What is the best food?

[JFJ]

We have just taken on a 16 month old working Cocker Spaniel called Charlie. He has not been worked and will remain a family pet but getting plenty of exercise. He has only been getting very short on lead walks but been fed a very high protein, high cereal content diet. I just wondered what would be the best thing to feed him? I know he won't need a working dog feed. 

[Cazzie]

All my dogs work but never feed them a working diet as they do well on just ordinary food.  What are you feeding at the moment 

[Helen]

sorry I don't understand the bit where you say he's getting plenty of exercise but only has short on lead walks?  Is most of his exercise offlead? (not disagreeing with lots of offlead exercise, just your post hasn't quite made sense to me    )

[*Lucy*]

Not sure but I think JFJ meant in his previous home Charlie had only been getting short walks?

Mine are fed on Burns Complete Dry Food and once a week have Burns Moist food mixed in as a treat!!

They both love it and are doing really well on it!

[JFJ]

The short on lead walks were with the previous owner. We only got him on Friday but he is having two walks a day off the lead and running around like a maniac. Fortunately his recall is very good. We live in the New Forest so he has plenty of space. Just for the short term we have been feeding him Pedigree Small Bite Mixer with liver or tinned food. We wanted to feed him the fished based complete food that we feed our other dog, but he doesn't seem to like it. He's had access to food all day and seems to like to pick.

[*Lucy*]

From what i have read Pedigree foods have lots of additives that can make your dog hyper.

Are you wanting to use a dry or wet food?

Good dry foods - Burns, James Wellbeloved, Arden Grange

Good wet foods - Burns, NaturesMenu, NatureDiet

Hope this helps

x

[Elmo]

I use Skinners Muesli. I dont know if its just a scottish brand or if the whole of the UK has it but it was what Elmo was on (puppy kind) when i got him and ive just changed over to adult. They do working mixes and for non working dogs

[debsallen]

We have had our little man a week, when he came to us he was on Judges choice, the vet said it was not a good food

Anyway he decided he did not like it, I got some Iams and he loves it, is it a bad food?  he seems to be really good on it and his poo's are normal, so not upsetting his tummy

But, should I change again? to Burns, or stick with what he seems to like?

[*Lucy*]

I am against IAMS/EUKANUBA for ethical reasons please read HERE

Changing your puppies food often is not really good for your dog as it can upset their tummies although when I brought Honey home she was fed on Eukanuba and as soon as I read the above link I soon changed to James Wellbeloved, but this food did not agree with my dogs (they had really bad wind  ) so changed to Burns and havent looked back!!

If you are going to change their food do so over about a week or so - substituting your original food with more of the new food each day (say 10/90, next day 20/80 etc) until they are 100% on the new food!

Hope this helps

x

[debsallen]

I never knew this

I have heard a lot about Burns, I will have to talk to OH about it tonight, have 2 small bags of Iams, so would not want to throw it away, but am interested in Burns if I can find any of it around here, also noticed that none of the boarding kennels have Burns either

this doggie feeding bit is so confusing, so many conflicting stories on what to feed them.  It is hard when he gets on so well with Iams, but I can see the good in Burns, just wish I knew this before getting him so happy on Iams

[*Lucy*]

Well of course it is totally up to you what you feed your dog on - if he is doing well on IAMS, keep him on it.

I was just pointing out the fact as to why many members on here choose not to feed IAMS to their own dogs.

You can order Burns from their website and they deliver - which is what i do. Website HERE

Lucy x

[debsallen]

Thanks for the Info

so for a 5 month old puppy, which is the right Burns food?

[*Lucy*]

I'd still buy the Puppy food (Mini Bites)

I changed Honey onto the adult food when she was 6 months!

[Sheryl]

I would agree with that   According to Burns, the chicken and rice is the closest food to the puppy minibites for when you change over to adult food.  Although having said that, my two didn't do too well on the chicken and rice and are on the lamb and brown rice now.  If you still have some bags of Iams that you want to finish, it may be that you can go straight to the adult food, depending on how long they last.  Burns told me that adult food was ok so long as they had lost their puppy teeth.

[Cazzie]

Golly I didnt know science plan was on the list of foods to boycott  Also ive got Otter on Eukanuba as thats what he was on when I got him but will get him off that at 6 months and onto Burns like the rest.

I find Burns the best food for my dogs and wouldnt go past it