whats the best food kibble or raw meat&bones

[Griffa]

what do you guys think is the best thing to feed your dogs kibble or the barf diet or a mix of the two

i have started wino on the full barf but i worrie i could miss something out that he could really need but then with kibble is there crap in there that they really dont need

[andrewp35]

Barf diet all day long.Fresh meat etc...you know exactly what your feeding. for me it works out cheaper as well.£40-£45 a month for 3 dogs and for a decent quality kibble you will pay that for one 15kg sack on its own! ;D

[Shakka-Staffs]

good quality kibble does not have to cost that amount. I feed both kibble and barf but barf is a treat rather than an everyday thing. As for whats better its down to what suits your needs and your dogs needs its ok us saying one or other is best but each dog is different i know barf goes right through some dogs and vice versa and as long as your not feeding somthing like wagg or simlar low end kibbles i wouldnt worry. I always add water to kibble as they are very low in water content, My dogs have no skin problems have nice coats are healthy and do ok in athletics on a kibble that cost less than £20 for 15kg it suits me suits and my dogs. I feed chicken wings raw mince rabbit etc as a treat. I wont feed barf only but its more down to prefrence than any other reason.

[andrewp35]

Oh yeah its all about personal preference at the end of the day.but I think you will find a top quality kibble will cost around the £40 mark a bag!I may be wrong.like i said me personally i like to know exactly what im feeding my dogs.skin,coat and teeth all very healthy,dogs go mad for it.everyones a winner in my house :)As for barf going through dogs.their must be some medical problem or something because i thought thats what dogs are designed to eat.At the end of the day,each to their own.If everyones happy then its all good.

[Shakka-Staffs]

i agree dogs were meant to eat it, but i have seen posts on here where it didnt agree with dogs, weather it was the fact of how they went about it i dunno. If i was home all day i may well feed barf all the time. but im not and the wife can just about manage some chicken wings not sure how she would cope with the rabbits lol.

[Griffa]

i was told that its the cereal and fillers out of the kibble coming out of ur dog wen you fist swop to full barf i was told it will or can take up to 2 weeks for them to harden up again ??

[bullmatt]

a bit of both for me,more kibble than raw,it causes fights with my lot,the three that are kenelled get more as they have it in there own space,

[grchmason]

Dec 20, 2009 15:56:27 GMT andrewp35 said:

Oh yeah its all about personal preference at the end of the day.but I think you will find a top quality kibble will cost around the £40 mark a bag!I may be wrong.like i said me personally i like to know exactly what im feeding my dogs.skin,coat and teeth all very healthy,dogs go mad for it.everyones a winner in my house :)As for barf going through dogs.their must be some medical problem or something because i thought thats what dogs are designed to eat.At the end of the day,each to their own.If everyones happy then its all good.

I think your find mate there's quite a few good kibbles about well well under the £40 mark

Costco signature Chicken & Rice £21.00 a bag and 18kg bags too One if not the best kibble on the market. its been rebranded for Costco but in the USA its branded as Diamond pet food a favourite...... Among Pit dog men in the USA

Then theres Australian Formula around £16 a bag 15kg another kibble i have used with great results one of Masons fav this i only tend to use this food in the warmer months as i like a bit more fat in my kibble in winter Not saying you couldnt add a good fat source to it like... Coconut oil

No BARF for my dogs

Tarren

[bullmatt]

just changing back to csj that will do a (lot of working dog people swear by csj ) from vitalin working,and another greyhound food not to be left out is" gain28 "slightly cheaper than the australian formular.

[andrewp35]

actually a while ago we used csj food and it wasnt bad for the money atall Bullmatt thanks for reminding me.It doesnt really matter what you feed them as long as your all happy i suppose ;D but id of thought Barf is still the more healthy option of the two?

[hiphoplyricalrobot]

I personaly mix Australian Formula with a portion of raw meat or offel. They love it and it means i cover all angles.

[Jessica]

Ours are on CSJ now, the kennels round the corner are stockist, so its nice and easy to get hold of out here. I cant complain it does the job.
We also top them up with a bit of raw to keep them nice and warm and full in the cold months. Its slightly different for us as ours our kenneled and during the winter it is more about what is going to keep the weight on and suit their activity. What their bodies require this time of year is very different to what they will be doing during the summer.
As soon as any of them start any real work they go on Eukanuba working dog... That is the best for our dogs they will always look their best on that nothing comes close.

[Griffa]

how did u find the orijen food jess wasnt u feeding some of urs that at one point is it as good as 1st thought ?? or worth the money ??

i noticed with the applaws food wich is nearly the same it dosent swell up wen soaked wich has got to be better for there insides

[Jessica]

Dec 21, 2009 6:01:48 GMT Griffa said:

how did u find the orijen food jess wasnt u feeding some of urs that at one point is it as good as 1st thought ?? or worth the money ??

i noticed with the applaws food wich is nearly the same it dosent swell up wen soaked wich has got to be better for there insides

Its was good food for sure, but we wouldnt feed it this time of year it is just too expensive and too high protien there is no need for it.
It was good, but not as good as Eukanuba working dog for the adults but like i said everydog is different its what suits the dog.

[gary]

csj i have 8 month old bordaeux dog everyone comments on how well he looks and i suppose thats how you can tell how good a food is i feed him on the command and performance range you can choose what % protien you want 20 24 28 31% and it takes out the guess work you can get it on line

[Griffa]

i herd that about iams to max that they test on animals !!!!!

[bullmatt]

Dec 22, 2009 17:24:25 GMT Griffa said:

i herd that about iams to max that they test on animals !!!!!

what do other dog food producers test there food on insects,lol

[Griffa]

i herd not sure how true it is that they use anti freeze or the same cemical as a perservative and test it on rats and things make sure it wont hurt them

[Shakka-Staffs]

lets not all go silly about animal testing when we all use products that are tested on animals weather knowingly or not.

[eliza]

Only raw meat here for the dogs. Nothing else

[bullmatt]

Dec 26, 2009 19:58:37 GMT eliza said:

Only raw meat here for the dogs. Nothing else

and they sure look and perform well on it eliza,

atb matt

[martinl]

mine have been on Barf/raw what every you wanna call it, for fully about 2months.. and its workign really well for india, he coat was abit dry when on kibble, now its really glossy and almost wet looking.. she sputtin on muscle aswell(obvs thats the work shes puttin iin) but shes doing the same as b4.. also no smelly breath nd poo poo's

lennox still looks as if hes been varnished but theres stil something thats causing a complaint with him and hes chewing is feet red raw.. but we are looking into that.. probs going to take him to the vets(cant wait to hear what she has to say about me feeding barf)

[Griffa]

my mate dogs always get itchy bits wen they go down the local feilds in the summer time we think it must be something they put on the grass as none of mine get it his other 2 dogs dont get it and he only gets it if he goes there in summer time try going some were diff for a bit see if he stops

[Shakka-Staffs]

MARTIN

How long has he be doing this ? You should take your dog to the vet and try to figure out the cause first. Chewing paws is a red flag for allergies, but could also be a psychological problem. Also some nail deformities as well as nail infections could make a dog chew their paws, as well as food.

The allergies may not be food related was he doing it before you put him on barf? maybe it's a floor cleaner or a detergent. (most of our cleaning supplies are toxic to dogs).

To stop him from chewing immediately maybe try putting on some doggie boots and hope he doesn't chew through them.

your vet can test to see what hes allergic to the sooner the better.

[bullmatt]

Dec 31, 2009 15:26:28 GMT Shakka-Staffs said:

MARTIN



To stop him from chewing immediately maybe try putting on some doggie boots and hope he doesn't chew through them.
.

are you for real,?

haaarooold

[martinl]

he was doing it after we changed his kibble, about 2weeks before we started Full barf... and was just waiting to see if it was the kibble we changed to that caused it, as it happend with our last dog and once we changed his food again it stopped..

whats with the shouting shakka calm down kiddo..

he only does it every so often.. and i did say i was taking him to the vets...

[Jessica]

Try some Melesb shampoo, or Hibi scrub his paws that will help too, leave it one for a few Min's then rinse off well.
What ever the vets say they will put him through a load of tests and cost you a fortune.
You may as well start eliminating things yourself. If you are lucky it maybe something easy like Beef that is common thing.... Or you may end up with pollen or dust mites in that case you are screwed, but don't worry too much either way you will be able to treat it, it just depends on how severe it is and how it effects his life. Good luck!

[Shakka-Staffs]

Whos shouting ?? Im not even going to bother answering anymore it was advise take it or leave it right or wrong. i dont claim to be an expert and laugh all u want at the boots but if it stops him chewing untill you find answer tjen good.

[martinl]

Well when you put "MARTIN" < capitals usaly means you are shouting..

Thanks for the advise shakka, but i did say i was looking into it and taking him to the vets..

i wouldnt of thought it would be the floor cleaner as its only Lennox that does it.. india doesnt..


Cheers jess, come to thing of it he eats alot of beef, i'l cut that out of his diet for a while see if it helps.. in the mean time i'l go out n get some of that stuff you said..


Thanks guys

[NYankee]

I feed only RAW to my dogs+supplements.
Now with my pup, I feed her kibble until she's 8-9 mo. old, only cause I like to train her with her food,and it would be difficult to do that with RAW. ;D