Best Dog Food

Haemoglobin

Need a good recommended brand of dog food for the big fella. He's almost 2 now and needs a good, safe, grain free feed. Not a big fan of Gain Feeds. Doesn't agree with him. He was on Red Mills Xcel greyhound feed for a bit, makes him hyperactive. He's a German Shepherd, but not a working dog. Any suggestions from you guys? Hate to see him scratching from the cereals in the gain food.
Thanks

cocker5

I feed my guy TOTW but it on here i find it excellent:

http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/dogs/dry_dog_food/taste_of_the_wild

VonVix

Avoid chicken/poultry based kibble as well. My GSD was a pretty itchy fella when he was on food that had chicken as the main meat. He is now on Lukullus beef & trout and doing very well on it, also from zooplus.ie
Not completely grain free but better than most.

What's your monthly budget? Might be able to suggest something for you.

Haemoglobin

VonVix wrote: »

Avoid chicken/poultry based kibble as well. My GSD was a pretty itchy fella when he was on food that had chicken as the main meat. He is now on Lukullus beef & trout and doing very well on it, also from zooplus.ie
Not completely grain free but better than most.

What's your monthly budget? Might be able to suggest something for you.

Around >€15-€30 suits me per bag. Anything what doesn't contain those ingredients like corn syrup and 'meat from animal derivatives'. The Gain Original contains 9 E-numbers! No wonder he's been a bit 'off' lately.
Thanks

Ms Doubtfire1

Haemoglobin wrote: »

Around >€15-€30 suits me per bag. Anything what doesn't contain those ingredients like corn syrup and 'meat from animal derivatives'. The Gain Original contains 9 E-numbers! No wonder he's been a bit 'off' lately.
Thanks

Make it yourself.
I cook myself for mine. Either chicken with rice and veg, 2 whole chickens with 2 kilos of rice and added veg boiled together.Than cooled off and frozen.I alternate the chicken with lamb every other week and veg is different each week as well. Works out cheaper than any of the 30 quid bags and he LOVES it.:-)

Nody

Haemoglobin wrote: »

Around >€15-€30 suits me per bag. Anything what doesn't contain those ingredients like corn syrup and 'meat from animal derivatives'. The Gain Original contains 9 E-numbers! No wonder he's been a bit 'off' lately.
Thanks

Any large bag will come in at more than that for grain free; Wolf of Wilderness Adult would be around 4.5 EUR per kilo, Taste of the wild would be similar. Orijen would be around 6 EUR, Purizon and Applaws around 4 EUR, Lily's would be around 7 EUR etc. Hence I can't think of brand you'd get for in the 2-3 EUR or less per kg range which is grain free (those fillers is what makes it possible to bulk up the weight at very low cost after all).

Haemoglobin

Ms Doubtfire1 wrote: »

Make it yourself.
I cook myself for mine. Either chicken with rice and veg, 2 whole chickens with 2 kilos of rice and added veg boiled together.Than cooled off and frozen.I alternate the chicken with lamb every other week and veg is different each week as well. Works out cheaper than any of the 30 quid bags and he LOVES it.:-)

I was thinking of doing that... Just a random question, since you started cooking for your doggo, did his temperament change (calmer, less destructive, Etc.) since the switch from commercial food?

Ms Doubtfire1

Haemoglobin wrote: »

I was thinking of doing that... Just a random question, since you started cooking for your doggo, did his temperament change (calmer, less destructive, Etc.) since the switch from commercial food?

I have a Lurcher so he's very laid back anyways. But he is a LOT less stinky when he ehm...breaks wind? :rolleyes: I actually switched to cooking myself after he was scratching his tummy like mad for a few weeks. That's well and truly gone. his fur shines like a mirror. But no changes in temperament. Other than that he can't wait for his dinner where earlier he was just so-so.

dubjay

im using barking heads grain free and mixing it with rice and chicken and veg. i also include some vitamin oils every second day exel i think the name is but their coats shine like a mirror its made up of 65% salmon oil

tk123

dubjay wrote: »

im using barking heads grain free and mixing it with rice

Are you not negating the whole grain free thing by adding rice?

I feed RAW btw OP - you can make it as expensive or cheap as you want depending on how much time and storage space you have!

Bells21

tk123 wrote:

I feed RAW btw OP - you can make it as expensive or cheap as you want depending on how much time and storage space you have!

We've started feeding raw recently and it actually works out cheaper for us over the month than what we paid when feeding Acana. We're using complete chubs at the minute and it cost us roughly €46 to feed two dogs(JRTx and mini schnauzer) for 35 days.

Knine

Back in the day I used to feed my terrier & GSDs Winalot Mixer, Chappie & Winalot prime all mixed together. I still remember the smell. They all lived to very good ages & the terrier was at least 17 when he was pts. The cat ate whatever was on special offer & she was 21 when pts.

It will be interesting to see if this generation of dogs live any longer with much better diets

dubjay

tk123 wrote: »

dubjay wrote: »

im using barking heads grain free and mixing it with rice

Are you not negating the whole grain free thing by adding rice?

I feed RAW btw OP - you can make it as expensive or cheap as you want depending on how much time and storage space you have!

sorry white boiled rice it was part of the magic mixture for loose stools and bad tummies. but have stopped using rice just puppy days and chicken Brest also he has been on a liquid pre biotic revive for the past 3 weeks but it seems to have worked well. the store where i get barking heads have got in yum pro so i can get it here in dublin. my aim is to find a food thats best but cant complain with puppy days salmon and trout

Jude13

My GSD is on TOTW, we got the salmon (from memory) flavour and she hates it. So I have to switch back to the deer one.

dubjay

Jude13 wrote: »

My GSD is on TOTW, we got the salmon (from memory) flavour and she hates it. So I have to switch back to the deer one.

deer as in flavor. i got some antlers for my two and they are indestructible so far. expensive to get but they seem to last also was advised to boil them in beef or chicken stock to flavor the marrow after a week or two if they got bored but they still are trying to crack them.

dubjay

tk123 wrote: »

dubjay wrote: »

im using barking heads grain free and mixing it with rice

Are you not negating the whole grain free thing by adding rice?

I feed RAW btw OP - you can make it as expensive or cheap as you want depending on how much time and storage space you have!

if feeding raw do you need any additives and how do you prepare the meat i.e do you cut it up really fine also how old would a dog need to be to start feeding raw

Jude13

Yup, there is a venision flavoured one. To be honest I think she gets bored. So I may buy two flavours and alternate them each day.

We use antlers too, she has a hard time getting throught them and they last a while. The trouble is the noise. We have balls we fill with food, to get it out she throws them in the air to bounce them. She tries this with the antlers on our tiled floors and make a racket.

dubjay

I used TOTW wet canned food as a trial before but never the dry i must try it a lot of people seem to be happy with it. i moved my fella from hills-royal canin-AATU to barking heads but i have seen TOTW in maxi zoo and it seems a reasonable price. i wanted to get ORIGEN but the stockist was on the other side of dublin

dubjay

we recently replaced the carpets to wooden floors i have to admit there is more of a racket but i get a laugh when i see them wheel spinning or skidding on the rug. caught the little fella chewing the new rail he seems to stop at nothing

tk123

dubjay wrote: »

if feeding raw do you need any additives and how do you prepare the meat i.e do you cut it up really fine also how old would a dog need to be to start feeding raw

No I don't cut it up fine because chunks are better for chewing and cleaning their teeth..and also because I'm too lazy lol. They get a mix of minces/bone/chunks/veg/fish My girl has been on it since day one with us. I add joint supplements but that's more because my boy has joint issues and give them kefir most evenings with their supper for probiotics... and because they love it lol!!

There's lots of info on-line if you were thinking of switching and loads of FB groups. I prefer the UK ones because the Irish groups can be biased towards one supplier and one source of information.. i'm sure their followers will come along to recommend them and push their discount code etc but I favour slaneyeptfoods.ie for my two - better selection and better prices for what I feed and better customer service too.

PS PetStop stock Orijen and deliver for free over €20. Or if you don't want to order online and you're ever near Blanchardstown you have PetStop and MaxiZoo around the corner from each other and then down onto the M50 and jump off at Ballymun for PetMania and PetWorld around the corner from each other.

Knine

dubjay wrote: »

deer as in flavor. i got some antlers for my two and they are indestructible so far. expensive to get but they seem to last also was advised to boil them in beef or chicken stock to flavor the marrow after a week or two if they got bored but they still are trying to crack them.

Watch out for badly damaged teeth. They are well known for breaking teeth. I don't give them to my dogs

tk123

Knine wrote: »

Watch out for badly damaged teeth. They are well known for breaking teeth. I don't give them to my dogs

+1 and they can splinter too - a friend's dog cut her mouth up pretty bad with one !

DBB

Knine wrote: »

Watch out for badly damaged teeth. They are well known for breaking teeth. I don't give them to my dogs

My GSD destroyed her teeth on them.

dubjay

Knine wrote: »

dubjay wrote: »

deer as in flavor. i got some antlers for my two and they are indestructible so far. expensive to get but they seem to last also was advised to boil them in beef or chicken stock to flavor the marrow after a week or two if they got bored but they still are trying to crack them.

Watch out for badly damaged teeth. They are well known for breaking teeth. I don't give them to my dogs

yes the guy from the shop said to remove it from them after 2 months or when they start to splinter. i used to give them the hollowed out stuffed marrow bones but got suspicious of the filling inside also they would be gone in a week

dubjay

looking at the acana heritage range the petstop online chat said its a new range next to orijen in quality and its made by the same company also they said they do the loyalty deal across the range in case i switch from puppy to adult foods i still get the eight bag free. the ingredients look good has anybody tried this range

DBB

dubjay wrote: »

yes the guy from the shop said to remove it from them after 2 months or when they start to splinter.

It took a matter of hours (over a few days) for my dog's teeth to become damaged from chewing a stag bar.

dubjay

i think i will remove the stag bars and have a look at there teeth.the pup seems to chew trough everything though i even caught him chewing a rock

hairyslug

For those that raw feed, can I ask where you get your meat and what quality it is. Our lad loves chicken legs and bones but tbh we don't like him dragging a leg through the house. Also chicken and beef can be quite expensive that can be an issue.

hairyprincess

dubjay wrote: »

i think i will remove the stag bars and have a look at there teeth.the pup seems to chew trough everything though i even caught him chewing a rock

Give him a carrot. My pup loves them. Saves him gnawing on our hands when he gets fed up of his toys!

dubjay

hairyslug wrote: »

For those that raw feed, can I ask where you get your meat and what quality it is. Our lad loves chicken legs and bones but tbh we don't like him dragging a leg through the house. Also chicken and beef can be quite expensive that can be an issue.

just above tk123 gave a good link.google slaneypetfoods.ie considering it myself for my own two but might mix with dry to begin with

dubjay

hairyprincess wrote: »

dubjay wrote: »

i think i will remove the stag bars and have a look at there teeth.the pup seems to chew trough everything though i even caught him chewing a rock

Give him a carrot. My pup loves them. Saves him gnawing on our hands when he gets fed up of his toys!

he gets those in his dinner he would have a carrot gone in 10 seconds, when he pants all you see is this row of teeth like a piranha. chewed the garden gnome but i got him a rubber Tyre thing with rope for dogs in tk max last week and it seems to be still intact. the other dog is a soft bite so she like soft toys but he ripped all them up on her