lidl s dog food??

pokertalk

has anyone ever tried the lidl dog food not the tinned stuff but the dry complete .have bein tempted to try it but. usually when you pay much less you get much less. just wanted to here if anyone has tried iti have my fella on the red mills leader range adult large breed . would you have to give way more of the lidl food as to the more expensive stuff??

buckshotbrolan

pokertalk wrote: »

has anyone ever tried the lidl dog food not the tinned stuff but the dry complete .have bein tempted to try it but. usually when you pay much less you get much less. just wanted to here if anyone has tried iti have my fella on the red mills leader range adult large breed . would you have to give way more of the lidl food as to the more expensive stuff??

I have never tried it myself but the dogs love it! I give them the same amount as any other brand. They have nice healthy poo from it so I would say give it a go, you and your dogs will love it!

Zapperzy

They say german standards of dog food are better but after seeing the ingredients list of lidl dog food on another thread personally I wouldn't feed it.

Steve30x

It depends on which dog food you are talking about. I dont use the soft food and I have tried the dog nuts in the red and orange bags. My dog doesnt like that cheap nuts. I give my dog the black and white bag of Opti Dog dog nuts and she loves it. She is also looking healthy after eating the food.

teacherspet

I use the Opti dog nuts as well. It works out about 20 euro for 15kg. I have 7 dogs on it. But I also occasionally throw in sardines in oil or tuna etc.
I have a german shepard, 2 poodles,1 parsons, beligan shepard and 2 mutts.
All there coats are lovely and poos are nice and small,

pokertalk

Steve30x wrote: »

It depends on which dog food you are talking about. I dont use the soft food and I have tried the dog nuts in the red and orange bags. My dog doesnt like that cheap nuts. I give my dog the black and white bag of Opti Dog dog nuts and she loves it. She is also looking healthy after eating the food.

think that stuff is only a mixer in the orange bag . yeah im talking about the opti-dog would nt give my dog any cans of any brand

furtzy

Our previous old cairn terrier developed a rash after eating the Lidl brand dry food so we never tried it again

Vinny-Chase

Hey guys, just found this thread as I see Lidl have the Optidog as part of the Super Saturday and was looking around for reviews.

I was thinking of trying it out as part of a mixer with the Purina Beta food. Have a 4 month old Lab.

Any thoughts?

andreac

I personally would not feed my dogs any type of dog food from Lidl, its not good quality at all.

Run_to_da_hills

Feeding your dog on Lidl dog food would be like you feeding your family on Tesco Value.

kylith

I have done when stuck. The one with the dodgy belly does well on it, the other gets constipated. I use it when stuck in preferance to Pedigree, but I wouldn't feed it long term.

Run_to_da_hills

kylith wrote: »

I have done when stuck. The one with the dodgy belly does well on it, the other gets constipated. I use it when stuck in preferance to Pedigree, but I wouldn't feed it long term.

My.brother fed his on he same stuff for a few weeks and hairs started falling out of him.

falabo

I'd rather buy myself soup instead of steak so I can buy my dogs proper food. sounds extreme but I can choose what I eat, they cant.
Stay away from any cheap food it will cost you more in vet bills anyway and will reduce your pet's life expectancy.

caspa307

buckshotbrolan wrote: »

I have never tried it myself but the dogs love it! I give them the same amount as any other brand. They have nice healthy poo from it so I would say give it a go, you and your dogs will love it!

my dogs love it aswell

**Vai**

My dogs have eaten it since Ive had them, they love it and are perfectly healthy. No need to buy expensive food, they are dogs after all.

faw1tytowers

Steve30x wrote: »

It depends on which dog food you are talking about. I dont use the soft food and I have tried the dog nuts in the red and orange bags. My dog doesnt like that cheap nuts. I give my dog the black and white bag of Opti Dog dog nuts and she loves it. She is also looking healthy after eating the food.

Same here.... for my staffy. I have tried all different types of foods at different price ranges and she loves this one most and looks good for it too!

faw1tytowers

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Feeding your dog on Lidl dog food would be like you feeding your family on Tesco Value.

This is not at all true... Lidl and Aldi buy all the top brand/sellers and package as there own. Its all top notch stuff.

**Vai**

falabo wrote: »

Stay away from any cheap food it will cost you more in vet bills anyway and will reduce your pet's life expectancy.

Ridiculous and scaremongering toward people who dont know any better. Dogs have been living long happy lives well before the 1001 different brands of food came along.

seamus

falabo wrote: »

will reduce your pet's life expectancy.

Do you have any facts to back this up? I'm not going to argue that cheaper food is necessarily wholesome and well-balanced, but if you're going to claim that dogs raised in cheaper foods live shorter lives, then you're going to have to back that up with links and statistics.

andreac

faw1tytowers wrote: »

This is not at all true... Lidl and Aldi buy all the top brand/sellers and package as there own. Its all top notch stuff.

Eh, i very much doubt it, have you even seen the food? Its full of artificial colours and flavours which isnt top notch.
It isnt that cheap for no reason...

spurious

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Feeding your dog on Lidl dog food would be like you feeding your family on Tesco Value.

Or dressing them from Dunnes/Penney's.
Not a bit of harm it will do them.

**Vai**

andreac wrote: »

Eh, i very much doubt it, have you even seen the food? Its full of artificial colours and flavours which isnt top notch.
It isnt that cheap for no reason...

Only additives in there are EC additives which are in most dog foods. Its obviously not as good as feeding your dog whatever organic stuff is the trend right now but to put it down is a bit much. Even if I could afford "top of the line" dog food I'd still feed them on the Lidl stuff with the exception of any special dietary needs of course.

andreac

**Vai** wrote: »

Only additives in there are EC additives which are in most dog foods. Its obviously not as good as feeding your dog whatever organic stuff is the trend right now but to put it down is a bit much. Even if I could afford "top of the line" dog food I'd still feed them on the Lidl stuff with the exception of any special dietary needs of course.

What meat content is in it? Is it meat derivitives?

There is no organic stuff which is a trend. I feed the best quality i can afford but i just wouldnt feed my dogs any food found inthe supermarket as its very poor quality with low quality ingredients.
I can see the colours of the food on the packaging and that is not quality im afraid. Looks similar to Bakers, Pedigree etc which are all very low quality foods.

**Vai**

Low quality foods which have been feeding dogs for a long long time. Do u think every dog needs to be fed the expensive food in order to live long and happily?

As Ive said, my dogs are healthy and happy, they have never been given anything but the Lidl food and some meat mixed in a few times a week. It was good enough for dogs 20 years ago, its good enough for them today. If u can afford and want to feed yours the expensive stuff thats great but not everyone can and the Lidl food is perfectly acceptable.

andreac

**Vai** wrote: »

Low quality foods which have been feeding dogs for a long long time. Do u think every dog needs to be fed the expensive food in order to live long and happily?

Did i say that? I was merely commenting on the food, which the thread is about.
The op asked about the food and im giving my opinion on it. It is not a good quality food and i wouldnt recommend feeding it to a dog. There are much better foods out there for dogs than Lidl food.

**Vai**

andreac wrote: »

Did i say that? I was merely commenting on the food, which the thread is about.
The op asked about the food and im giving my opinion on it. It is not a good quality food and i wouldnt recommend feeding it to a dog. There are much better foods out there for dogs than Lidl food.

And I was merely asking a question, a question u still didnt answer.

Im sure there are better foods out there but personally I dont see the point, I think its more advertising of products that we dont need, we are told we need them but we dont. Thats my opinion.

andreac

I dont necessarily think a dog needs expensive food to live longer, but if someone asks my opinion or recommendation for a food i wouldnt recommend Lidl at all.

The food i feed my dogs isnt advertised like other brands but its a very high quality food.

Shanao

**Vai** wrote: »

Low quality foods which have been feeding dogs for a long long time.

It was good enough for dogs 20 years ago, its good enough for them today.

Sorry but dogs twenty years ago are not the same as the dogs we have now. Humans have unfortunately bred a lot of problems into dogs, including sensitive skin, sensitive digestion, heart problems etc. Twenty years ago Bakers was probably a great food too, but I wouldn't touch either of them with a ten foot barge pole. These foods are made by companies who make lots of different products, meaning the pet food trade is worth very little to them, so why would they strive around the clock to ensure that only the best of ingredients are going into them? Colourants and additives affect dogs in the same way that they affect us and I doubt everyone of us is going to eat macdonalds food every day of our lives becaue its cheap. No, because we know it isn't good for us. But the affects dont show immediately, as it wouldn't in dogs either.

Despite popular belief, dogs are carnivores and their primary food should have both a high quality and high quantity of meat.

Now I'm not saying go out and find the most expensive dog food you can, but I would reccomend people to always buy dog food that is at least made by a pet food company who dont make anything else. Because they're livelyhood depends on their food being good quality so it always will be.

Then again, this is just my opinion on the matter.
@OP- Personally I would never feed aldi or lidl food to my dogs. If it is a cost thing, there are foods out there that are as cheap and dont have as many colourings and additives in them.

Galway K9

If you want value for money and a fantastic Dog food.....

GAIN record Breaker @ terryland fruit & veg...Did great dela of research into it and its amazing stuff.. My dog gobbles it, and everytime before i feed him i sneak in a bite myself:D thats how good it smells and tastes..

Its packed with fish oils, calcium, zinc, magnessium, protein, good percentage of actual mea...i act cant get over how good it is....its irelands best kept secret haha

15kg for 25 euro!!!1

ISDW

**Vai** wrote: »

Low quality foods which have been feeding dogs for a long long time. Do u think every dog needs to be fed the expensive food in order to live long and happily?

As Ive said, my dogs are healthy and happy, they have never been given anything but the Lidl food and some meat mixed in a few times a week. It was good enough for dogs 20 years ago, its good enough for them today. If u can afford and want to feed yours the expensive stuff thats great but not everyone can and the Lidl food is perfectly acceptable.

I honestly don't think that complete dog foods such as the ones being discussed were on the market 20 years ago were they? I remember seeing kibble first in the mid 90s but it was made by Chudleys, a company that makes greyhound and working dog food and was a cereal kind of one that you added warm water to and let it stand before feeding to the dog. I can't say for sure that there wasn't kibble around before that, but I don't think there was. My dog when I was a kid was fed tinned dog food with mixer biscuits. Again, not a great food as about 50% of it is water.

I wouldn't recommend any food that is brightly coloured, as it obviously contained additives that dogs don't need.

Galway K9

andreac wrote: »

I dont necessarily think a dog needs expensive food to live longer, but if someone asks my opinion or recommendation for a food i wouldnt recommend Lidl at all.

The food i feed my dogs isnt advertised like other brands but its a very high quality food.

What is it andrea?

Galway K9

**Vai** wrote: »

they are dogs after all.

For the record i am not trollling, but i comp go against that attitude towards dogs....theyre equally entitled to life and health as much as us. Were both creatures of the planet

Daisy!

My Vet said at the very least keep away from any dog food that is coloured. The green "veg" one in the likes of Bakers and Lidl etc is like feeding your dog smarties.

Out of curiosity, what is the best of the cheaper dog foods? I've started feeding my guy on Red Mills Leader Supreme which my Vet recommended. It's probably in the more medium price range and so far so good but not everyone can afford expensive food. So if people come on here who can't afford the Hills, JW, Orijen etc instead of the Lidl/Bakers/Pedigree what can anyone recommend to them?

andreac

Galway K9 wrote: »

What is it andrea?

Its Clinivet, its not very well known as it isnt available too easily in shops etc but i order it online.:)
I show my dogs so need them to be in top condition, plus my male rottie has a very sensitive tummy and also suffers from hot spots so i have to feed a high quality food.

Galway K9

andreac wrote: »

Its Clinivet, its not very well known as it isnt available too easily in shops etc but i order it online.:)
I show my dogs so need them to be in top condition, plus my male rottie has a very sensitive tummy and also suffers from hot spots so i have to feed a high quality food.

Excellent, looks good!:) Wish i got fed like that. ha

cotton

I suppose it's like feeding Kids Mc Donalds.
They love it, are happy out with the taste etc, but it's probably not the best thing for them.
My 4 have had it the odd time when I've run out of RC on a sunday evening. It's not something I'd feed them as their main diet. Apart from anything else, I'd be afraid the additives in it going by the colours would have them hyper!

boodlesdoodles

I have tried my dog on all the expensive brands and the bugger won't eat them. As he's a Westie, I was more than aware of the sensitive skin/stomach problems. He will only eat cheap stinky stuff despite 3 years of buying him decent food and him turning his nose up at it. I've had to give away bags of James Wellbeloved, Royal Canin and Burns!! I've never bought the lidl feed but I would if his nibs got fussy again. His skin is beautiful and pink and he has got a brilliant constitution! If it's what he's happy with then what can I do? And before anyone asks, yes I've tried the starvation trick to get him to eat better but it doesn't work. He's a happy dog.

Edited to add: though I do stay away from the multi-coloured stuff.

BengaLover

Lidl dog food = McDonalds
VERY poor quality as is there tinned food.
Best dog/cat food is always dry food from Hills or Royal Canin, dearer but you will use less.

verywell

Galway K9 wrote: »

If you want value for money and a fantastic Dog food.....

GAIN record Breaker @ terryland fruit & veg...Did great dela of research into it and its amazing stuff.. My dog gobbles it, and everytime before i feed him i sneak in a bite myself:D thats how good it smells and tastes..

Its packed with fish oils, calcium, zinc, magnessium, protein, good percentage of actual mea...i act cant get over how good it is....its irelands best kept secret haha

15kg for 25 euro!!!1

Is that only for greyhounds or can any dog eat it? Or is all that individual dog food a load of mularkey??

ISDW

BengaLover wrote: »

Lidl dog food = McDonalds
VERY poor quality as is there tinned food.
Best dog/cat food is always dry food from Hills or Royal Canin, dearer but you will use less.

Oh oh:D I and a lot of other posters on here don't rate Hills at all. The vets sell it because they make commission on it

lrushe

Galway K9 wrote: »

If you want value for money and a fantastic Dog food.....

GAIN record Breaker @ terryland fruit & veg...Did great dela of research into it and its amazing stuff.. My dog gobbles it, and everytime before i feed him i sneak in a bite myself:D thats how good it smells and tastes..

Its packed with fish oils, calcium, zinc, magnessium, protein, good percentage of actual mea...i act cant get over how good it is....its irelands best kept secret haha

15kg for 25 euro!!!1

I can go one better, I get my GAIN for €17

Dymo

Examine the Analysis of the 3 three dogs foods below, all dry nuts

1 from Lidl, €8.99 10 kg
1 is Red Star Dog Food Premium €16 15Kg
and the other is
Top of the range dog food €48 for 15 Kg

A
Protein 28.0%,
Fat 14.0%,
Ash 7.5%,
Fibre 3.3%,
Calcium 1.2%,
Vitamin A 10,000 IU/kg,
Vitamin D3 1,000 IU/kg,
Vitamin E 100 mg/kg,

B
Protein 26%
Oils and fats 10%
Ash: 7.9%
Fibre: 4%
Vitamin A 12,000I.U./kg
Vitamin D3 1,000I.U./kg
Vitamin E 100mg/kg
Copper 17mg/kg

C
Protein 20%
Oil 6%
Fibre 3.5%
Ash 8%
Vitamin A 14,000I.U./kg
Vitamin D3 2,000I.U./kg
Vitamin E 200mg/kg
Copper 10%

Which one is the best for my dog, just trying to get some scientific information instead of some hearsay. The ingredients will vary but it the nutrition value which I'm sure is the most important.

I say which is which after a few guess's

ISDW

Dymo wrote: »

Examine the Analysis of the 3 three dogs foods below, all dry nuts

1 from Lidl, €8.99 10 kg
1 is Red Star Dog Food Premium €16 15Kg
and the other is
Top of the range dog food €48 for 15 Kg







Which one is the best for my dog, just trying to get some scientific information instead of some hearsay. The ingredients will vary but it the nutrition value which I'm sure is the most important.

I say which is which after a few guess's

But the ingredients are very important, as is the order in which they are listed. Meat derivatives are very different to meat, so that is important in choosing a food.

BengaLover

ISDW wrote: »

Oh oh:D I and a lot of other posters on here don't rate Hills at all. The vets sell it because they make commission on it

ah.... can you recommend a high quality dried food for a cat then plz?

Dymo

ISDW wrote: »

But the ingredients are very important, as is the order in which they are listed. Meat derivatives are very different to meat, so that is important in choosing a food.

Well I'm sure a meat derivatives has less nutritional value than meat so it would reflect that.

ISDW

Dymo wrote: »

Well I'm sure a meat derivatives has less nutritional value than meat so it would reflect that.

It also depends what kind of dog you have, and what you want the dog to be doing. Out of the list you put up, I would rather feed my dogs the one with 28% protein and high fat content, as they are working dogs. However, give that to a pet who gets 30 minutes walk a day and you could have problems. But, without seeing what is actually in the food, I can't make that decision. Some of my dogs don't do great with grains, so would need to try and eliminate that from the food.

BengaLover, no sorry, I don't know much about cat food, although Royal Canin do it, so maybe theirs?

Asphyxia

Feed my dogs Royal Canin they love it and it was recommended by the vet. I HATE brandy it's horrible stuff.. Stay away from it!

I've had to buy Opti dog before when money was tight and the dogs never had a problem with it if I was ever stuck I'd buy it again as well but that's just my opinion.

lorebringer

Dymo wrote: »

Well I'm sure a meat derivatives has less nutritional value than meat so it would reflect that.

The analysis of the food if only part of the story - in quite a lot of low quality foods, the nutrients are there but in a very indigestible form. For example, protein - is it of plant or animal origin? Plant proteins are quite difficult for dogs to break down so regardless of how high it is in the analysis, if the dog cannot metabolise it there is no point in feeding it to the dog. Quite a lot of grains contain protein, and are cheap, so are used to bulk up the food and increase the protein in the analysis - but it no good if the poor dog cannot digest it!

"Cereals" is the one big red flag on a dog food - firstly, they don't specify what cereals are being used and secondly, they usually don't give a percentage. "Meat and animal derivatives" tends to be MRM (mechanically recovered meat), that is the stuff that is left once the muscle (which is what dogs should be eating) has been striped off the carcass - the bones and all remaining sinew are crushed and mushed up so produce "meat and animal derivatives". Companies, by EU law, cannot state "meat" on their packaging because MRM is technically not meat. Most companies will state what meat is used (so it will be listed as "chicken" or "beef") because this is what is actually in the food.

My own personal opinion on the whole dog food debate is to buy the best stuff that you can afford, do your research and know the facts about dog food. My opinion on Lidl, Aldi, Bakers etc. is they are low quality foods, full of colours etc. to appeal to people to buy them for their pets and are not worth the packaging the come in. Feeding it to dogs every once in a while, when you run out or just get caught short or whatever, is fine (just as eating a take away or a few microwave meals every once in a while is fine) but in terms of long term health and well being of dogs, I wouldn't feed them to my dogs.

Galway K9

verywell wrote: »

Is that only for greyhounds or can any dog eat it? Or is all that individual dog food a load of mularkey??

I recon its all Mularky unlesss your need a specialised food with high protein or low richness to meet a dogs needs / lifestyle

This food is used for greyhounds but recommended for all dogs due to its content and balance...The difference in my dogs, coat, mood, toilet pattern, energy.....everything!:)I highly recommend it, even taste it yourself.

Galway K9

lrushe wrote: »

I can go one better, I get my GAIN for €17

Where?

EGAR

GAIN Retired Greyhound (20% protein) sells for 12 yoyos/15kg bag at the local shop.