Just wondering if anyone can give guidance or can comment on my query?
Basically my 14 week old mini schnauzer has always had eukenhuba complete
which is approx £4 per kilo, whereas pedigree chum complete is £2 per kilo.
Is there a reason for this difference?
Money is not an issue when it comes to feeding my little one, and I don't
want him to be deprived of goodness or nutrition, but as I can't see
pedigree chum not providing what he needs it seems daft paying double.
Has any one come across this? Is there a good reason?
Sorry if its a silly question...but are there any pros or cons to either in comparison?
Thanks
Louise x

Hi, well Eukanuba claim that their food is more economical because you feed less... they claim to add less *bulking* ingredients that are meant to fill the dog up, like wheat and cereals etc, so therefore you should feed a third or a half of what you would chum.
Personally, I believe they are all much of a muchness. My dog was hungry on Eukanuba, and had baaaad wind if I overfed him. He just had bad wind all the time on chum. So now i feed a 90% raw diet with a holistic mixer - and I have never had a dog that looks as good as smells as nice and has such a fab coat. But thats my choice.... others will no doubt say different :)

Hi Chloe,
Thanks for your reply.
So what exactly do you feed..say in a typical day?
Thanks for your time.
Louise x

Hi Louise

Well, I've got a Great Dane puppy - so the amounts given are approximate and very much depend on how he's looking (if his ribs are showing I feed him more till he balances out again)...he's also growing, so while not trying to grow him too fast, I am still feeding him up :) tis all very confusing...but here goes:

Breakfast:
4 scrambled or raw eggs, plus a handful of Burns dried food, plus a carton of bio natural yoghurt (he only gets the yoghurt 3 times a week)
Lunch:
About 3/4 lb raw minced up chicken wings (bones and all) OR Burns dry food, soaked with a tin of tuna, oil and all (sunflower) OR 3/4 lb raw minced turkey
Dinner:
About 3/4 lb raw minced beef and a slack handful of Burns.
Any table scraps
Large raw meaty bone (but one he can't eat the bone - just strip the meat) 3 times a week (free from butcher!)

I kind of balance it on how much he eats/how much he leaves. Although he never ever leaves a scrap of raw meat.
I supplement the raw with the Burns as I don't do vegetables - and I also give him Liver or heart once a week.

Phew - does this help? I have had loads of help on raw feeding on here. I am not comfortable feeding whole chicken wings - so i get them minced...but lots and lots of people do it very successfully :)

Hope this helps :)

Hi Chloe, could you tell me why feeding puppys raw meat is ok..feel a bit silly asking but the kennel we got Oscar from fed him Pedigree puppy advance mixed with raw minced beef, I was told that it just saved cooking the mince,, as they had so many pups to take care of I just thought well it's not trouble for me to pop it into the microwave to make sure any bacteria is killed in the cooking..obviously I wait for it to cool before mixing with his advance..Appreciate ur help lots :)

Regards Sandy xx

Hi Sandy

Willis came from the breeder with a diet of raw mince and raw tripe plus a base dry food. I started looking into it and took it a bit further and now he has everything raw. Dogs have a different digestive system than us and can cope with raw food - like they would in the wild, and like they would if they caught a rabbit and ate it on the spot. I have never had a problem with Willis - and he can eat *anything* without getting a bad stomach (something a lot of Danes get). Its so easy too - just get the mince from the butcher and put it in his bowl - he never leaves a bit!!

Email me on chloe@iscario.com if you want more info :)
Cheers
Chloe

Hello Louise
I myself wonderd why the likes of hills,iams,burns and jwb which our branded as a premium dog food where almost double the price as other household brand names in the same sort of class, is the word on the list ingredients (animal derivatives) the premium brands say they only use selective cuts from :ie lambs,chickens and so on but does that justify nearly double the price?.

Does Economy mince and topside vary in price?

You have to compare like with like. I only take price into account when in all other things the foods ingredients, and proportion of expensive animal protein are equal. when I have done this I have found that some brands with good, but still cereal based recipes are overpriced compared to the real premium meat based ones, with vit e and C as preservatives, adn good vitamin levels, and some healthy additivews of herbal or marine origin.

I tend to find there are several top class ranges, then middle of the road, cheap and cheerful adequate wtih additon of alittle meat or extras off the table, adn the real crap ones that look lke and are almost identical to Rabbit food!

chloe, -if your supplementing with burns instead of the veg, youre feeding a complete and as such balanced food-by adding the extras you overdoing certain things!!! completes need no additions as theyre containing everything you need :)

if you feed a good quality dry kibble then there is no need to add anything.i would define the better kibbles like this: if you look at the list of ingredients on the bag and the first ingredient is not meat then it is NOT a good quality kibble.meat is the best protien/fat source for dogs and generally a more expensive one which is why you pay a bit more for feeds using a meat source as the main ingredient.

Hi Dizzy
Basically, I don't trust manufacturers when they say its "complete". Complete by whose standards? If its theirs, then its "complete" by the minimum cost possible - after all, they are out to make money like any business. I go on my dogs condition - always have...and in the past when only feeding even the best quality complete - I have had dogs with flaky skin, bad breath, bad wind, the lot....therefore I supplement the complete with raw.
I was going to swap totally over to veg, but he's happy, I'm happy, the vets happy...so why make more work for myself! Anything he is overdoing will be passed through anyway - and he has no stomach problems whatsoever.
I do what I think is best for my dog, and at the moment this is working perfectly :)
Thanks
Chloe

Hi all,

I'm now panicking I'm feeding my lab puppy too little. He gets four meals a day but no where near the amount Chloe is feeding her great dane! i totally agree with chloe though, who does say manufacturers are complete?

I give him 5 large spoonfuls of Iams twice a day, chicken and rice and yoghurt twice a day and a couple of spoons of yoghurt?

Is this enough? he gets scraps and always begs but now I'm panicking he's hungry and not just begging. The vet said the diet was okay and he's fine. Should I increase the diet? He's 3 months old today!

Thanks all...
from a panicking Francy!

Don't panic ....you can't compare a Great Dane puppy witha lab :) Just work out the amount of food by eye ...if your pup begins to look a little too chubby feed him a bit less at each meal ..if he looks too lean ..feed him a bit more :)

Melody

Thanks for the reassurance...I just panicked that at the thought that my puppy may be really hungry and not just begging!

Hi - don't panic!! I completely agree with Melody - if you are happy and your dog and your vet are happy - then everything should be fine. Ultimately, if you have a fat puppy now its harder to get it off them later on :)

Ok, now I'm worried I'm not feeding my pup the right food or enough of it!

Harry is a CKCS (11 weeks old, and tiny I might add) and has weetabix with warm milk for breakfast, iams kibbles (about 25 pieces) for lunch, 1/2 a pouch of puppy pedigree chum meat for dinner and then weetabix again for supper.
Should I be feeding him raw meat or cooked chicken or something like that instead? If so where would I get it from? I don't have a butcher nearby as I live in the country and would only be able to get stuff from the supermarket.

Jasperooni
xx

If the puppy is happy and in good condition then stop worrying :) When you run your hand over his sides can you feel his ribs clearly? If so, then feed him a little bit more, if not at all then feed him a little bit less. Keep going like this for about a month till you're happy that you can feel the outline of his ribs but not each one individually and you'll be feeding the right amount.

As for what you're feeding him - some dogs can't tolerate milk, but if it's not upsetting his tummy then I'd carry on for the time being but gradually get him used to just having dog food at each meal. I also wouldn't feed him complete food at one meal and then meat at another - decide what type of food you want him to have (complete or meat and mixer) and stick to it.

If you want to change him onto a raw food diet then it won't do him anyharm but you do need to know what you're doing. Have a look at AMP for some more info and follow the link to UKBarfClub as that'll also give you some more info. AMP deliver so you wouldn't need to be restricted to the supermarkets.

It's completely up to you what type of food you give him but if I were you I'd stick to one feeding style, as the complete food isn't designed to be fed alongside meat.

I hope this helps and I haven't confused you even more :)

Fiona
x x x

Edited - sorry I didn't realise the puppy meat is a complete food as well so yes you can feed that but not at the same time as the dry. Most breeders feed their puppies a variety of food so the owners have a choice when they get the pups home.

Hi Fiona,

Thanks for that. I have heard of lots of people that feed their dogs (and cats) raw diet and they claim it's much better and more natural for the dog/cat so I'll have a look at the AMP website and see what I think.
Thanks for the advice on the complete food/meat issue. I was literally feeding what the breeder fed and didn't think anything of it. I'll choose one or the other for the time being I think!

Thanks for the help

Jasperooni
AKA Allie
xx

You are OK, as the pedigree wet food you are feeding is also a complete, just a different one from the Eukanuba. What we mean is don't mix a complete meal with meat that isn't a balanced meal.

On the other hand if you decided to feed raw, and gave all the ingredients to make a balanced feed, then an occasional meal of completew as a standby, or for when relatives look after your dog, travelling etc, when the raw may be impractical will also be good.

I know some Raw feeders who do feed complete sometimes so that the dogs will still eat it for such occasions.

Hi

I am intrigued as to why there is such negativity toward topping a so called "complete" dry with raw meat/any other ingredient.
We only have the manufacturers word that the diet is "complete and balanced" and a set of mimimum standards that they should adhere to, so whats the harm in topping it with something thats tasty and more akin to what the dog would choose to eat? Dare I say "brainwashing"?

Chloe

Well adding meat only will not make a possibly balanced food any more balanced will it.

Adding meat in any real quantity will toatlly unbalance the diet. You can always feed meat with a mixer biscuti designed for that purpose, and/or pulped vegetables fruit etc.

It would be the same as if you ate a balanced meal, and then overdid one ingredient on a regular basis, your digestion and health would not be improved.

Didn't anybodies breeder give them a proper diet sheet to be guided by or aren't they there for them at the end of the phone. It worries me greatly with all these queries about a puppies diet. Any decent breeder is there for you and if your breeder has been in their breed,whether its a great dane or a yorkshire terrier for several years, they should know exactly what is required - please ask them.

As I think I said, this is the diet my puppy came with, from a breeder of champion Harlequin Great Danes.

you asked !!!! :D the complete is tested and HAS to conform to certain standards, amounts of etc,---the amounts given are what experts feel are needed to grow a healthy dog,-so if your complete is containing everything the pup needs, anything else will unbalance the accepted and asked for levels, which by the way have to be written on the bags of complete food,-im sure youre happy with the way youre feeding your dog, as are others with the way they are, but wouldnt you be better perhaps using a plain biscuit or something with your meat-rather than adding to a balanced-weighed -and correct amount of complete dog food

Yes, I did ask. And yes, the complete is tested and has to meet the MINIMUM standards - and thats my point... MINIMUM.
I was asked on this thread what I feed my puppy, which I informed the poster. I did not recommend or suggest anyone else feeds the way I do or the way my breeder suggested that I do - unlike others have. If my dog is thriving (which he is) and has no stomach problems (which Great Danes suffer from) and my vet has endorsed the diet as he does not believe complete is really *complete*..then perhaps a few others should be more openminded as opposed to believing what profit led manufacturers want them to believe.

And, it is only a slack *handful* of complete he gets - not a whole bowl :)

its more than their livlehoods worth to not have in the bag what they say they have,-we only tried to explain you are adding to a balanced diet, i must of misunderstood your post before, -i thought the breeder sent you home on tripe-raw meat and veg, -not complete :D

No, it was a complete base plus raw meat/tripe...eggs and yoghurt :)

I understand its more than their livelihoods to not meet the standards, but they are out to make money the same as any other business... so therefore I go (and always have) on how my dog looks/smells/activity levels, and if the diet doesn't suit or isn't right - back to the breeder for more advice :)
At least he doesn't have dire rear - which in a Great Dane is not nice :D !!

any breed with a dire rear is not nice and most certainly should never be bred from :D :D :D :D :D

Hi

Just wanted to put my opinion in and give Chloe a bit of support! Personally I feed my dogs a mix of raw meat, veg and bones and wouldn't touch complete food if someone paid me. Surely 'complete' to one dog doesn't mean 'complete' to another. They still all vary in the amount of protein they have in them and some are aimed for working dogs and some for large breeds etc etc.

Take two dogs - one a small lapdog and one a larger breed highly active dog... the vet would probably still recommend that they both eat the same 'complete' food. I'm sure they only recommend it because they're on huge commmissions. Anyway, I'm sure you would need to add extra protein for the larger active breed as it wouldn't give it what it needed, or the larger breed would be fine but the lapdog would get fat as it was overdoing its requirements. Every dogs requirement is different, the same as every persons is.

I'm 5'9" and eat like a horse and can't put on weight (I'm also very lucky!) - I'm fit and active and need more nutrients than my 5'2" sister who can't look at something without putting weight on and we eat the same kinds of foods in the same quantities.

Hope that made some sense! Look forward to hearing your comments.

Jenny :-)

Hi
I feed my 19 week old bernese Nutro large breed puppy food as recommended by breeder and vet :)
I was advised by both that they need little protein, as protein accelerates bone growth and can lead to bone and joint disorders.

Vickie & Marley (nutro demon)

I wasn't suggesting anyone changes to the diet I feed my dog, nor asking for advice on it.
However, it is well known that you never feed Great Danes *puppy* food. Different breeds have different requirements and I suggest you only go on your breeders advice - as its unlikely they are on commission :)

Chloe
PS - I'm glad you can see my point PowerJen :)

I have 12 dogs ranging from a very small schipperke to a large boxer and they all eat the same complete diet. I don't buy from a vet but direct from the company. They all do very well on it although my little schip is getting a bit tubby so she needs a bit of a reduction!
Bec