| Noticeboard for your dog food stories:
Terrier
X, 1 year, male
When i collected Taz from the animal care trust
i kept him on the same diet as he was on which was Hills
Science Plan. After meeting Caroline i swapped
him to the Burns diet. People have
commented on how shiny his coat is now and how well
he looks. I swapped him to the Burns diet about 6 weeks
after i had adopted him and it was 6 weeks after I had
changed his diet that his coat changed. He had always
been a touch scurfy, now he gleams with health. Ii was
also shocked to discover how much sugar there was in
some of the tinned food that i had given him so now
he gets a bit of the NatureDiet mixed
in with his Burns which he loves.
Labrador, 1 year, male
When we first attended puppy classes Jake was
being fed on 'Beta'. To say he was
excitable would be an understatement. Caroline recommended
we change his food to Burns, within
two weeks we had noticed the difference. He is obviously
still excitable but it is a manageable and enjoyable
excitement now.
Siberian
Husky/GSD X puppy, male
We originally had our pup on James Wellbeloved dry
kibble purely because that was the food the breeder had
been feeding him. We intended to put him on the BARF
diet (Bones and Raw Food) but found it difficult
to get recipes and detailed information. We then found
the NatureDiet! This food is fantastic,
he now enjoys his meal times whereas he just used to pick
at the kibble. His coat is now clean and shiny, it used
to be dull and he had quite dry skin in his back. For
treats he has raw chicken wings or leg which we subsidise
his NatureDiet for, and tomatoes, carrots, cucumber and
nature food chicken chunks. He seems much happier in himself
and seems to be able to concentrate for that little bit
longer! NatureDiet is highly recommended!
German
Wirehaired Pointer puppy, male
Our puppy was originally on Eukanuba puppy
food up until 13 weeks - from the age of 8 weeks there
was definately an issue/problem with him humping everything
in sight! Which was highlighted at the first puppy training
class - He was then switched to Burns Minibites
on Caroline's recommendation and his amorous antics stopped
within a week!
Our 3 year old Dachshund has been on Bakers complete since
12 weeks old, following Silas changing to the Burns diet,
I swapped to Burns as well mixed occasionally with NatureDiet.
He's currently on the lamb flavour (which he doesn't like
at all - and tends to go on hunger strike - and then nick
Silas's puppy food!) but was previously on the venison
flavour - he's been on it about 2 months - he now molts
less, his coat is much silkier, and previously was quite
scurfy with lumps under the skin on ears etc - these have
all gone. He also seems much calmer in himself on the
Burns diet. Our pointer puppy does still have a problem
with flatulence but I think its just him irrespective
of what food he's on!
Black Labrador, female
The only food story we have was when she was a pup and
came to us fed on Pedigree. She had constant
runs and vomiting for months and ended up on a drip overnight
at the vet. I contacted Oscars pet food who
advised us that they thought perhaps she had a gluten
allergy. We changed her onto Oscars and then Burns or Nutro and
she has been fine ever since. Wish we had not had to spend
that much time and money on blood tests when it was all
in the food.
Cavalier King Charles
puppy, female
My puppy became very sick on Eukanuba and Iams -
even though the 'breeder' said she had been fed this previously.
Which I doubt, of course!! I took her to the vet who said
that no puppy her age should be on this food, it was far
too strong for her. Now, of course I wouldn't give it
to her anyway!! Since she started on the Burns food
she hasn't looked back!! Her coat is glossy, her eyes
don't run and she is far more placid than she was.
Utonagan puppy, male
We were advised by the breeder to feed our puppy on Beta Puppy
and then BARF (Bones and Raw Food) from
age 3-4 months. We did feed Beta Puppy solely for the
first week he was with us (aged 7 - 8 weeks) then started
to introduce home cooked food. Eventually, up to the age
of three months) he was having two Beta Puppy meals and
two home cooked (typically brown rice (occasionally mashed
potato), meat - chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, rabbit, offal,
fish (sardines, salmon, white fish) or egg, assorted veggies
(spinach, carrot, broccoli, peppers etc.), fruit (he loves
apple and banana), a tiny amount of cod liver oil and
bone meal) and finally just one Beta Puppy and three home
cooked meals, sometimes substituted for a NatureDiet.
We decided not to feed BARF as we were worried about raw
bones and ensuring his diet was nutritionally sound, although
I have managed to get hold of the odd marrow bone, which
he loved. We have also given him filled bones and smoked
bones, although I am now concerned about smoked bones
splintering so have stopped these.
Our
puppy can be a bit manic. He seems to have boundless
energy and used to mouth/bite a lot, and my hands were
permanently scabby. He still mouths a little but has
developed good bite inhibition with training and age
and doesn't draw blood anymore. He also used to hump
his toys, me, husband, etc. With Beta Puppy
he did seem to need the toilet a lot - sometimes 5 times
a day and he did suffer from flatulence. We changed
his one kibble meal to Burns MiniBites
and the toilets lessened but he still has his manic
moments. The humping lessened, I think. Probably the
flatulence too. Recently we ran out of Mini Bites so
gave him James Wellbeloved as it was
more easily accessible, and I think the humping has
increased, as has his bowel movements and I have recently
found myself blaming my husband for nasty niffs ;-)
- it's really the puppy! I don't know if I could scientifically
put this down to diet though. At 6 months we will be
giving him Burns Adult food in the morning and a home
cooked meal or NatureDiet in the evening.
For
treats we give him home cooked liver cake, Nature's
Menu treats, carrot, tomato, Burns Kelties,
pigs ears, jerky and, sparingly, the odd crumb of Harvest
grain toast (only because he looks so desperate for
it when I am eating it). Rarely I give him cheese as
I am worried about him coping with lactose. He has developed
quite a taste for soya milk though but this is lactose
free. I never give him chocolate, grapes, raisins or
onions but I have occasionally added garlic to his food.
Our puppy eats better than we do and my mum thinks I'm
bonkers :-D What makes it worse is that as soon as he
is off the lead he heads for the nearest pile of horse
dung or cow pat and makes me think that I needn't bother
cooking at all, ha ha ha.
I
have noticed that our puppy calms down throughout the
day. He is extremely lively and exuberant in the morning
and early afternoon but a good long walk usually sorts
him out and he sleeps ... and then wakes up refreshed
and ready to play. He really does seem to have limitless
energy and races around the house for ages if he can't
go out. I'm not 100% sure if his diet has affected him
that much. We did speak to the breeder and she assured
us that he is typical of his breed - stubborn (and how!),
lively, mischievous and she said he would calm down
as he got older, as hers did.
Briards,
1 male, 1 female
Saw your comments about "food stories" and thought
I would let you know that we have changed both our dogs
to Arden Grange (Large Breed) as well
as the NatureDiet. We were feeding them
both on Burns Pet Food but decided to
try a change as the female dog's skin wasn't great and
rather than have 2 lots of food switched the male as well.
Have to say it seems to have worked (so far). Initially
Arden Grange's biscuits looked quite big and being fussy
dogs we thought they wouldn't eat them. But they do and
in fact they don't seem as fussy as with the Burns. The
female's skin is definitely a lot better and they're both
a lot better about eating their food. Of course they do
have days where they don't eat everything or don't eat
the morning meal, but eat the evening meal. But then again,
they're not labradors! I think they're another company
that doesn't do animal testing (or endorse it) www.ardengrange.com
Staffordshire
Bull Terrier, 16 weeks, male
Had problems with pedigree and hill
science diet he now eats trophy premiem
puppy. Cant believe the difference in his coat. Motions
are excellent. Even vet has commented on his condition.
Scottie
dog, 2 years and 3 months, female
Hi my dog Mollie has just been diagonised as asthmatic
shes been unwell for a while and been on meds for ner
on 6 months I decided to alter her diet to Naturediet fish
and lamd and the improvement is astonishing comments from
my family about have bright and alert she is also how
determined she is to be feed in the am and pm slot. A
real find I must say and i have now ditched my usual brand
and included the diet for my other two dogs one yorkshire
terrier 9 years and one cocker spanial 6 months and they
too seem very alert and enthused.
Collie,
4 years and 9 months, female
I have a rescue Collie who at 4 1/2 years old had two
seizures and was diagnosed as having ideopathic epilepsy.
A known trigger in some epileptic dogs and people is Rosemary
oil (this is well documented) Burns say
that their dog food is good for dogs with epilepsy. this
is not true. My dog had seizures whilst on Burns and Kelties.
Others have had the same. James Wellbeloved use
Rosemary as a preservative in their fish variety and also
their snacks. Their nutritionalists agreed that the oil
was a trigger but they use a different part of the plant
and it is less concentrated. They still advised that it
be avoided with epileptic dogs.
GSD, 4 years, female & Toy
Poodle, 6 years, female & Minature Poodle, 9
weeks, male
My GSD is greatly improved in condition; she is leaner,
fitter and less nervous since I changed from Burns to
a BARF diet. The toy poodle is also fitter
and enjoys it much more. She would never eat dried food
but eats every thing now even the veg. My pup has just
had his first chicken wings today and devoured them with
gusto. It's hard work but it is worth it.
Border Collie, 2 years,
male
The best dog food I have found is Oscar's chicken
and rice. The dogs coat came up nice and shiny, his eyes
are now nice and bright and he has no more wind. This
food also has a low feed rate and works out much cheaper
than many well known brands. The best food I have found
and the dog loves it.
Flat Coated Retriever,
14 weeks, male
We are having trouble with our puppy especially once he
has eaten. I changed him to Naturediet after Pedigree
Chum did not agree with him and he is much
better. However when I mix it with Burns he
turns quite aggressive. I was combining the Naturediet
with Farm
Foods HE from Holland which seemed to be the
best combination. However I ran out because the supplier
had run out of stock and I had to return to Burns with
the Naturediet. He is now aggressive again. I know they
say that Burns is brilliant but my experience is that
it is not. The Farm Foods HE is guaranteed not to have
any additives at all. including EC permitted antioxidants.
I am now awaiting my next delivery of Farm Foods HE. It
also does not contain any poultry which my puppy hates.
I would not recommend Burns but that is only my experience.
He is also always hungrier when fed on Burns.
Cavaljer King Charles
Spaniel, 10 years, female
my dog has been fed on Arden Grange all
her life until January this year when she was diagnosed
to have mammary cancer. She is now on a diet of fresh
organic raw chicken and liver, red peppers
,carrots, lettuce or cabbage, and raw egg yolk. Her
coat is now beautiful .Her eyes are bright and she runs
around like a puppy!
Toller (I assume this
owner means a Duck Tolling Retriever), 2 years, female
When I collected her as a puppy I was given an Arden
Grange puppy pack. Not knocking AG but I'd
done some research previously and was convinced that
too much protein early on can lead to joint problems
as the dog grows (AG is a bit high in protein) - and
I've seen this in another Toller who was overfed as
a pup. Tollers are notoriously manic as pups, and I
did find that there was a noticable improvement in behaviour
when I changed to Burns - http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk/puppy.htm
Weimaraners, 2 years
and 4 months, male and female
My weims, prone to sensitive tum are now on mixture of Naturediet with
wholemeal mixer and raw meat and bones. I give them raw
vegetables (whizzed in blender) and fruit daily. They
get raw eggs and eat just about anything. I experienced
a lot of problems with Burns, James
Wellbeloved although I would say nutrionally
they are the best. Most others are full of chemicals,
meat derivatives which means anything and everything off
the slaughterhouse floor - including the sawdust!!! Both
pooches do well on this and I would feed raw 100% of the
time but when I am not there my husband and son just phone
to ask what they have to get - that\'s where Naturediet
is great. Nearest to homemade and no rubbish in it.
Scottish Terrier, 18 months, female
Poppy, my Scottie used to be very hyper, yes she did have flatulence, and scratched quite alot but since she has been on Oscar maintenance food for the past four months no problems and her coat is beautiful black and shiny, I changed gradually over a period of three weeks from Pro-Plan which was very high in protein.
Border Collie X , 18 months, male
Dusty was a rescue dog and a "typical" collie full of energy. He was very thin and malnourished when we got him 6 mths ago and we have been feeding him up. Last week he was in kennels and when he came back he seemed ever so hyper.more than usual. Normally fed on a mix of wet food - chappie/pal/store brands etc. This week we bought some Wellbeloved dry food, for puppies ie no additives etc (to be honest we bought it because of 20% extra offer) Overnight it was like having a different dog - instead of bouncing around at 6am saying
"i'm ready to go" he slept in until 8 am and seemed totally more relaxed. It can't purely be co-incidence surely?.
West Highland Terrier, 14 weeks, male
my puppy started on Burns dry food and had horrendous sloppy poo - totally liquid was sleepy and quite grumpy - my vet advised we changed to Hills which we did gradually within 3 days his poo had firmed and he was a much happier dog - remember this dog had not had a solid poo for 5 WEEKS before hills.
Alsatian (German Shepherd Dog), 5 months, female
Just over a week ago i changed my dogs food from Winalot to Iams junior,on instructions from my vet. It must be the worst thing i could have done. Her behaviour has deteriated rapidly, soon as shes eaten she goes absoluty bonkers, jumping, snapping, biting, totaly out of control. Also she seems to think that my front room is a toilet. Also she is now drinkin between 6/7 bowls of water a day.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, 6 months, male
My dog had been on Bakers puppy food since I had him at 12 weeks as this was what he was fed I kept it up. I found it very hard to house train him as he was going to poo about 7 or 8 times a day and his stools were very runny. Also his eyes were runny and he was hyper active. Every time I would leave him he would have an accident in my kitchen and would poo about 3 times overnight. Since I have changed to Burns mini bites, he is like a different dog. He now goes to toilet about 3 times in a day and has been clean overnight, his eyes are not so runny and seems a much happier puppy. If only I had changed sooner.
Siberian Husky , 3 months, male
I first had my puppy on Bakers as it was what the breeder fed him, but after research i realised this was the worse food to give. So i put him on a BARF DIET and saw differences straight away. He wasnt hyperactive after food and he is more alert. his body and coat seem thicker and alot better quality. I would recomend putting dogs on a BARF diet. recipes are hard to come by, buts its common sense really, just give them a balanced diet. however yesterday i went to the vets and i fell for the age old story of how vets know best and i ended up buying Hills science plan. well i will continue giving a barf diet wid one meal per day of the Hills food. I would like to say that each dog is different as i have learned and you must go by your own dogs needs.
Labrador , 3 years, male
I had a dog with chronic ear problems which vets were unable to solve, I changed to Burns dog food and Wafcol salmon and potato, and my dog has touch wood not had any reacurrent ear problems upset stomach, or been hyper or bad coat since.
Springer Spaniel , 11 weeks, male
After reading what people had wrote here, and the fact that I felt my dog (11 week old puppy) was piling on the weight a little too quickly as well as bad flatulence and a hyper activity (I think that is more to do with being a springer spaniel) I decided to change from Eukanuba to Burns, I have found that he is now not a porker!! The flatulence has decreased, his poo was always pretty solid but he is definately not doing it as often during the day. When he is old enough I will move him onto the Adult Burns.
Cocker Spaniel , 6 months, male
I have two cocker spaniel pups, 13 days apart and have the same dad. I was feeding them on JWB Puppy and Naturediet Puppy, up to four weeks ago. Everytime we went to training my youngest spaniel had a loose tummy in the class. I was advised to change their food, by the trainer, to JWB Senior/light and to use Chappie Wet Food. Seems to have done the job on both pups.
Reply from Caroline, Dog Trainer at DogBasics: It sounds to me like your puppy gets nervous when he arrives at the training class. That can result in a dodgy tummy. If that is the main time you notice he has a loose tummy, then that is a likely explanation. I would address this by building up his confidence in class, around class. Make sure you protect him well and don't let other dogs up to him, when he's restrained on lead. Don't be soppy with him, but even more importantly don't be sharp or dominant with him. Make it light and fun! I would also bet you that it isn't the JWB Senior/Light that has done the trick for him, but the Chappie. Chappie might not be the best dog food on the planet, but it does seem to glue the stomach content together in dogs with sensitive tummies. Works especially well with Spaniels. We used it all the time at Battersea Dogs Home, when the dogs got really bad tummies. If I were you, I'd only give them Chappie.
French Bulldog , 7 years, female
My French Bulldog has had terrible skin allergies since I got her. She would itch her sides and stomach so much that her nipples would bleed. The vet put her on Eukanuba Fish and Potato and a antihistamine/steroriod on and off for 2 years. I tried bathing her in sulfer based shampoos and other allergy type shampoos / sprays and conditioners. Finally, I changed her to Welness Core Ocean dry food. It took 3 months and she has overcome about 90% of her allergy problems.
Yorkshire Terrier , 12 weeks, female
We've had our new puppy for 4 weeks now, and have fed her on Bakers Complete Puppy food, that was recomended by the owner. We noticed that for the first couple of days she was a very lively normal friendly puppy. We then noticed something rather strange, as she began to get extreemly hyper shortly after each meal. As shes been growing, so has her food intake, so the hyper spells were getting way out of hand, we actually thought that perhaps she was mentally impaired in some way. However, these bursts of hyper, are ONLY after food, and for about an hour or so after. She then reverts to the most docile, loving and friendly dog. We decided to do some research on the food, and saw that many forums are strongly discouraging owners from using this product. Needless to say, first thing in the morning, I'll be binning the Bakers, and replacing it with something without all the colourings and additives. I shall keep you informed of any changes to her behaviour on the new food.
Alaskan Malamute , 4 years & 4 weeks, male & female
My adults have always had BARF diet (bones and raw food) with mashed raw or cooked veg. Never had a problem with diarrhoea, my bitch with 8 pups is in tip top condition and the pups have been weaned on the same since 3 weeks old. I wouldn'd dream of giving them canned food, too many nasty additives and much waste in their poo. Lovely solid poo's from my adults and the pups. Hopefully their new owners will continue with this diet especilly if they want to keep their bowels healthy.
Beagle X, 2 years, female
I have always fed my dogs Nutro Chicken Meal, Rice, and Oatmeal Formula, but recently switched to Benefuls Dog Food. Both of my dogs have suddenly developed horrible skin allergies, and Lilly has become quite aggressive over the past few weeks. I have just now realized it's the food causing both problems, so I'm switching back to the more expensive, but better for them Nutro.
Lab, 5 months, male
We was advised by my dog trainer that we would have great results swapping our pup to Burns, after a debate about how he was doing great on Beta and the cost difference my husband and i did some sums and it actually worked out cheaper to feed him the burns. Based on my trainers advice and that we could afford a better plan we decided to wean dylan on to Burns. he loved it and is doing great. everyone keeos commenting on how chocolate Labs are mad etc etc but Dylan is a well behaved, non 'hyper' puppy who loves to please us.He does have mad five minutes but this is expected. Dont get me wrong, we spend such a lot of time with him training but we are aware that the hard work pays off in the long run for ourselves and the dog!! He has a great coat, really shiny and i dont think we had one episode of diarrhoea. One thing i did notice and i do prefer, is that as Burns food is more compact he did not need such a high quantity, there fore he did not look bloated after some meals. At the end of the day i am a firm believer that we should give our dogs the best we can afford, but i think the budget should stop at a half decent level and not the supermarket specials etc . .our dogs are just like babies needing the best start possible!!
Border Collie, 8 months, male
When I got Buddy from the breeder she had him on Bakers Puppy sent him absolutely loopy, went mad bouncing off the walls. Took him to the vet who said that the additives were to blame and advised we fed him Wagg puppy he loves it his coats fabulous but hes always hungry always looking for more food. Im moving him onto Naturediet next week as thats what I feed my 14 year old wolfhound cross and hes thrived on it.
Labrador and Boxer , mixed ages, male and female
Distressed because all my dogs now eat poo (not their own but anybody elses). They are all on Burns with a little Naturediet to give them interest (not that they need to be coaxed to eat!). Trainer suggested change food to Techni Cal as she had experience of Labs changing to Burns had started eating poo suggesting that they are not getting enough vital ingredients to stop them being hungry. Reluctant to change as Labs coats are really shiny and they look extremely healthy. Also Boxers prone to rumbling tummies/suspect digestion. Any thoughts.
Reply from Caroline, Dog Trainer at DogBasics: Boxers are well known for tummy trouble, so if they have good solid poohs on the Burns and they seem healthy with good coats, I wouldn't risk changing their diet. I know a lot of dogs (many of them Labs) on Burns and I've never heard of an issue with eating pooh. Usually eating their own pooh is a sign that they can't take up all the nutrients in the diet, which I find difficult to believe would be the case with Burns, as it is such a good quality food. It can also become a learned behaviour, especially if you make a big fuss when you see them eating pooh. It then becomes a game, where they try to get to the poohs first, since you obvioulsy find the poohs very valuable yourself! Try to distract them with a titbit or toy when they have gone to the toilet, and only go out and clear up after them, once you've put them away, so they can't see what you are doing. I will admit that it is weird that all your dogs have started eating their own poohs though...
Thanks for response. However, think wires crossed somehow. My dogs DO NOT EAT THEIR OWN POO - they just eat other dogs poo that obviously appeals to them. It would be so much easier if they ate their own as you could get to them iin time to pick it up etc. I always pick up my dogs poo for obvious legal reasons but also because it is helpful to assess health from this. The elder Labrador is obsessed with eating anything, particularly on beach i.e. those sponge-like things. However, if he is in my sight I can control him by yelling DROP IT and he obliges. It just makes me look like a screaming fish-wife!!!! I agree with you that it would be a shame to change from Burns as it they look very healthy on it. Elder lab wears a spray collar but I never use it other than to bleep him. I guess it is a hard thing to break in dogs who constantly like to have food in their mouths. Any other thoughts from yourself or others most gratefully received. As you can imagine you need eyes in the back front and sides to keep an eye on three devious poo eating dogs!!!!
Choc Lab, 9 weeks, male
feeding me puppy on beta puppy which the breeder recommended he is suffering terrible with loose stools even crying during the night to go out please as anyone any advice
Reply from Caroline, Dog Trainer at DogBasics: Please bring your puppy to the vet for a check up. If she has constant loose stools she is likely to be dehydrated, so it is important you have a vet look at her! They will most likely suggest you change her diet, although they are likely to put her on Hills Sience Plan food, as most vets sell that. I'm not a fan of Hills Sience Plan, but it is better than Beta Puppy. Personally I would gently wean her onto Naturediet (wet food and my first choice) or Burns (dry food) instead. Until you've had a chance to see your vet (you should go tomorrow), stop giving her the puppy food and instead give her some well boiled rice (you should use twice the amount of water to what it says on the instructions and boil it for at least as long, until it looks more like a porridge than rice). Obviously make sure the rice has cooled down a bit before you give it to your puppy. I hope your puppy will be better soon. Get him to the vet ASAP though.
Working Cocker Spaniel, 7 months, male
When we got our puppy at 8 weeks old he was on burns mini bites. He stopped eating these so we tried Royal Canin skin and digest which he loved for a while. He has now gone off this, so after numerous phone calls to vet, pet shop and trawling internet we have decide to try him on Naturediet mixed with dry food. We will be starting this today so hopefully this will work. Fingers crossed. |
