Red Mills LEADER

Maja

Hi, I have a question about Leader Red Mills food for 8 months old dog. (I couldnt find anything about it on this forum). Currently i feed my dog with Hills Science Plan. He doesnt like it to much and its very expensive. (almost 70eu for 15kg) Red Mills is less then 50 for the same 15kg.
If anybody knows if this is good quality food or knows any good in the same price please let me know. I know its not good to change food, but its getting to expensive. Thanks

Outkast_IRE

I would reccomend just getting a small bag of it and change your dog over it over the space of a week gradually add it to food until it takes over , and see how your dog is on it after a few weeks .
Its all down to the dog , my dog has very loose stools after it and destroyed the garden after it but others feed it no probs.

lorebringer

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

I would reccomend just getting a small bag of it and change your dog over it over the space of a week gradually add it to food until it takes over , and see how your dog is on it after a few weeks .
Its all down to the dog , my dog has very loose stools after it and destroyed the garden after it but others feed it no probs.

+ 1 on getting a small bag. Gradually mix it in with the current food until you phase out old and phase in new!

Red Mills Leader is a decent food, there are better out there and there are much worse. As with all foods, it really depends on the dog whether it agrees with them - sometimes certain dogs don't do well on one brand and do really well on another, there is nothing wrong with either food but one is better for the individual dog than another.

Other good brands of food are Arden Grange, Burns, James Wellbeloved, Royal Canin, Acana, Nutro, Eukanuba, Luaths... the list goes on! If you are looking for a cheaper food, but still good quality, Burns or James Wellbeloved are the way to go. Both are brilliant quality and are not as steep on the pocket as Hills (which is overpriced for what you get, IMO) - about €55 per 15kg bag and lasts quite a while too.

Maja

Thanks for replies. I run out of hills ones and bought small bag of red mills in pet shop before hills was delivered. There was no problem with his stomach and i think he liked it even better.
I know Eucanuba and Royal Canin are supposed to be good quality, but they are even more expensive then Hills. :rolleyes:
I started even thinking if not to swich to home made food. My mum feeds her foxterrier with home made food, she is 15 now and still well.
Is there any thread about what to cook for the dog? I still belive fresh (cooked meat) is better protein then any processed, but i dont know if i would be able to balance it properly. (my mum'd dog is overweighted). :pac:

paultf

I recently switched my dogs over to Red Mills Leader Adult and they are doing well on it.

A 15kg bag of Red Mills Leader Adult in my local pet store is €39. But I can get the same bag in my local agri-store for €33. Might be worth checking out.

Cherry Blossom

If you want to feed fresh food it is better uncooked as cooking changes the make up of it and dogs were designed to eat raw. You need feed raw meaty bones, offal, and meat cuts as well as some ground raw veg on occasion to make sure your dog gets all it's nutritional requirements. You need to do a lot of research on the BARF diet (Biologicaly Appropriate Raw Food) before considering this though.

You haven't mentioned what breed/size your dog is which are the most important things to keep in mind when thinking about switching foods, especially with a pup.

Maja

I wouldnt feed him with raw food. I am affraid of all kind of parasites and bacteria.
Wow 33eu fot 15kg is cheap, but i havents seen that cheap anywhere in Galway or online store.

ps: he is Border Collie (very energetic as they usually are and has lots of exercise).

LB6

We started our springer pup on Red Mills Leader puppy - but he didn't really take to it. It was very dry and didn't even have a decent smell from it. We changed him over to Hill Science Plan Puppy. Much nicer consistency to the nuts, not bone dry and nice appetising smell. Needless to say - he's much happier on the HSP, my pockets aren't, but he might as well have the best stuff while he's still in his growing phase.:D

lorebringer

Maja wrote: »

ps: he is Border Collie (very energetic as they usually are and has lots of exercise).

Just a quick note - keep a close eye on the protein % in his food, because Border Collies as a breed are prone to hip problems later in life (and, not as common, elbow issues and arthritis) you don't want his joints and bones growing too quickly early on. This is generally only a problem with the large (eg. Labs) and giant (eg. St. Bernards) breeds but any breed that has joint/bone problems should be monitored when it comes to feeding and protein. Also, try to excersise him for only 5 minutes per month of age (so if he's 8 months - 8 x 5 = 40 minutes max) per day to help prevent extra stress on his growing joints. I can only imagine his energy levels at 8 months of age!

On the food front - if you try to buy in bulk you can often save money in the long run (but it feels so pricey at the time!). I know zooplus.ie (and .co.uk) do some great deals and their bulk offers can be really good. Also, the UK site tends to be cheaper!

Bookkeeper09

I changed my dog (9 month Golden Retriever/Labrador coss) on to Red Mills Leader Puppy (Large Breed) approx 2 months ago and she has been doing great on it and really enjoys eating it. We had been giving her James Well Belvoed before this.
I went onto their website and requested a sample of it which they sent out within a couple of days and also sent a €10 voucher off a 15kg bag!

Maja

lorebringer wrote: »

Just a quick note - keep a close eye on the protein % in his food, because Border Collies as a breed are prone to hip problems later in life (and, not as common, elbow issues and arthritis) you don't want his joints and bones growing too quickly early on. This is generally only a problem with the large (eg. Labs) and giant (eg. St. Bernards) breeds but any breed that has joint/bone problems should be monitored when it comes to feeding and protein. Also, try to excersise him for only 5 minutes per month of age (so if he's 8 months - 8 x 5 = 40 minutes max) per day to help prevent extra stress on his growing joints. I can only imagine his energy levels at 8 months of age!

On the food front - if you try to buy in bulk you can often save money in the long run (but it feels so pricey at the time!). I know zooplus.ie (and .co.uk) do some great deals and their bulk offers can be really good. Also, the UK site tends to be cheaper!

What you mean by "keep a close eye on the protein level", what exactly should that be? More, less then other breeds? Is there any special food designed for border collies?

Bookkeeper09

For Larger Breeds of dogs, protein content should be lower

Maja

Bookkeeper09 wrote: »

For Larger Breeds of dogs, protein content should be lower

-but my border is pretty small.. :rolleyes:

lorebringer

I don't think there are specific "Border Collie" foods, there are "working dog" specific foods but I'm assuming your guy is a pet as opposed to a working dog so you don't need to worry there. Generally, foods designed for working dogs (Collies, Greyhounds etc.) are sky high in protein and calories because they use so much in their daily activity.

Breeds prone to joint/bone problems (as I said, usually large/giant breeds) need time to grow and develop so need a lower protein content in their food - IMO (only my opinion here!) 20% - 26(ish)%, certainly not anything over 30% (even that's high!), is a good level. Generally, with most commercial dog foods this isn't a problem but there are a few foods out there (Orijen comes to mind) that are quite high in protein that can cause problems with joint development (ie. everything grows a bit too fast over too short a period of time). I know vets recommend against feeding very high protein foods to young pups of large/giant breeds and, personally, I would apply this to all dogs breeds that are prone to joint/bone problems (regardless of size). Many people switch large/giant pups onto a junior or adult food earlier than they would a smaller breed specifically for the lower protein content.

Wasn't trying to scare you or anything, just giving a little advice from personal experience

Knine

lorebringer wrote: »

I don't think there are specific "Border Collie" foods, there are "working dog" specific foods but I'm assuming your guy is a pet as opposed to a working dog so you don't need to worry there. Generally, foods designed for working dogs (Collies, Greyhounds etc.) are sky high in protein and calories because they use so much in their daily activity.

Breeds prone to joint/bone problems (as I said, usually large/giant breeds) need time to grow and develop so need a lower protein content in their food - IMO (only my opinion here!) 20% - 26(ish)%, certainly not anything over 30% (even that's high!), is a good level. Generally, with most commercial dog foods this isn't a problem but there are a few foods out there (Orijen comes to mind) that are quite high in protein that can cause problems with joint development (ie. everything grows a bit too fast over too short a period of time). I know vets recommend against feeding very high protein foods to young pups of large/giant breeds and, personally, I would apply this to all dogs breeds that are prone to joint/bone problems (regardless of size). Many people switch large/giant pups onto a junior or adult food earlier than they would a smaller breed specifically for the lower protein content.

Wasn't trying to scare you or anything, just giving a little advice from personal experience

Excellent advice above. I actually never give my large heavy boned dogs puppy food as I prefer the lower protein in Adult feeds. I find the dogs fed on a lower protein food take longer to mature but finish much better than a dog on a high protein diet as a puppy.

Maja

lorebringer wrote: »

I don't think there are specific "Border Collie" foods, there are "working dog" specific foods but I'm assuming your guy is a pet as opposed to a working dog so you don't need to worry there. Generally, foods designed for working dogs (Collies, Greyhounds etc.) are sky high in protein and calories because they use so much in their daily activity.

Breeds prone to joint/bone problems (as I said, usually large/giant breeds) need time to grow and develop so need a lower protein content in their food - IMO (only my opinion here!) 20% - 26(ish)%, certainly not anything over 30% (even that's high!), is a good level. Generally, with most commercial dog foods this isn't a problem but there are a few foods out there (Orijen comes to mind) that are quite high in protein that can cause problems with joint development (ie. everything grows a bit too fast over too short a period of time). I know vets recommend against feeding very high protein foods to young pups of large/giant breeds and, personally, I would apply this to all dogs breeds that are prone to joint/bone problems (regardless of size). Many people switch large/giant pups onto a junior or adult food earlier than they would a smaller breed specifically for the lower protein content.

Wasn't trying to scare you or anything, just giving a little advice from personal experience

You havent scared me.. I am just still not sure what exactly he should be getting. I fed him with HILLS science plann puppy from the begining and i think he looks brilliant and very healthy. His coat is shining, he is slimm (i am worried too slimm sometimes) and has nice muscles. Few people told me he looks too skinny and just because of that i give him twice a week some rice with chicken and pasta with fish or liver.
He isnt working dog, but he is out every day for at least 2 hours. He runs after ball/freezbe, plays with other dogs.
I wouldnt change anything with his diet, its just he doesnt seem to like this food really (not because i gave him cooked chicken, he didnt like it a lot from the begining).

lorebringer

At 8 months, most dogs can be a bit skinny - they are still growing and can look a bit gangly. He'll fill out given time!

Maja

lorebringer wrote: »

At 8 months, most dogs can be a bit skinny - they are still growing and can look a bit gangly. He'll fill out given time!

Yes, i know, its just i could feel his spine when i touched him, so i felt like i should "boost" him a little from time to time. He really uses lots of energy so its worrying when he doesnt eat anything for a day or two.