What to feed and what not to feed my rotties!

[L0tta]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

Hi everyone,

I am new to this site on and wow I must say I have seen so many useful things already so I am so happy I found this site!

To my question –

I have two amazing rotties (both rescues dogs) and I just want to as you all what do you feed your dogs?? – preferably same breed or same size of dog answers.

My dogs have amazing coats and they have been on varies brands and it never changes. I would say my favourite is Royal Canin but in the long run I just cannot afford it on my salary. I tried mixing it with Harrington’s a brand I found at TESCO and had good reviews however I still feel very lost. I left it to my partner once and oh my god I have no clue what crap he bought but my dogs are now pooping like machines! Could well be an OK brand but MY they are pooping and he bought 75kg(!!!) of it so I just feel OK I will keep this as a “mixer” but I want a stable and good brand as their main source of protein/fat/carbs.

I do not mind paying that little extra however my dogs eat 560g (female) and 700g (male – rescued not too long ago so he is “bulking” up) per day and feeding them from a 12kg Royal Canin at 45 pounds just isn’t working financially. (12kg=9 days)

I had a wee look and right now they are on a mix between Harrington’s (we have never stopped this one) and a brand called Skinners (?) anyone with feedback on that brand?

Am I just a brand geek who thinks Royal is better or can I find a well nutrient dried food for my wee darlings? According to so many Rottie discussions they should have 22-26% protein and 12-16% fat.

Thank you all so much for your kind answers and as I said I might just be dumb thinking Royal is better for its branding and if you have better experience with another brand pleeease share!

Thank you!

Kindest Regards

Lotta

 

[Raven oaktree]

Hi and welcome I know rotties are big but that sounds like alot of food !! i had an anatolian shepherd that didnt eat that much a day. How much do your bubbas weigh? You quite often find the better quality food you feed the less you need. I have a GSD cross who is doing really well on Millies wolfheart food, they have had the hunter mix and now they are eating the riverside mix ..how much do your weigh?..and by the way..photos are the LAW x

 

[L0tta]

Hahahah this is how a newbee I am - I couldn't find the replay button! haha oopsi!

My doggies are 39kg and 40kg. Loki (my male) should be around 45kg MIN so he has a ta bit to go however my darling Freya is good as she is

She is fed 280g in the morning and in the evening which is the right amount according to the feeding guide :> >_< and Loki is 350 morning and evening but as I said he needs to bulk up as he has been starved in his previous home, my poor babe!

Yeah I totally see that however comparing to Royal we are taking GRAMS like 10-15 diff so wouldn't be a crazy change haha. I have never heard of your brand, Millies wolfheart, so I will defo look into them ! Mean I live by macros myself and I know how hard it is to make my OWN diet so damn it is hard doing my dog but I though it would be a bit easier haha

picture aaattached

xx

 

[Raven oaktree]

Hia, millies wolfheart is a fab food made in the uk with free delivery ..all human grade meats too and no nasties..according to their feeding guide you would feed your dogs 365-400g a day..thats fr a 35-45kg dog . Better quality ingredients need less fed because others have fillers and bulkers in (not even sure bulker is a word hahahahaha) We were feeding the hunter mix , that was an 80/20 mix but i think it was too hign in protein for willow so we have just swapped to the riverside mix which is a 60/40 mix, she loves it. Its £40 for a 12kg bag with free delivery..have a look at them..they are a very friendly family run company that is more than happy to give advice over the phone x

Your dogs are beautiful by the way xx

 

[excuseme]

I would go for Millies Wolfheart, this is not the cheapest of products but such a good quality that you will save money by feeding less.

I have one of mine on Millies at the moment (only temporarily) , her poos are as small and dark as our remaining raw fed gang.

The price shown is what you pay, it includes delivery.

I am a raw feeder !!

 

[eingana]

What beautiful babes

Hi L0tta, and welcome to DogForum

I'm a raw feeder too, not really on ethical grounds but because GSDs are very prone to not being able to cope with processed or cooked food and Molly had projectile diarrhoea on all sorts of things when she first arrived. We tried everything we could find over the course of months, including the vet's recommended sensitive diet, but her diarrhoea didn't stop (and her weight didn't start to climb) until she went on raw tripe.

If you want to get weight on your dogs I can't recommend raw tripe enough. It stinks but they love it and it does help them to keep the weight on. We are lucky enough to live a mile away from a very good specialist raw feeding shop who stock all sorts of choices. We have found that raw feeding is actually less expensive than all apart from the cheapest of dry foods.

My 40kg GSD eats one 500g pack of Durham Animal Foods meaty mince (which is a bit of everything, including offal, bone and blood) for one meal, which works out at 55p per meal and a chicken carcass or back for her other meal. We buy this from the human food stream, from a wholesale butcher who boxes up this 'waste' and lets people buy it for pet food rather than pay someone else to take it away. We pay £4 for a large box, which is about 35 meals, so 11.5p per meal. Add into that a dental chew, a few pieces of dried black pudding treat and the occasional egg, piece of cheese or piece of fruit as a treat and that is a very inexpensively maintained 40kg dog on a very healthy diet.

There are a couple of downsides to feeding raw. You need a lot of freezer space (but you gain on cupboard space) and you do have to be OK with handling raw meat and having raw meat defrosting in your fridge (veggies of the world need not apply) but you see clean bowls and happy, glossy and well maintained dogs who have lots of energy but very small poos. You also need to plan to buy food in a way that you may not have to plan with stuff that comes in a bag, I'd never change her back now, after seeing how much healthier and happier she is.

You don't even need to give them a glucosamine supplement to look after their bones because raw fed dogs that eat a lot of meaty bones or chicken carcasses actually have more glucosamine in their diet than they can absorb because the most potent source of the building blocks for ligament and cartilage is, surprise surprise, ligament and cartilage!

 

[L0tta]

Hi guys,

First thank you all so much for the warm welcome!

I have looked into the raw diets before but it would not work for our small household I know for a fact it is A LOT healthier etc but so is RAW food eating in our own diet but it just wouldn't work for us. I love reading about your success thou! As soon as we will be moving into a bigger house raw diet is defo a future plan however now we will have to stick to dry food and the Millies Wolfheart sounds interesting I must say. I have done a few more research and I have found a fee brand really good with 24% protein 10% fat just what my doggies needs however I will have to use up the crazy amount that my partner bought last month before even considering a new food swap haha cupboard is WELL full haha

On a different note - have you ever noticed your dogs being OBSESSED by fish treats? Haha my girl is absolutely obsessed also in chicken liver. I use them as treats when we are training and wow it is like I have gold in my hand haha

 

[Biker John]

As to treats, my two, Whippet and Shih Tzu, love fish 4 dogs tiddlers, and dried liver treats are always good. With how they react its impossible to say which is better in their mind.

 

[Raven oaktree]

Biker John thats exactly what mine have ..they adore fish3dogs and liver and will come for both in a shot

 

[L0tta]

Haha lovely to see I am not alone a friend of mine makes her own treats. I was going to give it a go however just never gotten around to do it however this month I do have a few pennies left over after all bills are paid haha so I think I will give it a go

I will post the recipe here and let you know the outcome Main think will defo be chicken liver haha