Hi there, I have fed Alfie, now nearly 11months old,on Royal Canin as that was what the breeder was feeding him. I now hear that this is not so good for him,that there is too much filler in it. Would anyone have any suggestions for other food that they would recommend.
Ask ten people this question, and you'll get ten different answers! I think you need to understand yourself what is meant by "filler" and why you consider it bad. I changed my puppy from RC, but that wasn't because of "filler" - it's been proven that carbs aren't the devil in disguise when it comes to dog food as some people think. Nor are grains. Lots of these trends are simply that - trends and fashion, and people lap them up as the marketers churn out their key words, without really understanding what's what. So, I'd first encourage you to think about what you're after in a food and why. For me, I wanted a food that had a single protein source so that, if allergies developed, I could easily cut out that single source. Proteins are the causes of most allergies in dogs, rather than grains, so to be able to isolate them is very useful. RC's list of ingredients (my puppy came on Junior Maxi) is too vague for me. This may not be top of your priorities, so you need to think about what is. There is such a range of foods out there, with all sorts of different profiles, so it really is a case of finding something that suits what you want in a food, your dog, and your pocket. With so many variables, asking other people is relatively meaningless - unless the question is "should I feed Pedigree", in which case you'll probably get a resounding "no, that's ****!"
It depends on where you live - most members here are in the UK, so very different options and brands from what I have here in Ontario. We spent ages researching and talking to people about puppy foods, and then more recently adult foods. We finally settled on a Canadian brand that is carried in a few stores near us (we didn't want to pick something that is too hard to find, in a pinch) that is high in protein and has good quality ingredients and was similar in price and ingredients to our puppy food. However, our puppy food was not grain free, but I couldn't find any non-grain free adults foods that met my criteria - it does seem a fad and most foods have grain free lines now so even more complicated to pick a food.
The reason that I was thinking of changing is that someone on another thread said that, "RC is full of cheap carb fillers which dogs don't need" and that they should maybe look for a food with better ingredients.
You'll hear a lot of people voicing lots of opinions that aren't necessarily backed up by anything scientific. That's why you need to start questioning everything you hear and making up your own mind. Otherwise, you'll become terribly confused with all the conflicting advice that's out there
A good place to start your research is www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk (presuming you're in the UK) which lists virtually all foods which are available on the High Street or through Internet shops/manufacturers. It also has a very useful section on ingredients that go into dog food which can help you understand exactly what the ingredients on packaging mean. All though I'm not a great lover of the site due to the links they have to online sellers it is a good and useful tool to help to choose a food. I personally wouldn't buy RC anymore although I have fed it on vet recommendation in the past and that is based upon a response I had from them regarding a query I had regarding % of ingredients in their products. Helpful and informative they were not! Unlike some other manufacturers
OK, take a deep breath. Then ignore everything that anyone has ever told you. When it comes to dog food, people get irrationally militant about it. You get raw feeders, who think that the only way is raw and you're killing your dog by feeding it kibble. You have kibble feeders that think that the risks of raw are so great that you're going to kill your dog by feeding it bones. And, you have everything in between. If your dog is doing well on his current food, you're not going to benefit him in the slightest by changing his food on a whim. If he doesn't get on with the new food, then you have to change again, to find something else that does suit him. So, stop for a minute and think about if and why you want to change. If it's because you think there's too high a carbohydrate content, because someone told you that, see if you can find any scientific studies that back that up. Ask the person who told you. We're talking the likes of PubMed, not PetMD or other opinion pieces. If not, they're probably talking b******s and propagating rumours. If it's the quality of the carbohydrate content that concerns you, see if you can find any information on the digestibility of different types of carbohydrate. If you think you would like a higher, or lower, percentage of protein, or fat, then try to find research that backs it up. Again, ask those people who are giving you the information to cite their sources - and make sure those sources are peer-reviewed, scientific studies, not some website that has an ulterior motive. If this is too daunting, and your dog looks fit and healthy, with a nice coat, plenty of energy and bright eyes, then just think, "Hey, my dog is doing great on this food - everyone else should just butt out". And maybe approach the subject again when you feel ready, or have more experience. Nutrition is a huge subject - I'm not being obtuse by not guiding you more, I simply don't have the knowledge to be militant about my way being the only way. The thing is, I know I don't have the qualifications, unlike most other people who like to tell you what you should do! I've just chosen what works for my dogs, for my pocket, and satisfies the criteria I do understand. That won't be what works for every other person and every other dog, so there's no point me telling you to follow my lead.
I'm a great believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" when it comes to feeding our animals. If a food suits the dog and it fits your pocket and is easy to buy so be it whether it be RC, Hills, Eukanuba or even the dreaded Pedigree. I don't like RC but my cats will only eat 2 varieties of their biscuit, they turn their noses up at everything else so I buy it for them. It may not be my choice but it is theirs
Hear! Hear! This is the most sensible statement I've read in a long time. If a dog is thriving & developing well, and he happily eats it - then the food is OK in my book.
