Hi all,
If pedigree dry complete is so bad why does it say on the packet developed with vets and top breeders breeders recommend it opinons please.
Sharon

Clever advertising, most dog food manufactures have vets on the pay roll
Never says independent vets dose it. As for top breeders recommended it
A/Try getting a list, b/ if you do get a list ask them if they receive any incentives.
The question may run and run. Pedigree in My View  is the MacDonald's of the pet food world where the name means more than the product. 

Personlly I have never used it but what puts me off is the amount of colourful shapes that are in the meal.  A dog couldnt care less and just like your kids I dont want my dogs eating loads of added colourings.

I know plenty of breeders who reccomend pedigree,but would NEVER feed it to their dogs!They do this at shows to get their dogs pics published,it's kinda like blackmail, :say you feed our food and we will publish your pics" ;)

I dont know of one vet who would reccomend pedigree,than again they dont reccomend much better foods anyway!

Lofty your an advertisers dream :D Just because they say it's so,doesnt mean it is! You just have to look at the ingredients,what kind of reputable vet would want you to feed this stuff to your dogs?Not a good one i would imagine :( And breeders,who are these breeders who actually feed pedigree to their dogs??????

It is all a very clever marketing ploy to suck in the general public who dont know any better! Take a look at the top class foods, they dont need to make these ridiculous statements,their products speak for themselves :)

3 of my dogs are on pedigree nuggerts and are doing brilliently on it, healthy coats, healthy skin (one boy suffers from hot spots on some foods) they have solid poos and are overall healthy.

The only reason the 4th one isn't on pedigree is because his an old codger on eukanuba serior large breed as we found it so hard to find a senior food large, he might be only but he still needs to crunch his food! :D

I have used the pedigree nuggets for a year now on both dogs and had no probs with either.

They are in excellent condition regarding health, skin and their coats and nice solid poos.

Sharon

Sharon, I wouldn't worry about changing then.  If your dogs are healthy on it, it must be doing them some good. 

Now I wil never go round telling everyone pedigree is the best food, because my dogs are good on it (like some people do with their chosen food)

I don't think I would have the time to feed raw, and one of my dogs will only eat cooked meat!  I know there's alterantives but My dogs are happy and healthy on what they currently have, I won't mess around with it! :)

Yeh I am going to stick to pedigree rather than chop and change, it suits my dogs so there is know problem and they love it

Sharon

The thing that worries is me is that some dogs do well now,but what affects will certain foods have down the road,say in 5-10 years? You have too look at the bigger picture when feeding a food.It can take a long time for the kidneys,liver etc to be damaged :(

I would rather be safe than sorry,so if something happens to my dogs down the road i wont say "what if i had fed them a better food?????" Colourings,preservatives,chemicals,rendered by-products etc. wont cause problems overnight,but i hate to think of what the long terms affects of feeding these things are :(

The old analogy of "if it aint broke,dont fix it" applies to many things,but  nutrition isnt one of them,it often takes a long time for something to break and when it does it's usually irreversable :(

As this is relevant to this thread but also Lea's thread in the "Searching" forum rose, I just thought I would let you know that my first Springer lived until the age of 15 and was fed everyday on Pedigree. :)

Ditto my sister's ESS, spaniel-lover.

My old Munster, Asti (14 in May) has been fed on a whole variety of completes throughout her life (Including Pedigree) and doesn't look any the worse for it, full set of pearly whites, unspayed and can (On a good day) manage 2 x 1 hour walks along with her daughter, grand-daughter & grandson.  I'm just wondering when these long-term effects are going to kick in?

I know plenty of breeders who do use Pedigree and do so with no incentives at all.   They chose to feed their dogs it because they look healthy & active on it.   

The problem with all these things is that it really does require some very detailed research looking into, not just the food eaten, but the breed, family, exercise, general living situation of the dog etc etc etc. There are smokers who live until they are 100, people who drink heavily but don't become alcoholics etc. I have an aunt who has survived quite a few major illnesses during her life (including being very overweight and having elderly diabetes) and is about to celebrate her 100th birthday in July. Until there is a major study using proper, scientific methods, we will never know. I am not a fanatical 'feeder' :) but prefer to feed raw food to my dogs. As with humans, we are told that additives etc are unhealthy, so I believe with dogs - but it's only my belief, I don't really know :) My aunt fed her beagle 1lb of best shin of beef raw every day until it was about 9, when her husband died and she 'went a bit funny', she then gave him the cheapest tinned food that she could buy :D The dog still was fit enough to go to the Isle of Wight for Xmas and paddled in the sea on his 17th birthday :)

Daisy

Well, yes to some extent Daisy but both the sire & dam of my Asti didn't live to see double figures!  Yet she's still wandering about!

A better way of looking at research, Daisy is to look at groups as a whole or at least large numbers of them.  For instance we all know individual smokers who live to ripe old ages but when you look at the group as a whole 1 in 5 get cancer which is horribly high odds.  When you take the dog population as a whole, we know most are fed complete and a great many will be fed Pedigree and indeed will have been for many generations, they are in good health with life expectancy as good now as it has every been and better than the days before commercial pet foods where introduced so whatever other factors are involved we know that commercial food is not inhibiting good health :)

Not sure that I follow about the commercial food :) When I was small, lots of people didn't take their pets to the vets and I never remember dogs having vaccinations - so it could be that dogs just weren't as healthy in those days :)

Daisy

Those were the other factors I was referring to Daisy :)  The point is most dogs are fed commercial foods so we know that commercial foods have not prevented dogs life expectancy improving when the other factors improved, therefore even if they did not bring this better health about (and personally I think they did contribute) then at least it cannot be claimed that they are harmfull.

Again rose that is YOUR POV.

Domestic dogs have a longer life then wild dogs who ALWAYS eat raw meat.  Now I'm not saying diet kills them off, but I'm sure I could argue it is you wanted me to! :)

I have a 11 year old, was on pedigree, now on eukanuba, (oh and used to be on nutro!) who at crufts went round the ring and looked stuning, judge couldn't believe he was as old as he is.  He will manage 5 km walks just now, ok at a slow pace.  and when I take him for a walk he's still prancing down the road witha great big smile (or is that for the pedigree treats in my pockets! :D )

The problem I have with pedigree is that yes dog can look and do well on it. I just think if I am going to spend money on a certain food I prefer to buy what I consider the best value for money I know I probably spend more time than most checking out foods
Most of pedigree food is cereal based ,therefore I prefer to spend my money on a food that contains meat as its no 1 ingredient that represents better value for my dogs .The other thing that bothers me is the way the sell their product every advert for pedigree contains no mention of what's in it but merely uses the image of pedigree and pretty dogs just seems a very cynical way of selling a name rather than a product Ask the majority of people who buy pedigree what's in it and they wont know they just buy it because the name sticks out after all that's what they see on adverts.No mention  on what in it ,just the name  and that's fine for those people who don't wont to know, but those of who do its simply is a poor value food sold well-Jo

But if a dog looks well and thrives, then surely whatever it's eating must suit it? Nobody's blessed/cursed with a crystal ball - nobody can say what will happen in the future, whatever a dog eats.

True I don't no exactly whats in pedigree BUT as long as my dogs eat it and are healthy and they like it do they care? NO, can I be botherd to play about with their food with the possibility of runs, sickness and bring my boys bad skin back? NO!

Like a Eukanunba sales person tried tell us at crufts, even though we already buy it, they didn't know, simple thing "ask the dog if he cares" I would rather they ate something rather then nothing.  And I'd rather feed them something they are happy with.  Yes there's proberbly better.

You care about what your dog eats, I care about what my dog thinks about it.  I proberbly care more about how I show each dog and building a strong bond with every dog I show. 

There we go, evens!

if you are happy & your dogs are happy,stick to it!
you can see if dogs are healthy,coats,eyes nose,nice poos,brilliant!
not everyfood can suit each dog or each lifestyle
i think WE think too much about what we feed them

I think we argue too much too! :)

No I don't show dogs, my idea of fun is long walks, dirty puddles dog running free with other dogs. I don't go to Crufts too many posers (owners that is) you can't blame the dogs. My idea of a perfect dog is one that's walked many miles, a dog comes home dirty from exploring and flops in front of the fire place happy. Not stuck on some podium, but it's a big world I know not everyone feels the same .
I do actual care that my dogs like the food but as they can't go to the supermarket themselves they trust me to get the best food. True beauty comes from the inside-Happy Easter

Oh you mean how my dog is now till sunday night!  I have two very dirty dogs in this house who had their runs today and yesterday.  She is coverd in mud witha brown tinge!!!!!!!  Laying on the sofa as we speak (Mum won't let us open the fire place :( ) 

Now on sunday, yes she will be bathed, and possibly trimmed if needbe for a show on monday, come tuesday, back down the fields everyday till her next show when she will be bathed! 

I know, with the xeption of one or two, ALL show dogs get muddy and dirty but transformed the night (or two) before, but soon after the show back with the mud!

Same goes for the owners aswell! :D ;)

<<<<<<<<No I don't show dogs, my idea of fun is long walks, dirty puddles dog running free with other dogs. I don't go to Crufts too many posers (owners that is) you can't blame the dogs>>>>>>>>>>

This afternoon, Mia has rolled on foxes poo  & tried to eat it as fast as she could when she saw me running back to chastise her.  She then lay in water that I can only describe as orangey-brown and changed into a tri-colour!    After a run through forest and a swim in the loch, she came back home to sleep.    Yes she had great fun and yes she's also a Show Champion!       

As I said is not my idea of fun showing dogs .I would hope the majority
Of dog owners enjoy long walks with their dogs   I just cant abide the my dogs better than your dog syndrome (yes she's also a Show Champion! )you just enhanced my view  even more-Jo       

I didn't take it as braggy Jo, I took it as meaning you don't need to prevent a dog enjoying a good old romp in the mud in order to scrub up and do well in the show ring. 

My dogs only better then the dogs she's better then, not better tho then the dogs that are better then her!!!

I interpreted it as being evidence that even top-winning dogs are dogs first and live the same kind of life as any other pet dog (they're just in better condition than many).
:)

Thank you Isabel, Ice Queen & JeanGenie, :D

It wasn't written as a brag - most show-goers I know treat their dogs as I have described.    I would like to add that Mia's dam (Aged 10) and grand-dam (Almost 14!) also dunked themselves in the water too (Dirty water & clean water!),Curtis is a good boy & only swims in the loch!   They all get treated equally regardless of additions to their KC names.  They are my pets first & foremost, they get fed on food that I think suits their needs, they are living to good ages and they also have the ability to look well conditioned enough to be shown too.

I like to do both with mine, and fortuantely I can, as they can go out and get filthy, and as soon as dry a quick brush and ready to pose in the ring :D  Only bath them a couple of times a year, and that to speed the moult rather than get them clean as they have a stay clean type of coat (something to be daid for being grey in colour :D).

See another one of these braggy showgoing folk.........;)

Sorry been for a long Walk seems i hit a nerve now  I forgot some people are a bit sensitive, I have heard worse comments at shows but i expect you're all good losers/winners and the best dog always wins so I apologize for using generalisations -jo

What is it they say about sarcasm?  ;)

the highest form of Wit?

Lowest, actually! ;) :)

What a great link J/G........  ;)

Hey Jo, Its easy to genralise the majority by the minority isn't it.  now can you see how sometimes we "snap" at some people with posts on here!! ????

My lovely show dog who was bathed last night, shown today, came home, was joined in the car by another and went over the feilds and found a large muddy puddle to stand in and drink from (YUCK!) and we have pictures to prove.....She was brown all up her white legs and white tummy!!! :D

Most of us can win and loose pretty well (take winning better then loosing!) but overall don't care!

The original question was about Pedigree. That I and many others consider a poor mass produced food. I prefer to spend my money on a quality dog food for my dogs. I don't spend a fortune travelling to and fro to dog shows I can imagine this must be very expensive. As for considering that people who show dogs aren't the bragge type it's not the dogS that have aspirations to be best in show, but their owners. It's a competition (when someone is trying to win something or be more successful than someone else )that people want to win, not the dogs and its people who boast about it afterwords. When it comes to wellbeing of a dog I consider diet to be the number one priority not how many competition rosettes she has. My dogs are walked every day for their benefit not shown at shows for their owners benefit.-JO     

Some of the best socialised dogs I've ever met are show dogs, because they're used to crowds, other dogs of all shapes, sizes and colours, and are happy to be with their owners.
:)

I think the point being made, when it looked a little braggy :), is that you cannot get top honours in the show ring if the feeding is awry. 
Most show dogs are well exercised too, as this is also an essential for good showing condition, those that don't enjoy exercising their dogs would probably have given up a long time before the prizes start coming :)

Ask most people what goes into a sausage, could they tell you?  ;)

Make it a haggis and they are really stumped :D

sheep's pluck (stomach bag), dry oatmeal, suet,lamb's liver   
large chopped onion,  cayenne pepper, Jamaica pepper and salt
Scottish by birth -Jo  

So was I, but I would have to look up a recipe to tell you all that was in it :)

It's all about ingredients those of us who know what goes in to what we eat will understand.
Also we did cooking at school, and our teacher would always insist that on Burns night we did haggis.-Jo

Judging by the stacks and stacks in the shops leading up to Burns night both sides of the border not too many people are running to the trouble of making their own these days :) I like McSweens myself :)

>No mention  on what in it ,just the name  and that's fine for those people who don't wont to know, but those of who do its simply is a poor value food sold well-Jo<

I object to the inference that those who feed Pedigree "don't want to know" and are therefore ignorant in some way?  There are many dogs who don't appear to do well on the Premium foods, as we hear so often on this forum!  As said before, I have fed Pedigree and probably would have continued to do so had I not seen my sister's dogs suffer from a bit of dry skin (she has the same breed as I do) so I thought I would try a different food.  But based on my previous experience of my dog thriving on it and only attending the vets yearly for her boosters, I would have been more than happy to feed it to my current dogs.

My bottom line is that yes, I have as much concern for my dogs dietary requirements as I do for my own but I have better things to do with my time than worry about all the "what if's" that might come as a result of my family (dogs included) eating certain things: and reasiltically, does anyone have any odds as regards coming to harm from what we eat versus breathing in pollution, getting hit by a bus etc?? ;)  My dogs and I eat what I consider is the best appropriate diet for us all and so long as we continue to do well on it, I will have no inclination to change! :)

My dogs appeared to the thrive on Pedigree and Bakers.  It's only when you change to what I now consider to be much better food, that you see the differences in the dogs.  For me, the biggest obvious difference you can see is in their coats.  My black spaniel's coat, for example now *shines* compared to Pedigree/Bakers.  Other differences are better breath, healthier looking poos, active but not 'hyper', etc. 

I feed one of mine once on one of those pouches of wet Pedigree Complete (it was a trial sample).  Never, ever again - he was bouncing off the walls as if I'd given him speed !!

Dont bother Bengidog :) some people would say their dogs thrive on eating cat poop if someone else said it was bad,just to argue that it is good even tho it is so obviously not what a dog should be eating.

Short and sweet,pedigree's ingredients speak for themselves :D If peoples dogs thrive on a cheap substandard food,more power to them! They'll have extra money to spend on more important things,much more important than sensible,appropriate nutrition :)

Our dogs could survive on bin scrapings and our inedible cast off's and probaly look good,does this mean it is good for them in the long term or even short term,some people would say yes,me,i would say no!