Dry Food Advice?

[llannon]

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Hi, We collect our 8 week old whippet puppy on Monday, and have been trying to decide what food to get for him.

The breeder is currently feeding him a BARF diet, and will give us enough food for the first week. We would like to change his food to something else, as we don't really have the time or fridge space to carry on the BARF diet.

I took a trip to my local Pets at Home today, and was unsure on what to buy, due to the large choice in brands available. I read a few different brands until I started to suffer from brain fog and got confused...

The Science Plan Natures Best for small/medium puppies seemed quite a good mix, so wondered if anyone had experience of using it, or further recommendations for a dry food diet?

Or am I way off, and dry food is not a good idea?

Please help...trying to get everything ready for our new arrival.

Matt

 

[julie_s]

Hi,

We collected our puppy Ruby :wub: last friday and we bought the pedigree chum puppy food they had been eating since they were weaned... she decided that she much prefered the cat biscuits but as that's no good for growing puppies we quickly got that up out of the way, but she wouldn't look at the puppy food again :wacko: .

We got a puppy pack from the vet and as well as a few other things it contained a packet of pedigree puppy complete biscuits she seemed to like the crunch and has been happily tucking into the ever since (like cat biscuits but better for her! :thumbsup: ).

The plan to put her onto Burns puppy and toy dog complete once she has finished the free box, it was recomended on here a while back and it looks pretty good.

Oh and I also got a few free little packets of James Wellbeloved from the pet food store where i bought the burns food and she seems to like that too. Might be worth asking if they've any free samples.

good luck... and have fun,

Julie

 

[OEH]

BARF is definately best, but we don't have freezer space for it at the moment either, but time wise definitely worth it. :thumbsup:

Science definitely did NOT do well for my girls they had dry stary coats on it. When I changed their coats changed completely- much softer and shinier.

We now use either Burns or James Wellbeloved, but as soon as we move (early next year) we'll be straight on to BARF.

Good luck with the puppy :luck: Looking forward to seeing lots of lovely pictures :wub:

 

[dessie]

I'm afraid, as a breeder who brings their puppies up on a BARF diet, I am going to say you are way off. Why do you think mixing a bowl of meat & biscuit is time consuming? If you do not want to use fresh meat what about an alternative such as tinned butchers tripe, Forthglade Menu, Naturediet, Natures Menu pouches etc.

You may also find you are heading for feeding difficulties if you insist on changing your puppy's diet to complete if he has not had it before as, in my experience, most Whippets who are used to meat will not touch complete although the other way round is no problem.

I would think long and hard before you drastically change a new puppy's diet. Be guided by the breeder.

 

[llannon]

If we went for a tinned meat and biscuit option, what brands do people recommend?

Does it say on the packets what the mix should be? How much meat against how much biscuit?

 

[OEH]

If we went for a tinned meat and biscuit option, what brands do people recommend?
Does it say on the packets what the mix should be? How much meat against how much biscuit?

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I think a good complete would be better than that option, tinned food really isn't very good. However thinking about it, the space taken up by BARF in the freezer for only one dog really shouldn't be to bad so possible worth further consideration

 

[Cleopatra]

I feed mine on Butchers tripe, occasionaly chicken wings (raw) mine are older though.

Billy doesnt do biscuits that well they tend to scour him, so dont feed eihter of them biccys.

I would feed the pup on the barf diet for a while otherwise i might be a bit of a shock to the system, gradually wean the little one off.

Im no expert obviously there are more qualified on this board, but thats my advice for what it is worth.

 

[LasVegasNo1]

I think a good complete would be better than that option, tinned food really isn't very good.  However thinking about it, the space taken up by BARF in the freezer for only one dog really shouldn't be to bad so possible worth further consideration

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Really? We had to buy another freezer just for Alfie :wacko: Mind you it's excellent for Xmas, Alfie just has to go on basic rations! :- "

I'd agree with what's already been said, BARF is excellent, after that I would suggest Burns dry food :thumbsup:

 

[Alfiewhippet]

We were feeding Alfie on tinned meat and biscuit until Daisy came to live with us at Easter. She was being fed a BARF diet and i am so pleased we ran with it and changed Alfie over to the same. )

The pros far out weigh the cons IMO and as for the little "poos" we have in the garden it definitely shows that the dogs use all that they eat and waste very little.

The best bit is that Alfie seems to have settled down in his temperament and also has a fabulous coat to boot. :thumbsup:

I manage to feed 2 on a BARf diet with a small freezer, it can be done if that's the way you want to go

 

[~JO~]

I've only got a small freezer and just have one draw for the boys - this holds enough of their special tripe/meat mix for 2 weeks and chicken wings too It is all a bit squashed in though :wacko:

If I run out I use Forthglade menu pouches and they seem to tolerate this really well and eat it quite enthusiastically. Mine would never touch a bowl of dried - I have tried for an experiment :lol:

 

[~Helen~]

I agree with what's already been said about BARF. My first pup came to me reared on Pedigree Chum Puppy and I switched to Burns as soon as I could, but then took the plunge with BARF and haven't looked back. My second pup went onto BARF the moment she came home with us (although we did take 10 days over the changeover) and both are in such lovely condition with great teeth. They did have James Wellbeloved for a while when staying with my Mum and that was fine, although their coats weren't so glossy.

In my opinion it's a myth that BARF is time consuming. I grab a pack of meat out of the freezer in the morning and leave it on the side to defrost ready for later, then when it comes to meal time I mix in some wholemeal biscuit or pasta and squeeze in an ice cube or two of previously liquidised and frozen veg (a mix of whatever we're eating, I do up a batch once a week and it takes 15 mins tops - that's once a week so hardly a big chunk of my time). Sometimes they have a tin of sardines for breakfast (time to open the tin and scoop the contents into bowl = about 40 seconds). Chicken wings and bones are also easy to give.

It's not that space consuming either - after all, you're going to have to store that bag of dried complete somewhere! I use one drawer of my freezer for the raw food packs and the veg ice-cube trays, and I have a small bag of wholemeal mixer in the cupboard.

Why don't you have a read of some old threads on the pros and cons of different types of food? It's well worth your time doing a bit more research before you make your mind up.

click here to be taken to FAQ's feeding section

Good luck with whatever you decide :luck:

 

[jezza]

Tinned Butchers tripe made my dogs trumps smell :x BAD :x :x :x

I now use Nature diet and Burns. Also lots of sardines and some extra veg. I think its just a case of giving different foods a try. What works for some dogs won't work for others.

I used to feed BARF (the frozoen stuff anyway) but to be honest I didn't see a lot of difference. They were on it for about 6 months. Anyway, it turned out too expensive for me (I'm a veggie so I don't get any freebies from the butcher because I don't go to one!!). Molly is now in much better condition with what she eats now. I do still get a bag of tripe every now and again for a treat.

A bit of trial and error I suppose. Good luck :luck:

 

[llannon]

It's hard to make a decision...at the minute I am looking into the Burns option, as we simply do not have enough freezer space at the minute.

In time (when we can get another freezer) I will have another look at the options.

Given that a complete BARF diet is not really an option at the minute, would Burns be the best choice? Or is there another option?

 

[jok]

Can only really echo what others have said already.

I use to feed my Dobermann on complete - always an expensive variety like James Well Beloved. She didn't look good on it. She was scurffy and also suffered from dog acne which was quiet disgusting :x

I changed her to BARF at the end of last year and my two Whippets have been on it since i got them. It is not time consuming. I bought a second hand freezer out of the paper for about £20. It is in the garage for the dogs meats.

It is actually costing me less to feed all three on BARF than it was Chloe on her own on James Well Beloved.

Chloe now looks fantastic, i would not go back, no way. Her spots have gone, after the vet telling me she would have them for life and her coat is glossy with no scurf.

I use Laughing Dog biscuit mixer that they have with their mince in an evening. It has no additives and is not expensive, around £10.50 for 15kg. They do a special puppy variety.

 

[llannon]

If I could sort out a freezer, what BARF products are generally seen to be the best...as i would rather purchase it ready to go, rather than have to mix it myself.

 

[LasVegasNo1]

If I could sort out a freezer, what BARF products are generally seen to be the best...as i would rather purchase it ready to go, rather than have to mix it myself.

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You can buy frozen BARF from P@H I think, although I haven't as it's really easy to make yourself. Also you won't get as much choice as you would if you do it yourself.

For meats, green tripe (available at most larger pet shops/pet superstores), chicken wings, organs like lamb heart/lamb liver/kidney etc, oxtail, beef/lamb mince - basically anything that's the great thing about BARF! :thumbsup:

Then you need your veg to pulp, green leafy veg, carrots etc are all great and some people add biscuit (personally I don't as that's not really the point of BARF ) - the choice is up to you!

 

[kim & Tilly]

I would love to change to barf, but dont have a clue how to do it, even after reading the threads :blink: :- "

I feed mine on complete biscuits (Big bag from Jollys £7.90, own brand), a scoop in the morning and a scoop in the evening, they seem ok on it...

I sometimes give macrell or sardines

 

[~Helen~]

If I could sort out a freezer, what BARF products are generally seen to be the best...as i would rather purchase it ready to go, rather than have to mix it myself.

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Have a look at the link I gave you to FAQ :thumbsup: there are links there to suppliers of BARF foods, all kinds. Natures Menu (AMP I think) do a complete frozen raw-meat-and-veg-with-rice mix, but it's a very expensive way of feeding, IMO!

If you don't mind my asking - why don't you want to mix it yourself? If you're prepared to open a tin and mix that with biscuit as you previously mentioned (and don't mind that stink, which IMO is foul!) It's no different to stirring up a bowl of raw meat and veg-pulp :blink:

 

[LasVegasNo1]

If you don't mind my asking - why don't you want to mix it yourself? If you're prepared to open a tin and mix that with biscuit as you previously mentioned (and don't mind that stink, which IMO is foul!) It's no different to stirring up a bowl of raw meat and veg-pulp :blink:

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I'd agree with that, it's not much different to preparing a meal for yourself, Ok so maybe not the tripe , but even tripe doesn't smell that bad :sweating: Alfie recently had some sachets of Caesar dog food (long story) - my god it was revolting! :x ... and it 'came out' the same the other end! :- "

 

[midlanderkeith]

If you don't mind my asking - why don't you want to mix it yourself? If you're prepared to open a tin and mix that with biscuit as you previously mentioned (and don't mind that stink, which IMO is foul!) It's no different to stirring up a bowl of raw meat and veg-pulp :blink:

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I'd agree with that, it's not much different to preparing a meal for yourself, Ok so maybe not the tripe , but even tripe doesn't smell that bad :sweating: Alfie recently had some sachets of Caesar dog food (long story) - my god it was revolting! :x ... and it 'came out' the same the other end! :- "

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I make all my dogs food up no probs, sometimes its that dam good i eat it myself, veggies, fish, tripe, rice, pasta, sardines, in oil or tom sauce, as for my spotted dick, thats mine :lol: