Dog food

What was the reason for telling you to change the food?

I didn't watch the programme, but I do know most commercial dog food is crap with tons of grain and too little good nutrition, but I was under the impression that natural instinct was the best you could do for your dog apart from a diet of actual food prepared by you. We used to feed Wispa meat and veg from our dinners, but after a while it just wasn't sustainable, so we took to feeding her a mix of foods, buying Lily's Kitchen for her and using some higher quality kibble.

i would say that if your vet gave you an actual reason you shouldn't be feeding natural instinct then perhaps try switching to another food. I recommend Lily's Kitchen, but it's expensive!

There are many different views on this. I saw the programme and wasn't too surprised, except the bit about the preservative that is used in one is practically antifreeze!!!

We feed ours raw and they have flourished on it. I would definitely recommend giving it a go. We get frozen blocks of minced chicken/beef (all bits, not minced meat, so bones an all) and feed it to them frozen. We supplement with liver/kidneys/heart once a week and fish once a week. They also love raw carrots! They get all the nutrients and vitamins they need (in my opinion) and have very solid poops. It is certainly no more expensive than tinned food/ kibble and they love it.

What were the reasons for them suggesting changing his diet?

He didn't give me a reason. Just sort of cryptically said that he didn't really have a view either way. This is why I suspect they are just trying to sell me the Science plan stuff they have. To me it seems totally uninspiring and the first ingredient is maize which I know is not ideal.

When I got him the breeder was feeding pedigree puppy which the vet advised against (fair enough) and we bought the vet food but Chip isn't a massive fan of it. We took him to puppy class and the trainer raved about the natural instinct (she isn't affiliated with it in any way) so we though we would give it a go. Chip went from being not fussed about food to dancing around as soon as we got the tub out of the fridge so we have stuck with it.

His poops are solid and almost smell free and he is full of energy and shiny so as far as I can see it's all good for him. I like the Natural instinct because it comes in the frozen tubs so it's easy to portion out and I don't worry about sharp bones or balance of nutrients if I bought from the butcher. He is a weeny little chap anyway so even though it's expensive it's affordable because he eats such a small amount - I can see why it can become unaffordable with larger dogs.

Venart - he has Lily's kitchen treats which I like because they are all natural so may give some of their dry food a go for times when it isn't practical to carry round raw meat. He eats better quality stuff than we do!

He loves a raw carrot!

I didn't watch the programme nor am I a dog owner (I have cats) but from what I have read and heard the prescription stuff they sell in vets surgeries is sold on commission in a way. The surgery gets extra money to prescribe it when actually it isn't that great for your pet.

I am however one of those people who is easily lead when told something like that, especially in regards to my cats!!

I stick to applaws, Lily's kitchen, hi life, James well beloved etc for my cats.

Here's a little flash of him recovering. They gave him a bandana which said 'Top Dog' for being brave and a get well soon card signed by the nurses! I thought it was so sweet!

What a lovely thing to do hope he recovers well.

Penny gets James Wellbeloved dry kibble and a little Nature Diet meat. I'm pretty fussy about the meat we eat so any suitable off cuts of that she gets. I also add vegetables we 're having to her food, raw carrots and eggs sometimes. Tuna or sardines once a week ish.

I'm happy with the food I give her , and while I didn't see the programme, I do worry I could be doing better for her, so I'm interested to see what other dogs get. It's a complicated subject it seems. Our old dog lived until he was 18 on good old pedigree chum and kitchen scraps, so perhaps processed dog food isn't all that bad !

When I first got her My vet said it was fine what I was feeding her- but when I got her dressed they told me I had to change it to their choice of brand as it was lower in fat! I just ignored it, and reduced the amount going forward! I was also annoyed when I picked her up after the op I got given some wet food that was chicken and rice flavour, and charged £8 for it when I already had chicken breasts defrosted especially for her! I appreciate not everyone is crazy puppy mum like me but I grudged the £8 for good they'd have got for free and I didn't want!

I didn't see the programme that was on.

Molly gets cooked food from us and depending on what it is, gets what we eats most of the time and gets the odd tin of food if we're not cooking or getting a takeaway etc. She eats a lot of vegetables too and when it's tinned she gets a pedigree chum country vegetable mix.

That was lovely of the vets doing that Love the bandana! Hope he recovers soon

I was offered some 'plain' food for £6 something for after his op as apparently anaesthetic can give them an upset tummy. I turned it down as I had already spent and extra £44 on some special IV fluids for him to help him fell less 'hungover' when he came round. I did feel guilty turning it down but I gave him a little bit of some scrambled egg and then a bit of his meat which is additive free anyway and he has been fine. If anything he is back to himself a bit too quickly as I got told today he isn't allowed to run around the house. How exactly am I expected to stop a 7 month old puppy who isn't allowed to go for walks from charging round the house!

Ok my dogs tend to eat pedigree chum and are lucky if we cook something we can turn into their dinner. I'm a bad dog mummy! Perhaps this has been a contributing factor to George's recent woes, although I don't really think so.

As a non dog owner can I ask a question?

All the people I know who have dogs feed them generic supermarket food. All dogs appear healthy, full of energy, not under or over weight (as far as I can tell!). We've also looked after their dogs and they had solid poo etc. So my point is, what is the harm?

Not a bad dog mummy at all, he looks a happy healthy chappy The only difference we noticed with Molly is that her tummys better as it used to get upset a lot but I don't think theres anything wrong with people feeding their doggies tinned foods at all

This. George has had a few issues this last week but I honestly think he would have had them anyway - I don't think they are not caused by the fact we give him standard dog food. Maybe I'm being totally ignorant. He is certainly not impressed with his vet-prescribed food that's for sure!

Phew! I'm glad dear Molly's tummy is better. All dogs are different and if you have one that seems to enjoy the standard dog food then I guess that's a good thing, economically if nothing else!

We feed Eden kibble. They are fairly new but have the same make up as orjien which is one of the best dry foods on the market, 80% meat, 20% fruit and veg. She also gets raw carrots to chew on and when we have chicken or beef we'll cook some up for her too.

I wanted to feed raw but no one would support me, and as I do leave the dog with family members I didn't feel it was fair to make them feed raw when they really were so against it. Also there is the worry of salmonella etc if she's eating raw and then licking us etc.

I did a lot of research before choosing her food, the which dog food website is really good and explains things well.

Lilys kitchen stuff is lovely but too expensive for us unfortunately.

Eden is what I'd change to if I do change OB - I keep meaning to get a sample bag ! Off to check out other suggestions too, intrigued!

We feed our pup (dog now!) Vitalin. Largely because that is what her breeder gave her as a pup and she has never had any issues on it. She gets raw carrots as treats and occasionally gets the odd bit of meat if there is some left over from our meals.

If Chip is doing well I wouldn't change his diet!

I feed nel bakers complete, it's the only one she will eat .. I wont give her tin food just the dry food, and she will occasionally get 'our' food.. i.e today she had the leftovers of the lobscouse I made last night.. I can't afford the expensive stuff either. she has a healthy coat full of energy = one happy dog ?

Flora does your sister recommend Millie's Wolfheart for all dogs? I'll consider it for Penny, it doesn't matter too much about price, as it's same as what I pay now.

Ok thanks, I'll order some samples. I am happy with food she is on condition wise, but longer term I know it may not be best for her

Ok thanks, I'll order some samples. I am happy with food she is on condition wise, but longer term I know it may not be best for her

Well I only have good things to say about Eden she's doing really well on it, lovely coat and nice small dark poos. There's a big Facebook group too and the owners are really helpful. You can just call the office for a chat if you need any advice on changeover or feeding it in general. It's a really reasonable price too for the quality (it doesn't come in fancy packaging or anything, which they decided to stick with as it helps keep the cost down).

I wish l had seen the dog food programme but l was at work. We only have cats but l am sure there is a lot of crossover between the 2. Earlier this week we ran out of the cats normal cat food -Burns. I bought an alternative which they seem to like but they have drank so so much water. Not a good sign.... They normally drink a lot but it is a ridiculous amount now. Back to the Burns tonight though.