does anyone have any experience of using salters dog food?  I'm humming and hawing about changing my dog over and would appreciate anybodies experience of this food.  My dog is currently on burns and although I am happy with it she has been experiencing problems with her feet recently and I've heard that salters is quite a pure food.

Ground maize, Chicken meat meal, round grain rice, chicken, chicken fat, maize gluten meal, sunflower meal, dried sugar beet pulp, full fat linseed, extra virgin olive oil, yeast, kelp, dried whole egg, cellulose fibre, monocalcium phosphate, Iodised salt, methionine, vitamin E,choline chloride, zinc oxide, manganous oxide, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, niacin, iron sulphate, calcium pantothenate, copper sulphate, vitamin B12, biotin, vitamin B2, vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Vitamin D3, vitamin B1, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Sodium selenat.

>I've heard that salters is quite a pure food.

I'de disagree with that. I wouldnt feed it due to the fact that maize is the main ingredient,and dogs just dont do se well on corn based diets.And i cant figure out why SBP is so high up the list

If they lost the maize and put the rice after the chicken it would be a decent food,but much more expensive!!Maize is a very cheap ingredient with a high,but mostly undigestable,protein amount(which gives the illusion of more meat) hence why alot of pet food manufactures use it.

What does 'Chicken meat meal' actually mean? What is the difference between that and just 'chicken'

Shannon,

Kinda the 'middle ground' between chicken meat and chicken by-product (<- necks,feet,heads, feathers etc)
  Better quality than the by-prod. but its 'quality' will depend on the amount of bone & connective tissue in the meat and the type and amount of chicken meat in the mix.
('meal' usu just refers to fact its ground or reduced)

Mmmmmm :P ;)

on the websites that give info about the foods containing meal they say it is better than straight chicken as lb for lb the meal weighs heavier as it has more chicken in it and less water etc.  not sure if that is propaganda for their foods or if as HG says it is bits like lips and bum holes

ahhhh, I see, thanks for that Huskygal...now I know!

Ktee, I currently feed burns although my dog isn't overly keen on it but is overweight at the minute due to a diet of table scraps, wet food to tempt her to eat and mountains of cocktail sausages to disguise the medication she is on.  due to 2 recent ops and the exercise restriction only being lifted last week she has piled on the weight recently and I don't know whether to persevere with Burns in the hope that she will eat it is she isn't getting the other things added to it or to change to Salters.  It was an experienced and very successful breeder/shower who recommended salters to me so the current choice is burns or salters.  I'm no expert so would appreciate a bit of guidance.

Why would you be tempting an overweight dog to eat?

I think one of the better foods is Arden Grange, and on their breeder program it is very reasonable priced less than Salters and arguably better ingredients.

They also do 3 varieties int the adult, chicken based, lamb based and Salmon based.

As for medicines it is far better to showve it down behind the tongue and stroke the throat until they swallow.  Until I learnt how to do this I ahd problems administering tablets to my first dogs, and woudl ask for a liquid version where possible.

although she is currently overweight, this is only temporary as her medication will be finished soon and her exercise has increased again so I need a food that she will eat when she is at the correct weight and will not lose too much weight as I don't want her to be too thin.

She is currently on 5 pills at a time just now of various sizes and textures.  It would take all day to get them down her throat and she would not be a happy pup.  The sausages, like the medication are temporary.

Cheese triangles are ace for getting pills down! No need to open the mouth, or anything else the dog won't like, no wretching etc.....eaaassssyyyy peasy :) I could get 4 drontal tabs in, use 3, but they go down a treat :D

Ali,
when you say "problems with her feet" is that skin problems?

the problems with her feet are recurring cysts.  she has had 2 ops in the last few months and the cysts/growths reappear within a few days of the stiches being removed.  I don't know if that counts as skin problems as we don't know what is causing the growths.  Lab reports showed infection relating to a reaction to a foreign body but none was found so it may have been a hair or something like that.

If you mean itchy feet, have you checked the anal glands as full glands can cause a dog to nibble feet.

If you mean itchy feet, have you checked the anal glands as full glands can cause a dog to nibble feet

I would have expected the vet to check that, at the consultation. :) Bit lacking in the examination if not :)