I posted a couple of weeks back that my GWP bitch is looking very thin on arden grange prestige. Since then we have doubled the amount of prestige she was getting and introduced another meal of their performance variety which is higher carbohydrate. She doesn't seem to have put any weight on though she is glossy, bright eyed and full of energy.
How long should I keep trying or should I revert to her previous cheap food that she always did very well on! Thanks.

If she was doing well on her previous food I would not hesitate to revert to it.  I can't really understand why you would want to pay more for something that you are hoping will get her back into the condition the previous food did for less! :-)

Hmm, yes I quite see your point BUT the cheap food was exactly that, cheap ingredients and lots of fillers.Until I started reading around it I didn't realise what rubbish is on sale for the unwise!
I felt we owed it to her to give her a better quality food after she raised 12 fab puppies for us this summer.

> Until I started reading around it I didn't realise what rubbish is on sale for the unwise!

I would have thought your very own experience would have taught you something about the truth of what many website peddle about foods :-)
Your girl deserves nothing less than the food that suits her.

But I hadn't read any websites and thought the food I was buying was ok for her till I did start reading. I am really not sure what point you are trying to make.

> and thought the food I was buying was ok for her till I did start reading.

That is the point I was making.  You were perfectly happy and your dog was perfectly healthy the only thing that changed was someone, more than likely without any substantial qualification, told you something different to your very eyes.

>Until I started reading around it I didn't realise what rubbish is on sale for the unwise!

Why was it fine - she even raised "12 fab puppies" whilst eating it - until you read someone else's opinion about it? Someone who I doubt has ever seen your dog and her condition? If she was thriving on it then it's not 'rubbish'!

We fed her on Eukanuba pre and post whelping but I'm not keen on that. Prior to pregnancy she was fed on farmways own working dog mix and she did look fab on it.
Now I don't know what to do for the best but I do appreciate what you are both saying. It is a minefield once you start reading around it.

> but I'm not keen on that.

and yet you say your bitch did well on it   I can't really understand your logic but it's you dog :-)
I've also used Eukanuba in the past and found it very good.

Ok well maybe I am just stupid then but I thought I was trying to do the best by her. She did look well but when you start reading up on it you find that the ingredients are inferior so I thought it would be better for her to have a better food. Stupid me.

I don't think you are stupid.  Some of the websites are very convincing and often take on the appearance of reputable review bodies such as Which.  Then they are touted round websites as authoritive references.  No wonder people start to doubt their own judgements.

PippaJ, you're not stupid. We have all, at one time or another, been influenced by what we've read, heard, been told. Before I changed over to raw all mine were fed on autarky. Never had problems with the food as such, and I won't bore you with the reasons why I had to change, but feeding one dog raw I just found it easier to feed both. All four now fed that way BUT one of them needs extra weight gain now and again and the ONLY way to do it is to treble the amount of raw meat or add kibble.  A cheap, working maintenance kibble from TPMS. (gluten free) and it works brilliantly! Some might say to me, try this or that, and I probably have but in the end you have to do what works best.
What I'm trying to - hopelessly - say is, if it suits your dog, suits your pocket,  then you buy and feed whatever you want to hun. 

> She did look well but when you start reading up on it you find that the ingredients are inferior so I thought it would be better for her to have a better food. Stupid me.

I feed my dog Beta complete (& raw tripe) - not classed as one of the 'best' foods atall. I had changed him onto a different complete food beleiving that the other food must be better because of the 'better' ingredients, within 2 weeks I changed him back to 'cr@p' old Beta as the new food had given him flaky skin, a loss in coat quality and 'floppy' poops (I did a gradual change over, not a sudden one).
You're not stupid for realising that some foods do have 'better' ingredients, it's just that all of our dogs bodies are different and what suits one dog may not the next.

> How long should I keep trying or should I revert to her previous cheap food that she always did very well on! Thanks.

Is your bitch very active, she just might be a naturally slim muscular bitch, my older BC's & older Cavalier are like this no matter how much they eat they never put on any real weight or bulk. I managed to get a little weight on Jessie so she no longer looks half starved

How is your bitch's appetite on Arden Grange? If she is eating plenty and is full after her meals, then I wouldn't worry too much about her weight unless she was seriously skinny. It would be a different matter if she was always hungry and AG wasn't filling her up, and in that case a cheaper food with more bulk could actually be better for her.

If your bitch did better on the old food than she does on Arden Grange, then you should certainly consider going back to it, but think carefully as to any other improvements that you have seen on AG - stools, vitality, coat, breath, etc etc etc, to make sure that you really are making the best choice for her.

I agree that the food information can get you in more of a twist than being helpful. I have fed chappie complet to my last 2 dogs, indeed it was the only product that suited my gsd and her dodgy tummy. Now it seems that it is considered a poor food. but both dogs did very well.

Currently I have chosen to go raw something I knew nothing about before but would feel guilt if I used chappie just because it is not thought of as one of the better foods.
I would be guided by your dog and your pocket.

Also if she has just reared a litter in the summer it will take some time for her body to get back into full condition.

My bitch looks very shelly and of course has no coat at present after her pups who are 3 months old.  she looks to have no bone etc, but another 3 months will see her restored to what I expect, motherhood takes a lot out of a bitch.

Pippa you don't have to go back to the old food.You could try another premium food,there are others besides AG :)

Don't give up! There are a fair few decent foods out there that could suit your dog,no-one HAS to feed the cheap and nasty stuff anymore,in this day and age...

Thanks for all the input everyone, I was obviously feeling hyper sensitive and taking things the wrong way!
I have now bought a bag of her old stuff which we will mix in with the AG and see how she goes. Apart from being slim she looks fab I have to say but she is hungrier than she's ever been (always been a bit picky) and looking for 4 meals a day alongside the puppy.
She is a very athletic dog and as we are lucky enough to have our own little piece of England she has her freedom and never stops running!
After the pups were weaned she looked great, everyone commented how well she had kept after feeding 12 of them for 5+ weeks, it was once she started running again the weight dropped off. Her coat is thin too (as you said Barbara) and I think this makes her look slim too.
Will see how she goes with her Farmway stuff mixed in then maybe consider one of the other "better" brands if necessary.
Thanks again everyone.