Confessions of a Lidl-Foodaholic

ShaShaBear

I know this might not be classed as an actual pet issue, per say, but I've been thinking of putting it up here for the past two days now.
I was , unfortunately, one of those people that fed their dogs on Lidl food. Originally, when we both lived with my mother, I knew no better, and as time went on and I thought there was something more nutritious out there, the fact was that we couldn't afford it. When I moved out with Shadow, I tried to give him the best I could, which was Red Mills Star. Now, after some advice here (or rather, silent stalking of the advice of others) I realised that this wasn't much of an improvement at all. Unfortunately though, my partner lost his job, and for a fair while we were stone broke. Jobseekers Allowance was barely paying the rent, we were behind on bills, and even though I knew it was bad, all we could manage was €10 for a large bag of Lidl's dog food again. This progressed for a number of months, until last week...

My partner got his first week's wages from his new job. I had been trying to convince him for days that there was better food out there, and that he would definitely know the difference if Shadow was eating it. He placed a bet, shall you say, that if Shadow showed any obvious signs of serious improvement in any of the problems I put down to food, we would continue to buy it. If not, it was sticking to plain old cheap food. I agreed, knowing there had to be something to a €64 bag of food in comparison to a €10 bag. So, here it is, day by day, what I was delighted to, and my partner quite hilarously and begrudgingly noticed:

Taste of the Wild: Pacific Stream
Day One: I measured out a cup of food and let Shadow smell it. A tail wag... a tail-copter! He was so excited by what I had, sort of when I have his sausage-treats (which I'm convinced there might be class-a narcotics in if you saw what his reaction was). I did my usual, few basic tricks (if Shadow feels he has earned it, he is more likely to eat it) and poured. He. Devoured. It. The entire bowl, gone in mere seconds. I was delighted that he clearly found it tastier. The second feeding when Daddy (my OH :rolleyes: ) got home, was just as rewarding, and he agreed it was clear he preferred the taste if nothing else.
Day Two: Nothing worthy of note other than when he saw he was getting more of this "treat", he showed similar enthusiasm to the day before, sitting and giving paw without being asked (his self-learned version of "please"). This is how Shadow vocalises that you have something he really, really wants and he thinks you are not aware that he wants it. Devoured again. About two hours afterward, when taken outside, I noticed the first big difference. His poo had changed completely. It had gone from small and white/yellow hard balls to large, soft but solid and darker ones. Clearly healthier, if one can go that far By 6pm, he was absolutely beside himself, crying at the utility room door looking for his second feed, which was snorted!
Day Three: Shadow woke us. At 6.55, minutes before the alarm, Shadow was losing his mind at the end of the bed, pawing and rolling, licking and whining. I assumed he might really need to go to the bathroom, until I got a look. I did cry a little first, somewhat due to the laughter - he had, in his mouth, his feeding cup. Pierce looked at me and smiled, it was clear I was going to win this bet. Shadow ran down the stairs like a demented puppy, such a spring in his step so early, and the next two feeds are just as happy as the previous. I noticed over the course of the day that he only pooed outside three times, compared to his normal 6-7.
Day Four: We locked away the food cup, as we were worried he might realise the food was in the bag, and wake up to a sick doggie. The first thing I noticed was an odd sheen off Shadow's coat. I thought it was grease, but it wasn't! Oh my, it was SO soft!! I spent a good 5 minutes stroking him in bed, feeling how thick and luscious his coat was compared to the thin, dull and lifeless one he had a week before. One morning feed, a trip outside (40 seconds to pick a poop spot??? It usually took 5 minutes!) and it was Shadow's first time to be left in the house alone since starting TOTW. Normally we come home to an accident. We were putting it down to his age, but I was curious. Three hours alone, and no accident!! Daddy was delighted to hear this when he got home, and Shadow enjoyed his second feed.
Day Five: Shadow, complete with thick, flowing locks and decidedly better breath, clattered down the stairs at collie-herding speed, dying to get his breakfast. Within half an hour, the call to go outside came. I barely waited - he was bursting! Much healthier looking, and I came to realise that he was actually emptying his bowels now, rather than simply relieving them as he was before (which would explain the accidents in the house). I left the house again, and noticed that he seemed much less agitated and anxious as I left. He's been a long-time sufferer of separation anxiety. But, even though he whined at the window waiting for me to leave, it wasn't the desperate howling and barking I was used to. I passed little remark, and came back four hours later to a very happy dog, and a very clean floor. He had his second feed, and went outside again. We were down to two healthy poos per day!
Day 6: Pierce is off work, so we decide to test my theory on his calmness. We do a few exits and re-entries to the house, leaving for around 20 minutes. Definitely more relaxed. Still anxious, but not I'm Going To Smash Your Legs With A Mallet So You'll Never Leave Me anxious. And what's this? His dander is almost completely gone! His coat seems to have grown, thickened even more! Not a single accident in the house and his energy is boundless. Squeaky games at least every two to three hours!
Day 7: Yesterday was one week on the new food, an it was result day on our bet I decided to make a list of all the things I had noticed, and me and my OH would discuss when he got home.
Shadow's breath is better, his coat is longer and thicker. His bowel movements are more regular, less often and much easier to pass. He has stopped having accidents in the house. He has a much more amplified appetite, with much less interest in what we are eating. He is less anxious, more playful and energetic and sleeps more soundly at night. He is shedding much less, scratching and biting has practically stopped.
We agreed, it was a no-brainer

So there is my very long story about how I changed Shadow from a Lidl-Lubber to a Quality-Lover. Just a bit of information for anyone who is currently feeding their dog Lidl-brand food or similar, there really is better stuff out there, and you would be totally surprised, and a little shocked, at the problems this food is actually causing for your dog!

Nody

Very nice experience to be shared and we went through similar experience when we went from RC (it was da best!) to proper food (Acana dry and various high quality wet foods) for our cats (and we're taking other people through it as we foster out cats).

ShaShaBear

Nody wrote: »

Very nice experience to be shared and we went through similar experience when we went from RC (it was da best!) to proper food (Acana dry and various high quality wet foods) for our cats (and we're taking other people through it as we foster out cats).

The difference is amazing, and to be honest I was a tad upset at having fed him Lidl stuff for so long. But me and OH agreed that it was better than no food at all, or having to give him away because we couldn't afford to feed him. Just glad now that he is on some proper food that he loves - it's like he's 5 again!

demanufactured

€64 on a bag of dog food??
Jesus wept

Nody

demanufactured wrote: »

€64 on a bag of dog food??
Jesus wept

Well it's a 13.5kg bag; per kilo it's around 4.77 EUR and yes; if you want a proper quality food that's the range you'll end up with most brands (there are a few local brand exceptions but they are far and few between and way to many poor brands at that price range as well such as Royal Canin, Hills Science plan etc.).

Also if you want another alternative to give him variation Applaws is a very solid choice and at the same price or Purizon if you want a bit lower protein levels (30% veggies vs. 20%).

PirateShampoo

I can feed myself healthy food for a week for less than what ur paying.

Would you consider making your own?

ShaShaBear

PirateShampoo wrote: »

I can feed myself healthy food for a week for less than what ur paying.

Would you consider making your own?

We don't have the space for raw feeding, and since I'm in a dissertation year and my partner works security, this means we are saving time as well. Practical all around.

ABajaninCork

Goes to show. If you buy quality, you feed less and the animal's better for it. It's worth spending more for the food as it works out cheaper as you're buying less, and therefore it lasts longer, relatively speaking.

Or put another way. Buy cheap, pay twice!

Noodleworm

My cats literally refuse to eat store brand lidl, aldi, tesco, supervalu, any of that.
Can't say blame them, the stuff smells like plastercine. But when funds are low we occasionally try it, to no avail. They will whine like their starving despite the full bowl of food, until we get something better quality.

fatmammycat

Nody wrote: »

Very nice experience to be shared and we went through similar experience when we went from RC (it was da best!) to proper food (Acana dry and various high quality wet foods) for our cats (and we're taking other people through it as we foster out cats).

I met one of my dog's siblings the other day and he was HYPER in comparison to my own dog, who is raw fed (other dog is fed RC too). Anectdote not data of course, but it was interesting. Also his dog was significently heavier, where as my guy is lean, but still only shy of 40 kilos.

Nody

Noodleworm wrote: »

My cats literally refuse to eat store brand lidl, aldi, tesco, supervalu, any of that.
Can't say blame them, the stuff smells like plastercine. But when funds are low we occasionally try it, to no avail. They will whine like their starving despite the full bowl of food, until we get something better quality.

Have you tried Bozita? The 400g packs are quite cheap and not much more expensive then what you find in a super market (on a per kilo basis; sometimes they even beat them) but the quality is miles above store brands. You can find them in various versions on zooplus.ie for example.

Next up in price after that you'd look at Cosma, GranataPet, Porta 21, Catz Finefood etc.

boomerang

There's an English dogfood equivalent in quality and protein content to TOTW and Orijen. It's called Eden. There's a guy selling it in Ireland. It's a little bit cheaper than the two American brands and if I remember right, free delivery if you buy two bags at a time. I was thinking of trying it but it'd probably send my greyhound over the edge. 85% meat, 20% fruit and veg, and zero grains. Have a look at the ingredients list to compare?

http://www.ireland.titanpetfoods.com/

A million years ago, I started out my first dog on Lidl food. When we know better, we do better, OP.

muddypaws

boomerang wrote: »

There's an English dogfood equivalent in quality and protein content to TOTW and Orijen. It's called Eden. There's a guy selling it in Ireland. It's a little bit cheaper than the two American brands and if I remember right, free delivery if you buy two bags at a time. I was thinking of trying it but it'd probably send my greyhound over the edge. 85% meat, 20% fruit and veg, and zero grains. Have a look at the ingredients list to compare?

http://www.ireland.titanpetfoods.com/

A million years ago, I started out my first dog on Lidl food. When we know better, we do better, OP.

A friend of mine in Scotland looked at Eden as she's having some major diet issues with one of her dogs at the moment, and is looking at eliminating various things, she wasn't impressed with the ingredients, lots of different meats in it, which probably wouldn't be an issue if not trying to eliminate things. But in her words 'seems to be a scattergun approach of shove as many meats in as you can'

Nody

muddypaws wrote: »

A friend of mine in Scotland looked at Eden as she's having some major diet issues with one of her dogs at the moment, and is looking at eliminating various things, she wasn't impressed with the ingredients, lots of different meats in it, which probably wouldn't be an issue if not trying to eliminate things. But in her words 'seems to be a scattergun approach of shove as many meats in as you can'

Their web site lists Chicken, Duck, Salmon, Herring & White Fish (I don't classify eggs as meat) which is not really over the top nor should any of them really cause an issue for a dog (it's grain, gluten etc. that's usually the culprit or poor quality "meat" products from what I'm aware).

OldNotWIse

demanufactured wrote: »

€64 on a bag of dog food??
Jesus wept

Some of the good quality food seems expensive but it isn't really. I paid 30 for a bag for ours which seemed like a lot, but when I worked out how much she should be getting each day and how much was in a bag, it was perhaps cheaper or if not, the same, as buying the more popular supermarket brands. Ok she's a small dog so maybe that's a factor too but I had also factored in the monthly cost of salmon oil on top of that too.

Mo60

I am feeding my dogs Lidl food at the moment and have been for some time. According to my vet they are all in perfectly good health. Also, none are hyper, have bad breath, have toilet problems or sleep issues. I have tried many 'premium' foods in the past and have found no difference in their behavior or health. When I did try these foods I fed them for at least a month to see if there was any change. I wouldn't have thought that a week would have been long enough to see what effect a new diet would have.

muddypaws

Nody wrote: »

Their web site lists Chicken, Duck, Salmon, Herring & White Fish (I don't classify eggs as meat) which is not really over the top nor should any of them really cause an issue for a dog (it's grain, gluten etc. that's usually the culprit or poor quality "meat" products from what I'm aware).

She is going to the vet school, and is eliminating different meats, it is not a reaction to grain or gluten, but a disease and meat is inflaming it.

OldNotWIse

I bought a Lidl chub as a treat for the neighbour's dog that I walk. He threw it up after. It looked pretty vile on the way in too tbh. Literally, wouldn't give it to a dog. Having said that, we feed a local stray cat the coshida pouches and she doesn't seem to have any problems.

eisenberg1

ShaShaBear wrote: »

The difference is amazing, and to be honest I was a tad upset at having fed him Lidl stuff for so long. But me and OH agreed that it was better than no food at all, or having to give him away because we couldn't afford to feed him. Just glad now that he is on some proper food that he loves - it's like he's 5 again!

Great post(s)....where did you get this new food? I have tried various dry foods for my dogs, lidl to top of the line and everything in between...nothing they really love, always have to mix with wet food. one of my dogs fed the expensive stuff since puppy still had to have a visit to vet for descaling at 3yrs old......

belongtojazz

boomerang wrote: »

There's an English dogfood equivalent in quality and protein content to TOTW and Orijen. It's called Eden. There's a guy selling it in Ireland. It's a little bit cheaper than the two American brands and if I remember right, free delivery if you buy two bags at a time. I was thinking of trying it but it'd probably send my greyhound over the edge. 85% meat, 20% fruit and veg, and zero grains. Have a look at the ingredients list to compare?

http://www.ireland.titanpetfoods.com/

A million years ago, I started out my first dog on Lidl food. When we know better, we do better, OP.

My agility dog won a bag of Eden at a show a few weeks ago so I figured I'd try it out and see if it would be an alternative to Raw when we're away. I have to say I wasn't impressed with how my dogs reacted to it. All 4 ended up with very upset stomachs after just a very small quantity. I have discussed it with a few people and the general consensus seems to be it is a very rich/heavy food.

ShaShaBear

eisenberg1 wrote: »

Great post(s)....where did you get this new food? I have tried various dry foods for my dogs, lidl to top of the line and everything in between...nothing they really love, always have to mix with wet food. one of my dogs fed the expensive stuff since puppy still had to have a visit to vet for descaling at 3yrs old......

I got it on zooplus - was actually looking at Eden, as it was around the same price, but the postage price put me off, since it made it more expensive than TOTW, which was free to ship!

eisenberg1

ShaShaBear wrote: »

I got it on zooplus - was actually looking at Eden, as it was around the same price, but the postage price put me off, since it made it more expensive than TOTW, which was free to ship!

Thanks, will give it a go.

Outkast_IRE

I feed Lukullus which would also fall into the premium food bracket as its gluten free.

Like many others I agree that you are feeding less amounts and there will be an improvement in the dog.

I buy 2 ,13.5kg bags for around €91 euro for both or so on offer, it lasts me just less than 6 months usually for a Collie type dog

meathstevie

OldNotWIse wrote: »

I bought a Lidl chub as a treat for the neighbour's dog that I walk. He threw it up after. It looked pretty vile on the way in too tbh. Literally, wouldn't give it to a dog. Having said that, we feed a local stray cat the coshida pouches and she doesn't seem to have any problems.

Don't observe dog food with your eyes and nose. A dog will naturally eat whatever he/she can get, wether that's a fresh kill or a half rotten bit of a carcass. They have the digestive system to deal with it. My collie and terrier for example regularly get the intestines and organ meat from rabbits I shoot as a treat. You wouldn't contemplate eating it I'm sure but they love it and it seems to give them quite some energy.

OldNotWIse

meathstevie wrote: »

Don't observe dog food with your eyes and nose. A dog will naturally eat whatever he/she can get, wether that's a fresh kill or a half rotten bit of a carcass. They have the digestive system to deal with it. My collie and terrier for example regularly get the intestines and organ meat from rabbits I shoot as a treat. You wouldn't contemplate eating it I'm sure but they love it and it seems to give them quite some energy.

Fair point I suppose, but the fact that it was thrown up afterwards?

seanaway

Hi

Are you serious? You have a collie type and 27KG lasts you almost 6 months???

I'm not being funny but we have a sprollie (springer collie cross) and she will go through a 15kg bag of Burgess in around 4 to 5 weeks when active.

Going by your figures your dog is getting about 150 - 180 grams a day. Is that what he/she should be getting? May I ask how much your collie type weighs?

Thanks

ps That food contains dried and ground potato. I would be cautious about that.

ShaShaBear

seanaway wrote: »

Hi

Are you serious? You have a collie type and 27KG lasts you almost 6 months???

I'm not being funny but we have a sprollie (springer collie cross) and she will go through a 15kg bag of Burgess in around 4 to 5 weeks when active.

Going by your figures your dog is getting about 150 - 180 grams a day. Is that what he/she should be getting? May I ask how much your collie type weighs?

Thanks

We weighed him in at 40lbs and he is getting exactly what the company recommends for his weight and lower activity (as he is elderly and cannot walk as much). He doesn't even eat the entire amount, so there is no issue of him getting less than he should be. He is getting 200g per day, in two servings.

Rosier

Mo60 wrote: »

I am feeding my dogs Lidl food at the moment and have been for some time. According to my vet they are all in perfectly good health. Also, none are hyper, have bad breath, have toilet problems or sleep issues. I have tried many 'premium' foods in the past and have found no difference in their behavior or health. When I did try these foods I fed them for at least a month to see if there was any change. I wouldn't have thought that a week would have been long enough to see what effect a new diet would have.

On the rare occasions I use "dog" food, it is LIDL or Tesco. no need to go elsewhere and the same with my cats. I feed mostly raw and home cooked but rely on the less costly foods a back up.