Best dry dog food available in Ireland?

Dtp1979

Nody wrote: »

270g a day (active) to 180g (less active) for 20kg dog; that's the benefit of feeding quality stuff rather then fillers (i.e. wheat etc.) and why cheaper foods often work out worse in reality once you add in portion size for comparison.

The table is on the Acana website for each bag type as well.

I feed my 20kg dog champion senior. It's 50 euro but only lasts about 35 days. Yours seems better value.

Dtp1979

What do others here think of acana. Is it a good dry food?

Nody

Dtp1979 wrote: »

What do others here think of acana. Is it a good dry food?

Acana/Orijen are five star dog foods and as good as you can get basically.

irishlady29

Nody wrote:

Honestly quite poor; while rice is better then wheat it should not look like this:

Wow, that's a lot of rice! And for the price of a bag food, I would have expected more meat.
If we were to take our dog's off Burns, what would you recommend with similar price.
Thanks for info

Nody

irishlady29 wrote: »

Wow, that's a lot of rice! And for the price of a bag food, I would have expected more meat.
If we were to take our dog's off Burns, what would you recommend with similar price.
Thanks for info

How much do you pay for a bag and how much (roughly) do you feed in a day? That will help narrow down the alternatives

eoin.d

I had my pup on eukanuba then taste of the wild. He never gets excited about his food. Will eat it sometimes other times wont bother. Is there a dry food in this price range anyone can recommend a dog would be excited to eat? Thanks

Nody

eoin.d wrote: »

I had my pup on eukanuba then taste of the wild. He never gets excited about his food. Will eat it sometimes other times wont bother. Is there a dry food in this price range anyone can recommend a dog would be excited to eat? Thanks

That's impossible to say Eoin because every dog is different and what works for one may not work for another. Try sample packs of for example Lukullus, Acana or Wolf of Wilderness or look at mixing up his kibble with some wet food such as Rocco or Nature diet to make it smell more interesting.

irishlady29

Nody wrote:

How much do you pay for a bag and how much (roughly) do you feed in a day? That will help narrow down the alternatives

15kg cost about €65-€70. Bag lasts about 4 - 5 weeks. Using 3 cups a day.

Nody

irishlady29 wrote: »

15kg cost about €65-€70. Bag lasts about 4 - 5 weeks. Using 3 cups a day.

Ok, based on 120g per cup (360g per day) you're looking at an average of 42 days for 65 EUR or 1.55 EUR per day average for comparison which puts your dog(s) in the 35kg range according to the Burns feeding scale. I'll be using Zooplus.ie for comparison prices (you can get it cheaper from .de or simply getting their discount code) for your alternatives (Burns is there at 62 EUR so it's a fair comparison and my only association with them is the fact I've spent several grand with them for my own pets over the years).

We'll start with a classic; Taste of the Wild High Praire:

Ingredients:
Bison, dried lamb meat, dried chicken meat, eggs, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes, canola oil, roasted bison, roasted game, natural flavourings, tomato puree, ocean fish meal, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried fermentation products of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus,...

Price: 57.99 EUR for 13.6kg with 3 cups per day feeding.

This puts your feeding at: 1.54 EUR per day; so pretty much the same cost but you go from 67% rice to zero rice and 20% meat to 80% meat.

Secondly Acana Wild Prairie

Fresh chicken meat (19%), dried chicken (18%), green peas, dried turkey (5%), poultry liver oil (5%), field beans, red lentils, fresh potatoes, fresh turkey meat (3%), fresh whole eggs (3%), fresh walleye (3%), sun-dried alfalfa, pea fibre, fresh chicken liver (2%), herring oil (2%), fresh apples, fresh pears,...

Acana goes a bit heavier on fruits & vegs and come in at 60% meat content but still no rice or wheat etc. and recognised as a 5 star brand. Price at 59.99 for 13 kg with a feeding level of about 270g. This puts the price at 1.25 EUR per kg with several alternatives inc. lower fat versions at same price in case your dog needs to lose weight.

Now going into rice options there's Black Angust Adult from Markus Muhle

Ground dried Black Angus meat (17.3%), ground brown wholegrain rice, ground dried duck meat (9.7%), ground dried herring (6.6%), ground millet, ground amaranth, fresh green herbs, linseed, algae mix, herring oil, cold pressed vegetable oil mix, beet pulp, gelatine, dry peat (2%), dried ground yucca schidigera, milk thistle seeds, fennel seeds, dried blueberries, powdered egg yolk, siliceous earth (1.5%), muscle meat extract from green-lipped mussels (1.5%), sea mollusc protein from green-lipped mussels (1%), green mineral soil.

Now rice is not listed as a percentage but we can guesstimate it to around 15%; do note the green lipped mussels meats etc. which many swear by for joints for elderly dogs (can also be added separately of course).

Price is 49.99 for 15kg (I'm excluding the 1kg free bonus as it's temporary) with 420g per day feeding (be warned this food is very heavy so you need to measure it in weight and not cups or you'll overfeed!) putting it at 1.40 EUR per day.

Another rice option is Lukullus Dog Food Charolais Beef & Trout

Ground beef jerky (28%), ground wholegrain rice (26%), dried and ground trout (6%), cold-pressed rapeseed oil (5%), dried seaweed, dried alfalfa, beet pulp, rice germ, dried herbs (3.5%), dried pears (2%), dried apples (2%), dried egg yolk, caraway, linseed oil (1.5%), dried and ground carob, powdered mineral clay, diatomaceous earth, dried and ground yucca schidigera, dried blueberries (0.3%).

Rice listed at 26% and priced at 44.99 EUR for 15kg puts it at 420g and 1.26 EUR per day.

And finally the budget option of Markus Muhle NaturNah

28% dried poultry meal, thermally treated whole grain rice, thermally treated whole grain maize, 8% game tripe meal, rice germs, Jerusalem artichoke meal, 5% sea fish meal, dried beetroot meal, cold pressed linseed oil, cold pressed rapeseed oil, 2% egg yolk, dried peat, fruit powder (combination of carobs, pineapples, papayas, bananas, acerola cherries, apples, pears, blueberries, mangos, raspberries), dried herb mixture, salmon oil, algae meal, dried Mojave yucca

Note this contains maize which is a bit of a red herring but it should be less likely to cause problems at least.

Price comes in at 41.99 EUR for 15 kg and 420g again at 1.18 EUR per day.

As you may notice once you start adding in feeding amounts it starts to vary quite a bit and quality brands don't work out as noticeably more expensive then the cheaper brands in the longer term which is the false economy of many cheaper brands; they may look cheap to buy but the actual cost is actually pretty similar on a per day basis. The other important part is to measure in weight rather than cups; this is because cups vary and brands vary in how dense they are (the Markus Muhle once for example are very heavy) which means instead of putting down "what seems right" by measuring you put down what they should actually eat. This may seem very very tiny but it do help keep their weight in check and of course save money by not overfeeding and also remove the bias of "adding a bit more because it's so little that is never going to be enough". There is also this thread which shows what a change in brand from cheap to a high quality brand can do and always brings a smile to my face.

irishlady29

Nody wrote:

which shows what a change in brand from cheap to a high quality brand can do and always brings a smile to my face.

Thank you so much for all that info and the time you put into. Very helpful Appreciate it.

Nody

irishlady29 wrote: »

Thank you so much for all that info and the time you put into. Very helpful Appreciate it.

Happy to help; it's one of my key interests because I was so over sold on the hype of Royal Canin at the time as the bestest eva for my pets (far from it in reality) and I want to help educate people further. As always as a disclaimer what's listed is purely based on an amateur review of what's in a food; what actually works for your dog may vary

Dtp1979

Nody wrote: »

Acana/Orijen are five star dog foods and as good as you can get basically.

And how does champion senior rate in your opinion. Thanks for all your information. It's extremely helpful

Nody

Dtp1979 wrote: »

And how does champion senior rate in your opinion. Thanks for all your information. It's extremely helpful

I'll be honest I'm having problem finding the brand and ingredient list; I've found at least 3 different brands that partly matches the name Champion senior from Championpetfoods.com (which links to Acana) to Championpetfood.com which has brands I've never seen to Pedigree. This means I'm not sure what's actually in the food you have atm and hence I can't really comment on it . If you look at the ingredient list though what would be the first 5 items listed (in general once you're past the fifth item it goes to very low percentages anyway)?

spurious

Our guys like this stuff https://www.canagan.co.uk/small-breed-chicken.html

They don't seem to need as much of it as other foods they had been on.

Nody

spurious wrote: »

Our guys like this stuff https://www.canagan.co.uk/small-breed-chicken.html

They don't seem to need as much of it as other foods they had been on.

Which don't surprise me as it's from a quality point of view I'd place it at Acana level (i.e. 5 stars).

Freshly Prepared Deboned Chicken (26%), Dried Chicken (25%), Sweet Potato, Peas, Potato, Pea Protein, Alfalfa, Chicken Fat (3.1%), Dried Egg (3.1%), Chicken Gravy (1.6%), Salmon Oil (1.2%),...

From a price perspective it's a bit expensive due to smaller bag size (6kg at 32 GBP being the largest option) and I'd have loved a 12/15 kg option there which would make it more cost competitive with other bags in that size to help spread it even more.

Dtp1979

Nody wrote: »

I'll be honest I'm having problem finding the brand and ingredient list; I've found at least 3 different brands that partly matches the name Champion senior from Championpetfoods.com (which links to Acana) to Championpetfood.com which has brands I've never seen to Pedigree. This means I'm not sure what's actually in the food you have atm and hence I can't really comment on it . If you look at the ingredient list though what would be the first 5 items listed (in general once you're past the fifth item it goes to very low percentages anyway)?

Here

Nody

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Here

Thank you; their website appears to have some issues when trying to look up the individual brands but I'll go by the ingredient list alone. First of all no wheat, rice etc. gets two big thumbs up directly; that's what I love to see. Secondly being the fish version (fish tends to be more expensive than chicken) it has 50% fish which by definition leaves another 48% to Sweet potato, peas and potato (guesstimated). That's a bit high but being fish it's not exactly uncommon so nothing ringing big bells of warning. Over all I'd say a very high quality brand; the amount of potato (esp. sweet potato) is a bit high (I'd love to see a bit more variety and more greenery) but nothing that's outrageous (and being hypo allergenic version I can understand limiting the stuff they put into it).

If I was to classify it I'd put it in the 4 to 4.5 star range; it's a tad to high on the potato side of things to get the full five stars.

Dtp1979

Nody wrote: »

Thank you; their website appears to have some issues when trying to look up the individual brands but I'll go by the ingredient list alone. First of all no wheat, rice etc. gets two big thumbs up directly; that's what I love to see. Secondly being the fish version (fish tends to be more expensive than chicken) it has 50% fish which by definition leaves another 48% to Sweet potato, peas and potato (guesstimated). That's a bit high but being fish it's not exactly uncommon so nothing ringing big bells of warning. Over all I'd say a very high quality brand; the amount of potato (esp. sweet potato) is a bit high (I'd love to see a bit more variety and more greenery) but nothing that's outrageous (and being hypo allergenic version I can understand limiting the stuff they put into it).

If I was to classify it I'd put it in the 4 to 4.5 star range; it's a tad to high on the potato side of things to get the full five stars.

Now that you mention sweet potato, I actually give her homemade dehydrated sweet potato treats every day. In guessing that's too much? Also, what's the harm with sweet potato?

316

Dtp1979 would you stuff your child with sweets every day?

Dtp1979

316 wrote: »

Dtp1979 would you stuff your child with sweets every day?

Absolutely not. One is a vegetable and one is pure sugar.
I've read sweet potato is very good for dogs.

316

Google is deadly dangerous, I would be cautious of what I read on it.

Dtp1979

316 wrote: »

Google is deadly dangerous, I would be cautious of what I read on it.

So sweet potato is the same as sweets? Hardly.

Gael23

Someone said at the beginning of the thread that hundreds of years ago dogs would have been fed on leftovers of human food, and I agree with that. We always gave our dog some of whatever we were eating along with his own food and he got on fine and lived to 15. His particular favourite was rice, he would demolish a whole bowl of it covered in whatever sauce we would have been eating.

Hildred

316 wrote: »

Google is deadly dangerous, I would be cautious of what I read on it.

Thanks for the advice 316. Advice which I'm fairly confident most discerning folk would already put into place when doing research, be it on Google, Bing, Doras or any other SE. Not everyone on here is a gullible eejit imo. :P
In truth, I wouldn't call Google deadly dangerous. I would suggest that it has potential to be misused; or has potential to be dangerous if not used prudently.

No disrespect intended here 316.

Incidentally, upon researching 'dogs and sweet potatoes' myself, I have discovered from multiple sources on "dangerous" Google, veterinary experts extolling the virtue of sweet potato as a snack for your dog. Some recommend dehumidifying it (in an oven if you don't have a dehumidifier) and giving it as either snack or reward food. It is extremely healthy and actually good for your dog, as it is an all natural product without any additives. Personally, I cook mine and cut it into cubes for my dogs, and they love it. Must try the dried ones next time, or as soon as I can find instructions on oven temperatures (also on Google). .

54and56

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

Ordered 30kg of Lukullus Dog Food Chicken & Northern Wild Salmon from http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/dogs/dry_dog_food/lukullus/156094 for €78 delivered.

Only had it a few days but it's going down a treat. I'll update again in a few weeks.

My 8 month old 50% Newfoundland 25% Rottweiler 25% Northern Innuit (Father was 100% Newfoundland Mother was Rothweiler Northern Innuit Cross but not sure if her parents were 100% anything!!) is now half way through the 2nd 15KG bag of Lukullus Chicken & Northern Wild Salmon and is doing very well on it. She scoffs her portions and is in rude health. Her coat is really good and her poo's are nice and solid.

Just to compare I've ordered some Markus Mühle NaturNah http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/dogs/dry_dog_food/markus_muehle/naturnah/128238 to see how that goes down. I'll compare how she does on both and either stick with one of alternate between the two as every 30KG delivery comes to an end.

I also have a 10.5 year old Labrador/Alsation/H57 who is slowing down and showing her age. She gets on very well with the new pup (who is now 28KG and bigger than her) but has for the last 4-5 years been fed Aldi's Chicken complete which at €0.93 a KG is pretty good value - https://www.aldi.ie/en/product-range/pet-care/dog-food/dog-food-products-detail-page/ps/p/earls-complete-dog-food but I'm thinking of switching her to the same food as the younger dog once she finishes the current bag.

Good idea / bad idea?

Springwell

Definitely switch e older dog, the aldi stuff is mostly fillers.

Cortina_MK_IV

I'm glad I found this thread; some good info. I have my Golden Retriever (8 months old) on Royal Canin since I got him. My daughter had just got a Pug and that breeder went on about how good it was so when I got my lad I put him on it too, made better by Equipet having €10 off the RRP. Last time I paid the full whack of €70.99. He had got 1 month from the previous 12kg bag so it's not so bad at €2.xx per day but I still considered changing even just for changes sake both for him and my pocket.

Anyway, even if I stick with RC, what site to order online is best? A few have mentioned petshoponline... The have RC at €60.99 with free delivery.

Nody

Why would you ever want to stick with overpriced mediocre food (RC) if it's not medical related reason?

Cortina_MK_IV

I suppose the simple answer is not knowing any better. Even on my first trip to the vet for vaccinations she asked what he was fed on and I told her RC and she replied, "that's fine" and I never gave it a lot of thought after that and it was a case of if it's not broke then don't fix it. Having read this maybe it is a good time to change.

Gael23

Cortina_MK_IV wrote: »

I suppose the simple answer is not knowing any better. Even on my first trip to the vet for vaccinations she asked what he was fed on and I told her RC and she replied, "that's fine" and I never gave it a lot of thought after that and it was a case of if it's not broke then don't fix it. Having read this maybe it is a good time to change.

This is a fair point. We always used Pedigree which was seen as pretty ok 15 years ago. Over time that view changed but our Dog was happy and healthy on it so we left well enough alone.
Thats with the exception of the Aldo food, theres a reason its 79c a kilo, its pure rubbish not even fit for animal consumption.