Hi all
Wonder whether people could help with any experience they have had with these products, new puppy (10wks) decided to feed naturediet(good food) But he doesn't seem to like it much...feed a dry kibble and you would think he was starving??a bit odd eh(any suggetions)
so if i feed a kibble i have narrowed it down to burns or arden grange?? Reservation re burns (weight issues) no experience with the arden...
Many thanks for your thoughts

Hi Dogmad :-) While I can't speak for Arden Grange I do use Burns and think it is excellent (do a Burns search on this site for info)  I don't have a problem with the weight thing. My 13 yo has never looked fitter in spite of having a heart murnur and is a perfect weight, like many older dogs she is prone to lypoma, I started feeding Burns comparitivley recently and wonder if a dog fed on Burns all its life would be less likley to have lypoma (deposits of fatty tissue, can grow large and be a problem). :-)

Hi there,
I have fed both A G and Burns and I must admit I found Burns to be a better food. When my dogs were on Arden Grange they had lovely, shiny coats but I found them to be really hyper because of the high protein content. My behaviourist suggest I try a lower protein food and I had heard great things about Burns. One of my dogs used to be at the vets every other week with upset tummies etc and since Burns he has been fine. I do agree though that you need to feed slighly more of the Burns than they state otherwise they can lose weight. WE tried all of the top foods and by the end of each 15kg bag they were bored, they are now on their 5th bag of Burns and every meal time they are very happy! Also, fantastic customer service and quick delivery. I suggest you look at the ingredients for both and see which you prefer but I must admit, I can't recommend Burns enough as it's made such a difference!!

Seems that Burns is most people favourite dry food, it seems the only one that doesn't contain, beet pulp, corn meal or linseed( do these cause problems)?? Is it comparable to nature diet ?? I would have thought nature diet would be easier to digest ..and hence absorb the goodness??

Hi there

I feed both Burns and Naturediet and would recommend anything else.  The dogs arent as hyper as when they were fed Butchers dry food and their condition is great.  I feed them both the amount it suggests and personally to me they look very fit and not overweight or underweight.  You have to be careful feeding over the recommended amount because it can give them loose poos apparently.  Naturediet is the nearest you can get to feeding Barf diet without going the whole hog.  I  understand that it is the only wet food that is actually fit for human consumption.  You really cant get better than that I dont think.

Claire

thanks claire. do you feed half and half together or one meal burns the other nature diet??

dogmad,just posted to see if any one use A D as my pup loves it ,it`s easy to order and came in less than 24 hrs buy have read loads of post, none ever mention A D.S BAXTER

sorry dogmad what does kibble mean? :) s baxter

kibble is the dry food nugget.

I feed breakfast of just burns and then evening meal of burns and naturediet.

Smiley wrote:

I do agree though that you need to feed slighly more of the Burns than they state otherwise they can lose weight.

Hello Smiley and everyone,

Oh how I wish this were true of my 21 month old Labrador ! Just cannot get her weight down, despite plenty of exercise and far less of Burns than
stated(ie, more like 80g morning and night, so this is a lot less than Burns state but still the weight wont budge. Shes now on Burns High Oats with no further improvement. Burns advised me to reduce the food by 10g each mealtime until the weight improves but at that rate she would be on zero amounts!  Not really sure what to do but tempted to try Nature diet and maybe do as someone else mentioned(sorry forgotten your name), give Burns in the morning and Nature diet in the evening.  If anyone has any other suggestions I would really appreciate any advice.
Many grateful thanks,

Best wishes,
Val
Ps. Must admit Poppys coat is terrific and she is in very good health. No upset tums or any other problems.. just the weight!

When I have had to put one of mine on a diet the weight would not budge until they were on half what they would normally need.

My adults genearlly get 200g if on complete food.  They are bitches expected to weigh around 20kg, also of a breed that needs the amount of food for the size of dog to be quite small.

Food is fuel, and if the bitch is healthy (not got a problem with her thyroid, which would show up as sluggishness, poor coat etc) then she simply needs less food.

To stop them being hungry you may need to make up the balnce of her food with lo cal veggies.  she may be getting food elsewhere than in ehr bowl, after all dogs are consumate scavengers.  Does she get treats?  If you wnat to use food as treats then  take some from ehr daily allowance and keep in a saucer or container to use when you wish to treat your dog, and ensure family members do not give in to those brown eyes.

You can also offer some green beans in with the food to substitute for some of the food, they act as a filler. :)

Well I haven't used Burns (found it rather pricey for the ingredienst listed) but have been very happy when I fed solely Arden Grange.  Dogs were in tip top condition, and needed no more than 180 to 200g a day for a 20kg dog.

As I wanted to feed some raw I now feed the classic Arden Grange (lower in protein and price than the ordinary AG with chicken meal as main ingredient rather than fresh chicken), and mix this with Autarky 9which has herbs and vegetables added).

sorry brain must still be in bed i mean A G not A D   S BAXTER

Have now put mine back onto AG and the morning pick up round is a pleasure ( pleasure, well no I'm exaggerating again :D )

well jackie h ,alfie`s poo`s are fairly solid and neatly formed till he gets sooo excited when i praise him that he jumps all in it then we have paws to wash :) s baxter

brainless, what breed to you have ? also would you feed prestige to my bitch that doesn't hold weight ?? do you find any hyperactivity on AG, one post said that she changed from AG because of this ?

Kibble is just another word for dry food.
On another note,it is rather concerning that some folk are more concerned about the price of a food than the nutritional value and go about feeding the absolute bare minimum to save a few bucks,when it comes to nutrition we as "responsible" pet owners cannot afford to skimp on our dogs health!

christine

I would agree with you. I just want to feed the very best food for my dogs. I enjoy reading different experiences with food, and want to hear peoples opinions on food to try and help when considering your choice the best one. I consider it a very important part of owning a dog.

Nutrition is the foundation of good health for every living being,you cant expect a dog or any animal or person to thrive on an el cheapo food,it just cant happen.Since commercial food was invented the amount of dogs dying of cancer and related disease has skyrocketed,it has almost become the norm and if thats not bad enough people are looking to find the cheapest way to feed their dogs.If god forbid one of my dogs got cancer at least i know it's not because of the type of food i was feeding,imagine the guilt of knowing you could have prevented your dogs disease if only you had fed a more superior diet!I am a single mum and struggle from week to week but my dogs get the best food money can buy,dogs have got a short enough life as it is without me contributing to it by skimping,if i couldnt afford to feed my dogs this way then i wouldnt have them!I'm sorry to rave on but it makes me so angry when i hear of people complaining that this or that costs to much and go to the ends of the earth to find cheaper alternatives,these are our devoted family members we are talking about here,not some disposable asset!Our dogs didnt ask to live with us therefore it is up to us to provide the best we can for them.
I would love to have a bull mastiff but i couldnt afford to feed a large dog like that in the way i would like,i could however feed a supermarket brand or a cheap pet mince from the corner butcher,but i wouldnt do that,i wont forsake a dogs health  or my concience  just to save a few bucks.
Geez i dont know where all this is coming from,must be time to vent It's just over the past few days i have read a few posts from people more worried about what the cost of a dog food is rather than worrying what is actually in the dog food.

christine(australia)

Yes, Christine, there are more dogs dying of cancer than there used to be, but a lot of that is down to the fact that they are living longer (just as is the case with humans)! The longer you live, the more likely you are to develop cancer. Not nearly so many are dying young from disease because of vaccinations and surgery for other conditions (gastric torsion, pyometra etc) which would otherwise have killed them before they developed cancer ...

But there are am awful lot having adverse reactions to vaccinations tho with no cure for these immune diseases etc....
Christine, Spain.

Maybe so, but is that anything to do with diet?

I don't suppose we really know if it is diet, but surely this is a contributary factor in the health of the dog. We are all looking for a wonder diet that will keep our beloved dogs healthy. I think there are many people on this board with experience and and an unbiased (i.e they're not selling the stuff)knowledge of nutrition which can only benefit the animals themselves if we take it on board.

I do believe incorrect diet is a major contributor to a lot of health issues, not only in dogs but humans as well!

Christine, Spain.

Not really J/G just thought I`d mention it cos you brought vacc`s up first :D

Christine, Spain.

I'd still not want to go back to the days before vaccinations though! ;)

I wouod always look for quality, and value for money in my own and the dogs food.  We all have to make the pennies stretch.

I have Norwegian Elkhounds.  I found Prestige great for my anorexic bitch, and never found them hyper on it.  My deogs do get a reasonable amount of excersise, and i WOULKD EXPECT YOUNG STOCK TO BE LIVELY and a food that kept them full of beans a good thing.

My dogs are the sort that chill out at home just lying around, saving their energy for walks :D  An ideal combination.

I considered trying AG for my Bullmastiff puppy but was put off by the fact that they dont have anything specifically for large breeds.. When i enquired about this the AG rep told me to put her straight onto junior.  What do you all think? 

I feed Arden Grange and can say both my 2 dogs are very happy on it.  My older dog always had problems keeping the weight on with other foods, when I discussed this with the Show manager for Arden Grange, he suggested I try him on the Classic range whereas the younger dog is on the Prestige.  Now both are very healthy and no signs of hyperactivity

IMO the idea that a puppy need be fed on puppy food is not always a good idea, usually take mine off puppy between 3 and 4 months and off junior between 6 and 8 months. My present pup was sent to me on Beta and I changed him to Burns but found the kibbles too small so I put him back onto Beta and started to add adult AG to his food at about 4 months and he has been on Adult since he was 6 months. I added some protein to it in the shape of eggs or fish and reduced it till at 8 months he was fed the same as all the others. Have to say he has grown as well and the same as any of my other pups and the vet saw him at 5 months and said it was rare to see a pup so well muscled and without any undue fat.