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What is in UK dog food?

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broxi3781

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Hi, I have always given my dogs a mix of dry dog food with fresh meat and other human foods, and occasionally tinned food if I have no meet for them that day. I understood that dog food in the UK was made only from animals approved for human use - no dead, dying or diseased animals, or diseased parts like cancers. I read that the dog food was made from the parts of the animal humans don't like for aesthetic reasons. So stuff like the chicken's neck, pig trotters etc.... But then I found an article saying that conmen were taking raw chicken destined for the pet food trade and illegal for use for humans, hosing them down and reselling them as fit for human consumption. How could a whole chicken not be the parts that humans like/ What gives? Most of my natural pet care books are American though - and those are awful with stories of euthanized pets being rendered for dog food. How can I find out exactly what is in my dogs food. The labels are not really very helpful in most cases? I am especially concerned with the dogs eating anything cancerous, and I do not want them eating brains - they aren't zombies after all. If that stuff is really in our dog food I am going to either find a vegetarian kibble to mix with fresh meat or try the home made dog food route.

I would very much appreciate any help, and if at all possible sources where I can find out more. And to think as a child I had a thing for eating dog food.
 
I thought that dog food has to be fit for human consumption.

The one issue I have found with dog food is it isn't clear what exactly is in the foods.

In my case I was checking for wheats etc but this also applies to the meat etc.

I'm not sure I can answer your question however, one way around it would maybe switch your dog to a fish based kibble?

That way (as long as you pick on without other meats in it) your dog is only getting fish, rather than other meats.
 
I find that in later years canned dog food gives her the poo's so I have started buying Kirkland Senior dog food from CostCo. The ingredients seem really good and although she prefers canned meat, she eats it.

I just give her the occasional bit of fat from a steak or we both like smoked makeral now and then and cold gammon, stuff like that as treats. Roast dinner left overs and such, avoiding sausages and garlic and onions and anything not pure meat of veg or whatever!
 
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In concept dog food comes from the human food chain, but I don't think that we can be sure that the food that is on sale in Britain has been manufactured in Britain and is therefore covered by British laws on this sort of thing. It's very much like the situation with bacon and ham in this country- if the pig was British then it's covered by a completely different set of welfare standards than if it was Dutch or Danish, as most of our bacon is.

The only way of knowing what is in your dog's food is to contact the company and ask them how they acquire their meat content and where they acquire it from. A good company will be perfectly happy to disclose this to you, and you can make your decision from there.

In terms of feeding, Molly had projectile diarrhoea on pretty much every food on the market, so she is a raw fed dog. Half of her food is chicken carcass, which I know comes from the human food stream because I buy it from a wholesale butchers. Effectively the carcasses are a waste product which they would otherwise have to pay for them to be removed, so they sell huge boxes of carcasses for £3, containing about 40 meals for Molly. If I want to make some chicken soup I'm quite happy to defrost some of Molly's chicken and use that because I know where it came from.

The other half of her food is made up of a nutritionally complete pet mince which includes meat, offal, bone and blood. She has no grain, no added carbohydrates of any sort and for treats she has dried black pudding, liver jerky, holistic grain free treats, bits of cheese or spoonful of yoghurt.

It would be a lot more convenient to not need to plan ahead to buy and defrost frozen food, but I'm content that she's eating the best that I can give her bearing in mind her issues. It also happens that this way round is far cheaper than living on a complete food, but clearly I would buy more expensive food if that was what her digestion needed.
 
Oreo said:
I thought that dog food has to be fit for human consumption.

The one issue I have found with dog food is it isn't clear what exactly is in the foods.

In my case I was checking for wheats etc but this also applies to the meat etc.

I'm not sure I can answer your question however, one way around it would maybe switch your dog to a fish based kibble?

That way (as long as you pick on without other meats in it) your dog is only getting fish, rather than other meats.
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It's just the opposite... very few petfoods are fit for human consumption and some of the very worst are in the U.K.

The labelling laws are terrible in the U.K , with anoymously-named ingredients such as "[SIZE=11pt]Cereals, Meat & Animal Derivatives, Oils and Fats, Derivatives of Vegetable Origin, Minerals, Yeasts... these are the horrible ingredients [/SIZE]in Waggs Complete Premium... unbelievable.

[SIZE=11pt]Other anonymous ingredients in petfoods in the U.K. include Fish & Fish Derivatives, Gelling Agents and Various Sugars[/SIZE]... unbelievable.

You'll never see these anonymous ingredients in quality commercial petfoods nor will you see this type of labelling of ingredients in commercial petfoods in the U.S. and Canada.

Roger Biduk
 
Arden Grange also comes recommended from lots of friends (those who don't have dogs who can only eat raw), as does Harringtons. My cats love Harringtons cat food and are happy, healthy and glossy on it.
 
eingana said:
Arden Grange also comes recommended from lots of friends (those who don't have dogs who can only eat raw), as does Harringtons. My cats love Harringtons cat food and are happy, healthy and glossy on it.
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Hello eingana,

Arde Grange isn't a good petfood - low in protein and high in carbohydrates, starches and sugars with some ingredients that shouldn't be in petfoods such as grains, maize, beet pulp, digest and some anonymous ingredients like fish meal and fish oil (which almost 100% come from China).

Harringtons also isn't a good food, especially for cats.

Both the "Chicken and Rice" and "Rich in Salmon in Rice" kibble contain many of the ingredients mentioed above... and cats should NEVER eat kibble.

Cats are obligate carnivores and must be fed a diet of up to 100% meat... if feeding cats a commercial food you must feed a good canned / grain-free / high protein / low carbohydrate / low starch food.

Because of the very, very low moisture content of kibble of around 10% compared to a raw meat diet or a canned food of around 75%-80%, kidney disease or CRF (Chronic Renal Failure) is a major, but almost totally preventable cause of death in cats.

I'll post seperately the good petfoods I know of that are sold in the U.K... just trying to give some good info... years ago,I lost two cats because of giving bad veterinarian-recommended petfoods... but my last two Blue Himilayan Seal Points stayed around till 25 yrs. and 26 yrs.without EVER stepping in a vet's office except for neutering as kittens.

Roger Biduk
 
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Roger, with respect, you have your views and your own thresholds on what you are prepared to feed your cats and that's great. Two of my cats refuse absolutely to eat a raw diet (I know, I tried them for weeks, until they were losing weight and I worried that I would be pushing them into organ failure with the weight loss) and one of those simply refuses to eat anything that doesn't crunch.

One of the ones that will eat raw but only if it's mouse or whole bird complete with feathers is a feral who comes into the house overnight and who I have only been able to touch twice. My cats aren't pedigrees, they all started life either as ferals or as cats unwanted by someone else. They're all wonderful though, and I'm not going to force them to eat something that they don't want to eat, and I simply can't afford to feed them something that would triple the costs of my food bill even if they would eat it. Molly's raw food is actually less expensive than the kibble that would replace it, but when I tried to offer raw to the cats that would eat it and dry food to the others they all ignored the raw food and ate the kibble instead.

There is no single right answer here, and what works for one animal just doesn't for another. Molly is raw fed not because we initially wanted her to have raw as her dinner, but because she had projectile diarrhoea on all of the prepared foods that we could find, including the prescription food from the vet and several out of the above list. I would not force her to eat something that made her sick.
 
Has anyone here used PURIZON dried food from Zooplus and if so were there any problems encountered with the dogs following the feed?
 
eingana said:
Roger, with respect, you have your views and your own thresholds on what you are prepared to feed your cats and that's great. Two of my cats refuse absolutely to eat a raw diet (I know, I tried them for weeks, until they were losing weight and I worried that I would be pushing them into organ failure with the weight loss) and one of those simply refuses to eat anything that doesn't crunch.

One of the ones that will eat raw but only if it's mouse or whole bird complete with feathers is a feral who comes into the house overnight and who I have only been able to touch twice. My cats aren't pedigrees, they all started life either as ferals or as cats unwanted by someone else. They're all wonderful though, and I'm not going to force them to eat something that they don't want to eat, and I simply can't afford to feed them something that would triple the costs of my food bill even if they would eat it. Molly's raw food is actually less expensive than the kibble that would replace it, but when I tried to offer raw to the cats that would eat it and dry food to the others they all ignored the raw food and ate the kibble instead.

There is no single right answer here, and what works for one animal just doesn't for another. Molly is raw fed not because we initially wanted her to have raw as her dinner, but because she had projectile diarrhoea on all of the prepared foods that we could find, including the prescription food from the vet and several out of the above list. I would not force her to eat something that made her sick.

Hi there, i would just like to explain about the raw food. I got 2 new kittens which where fed on whiskers & like Roger says is rubbish and no good for them. To cut a long storry short...they where nearly "put down" by a vet at 2 months of age. Basically i got them home sorted out the diet.....which took a while to do along with hours of research .....now they are brillant. Anyway, Roger is actually correct....it is not about views so much, but just a facts. Before all this dried food and poor quality wet food all cats where fed on was raw or cooked meats or combination of the two. When changing adult cats onto raw diet...this has to be done very slowly some times and there are ways of doing it (it is not about forcing a cat to eat it), and no cat must ever be left to loose weight quickly for any reason, otherwise, like you said, they go into organ failure -especially the liver......this is a known fact. Good quality food need not be raw, you can get cooked quality food ready prepared for cats.....but may be expensive. (or you can cook your own). I feed my 2 cats raw fresh meat (whole chicken, whole rabbits, liver, kidneys, fish, beef, beef heart, lambs heart, roes, etc ) it works me out alot cheaper than the likes of crap food like whiskers etc.... and i know exactly what they are eating too.....no crap like corn/maize/barley/potatoes/rice/perservatives/clourings etc etc. They will also hunt for food themselfs some times. I can understand your cat eating the dry kibble instead...thats because he/she is used to it (like many others)...but it is exceptionally bad for cats... even the expensive kibble.....renal failure is not pleasant! (and not just renal problems!). After all if you feed a child loads of sweats or chips instead of a "proper" meal it will get used to this and then refuse to eat any think else eventually..... then its difficult or hard work to get them eating a healthy diet again! Kibble also does not clean their teeth, no matter what the vet say's. My cats get plenty of crunch because they eat whole foods----bones as well........so their jaws get the exercise they are meant and designed for, and love grinding up the bones, wings, carcus, rabbit heads or what ever........this is their natural food....not biscuites. Cats that never grind foods up... do not necessarily develop the strong jaw muscles at the back of their mouths to do this and some become lazy. Prescription diets from the vets are also crap! There is no such thing as a prescription diet...it is a made up load of rubbsh!. if you read the ingredients and then research into what it actually means. So, sorry but Roger is correct, all biscuites are crap..... it does not mater who recommends it to you.......mars bars are also nice.....and millions of people eat them....but they are not necessarily good for you. .....so do some research for yourself........ I feed my previous 2 cats on crap food most of the time......and bloody wish i had not...........so now i have to live with that! ......i would never do it again & make the same mistake. There is also some very good advice out there for switching cats properly onto raw food ...without puting them as risk of organ failure. .....................I expect you will take this as being rude....but i do not care.....if it helps some poor cat fed on dried up convenient biscuit food.
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Hi everyone, I would really appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to complete this short questionnaire for me to help me out with my dissertation. I am a final year student at Plymouth University, enrolled on the undergraduate BSc Animal Behaviour and Welfare course. I am currently undertaking my research dissertation project, which is looking into dog owners views and attitudes of dog nutrition. For this questionnaire you need to own a dog and be at least 18 years or older. I would really appreciate your time and participation.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/F8K8SHG
 
Hello there,

Here at The Natural Dog Food Company we have taken great care to select the best quality ingredients to ensure that everything your dog needs is present. This makes us the first truly balanced complete diet, and the first 100% natural dog food on the market.

Our food contains no wheat, soya, dairy, maize and absolutely no additives or by-products.

We use grass fed British lambs, human grade non-battery farmed Chicken and Turkey and fresh Scottish Salmon.

You can find more information about us on http://www.naturaldogfoodcompany.com/
 
Always read the label, most companies advertise as 'natural' but add lots of things to the food. Most have vitamins and minerals too, how good can the ingredients be to start with if you have to add vitamins and minerals! :? :mellow:
 
All uk food is different unfortunately we are commonly miss lead by friends, families and companies myth some how becomes fact like dogs are omnivores when their not they are carnivores and not obligate.

All companies are different even raw food companies try to con us some have very high bone content in the food while others try to pack it out with cheaper meats like chicken one company I know two infact were charging the price of lamb but their ingrediants clearly display it was 60% chicken they are now reading as chicken and lamb but still companies say chicken and beef or beef and chicken and put more chicken in it then beef its nothing wrong with that accept that if your dog has an allergy to chicken your damaging their health as are the company.

Dogs are not deisgned to handle plant matter/grains it takes too long to break down as they lack the enzymes this is why wolves go for the stomach the food is all ready digested making it easier for them to process.

Their are many excellent comercial brands out there but equally their are many bad ones.

I'm feeding Taste of The Wild and Wainwrites grain free suits my dogs and my pocket I know whats in them as I read ingrediants before purchase both are high quality products.
 
I feed orijen large breed puppy to Willow, but I'm just swapping over to Millies wolfgeart hunters mix because she got bored with orijen..and as much as I don't mind paying for good quality food..i do mind paying for stuff I'm throwing away. Would have liked to fed her raw but I struggled with understanding the nutritional needs of a growing large breed pup..so for now I will feed the best dry food I can and when she I 12months ish I'm going to investigate raw
 
Raven oaktree said:
I feed orijen large breed puppy to Willow, but I'm just swapping over to Millies wolfgeart hunters mix because she got bored with orijen..and as much as I don't mind paying for good quality food..i do mind paying for stuff I'm throwing away. Would have liked to fed her raw but I struggled with understanding the nutritional needs of a growing large breed pup..so for now I will feed the best dry food I can and when she I 12months ish I'm going to investigate raw
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The are many complete raw food brands out their but it works out more expensive to feed this way. Raw is just another form of feeding but some owners take it like its the only way you should feed your dog. I was feeding raw but it didn't suit my mini schnauzer her beard all ways got matted and she was all ways hungry.

Be sure your dog is not getting extra food elsewere as this is a common cause of pickyness. We often forget about the amount of food we feed during training and on walks it should be deducted from your dogs daily food rations.

Theoreticlly speaking you could wieght your dogs food out and use it all as part of training which is a much more productive and healthier way to feed as bowls cause all manor or health problems and behaviour issues.
 
2hounds8paws said:
Raven oaktree said:
I feed orijen large breed puppy to Willow, but I'm just swapping over to Millies wolfgeart hunters mix because she got bored with orijen..and as much as I don't mind paying for good quality food..i do mind paying for stuff I'm throwing away. Would have liked to fed her raw but I struggled with understanding the nutritional needs of a growing large breed pup..so for now I will feed the best dry food I can and when she I 12months ish I'm going to investigate raw
Click to expand...
The are many complete raw food brands out their but it works out more expensive to feed this way. Raw is just another form of feeding but some owners take it like its the only way you should feed your dog. I was feeding raw but it didn't suit my mini schnauzer her beard all ways got matted and she was all ways hungry.

Be sure your dog is not getting extra food elsewere as this is a common cause of pickyness. We often forget about the amount of food we feed during training and on walks it should be deducted from your dogs daily food rations.

Theoreticlly speaking you could wieght your dogs food out and use it all as part of training which is a much more productive and healthier way to feed as bowls cause all manor or health problems and behaviour issues.
Click to expand...
It doesn't always work out more expensive to feed raw. Molly's food is half chicken bought from the human food stream at £4 for a little over a month's worth of breakfasts, and half Durham Animal Foods raw mince, which comes in at 60p a day, which together adds up to about 75p daily feed cost for a 40kg dog.

I don't want to persuade people who aren't happy to feed raw to feed raw and it clearly didn't suit your little one (although if she was always hungry that suggests that she was having either too little or the wrong mix to eat) but for the dogs that struggle to digest cooked and processed food, raw feeding can give them an amazing boost in health and digestion.
 
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