Hi,

Has anyone tried this new food? I previously fed Burns but feel it is too dry and 2 of my dogs have developed dry/itchy skin. After reading a few posts I have orderd Arden Grange but have concerns about beet pulp and my oldest boy has terrible "runs" on it. Another I did consider was Nutro Choice.

Any input would be gratefully received.

Thanks 

Yes I am currently feeding two of mine totally on Laughing Dog Total Nutrition Adult Maintenance Tripe Dinner.

I'm really pleased so far mine have been on it for nearly 3 months now. I was feeding JWB.
But my youngest wasn't doing so well and although it's marketed as a hypoallergenic food she was having an
'allergy' to something. Terrible spectacles around the eyes, very itchy and chewing of paws etc
She also wasn't a lover of lamb/turkey etc and would just about eat the fish variety. So I did have lots of wastage.

Now since being on the tripe dinner, her bowls are licked clean (no wastage), spectacles, itching and chewing have all gone.
She's also bodied up really nicely. So I'm really pleased with the results.

Go to www.ld7.co.uk to see further info on the food etc.
They do have Roast Chicken and Tripe flavours and also Roast Dinner for small dogs/puppies.

Hi Boxacrazy,

Thanks for getting back to me. Do you add any meat,fish etc to your laughing dog? I will pick some up this week and try it out.

Hi,

I have my old dog on it and she loves it.  I would have my younger 2 on it but they need a fat content around 15% and this is only 10% besides they love Nutro & it suits them too!

It is the closest thing you'll get to traditional tripe & mixer but in a complete form with extra good ingredients. http://www.ld7.co.uk/total-nutrition.html  Here's some more information about it.

I add tinned butchers tripe to the youngest ones dinner but then she can be hyper picky.
With this food I have found that I have cut down on the amount of tinned that I mix in, now only a 1/4
of a 400gr tin per feed (I feed twice daily) Plus she has licked clean bowl instead of leftovers.....where she didn't
enjoy eating her food before.
The only other addition to the food I give is either a teaspoon of garlic or some evening primrose oil.
But other than that my veteran is just on the food alone and she is doing too well on
it and needs to be cut down on the amount she eats - she's porky & tries her hardest to eat the youngsters food too :D
They have lovely shiny coats and really enjoy their dinner!
I'm definately converted especially as it doesn't have any 'nasty' preservatives or soya in it.
Plus the bonus for me is it's much cheaper than the premium foods that I was feeding, for the tripe dinner is £27
for a 15kg bag...much cheaper than £38-40 I was spending on a 15kg bag (I do hope they don't put prices up after reading this LOL :D ).
Roast Chicken dinner is approx £25 for 15kgs. But if you find yours like it you can join their specialist club and get the food
slightly cheaper (for breeders/bulk buyers/business) or VAT Free if you have working dogs.

Kirstine :)

Kristine where do you get your food from, ive done a search and can't find anywhere that stocks this food?  Ive checked out the LD website and the ingredients look really good :)

Thanks

Hi,
I can buy it from Redcastle for £23 a bag when I order 4 bags. If you are in Scotland I think they deliver quite extensively. I will try all mine on it but, as you do Kristine, may add a little meat also. I did consider Nutro but wondered why they needed to add salt to their food. I was concerned about the strain this may put on my "oldies" kidneys I was also unhappy about the beet pulp as I think this has caused my old boy to have such a bad tum on the Arden Grange.

If you e.mail :sales@laughingdogfood.co.uk they may be able to help you find stockists close to you.

Thanks again.

Deirdre

Depends where in the country you are.
Surrey Pet Supplies do the food on the internet.
Laughing Dog you can order direct from or they will supply you
with info on your nearest stockists. They only supply small independant pet shops
rather than the big 'chains'.

I'm quite happy with it and it seems to suit my girls (3 Boxers) which is the main thing.
I did try AG with them (used to feed it when I had my eldest girl as a pup Prestige etc) but when I tried
the 'classic' range all of mine had a reaction to the feed chewing feet etc.
Which is a shame as it's also a good food. Don't know what the problem was - when I stopped feeding it
all the feet chewing stopped.

Kind Regards
Kirstine

I liked the sound of it, but it ony has 20% meat meal in it (I take their point that this would be half meat half mixer equivalent as this is dry weight) but the Arden Grnage lamb has 27% lamb meal plus other smaller amounts of animal priotein such as egg, fish meal etc.

Also the fat levels are to low for my breed.

That's the same reason I can't feed my younger two on it Barbara.  Brian's (Redcastle) suggestion of adding lard to the Laughing Dog would cause them to get the squits!

Would adding oily fish maybe help to "improve" the fat levels? Don't like the lard suggestion.

Rather takes away the point of feeding a complete though.

>Laughing Dog Total Nutrition foods contain a minimum of 20% meat. This percentage is the meat in its dry form, as meat loses water when cooked. If the meat was in its moist form it would make up 50% of our recipe.<

Very clever! Meat is 75% water,if it was in its moist form it would simply be heavier as it contains more water,it wouldnt up the meat in the food at all,it would still be the same amount but without the moisture!LOL

I think this food is sorely lacking in its meat content and in fat,IMHO if you were to feed this you would have to add extra fat and meat which defeats the whole point of feeding a complete food. I would perhaps use it as a mixer,but no way as a food on its own,deficiencies would soon show,i would think

>Would adding oily fish maybe help<

Every dog should be getting fish oil on a daily basis,or an oily fish meal a couple of times a week anyway wether on home cooked,raw or commercial food,especially commercial food as 99% dont contain enough EFAs or fats. You would have to add a ton to help this food come up to par.

>it would still be the same amount but without the moisture<

Sorry,that should read WITH the moisture :o

Then if it is so sorely lacking in meat and fat that would make it a 'low-fat' diet?

If that's the case why isn't my veteran Boxer bitch slim and svelte?
She's actually a porker and hasn't lost any weight in the three months of being fed
LD Total nutrition. I've even cut her down on what she has.

The other younger bitch has bodied up since being fed the food. Yes I do give her
tinned butchers tripe (1/4 400gr tin per feed) with the food. But she used to get 1/2
a tin per feed when she was fed a premium complete and she didn't have the body/condition she
has now.

I'm happy with the results that I have got from feeding this food.
I have had no noticeable deficiencies that have shown up in my girls.

IMHO grain based diets and weight loss dont go together ;) Diet foods should not be fed indefinately anyway,if you want to call LD a diet food,as they are too low in fat,protein and usually meat to sustain a normal dog. If i have ever had to get weight off my dogs i keep them on the same food as always,however i cut back and replace what ive taken out with something low fat,i just dont take away half their food and expect them to be happy, and i UP their exercise. Less food(sensibly) and more exercise usually works like a charm :)
If it works for your dogs,then great :)

Scarletwinter,they are defending their low amount of meat because its in meal form.Read it again,it doesnt make sense!

I am so confused now, I had them on Burns and JWB but a few  developed dry itch skin. I tried Arden Grange and my old boy developed a really bad tum and one or two of the others got sore ears and the scratching didn't stop either. I am not very happy either about the beet pulp in Arden Grange and wonder whether this has caused more problems. Maybe LD would be too low in oil for the itchy skin???? 

Does anyone have any experience of Nutro? This has beet pulp in it too though and they add salt to some varieties and  potassium chloride to others. 

I am beginning to wonder about the benefits of using LD as a mixer and feeding tripe or similar raw meat.

Why are you confused?  If you are going to feed LD as a mixer then you'd be better off buying a mixer!    Burns is lower in protein & oil than Laughing Dog complete yet it seems to be approved by several members of this board as the ideal complete, if LD is higher in protein & fat then should it not also be regarded as decent?  I would rather go by someone who was feeding their dogs this food, then the opinions of others who haven't tried it.

I've tried Burns & JWB - both give my dogs the squits.   The latest buy of Arden Grange unfortunately made their toilet soft so it's back to what I know - Nutro even though it's a bit more expensive.    I feed Nutro to my 2 'show' dogs and I have to say I can't say a bad thing about it

I just wondered wh8ch AG you treid and how long for.  I ahve often foudn a change in food gave soft (not loose) motinons for a week or so.

Mine have very firm low odour and motions on AG that are dark in colour very like what they were on raw.

Must admit not ken on the beet pulp, which I don't think was in the original AG recipe (may be wrong) only in the classic, but now they have the ranges combined.

The ones mine did well on was the original AG adult (now the Premium) the classic chicken and now the Lamb (had always heard good things about the lamb, but in the apst mien ahve disliked samples of food based on lamb), and the Prestige has been really good for reaing litters and bitches in whelp/lactation and feeding puppies to adulthood, or any picky eaters.

Mine is a double coated nordic breed, that does well on little food, so the fod does need to be reasonably high in fat and protein, so they get sufficient nutrition.  Strangely enough they don't loose weight, only condition on lower fat and protein foods.

It was the chicken & rice one, the breeder bag one.  And it lasted the 3 weeks they were on it, even Mia and it takes a lot to normally upset her.  

was that the classic or the original AG now called Premium?  Certainly all those dogs with iffy digestion that I know that have treid the Lamb and rice classic swear by it.

If you put a kilo of dried meat in one feed and a kilo of "moist" meat in another feed the one with the dried meat would have the higher meat content as you would be adding only meat. The kilo wouldn't consist of moisture also

>Every dog should be getting fish oil on a daily basis,or an oily fish meal a couple of times a week anyway

Apart from the breeds where purine-rich foods are known to contribute to kidney problems, of course. :rolleyes:

>Apart from the breeds where purine-rich foods are known to contribute to kidney problems<

So youre saying dals cant have fish or fish oil products?

>I would rather go by someone who was feeding their dogs this food<

Why? Isnt it always drummed into people here that just because a food suits one dog doesnt mean it will suit another! I think it is also important to hear peoples views on foods who may see or notice or know things others may not.Obviously some people didnt realise that this food is severly low in fat and protein,just because i havnt fed this food doesnt mean i cant put my view across on this particular matter. I can see owners who feed this food start supplementing their dogs with oils,then the odd piece of meat will be added and so on.

Oh and by the way,you will never see me advocating Burns,for many of the same reasons i wouldnt recommend LD as the sole food for any dog!

Can i just ask , as you seem to have very high standards :), what food would you feed?

Hi Anna,

Hope you were directing your question at me? :o

I feed Berrimans,the puppy version,which has 40% chicken meal as its first ingredient.I dont feed the adult one as it only has 20% chicken meal.

http://www.berrimans.net

It does look good but i personnally don't like to feed a food with beet pulp in it, neither do i like to feed corn.
That is my personal opinion tho. I feed burns and find it very good. It has almost completly stopped my dog from itching.
Thanks for the reply

I'm open to all suggestions so I had a look at the Berriman's the ingredients look similar to the food my PH is on now which makes him a bit scurfy, I think I'm still going to try LD.

>neither do i like to feed corn.<

Whole grain corn is not a bad ingredient if your dogs aren't allergic to it. Where you get problems with corn are when 'corn gluten meal' is used to artificially inflate the protein percentages in dog food,or when Corn/gluten is used as the main protein source,eg the first/second ingredients.

This just a small snippet i found on beet pulp.Why wont you feed a food with BP in it? :)

Today science is touting the benefits of fiber in human diets to prevent chronic disease. Fiber has similar benefits in pet food diets. Pharmacological doses of fiber (1) (less than 5%), that contains both rapidly and moderately fermentable fiber is recommended in foods for healthy pets. Beet pulp fits that description better than any other fiber. (1) Quality fiber aids in the management of diabetes, colitis and constipation. It absorbs water or gives it up, as necessary, for good health, and correct amounts regulate healthy transit time in the colon. When used correctly in pet food formulas, beet pulp is an excellent fiber source, a partial Prebiotic and aids in the prevention of the diseases noted. Research suggests it may aid in fighting colon cancer, decreases pathogenic bacteria and aids gut health. It is a recommended fiber for pets suffering from gastrointestinal issues (1), IBD, etc.

My 1 dog has lots of allergies and I don't want to risk her having a worse life just because of the food she is on. I have now switched them both on to BARF and a they absolutly love their food and are so satisfied and b'i am able to control exactly what goes into thier bodies so when i find out what pesto is allergice to (waiting for york test results) hopefully She will beable to live a much better itch free (or at least much less) life.

"I can see owners who feed this food start supplementing their dogs with oils,then the odd piece of meat will be added and so on".

I have always supplemented my dogs regardless of what they are being fed.
BUT the only supplement that I use is Evening Primrose Oil (for skin/coat/hormonal issues).
The veteran bitch that is fed solely the food is only receiving a half dose of EPO. The youngest gets the full
dose of EPO because of the allergic reaction she had to the last food we fed...
With my youngest dog she's always been hyper picky - with this food she's much better - I have actually cut
the amount of tinned butchers tripe that I add in with this food.

I have fed a wide variety of 'complete' foods. Arden Grange, JWB, Burns, Purina Pro Plan, Nutro being some of the foods fed.
Unfortunately for me not all my dogs have done well on the above selections. Some creating allergies (and expensive vets visits),
others losing coat condition, and some that the youngest just wouldn't eat no matter what you'd tried to add in to tempt....
She just was fussy about the flavours never particularly liked lamb and rice, chicken or turkey and rice varieties nor duck and rice.
She'd just about keep eating white fish and wasn't too enthusiastic about salmon and rice...
Also with my breed it's not advisable to go too high in protein - can cause hyperactivity in a breed that's normally known
for it's full on attitude at the best of times.
So for me it has been a journey or trial and error to find a food that they all like and that they all seem to do well on.
I think I've finally found the food that suits my dogs.
Yes I agree that not all dogs do well on foods that suit others - my 'journey' of trial and error has proven that.
I have always said that in what ever posts I have responded to on diet - what to feed my dog etc.

The poster can only try and see if it suits her dogs - if it does great, if it doesn't there are plenty of other foods to try :)

>So youre saying dals cant have fish or fish oil products?

Those who've made particular studies of the problem certainly suggest this - oily fish anyway; white fish is okay - also that if offal is given at all it should only be in the very smallest quantities.

>I would rather go by someone who was feeding their dogs this food
>Why? Isnt it always drummed into people here that just because a food suits one dog doesnt mean it will suit another!

Very true - but at least these people will have first-hand knowledge of how it affects their animals, which is of far more value than views of someone with no experience of a food. :)

Couldn't have said it better myself J/G.

The protein levels are 23% & fat is 10% in Laughing Dog.   Having just looked at Burns (Which seems to be held up in such high esteem by some  :rolleyes: I note that it's Fish & Rice, Chicken & Rice, Lamb & Rice, Venison & Rice and Duck & Rice recipes all for adult dogs have a protein content of 18.5% and a fat content of 7.5 - 8 % depending on variety - which I think is far too low for an adult dog - a horrendously fat one yes, but not a normal active adult.

Just out of interest does anyone know how much protein and fat a retired greyhound and a pharaoh hound should be getting?  Currently they are on burns.

Do they look good?, Are their stools firm?, Are they active and the right weight?, Are their coats glossy?
If the food suits them, I would n't worry unless they are in bad condition

They look good, their coats are ok but the greyhound seems to have to eat an enourmous amount of burns to maintain weight and its quite pricey which we don't mind paying for it but if theres something better then its worth giving it a go.

Their are loads you could try, My suggestions would be either
James Wellbeloved
Arden Grange

Thanks, but I think I may give LD a try first

my dogs LOST weight on JWB, so i wont reccommend it. Premium foods are pricey and not always the best.

try the foods you feel are right.price isnt always the indicator of quality and what suits one will not suit the other.