Is Barking Heads puppy food any good?

Lamia189

Hey guys.
Ive been looking to test out new dry food for my 7month old border collie.
So far Ive been feeding her the select gold brand but she absolutely hates it.
Ive been looking at online retailers like zooplus.co.uk and the food brand barking heads cought my attention as the review are very good and the price is within my limit.
So has anyone ever used that brand? Because I haven't really heard about it and I dont want to spend that amount of money on junk...
If not, could anyone suggest a good brand that the website supplies?

Thanks alot for your time!

TopTec

I've been using B.H for several years now for my Shih Tzu's. One is on the 'Bad Hair Day' and the other on 'Golden Years'. Never had a problem with it and I also have a visiting farm dog, a Sheepdog/Collie X, who wolfs it down.

I thinks it is as good as Wainwrights, Ardens and all the others in the 3/4 star range.

TT

alpha13

i used to use barking heads fusspot with my girl but then i was made aware of eden holistic food from titan petfoods here in ireland and now he has his own version of it called primal... have to say best decision i ever made... so much better quality and better for her... would never go back myself.... it is as expensive as barking heads but it actually is not because i get 2 months out of a 15kg bag so really works out at 35 a month.. and she is over 10 now and still loads of energy and in very good shape.. she is a white shepherd and no signs of hip issues or anything to date.. have her on it over 4 years now and her weight is always within 2 kg variance. she is outdoors and neutered, but more importantly she is very happy and in good shape and health...
but that is my own take on the food :)

VonVix

I'm using Barking Heads for my adult dog (Bad Hair Day variety), he is doing very well on it, nice firm stools and he has had some stomach sensitivity issues in the past.

Have a look at the ingredients and compare it to some other brands, when you get used to reading ingredients it becomes easier to distinguish between a "good" and "bad" food. I'll give you two extreme examples.

This one is Pedigree dry chicken variety, considered very low range. Grains are the first ingredient and the rest of the ingredients are pretty vague in what they are (by products, what kind of fish? What kind of 'animal' by-products?)
Ingredients:
Grains, fish and animal by-products (18%, incl. 4% chicken in chunks), oils and fats (incl. 0.4% sunflower oil), vegetable protein extracts, vegetable by-products (incl. 1% dried beet pulp), vegetables (incl. 4% carrots in chunks, 4% peas in chunks), minerals.

Here's Orijen original dry, considered a high-end dog food. Very clear-cut to see what each ingredient is, plus meat as the main ingredients.
Ingredients:
Fresh chicken (13%), fresh turkey (7%), fresh whole egg (7%), fresh chicken liver (6%), fresh whole herring (6%), fresh whole flounder (5%), fresh turkey liver (5%), fresh chicken necks (4%), fresh chicken heart (4%), fresh turkey heart (4%), dehydrated chicken (4%), dehydrated turkey (4%), whole dehydrated mackerel (4%), whole dehydrated sardine (4%), whole dehydrated herring (4%), whole red lentils, whole green lentils, whole green peas, lentil fibre, whole chickpeas, whole yellow peas, whole pinto beans, whole white beans, herring oil (1%), chicken fat (1%), chicken cartilage (1%), freeze-dried chicken liver, freeze-dried turkey liver, fresh whole pumpkin, fresh whole butternut squash, fresh whole courgette, fresh whole parsnips, fresh carrots, fresh whole red apples, fresh whole pears, fresh kale, fresh spinach, fresh chard, fresh turnip greens, brown seaweed, whole cranberries, whole blueberries, whole juneberries, chicory root, turmeric root, milk thistle, burdock root, lavender, marshmallow root, rosehips, enterococcus faecium.

Hope that helps a bit.

Lamia189

Thanks guys for getting back to me I have since done some more research and found out about red mills leader which is supplied by my local pet shop, so I think I will give that a shot since its so nearby! Their website looks very clean and professional, plus they do provide a detailed list of ingredients like you said VonVix. My pup is a pretty fussy eater though so if she doesn't like it I will try my luck with barking heads.
Thanks again for all the advice, much appreciated!