Hi all, my breeders feeding my dane pup on purina beta and buys it from a local suplier. Obviously i want to keep him on this as its what his thriving on and used to :) trouble is i cant find this in any of my local supermarkets :s Does any one feed their dog on this food and if so where do you buy it from? Or if any 1 else knows where i can pick it up from?

I have never seen it in the supermarkets, I get mine from my local kennels who happen to have a shop.  It is also sold at our local farm supply shop.  Why can't you carry on with your local supplier?

My breeder buys it from her local suplier and she lives in norfolk, im in lincolnshire (mablethorpe) not a very big town :(

Small world Blues Mum - one of my closest friend lives at Theddlethorpe All Saints - not far from Mablethorpe!

most pets at home sell this, but its one of the worst (IMHO) pUppy foods on the market. 

I didn't know you had ever tried it Jo?

Ohh flippin eck, not this again. Blue's Mum didn't ask our opinions on what she should or shouldn't be feeding. She just want's to know where to get Beta from!

Arguing the toss about food, just serves to confuse and worry new owners unneccessarily.

Dawn R.

Exactly Dawn, Blue's mums breeder has reared a puppy on this food to a quality that Blue's mum is happy to buy so of course she is happy with the food.
Blue's mum, sorry, just reread your message I thought it was your local supplier, never mind it is not a difficult food to find I hope we have given you a couple of pointers that might help.

Two points 1/ the response I gave was first to answer the question (pets at home)
2/ as it's an open forum I gave my opinion on the food. I see nothing wrong with commenting on food if it gets new owners to think more about what they are feeding.JO

Most of the larger pet stores sell it - Jollyes, Crofts, Pets At Home.
:)

Yeah vicki, theddlethorpe is just up the road! thank you all for your help and advice, if blue starts to go down hill after a few months of being on beta then i will try something else but if he continues to thrive and enjoys it then id be a fool to take him off wouldnt i? but i dont want to mess him about with food while his so young. Im sure my breeder uses beta for her other danes and they look absolutely stunning, really well. But then i suppose all dogs are different and prefer different brands. fussy arnt they?! :) who wouldnt want them tho?
My nearest pets at home is about 40 miles away in cleethorpes! trouble with living in a small town! Im going to try and find out if there are some farm shops near by that sell dog food as they might have it.
Thank god were moving! once weve sold hoping to go to gorleston nr yarmouth! plenty of big shops there :) woohoo!

A lot of my local pet shops sell it too so you could try phoning a few near by ones from your yellow pages.  Its not a difficult food to find, very popular ;) so I'm sure you'll come across it before too long :)

Very popular if you cant be botherd to read labels Ingredients: cereals, meat and animal derivatives, derivatives of vegetable origin, oils and fats, vegetables, minerals and vitamins and EEC permitted antioxidants. also Very popular doesn't make it a good food. I know we have two camps of thought
one Says as long as the dogs look healthy why change and the other camp that looks ten years down the road. But for a puppy food to have such a high cereal content and the animal derivatives mixture to be sold for over £20.a bag it does not represent value both in nutrition or content. Maybe if Jamie Oliver could turn his atten to dog food some people might think twice what we feed our dogs more 

You missed out the camp that can be bothered to read labels but understand that many dogs do thrive on cereals, in fact some dogs seem to only do well on foods that are cereal based, people may have their pet theories about what dogs can digest based on ideas about their primative ancestors but the theories just don't seem to be born out by peoples experiences feeding these foods.  They also understand that "permitted" means well below the levels found to be safe after years of testing and that the additives ensure a good level of vitamins and minerals that remain at that level right up to the advised use by date.  They also understand that derivatives cause no squeemishness to their dogs the only issue is whether the necessary nutrition is there.  They also understand that cost is not just determined by the ingredients it also has to cover the processesing, the testing of the product, the quality control and the distribution.  As my last dog, who was feed for most of her life on Beta lived to over 15 perhaps I need to look considerably further than 10 years down the road ;)  All in all this product seems very good value for money.  Personally I think popularity does reflect its quality I certainly would not continue to feed it if my dogs were not doing very well on it, why would I?  There is a great deal of choice out there and as we have seen its not always the easiest bag to grab hold off.
Blue's mum has already said they are happy to continue with this food due to the good condition of the litter and older animals of her breeder so I am not sure why you using this as a opportunity to pass judgement on a food that to the best of my knowledge you have no real experience of.

I'm well aware that you live in the ignorance is bliss camp. The world keeps moving on with more information and understanding of lots of different things .two things that are fact is that dog feed on a cereals based  food need  more of that food to extract the correct amount of protiens Dogs fed on a food that is meat based (and I mean meat not anything that once was part of  animal but good quality cuts) need less .further more and this is another fact the waste produced by a dog fed on a cereals based food is greater than one fed on meat based food .If you doubt me I suggest you contact the national vet collage  and ask them-Jo  

I don't doubt that cereal based foods are likely to result in more waste, that is exactly what suits my dogs :)  I find bulky stools ensure anal glands are emptied and I believe, like humans, it is healthier for the bowel.  As to needing more, well that is obvious ;) but again for dogs with a big appetite, most of the gundog group it would appear :), a food which can be fed in a good filling amount seems to fit the bill too.  I suggest you cut the personal insults we both clearly understand what is in the foods it is just down the different interpretation as to whether it is what is wanted, the reader can decide for themselves where the ingnorance lies :)

wow what a small world I used to live in Gorleston, Gt Yarmouth. You will Definatley be 1 to miles from Pets at home then and there is a great small pet shop in Gorleston High Street that orders stuff in that you require for your dog. I get my Frozen Tripe from there in bulk.

CJ

Blue's Mum i have pm'd you.

Jo for the record i agree with everything you have said :)

thanks for that info, bassetlover, im looking forward to moving there, looks a nice area. Maybe il just keep pup on beta till his a little older, i really dont want to mess him around while his so young. I thought purina made good dog food, my mums retriever is on bakers and he loves it. Am worried now tho, i dont want to be feeding my baby anything that may cause him any harm in the future :(

If it's got Purina on the bag i wouldnt feed it :(

Let your dog, and indeed your breeder's dogs, be your guide as to whether a food suits him don't let people who have no experience of feeding a particular food put you off because of stuff that is circulated around the internet by people with a different agenda about the feed companies which has nothing to do with the well being of dogs.  These foods are fed to the large section of the dog population and the dog population as a whole is a tremedously healthy bunch living long and healthy lives that should tell you all you need to know :)

Blues Mum, please don't get yourself into a tizz worrying about feeding your puppy. It is absolutely reasonable to continue feeding him the food he has been reared on.

If and when you decide to change, make your own mind up about which is going to be suitable, most people take into consideration, ease of availability, convenience and cost amongst other things. If you ask for advice (or not), you will be bombarded with individual opinion, 20 people will give 20 different correct answers. Be strong girl, and do what YOU think best.

Dawn R.

Thanks peeps! much appreciated! :)

Sorry I feed my dogs, the best food I can buy based on understanding of how different food affects our dog's bodies. I have put up with the ignorance of people like Isobel for so long ,she knows nothing about animal nutrition .Some people on this site spend a fortune on how their dog appears on the outside. I don't, I feed my dogs on what I know to be the best Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids have only recently been  praised in the papers as beneficial to children certain dog food manufactures have been putting it in their food for years because those manufactures  know it works . Funnily if you speak to Purina they acknowledge the fact that they make their foods to suit the pocket rather than the dog Hence the reason they produce Bakers. Beta and pro plan 1 (incidentally is not a bad food)
I know some people like the easy life and buy a dog for their own benefit   I however
Believe I owe my dogs the best I can give them and if it means I save on something else to provide them with the best food I can buy I will. Nutrition is a science not a saving if you love dogs spend some time finding out how thier minds and bodys work-its not enough to say oh thier fine they will eat anything-jo           

There is no need to appologise I am sure we all feed our dogs to our understanding of what constitutes the best diet for them. You have no qualification in nutrition any more than I have so it really just boils down to interpretation as to the benefits of any food but at least I am willing to give a rationale for my believes rather than resorting to personal insults.

Well, Isabel and I will just have to be 2 ignorant individuals....I feed complete foods and I'm very happy with my dogs and how they look ranging from my 14 year old down to my 3 year old.

Blue's mum - if your dogs are looking well on Beta stick with it if you possibly can.  They are your dogs at the end of the day and you live with them so YOU know what's best for them.

Fromwhat i have gleaned off of this particular website there is only black and white when it comes to feeding,and there are only 2 camps.

Ones who care whats in their pets food and who never want to stop learning and give only the best that is specific to the canine.

                                    AND

Ones who dont care whats in their pets food and prefer to turn a blind eye to all the canine nutritional literature out there.

I have just spent hours and hours going through the feeding archives,i also enlisted the help of a few friends,both dog owners and non dog owners,as i didnt want my judgement to be clouded ;) And the above sentiments were echoed by us all :) One of my friends who is not really a dog lover :( was even confused about some peoples blaze' attitudes when it comes to feeding their dogs

This is just my/our personal opinions however and is in no way meant to start a huge debate,this is absolutely not my intention, but to me the 2 groups really stuck out!

Well, if there are 2 camps Frodo, maybe you would like to list those who care about their dog's nutrition and list those who don't?   Because I care about what my dogs eat but I can find what I feel they look healthy & well on in a complete food.  I certainly don't have a blaise attitude to all my dogs' wellbeings, that is why they are all fed on different foods because I have found that what suits one might not suit another.

The fact I have 3 generations of dogs here - the eldest being 14 - down to her grandson at 3 year old isn't down to ignorance.

That's quite extraordinary Frodo, I have used this forum for years and have never come across a single poster that I would say did not care about how they fed their dog.  If there are two camps I would say it divided into those who see only one way of feeding, ie their own and those who are able to analysis the prejudices displayed on the "anti-sites" and work out for themselves the advantages of different ways of feeding.

I didnt mean to cause a war, i do understand where every 1 is coming from tho, every 1 wants the best for their dog, i know i do and i just thought that well known brands such as beta would not be available to buy if they contained anything bad for any dog? Some people feed their dog on the best meats and the most organic of vegetables, as what they would eat their self, they say why feed your dog on what you wouldnt eat yourself? Dogs eat horse poo! and once i even caught our retriever helping himself to the cats tray! I was speechless! I dont know why and maybe not all but most probably would do the same. Would any 1 here eat that then? and what about dogs in the wild? what do they live on? I know we buy dogs and they do deserve the best, but they arnt humans they are dogs, a different species, I would never feed my dog anything that i thought would harm him or be bad for him. I dont mean to offend any 1! but i am confused, my breeders a strong believer in beta or she wouldnt think twice about feeding it to her dogs and her litters, then theres people saying dont buy it its crap! whats more crap than horse and cat poo??

Don't worry, Blues mum, you haven't offended any one.  Feeding always raises prejudices :), to the best of my knowledge the detractors have neither experienced a dog fed on Beta or reared a Great Dane, I would continue to be guided by your breeder, the alternative is to go down the track of trying this, that and the rest with no idea if it is likely to suit, if your breeder has found something to suit her breed and her lines I think that is a very good starting point if it doesn't seem to suit your puppy then there is no reason not to change it later but I would not be in too much of a rush to as it is by no means unusual for a pup to loose interest in  food during the first couple of days in a new home, or get a bit of a tummy upset due to the change of water, excitement etc.  Let it get over all that before you start considering what to continue on.  If you do decide to change I would seek advise from your breeder or others with experience in rearing large breeds as it is quite a specialist area and must be done with care.

Thanks isabel :) by the way i went to see him yesterday, his doing fantastic! absolutely gorgeous! His so cuddly and loving! Poser for the cam aswell! thats my boy :) Roll on the 9th!

Hi Blue's mum, I don't know anything about BETA so can't comment but have you looked on the internet for stockists who deliver.  I get my dog food delivered to the house which is just as well as I live three floors up and it comes in 15kg sacks!!  I've found a number of sites over the last few years who deliver to mainland UK and some who do it within a certain radius of their shop.  With Burns pet nutrition if you order over a certain amount the delivery is free.

Hi cheekychow, thats an idea! thanks for that i will have a browse and see what i can find :)

I care about what my dogs eat.  Something that keeps tem looking good!!!!!

My grandparents used to breed boxers and had them on a compleat food.  None of the boxers they kept died before it got to double figures.  They just lost one at 14 after she unfortantly had a fall which resulted in her having a stroke.  her mum and dad lived to a similar age, her sister unfortantly was PTS at 10 due to arthuritus that got so bad.  I am to believe boxers do not have the highest average life span!

I have a setter at home, age 11, who still acts like a puppy, he has no problems jumping on the bed etc etc and in his life has been fed Baskerviles, Nutro, Wafcol, Pedigree and now on eukanuba!  (OMG the food will kill him I DONT THINK SO!!!!!!!!!!!!) he is a healthy dog and at his age the vet had no problem putting him under for an operation!  The food has done no harm to him.

The thing is Frodo, everyone has a personal opinion.  My 3 younger dogs do extreamly well of pedigree, however I know friends dogs that it has caused problems with.  I would never expect anyone to tell me what to feed my dogs, nor would I tell anyone that pedigree is suited to all dogs. 

Lets just leave the argument, it never gets anywhere, yes we have our own veiws but lets keep them to ourselves so not to cause upset or confusion.  I care about my dogs.  They are my world.  If I didn't care then I would feed them something much cheeper.

Let's just leave the argument! Sure but what's the point of having a forum
If you can't debate different points of view, express opinion or make comment.
Of course some people like the quiet life have theirs heads buried deep in the sands
The other thing about food such as Beta if it's as good as you say why does Purina
Make one that's more expensive with better ingredients and NOT JUST  stick to selling just Beta
After all if it's such a good food why bother to promote their PURINA 1 brand.
Beta is a cheep to make food aimed at the purse rather than the dog. More and more
People are switching to better brands because they are taking the time to find out about
Ingredients .Those who maintain every thing is fine are of course entitled
To their beliefs and some people will never change unless of course earth is hit by another meteorite .
I don't think you can use longevity as a yard stick as it's only of late
That better foods have came on to the market so who's to say that in 20 years time
A dog feed on quality dog reaches the grand old age of 18, 19 as apposed to 14 on Beta
Only time will tell but I would not bet against it .-jo  
    

I believe there is an optimum level of nutrition, once it is being met, like giving vitamins, going over it is just wasting.  If it is being met dogs will live to their full potential but that will also be determined by other factors such as genes, level of exercise, illness encountered in their lifetime, etc.  Some dogs, being the individuals they are, might need a different balance of ingredients to obtain that optimum hence it is good to have the choice if one needs to, inevitably those different choices of ingredients will carry their own price tag depending on what it has cost to source them, it does not necessarily follow that a higher price leads to a better ingredient it's just determined by economics.  I also believe that, despite dark mutterings about 10 years hence ;), dogs, like people, quickly show a response to nutrition that is not meeting their requirements, bowels cells and hair cells are the fastest being replaced in the body so any failings are quickly noticed in these two departments, therefore if a dog is looking in very good condition I think you can be sure it is in pretty good condition.
If you feel any food fails to meet a good standard why don't you report it to the Trading Standards instead of hijacking Blue's Mums request about suppliers :)

hijacking Blue's Mums request about suppliers

Come on now!

You seem to always be in the thick of these types of debates!

Anyhow i have said my peace and i feel satisfied i have got my point accross,i really dont feel the need to drain this for all it's worth,unlike yourself  ;)

TTFN

Confused??? Read the title of the thread :D
I certainly did not introduce the debate on the merits of her choice of food and I can hardly be in the thick of them on my own :D

Hijacking a thread that you're norm Isobel 
as you seem to know so  little about animal nutrition. do what I am doing enroll at your local collage night school find the course that includes dog nutrition and first aid for dogs ((keeping today's family pet, that's what its called at our collage) you see no matter how old I get I am a firm believer Keeping an open mind and accepting new thinking -jo

Excellent idea Jo, let us know how you get on :) 
No I would not say hijacking threads is my norm I would not dream of offering my opinion of someones choice when they are asking where they can obtain supplies .  I am very much of the school of thought that people can very well make up their own minds from the many choices that are available in terms of feeding, fortunately if choosing a complete one does not have to do a course as the feed companies use qualified nutritionalists, although I do think if one is planning to devise their own diet an evening course is a jolly good idea :)
I do, however, admit I am not averse to rising to a debate :)

>if it's as good as you say why does Purina Make one that's more expensive with better ingredients and NOT JUST  stick to selling just Beta After all if it's such a good food why bother to promote their PURINA 1 brand.

For the same reason that you have a choice of Tesco's Value range, their standard range or their 'Finest' range. It enable people on lower incomes to eat healthily at a price they can afford, as well as satisfy the label-snobs' need to feel superior.
:)

>there are only 2 camps.

Yes, those with closed minds who can see no other way than theirs, and those with open minds who realise that all dogs are different and don't all thrive on the same thing ...
:)

Jo, you ask why, if Beta is so good why do Purina make a more expensive food, namely Purina 1. I'm guessing that all the manufacturers, not just Purina, make a range of products to suit different pockets. I would imagine people on low income, pensioners and the like are very glad there are alternatives to spending 45 quid on a bag of dog food. Those people might be very interested in your theory that that can't possibly love their dog.

Dawn R.

I'm sure if they are intelligent pensioners with the benefit of a lifetimes experience they will have learned that the person on a balanced diet of prime cuts of meat, aspargus, tendersweet brocolli and mangoes is no healthier than the person on a balanced diet of cheaper cuts, carrots and apples they are just exercising a choice :) the pensioners won't even be jealous as they may not even like asparagus and know that cheaper cuts of meat are often the most flavoursome :D

Yes but a £45.00 a bag of quality food could  work out cheaper because as stated before the better ingredients the less you have to feed .Cheep dog food made with cereals on average Would take a medium size dog 4-5 weeks to get through a 15 kg bag premium type food would be 6-8 weeks. Cheaper equals more often. This is not my view but the feeding guides on bags confirm this -Jo

>the better ingredients the less you have to feed .

Nope, doesn't necessarily follow, I'm afraid.

Sometimes, but as JG says by no means always.  Might be worth looking into if price is an issue though.   One of the issues I have, though, with these "less goes in, less comes out" feeds is, for many dogs, that is simply not enough fibre for healthy bowels and motions so if that is how your dog functions then they are probably not the best choice at any price :)
I buy my Beta in 3 kg bags now I am down to one cocker (not quite medium I know) and as it takes her about 3 weeks to eat that which means a 15 kg bag would take about 15 weeks so I think your figures might be a little generous in portion size but then that is often the case with the packaging feeding guide :)

JG can you please point me in the direction where i said that all dogs thrive on the same thing? Thank-you :)

I didn't, frodo - I had you in the open-minded camp - the one with the people who are prepared to accept that a single feeding regime for all dogs isn't appropriate. :)