recommended it once so I give it a try and had the dogs on it for months now Quote Link to post
thefensarefarbutistillgo 2,482 Posted July 18, 2016 Report Share Posted July 18, 2016 A lot of you may laugh at this but a good complete dry food I've found is called Orlando from lidl it's £6.99 for a 10 kg bag, I do mix it with minced beef, tripe, minced lamb or sardines on different days but even fed on its own the dogs have good small firm stools and look well on it with a shiny coat, it's a bit low in fat so I add a tablespoon of vegetable oil or a slice of lard to it most days but for the price it's a good complete for over the summer when the dogs arnt working, someone off here recommended it once so I give it a try and had the dogs on it for months now 1 Quote Link to post
thefensarefarbutistillgo 2,482 Posted July 18, 2016 Report Share Posted July 18, 2016 You can tell a lot about a dog food by what comes out the other end, small firm stools good, big sloppy shits bad Quote Link to post
cantona 310 Posted July 18, 2016 Report Share Posted July 18, 2016 Barf this time of year for a yard full of dogs is hard work, grain free dry food is good mainly meat protein good fats and veg, Quote Link to post
zigzag dan 784 Posted July 18, 2016 Report Share Posted July 18, 2016 As my Dad used to own an animal feed wholesalers I have tried them all ,,,,Redmills I found made my dogs look like toast racks after a nights lamping , weight loss was dramatic ,,Wagg ,,,which gives the biggest quantity of red crap out of a dog ever ,,,,,but saying that I had a pup on it and he won 11 Puppy Championship shows on the bounce !!! ,,,,,,I have had dogs kill hares on Aldi all in one also ,,,,,,but for many years now I have only fed raw , chicken , mince , fish , pasta ,lamb bones , whatever I catch , and add sunflower oil , it works for me so I stick with it . 1 Quote Link to post
lurcherman 887 13,176 Posted July 18, 2016 Report Share Posted July 18, 2016 A lot of you may laugh at this but a good complete dry food I've found is called Orlando from lidl it's £6.99 for a 10 kg bag, I do mix it with minced beef, tripe, minced lamb or sardines on different days but even fed on its own the dogs have good small firm stools and look well on it with a shiny coat, it's a bit low in fat so I add a tablespoon of vegetable oil or a slice of lard to it most days but for the price it's a good complete for over the summer when the dogs arnt working, someone off here recommended it once so I give it a try and had the dogs on it for months now Good food orlando Quote Link to post
Wild-Bill 500 Posted July 18, 2016 Report Share Posted July 18, 2016 I've always said the best food is the one that your dog eats ,enjoys and does well on. Be that dry raw or a mix ..... As long as they do well and enjoy their grub ,be happy . Mine is a fussy fecker I feed a good raw diet ,he looks OK if a little light. If I could find a complete that he would eat and do well on,I'd be ordering it now You tried gain Roy? Quote Link to post
hounddog3 745 Posted July 18, 2016 Report Share Posted July 18, 2016 I have to pups on gain but a deerhound on it have to change run the guts outta her.its just trial an error until I get frezzer for the beef. Quote Link to post
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