Good Dog Food Brands

[Nanny71]

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Being very anxious about everything to do with Dudley, I am concerned about feeding him raw, or even home cooked meat because I am not sure he will get all the vitamins and minerals he needs. Commercial dog food has these added. Also my friend feeds raw and the dogs breath smells really bad.
What are the thoughts on freeze dried raw food?

 

[Violet Turner]

I think freeze dried is also great.

 

[JudyN]

Freeze-dried raw should be good, though of course there's lots of different makes and there could be a few dodgy ones. And there's no real reason why it would have more vitamins & minerals than, say, a ready-made fresh raw food, or a raw diet where you add in a supplement 'just in case'. 'Processed' is no guarantee of 'better' You could try reading Honey's Natural Feeding Handbook which I'm sure would cover nutruient content. I haven't read it but @excuseme has recommended it before

I don't think you should worry that your friend's dog's bad breath is linked to his diet. That's not a problem I've ever heard of and I can honestly say that Jasper's breath is absolutely fine. And bones are great tooth cleaners!

Having said all that - yes, in general freeze-dried raw is an excellent choice!

 

[Gaurav Kapoor]

I do sometimes use home cooked and also raw but they don't just eat it @Gaurav Kapoor

HERE IS THAT ARTICLE WHERE I SAW ABOUT D-4 meat.
Top 5 Healthiest Dog Foods Your Dog Will Love To Eat

 

[JoanneF]

Not the most reliable source I'm afraid. It isn't necessarily wrong, just incomplete and slightly misleading. For example - I would hope all dog meat came from dead animals, it doesn't describe a balanced diet, it doesn't say that salmon and similar fish should be frozen for 48 hours before use to kill parasites or that peanut butter should be xylitol free.

 

[merlina]

Our very sensitive-stomached cocker gets as much raw as possible but he also gets Vets Kitchen Pork and Potato kibble for treats and training purposes. It's the only thing that doesn't upset him. It also means that if we're out all day or even away he can tolerate upping this to meal size with whatever fresh we can get fed separately. It makes for convenience...and because being with a very hungry hunting cocker is bad for the nerves.

 

[Nanny71]

Reading about salmon needing to be frozen to kill parasites does this mean the salmon from the fish counter should be frozen before I give it to Dudley?
His peanut butter is dog peanut butter but my 10 year old grandson said he couldn't tell the difference when he tried it (he thought the label looked nice)

 

[Caro Perry]

Reading about salmon needing to be frozen to kill parasites does this mean the salmon from the fish counter should be frozen before I give it to Dudley?
His peanut butter is dog peanut butter but my 10 year old grandson said he couldn't tell the difference when he tried it (he thought the label looked nice)

If it hasn't been previously frozen then yes ( A lot of fish on the fresh fish counter or pre packaged has in fact been frozen but you need to ask)

 

[JudyN]

I didn't know you could get dog peanut butter! The big problem with 'human' peanut butter is xylitol, but not many brands in the UK use it. I use 'human' peanut butter, but with a smaller dog you'd have to be more careful with the amount of fat, salt & sugar and I dare say dog peanut butter has less of these.

 

[Nanny71]

It has no added salt or sugar but of course is high in fat being peanuts. It is his occasional treat smeared just round the inside of his Kong

 

[merlina]

Actually peanut butter is my occasional treat as well- the calories!

 

[Scrumbles]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone knows of good dog food brands. One for a puppy and one for adults. At the minute we have Doris on Simpsons Premium dry puppy food and it’s a good brand but sometimes she won’t eat it, Olive is on Harrington’s grain-free brand dry as she can get flaky skin.

They also get occasional wet dog food such as – Lilly’s kitchen, Butchers, and natures menu.

I googled UK’s best dog food and it and royal canine comes up as I know it’s not a good one.

Thanks in advance

Hi Violet,
We'd love you to consider our brand, Scrumbles. We launched in June but have spent the past 2 years developing it. It's all made in the UK and delivered in an environmentally conscious way with carbon neutral DPD as our delivery partners. We focus on simple, wholesome ingredients and avoid nasties like peas, lentil, potatoes, sugar and salt. We also have added probiotics to promote gut health. If you use code YUMMY you'll get 50% off your first order on our website.
Thanks,
Aneisha

 

[arealhuman]

Hi @Scrumbles and welcome. I was wondering why you've listed peas (and other things) as "nasties". My dog gets a few peas when we have them!

 

[Scrumbles]

Hi @Scrumbles and welcome. I was wondering why you've listed peas (and other things) as "nasties". My dog gets a few peas when we have them!

Hello and thanks for the welcome
Peas in a small quantity aren’t terrible but I’d still suggest steering clear as peas, lentils and potatoes are linked to increased rates of heart disease. We specifically call out pea protein which is common in foods to increase their overal protein levels. The quality and source of protein is important and it’s essential to have meat protein which provides the amino acids cats and dogs need. There are a lot of potato based products which has an acrylamide risk if cooked above 120 degrees and sadly cats and dogs are seeing increasing rates of cancer these days. Hope that helps. Nutrition is a bit of a minefield and there’s lots of conflicting information but I’d always recommend reading the same literature that nutritionists study for their degree.

 

[arealhuman]

OK, thanks for that @Scrumbles.

 

[JoanneF]

@Scrumbles I have been looking a little at the possible links between pea protein and taurine deficiency and therefore heart problems - does pea protein interfere with taurine absorption?

 

[arealhuman]

Cr@p! Every time I think I'm feeding my dog good food, advice comes along to the contrary!

 

[Scrumbles]

@Scrumbles I have been looking a little at the possible links between pea protein and taurine deficiency and therefore heart problems - does pea protein interfere with taurine absorption?

Hi Joanne,
It's not fully clear but the recent increase in heart disease and trend in grain free means more research is being conducted. There are links between heart disease and taurine deficiencies but not always the case. Grain free diets which have high levels of potatoes, peas and lentils are not as abundant in taurine like meat (chicken and beef are best). For cats, taurine is added to pet foods but as dogs can synthesise taurine, most pet foods do not add a supplement. The problems develop over time so a lot of people might think that their cats and dogs appear healthy but sadly its not the case. It's important to check the level of taurine added in cat food and the meat content in dog food. Generally I advise to steer clear of potato based foods which means most grain free foods due to the acrylamide risk. Gluten free foods do exist which do not have potato/peas in.
Hope that helps.
Thanks,
Aneisha

 

[Scrumbles]

Cr@p! Every time I think I'm feeding my dog good food, advice comes along to the contrary!

Don't beat yourself up. It's the fault of brands and retailers not yours. Before I studied nutrition I fed my first dog pedigree

 

[Caro Perry]

Hi Violet,
We'd love you to consider our brand, Scrumbles. We launched in June but have spent the past 2 years developing it. It's all made in the UK and delivered in an environmentally conscious way with carbon neutral DPD as our delivery partners. We focus on simple, wholesome ingredients and avoid nasties like peas, lentil, potatoes, sugar and salt. We also have added probiotics to promote gut health. If you use code YUMMY you'll get 50% off your first order on our website.
Thanks,
Aneisha

Do you just do a chicken flavour? How does that square up with your hypoallergenic research as chicken is a pretty common allergen?

I also can't see a full ingredients list on your website? Is it there and I'm just missing it? As I have a breed prone to pancreatitis I would also want to know the fat content of the food and a proper breakdown of the additives you're using. There is simply not enough detail on your site at the moment to back up your marketing pitch.

Looking at the one for my dog a 10kg terrier- it says "up to 60% chicken" A claim like that is pretty meaningless as it could be just 5% chicken and still be technically truthful. Assuming it is 60% chicken or thereabouts I really would want to know what the remaining 40% is....

I'm sorry if I sound overly cynical but if your product is as good as you say your website is not doing you any favours at the moment.