Hello
I am new to this forum and this will be my first post. We have two new additions to family, our Retriever/Spaniel cross puppies. I am looking information on the best ‘dry food’ to feed them. The current food that the puppies are eatting is James Wellbeloved. Value for money and good nutritional content is a must.
Many thanks, I appreciate your feedback. ;D
Hello and welcome to the forum. With so many products on the market it would be impossible to say what the best one is. Also, dogs have individual needs. You might find this thread helpful. Also the Dog Food Directory will help you choose - use the filters and select the features that you prefer. Transition to the new food gradually.
Hello and welcome to the forum. I can only echo what Dottie has advised. If you come across any foods that you are interested in, it is worth asking for feedback as somebody on the forum may have had some experience.
Hi,
Without wishing to appear to be giving an evasive or unhelpful answer…
Depends on how you define “best value for money”…hopefully this means providing the most acceptable nutrition relative to your pockets.
Dry extruded kibbles worth considering compared to your current feed.
Can be cheaper per kg without significant compromise maybe look at Autarky, ,Skinners F&T, Chapel Farm 24, Arden Grange, (have fed all of last 3 before I decided to go grain free).
Spending a bit more look at grain fee choices from Wainwrights, Simpsons, Eden Millies Wolfheart, (fed a couple of varieties of this brand).
Higher price consider Acana, Orijen which are imported to uk with considerable UK retail cost. Fish 4 dogs & Akela worth a look perhaps (fed the later prior to changing to decent raw complete).
I currently feed decent quality raw complete minced products, mostly but not exclusively Wolftucker & Nutriment brands. Raw feeding not for everyone & for various reasons. My current choice made for a variety of reasons, (including keeping simple carb levels low with aim to supporting a prior diagnosed condition).
If open minded, wanting fresher food than some dry extruded products (but not wanting to feed raw), then perhaps look into decent quality cold pressed foods…this is an area of the dog food market which is growing in popularity. Quality can vary so do look into this properly. Gentle & Guru are just two cold pressed brands favoured by some on here.
The forums have various threads discussing specific brands &/or food types. Plenty of other brands out there which I have not mentioned & that score similarly to those I have named…so maybe look at other brands too.
Many chose specific food types or brands with little thought or on back of poor recommendations from friends &/or family. The wiser owner does some research & importantly considers all factors, not least including the needs of the individual dog(s)
Take a look around, read posts, reviews & do your homework before deciding what if any food types &/or brands you might want to try. The guide allows you to compare approximate daily feed costs ratings & composition.
Good Luck
As you are wanting to feed dry food, it is worth mentioning that there are four types:
Baked
Cold pressed
Extruded
Semi moist
A useful starting point would be to decide which of them suits you, your dogs and your budget. Of those, cold pressed is manufactured at lower temperatures. The thread on cold pressed food is here.
As Coaster says, people recommend products but sometimes do not know the specifics of it. Your dogs are young and it will pay dividends in terms of good health if you spend some time reading up and making your own decisions. Fortunately, this website will enable you to do that fairly easily.
Hello jonnyfive555 and welcome to the forum!
Some great advice already.
I’d also like to add that whilst puppies are thriving well, eating their current food, then it may be useful to have a look at the nutrient levels that are in their food, as a basis to follow when deciding to change their diet.
For example the food your puppies are currently eating has already been reviewed in the allaboutdogfood Dog Food Directory here: JWB Puppy and as you can see when looking at the “Dry weight nutrients” section, the protein level of the food is 32.6 and this is slightly above average; fat is 16.3 which is higher in the average range; fibre at 2.9 is lower in the average range; ash is practically mid-average at 9, and carbohydrates are an above average level of 39.1.
So if you decide to search for a dry food with similar nutrients you could use the allaboutdogfood Dog Food Directory here:https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/the-dog-food-directory and filter the results using the sliders of the “Nutrient levels”, which you’d set to approximate those values mentioned in their current food.
As already mentioned there are several filters available in the directory, including the types of dry food, and for example whether a food has ingredients that are clearly labelled. Plus useful filters to avoid any ingredients that really do not suit an individual dog or that an owner might wish to avoid feeding.
I highly appreciate all the help, advice and support. From your comments and replies, I understand that more knowledge is required before I commit to changing the puppies current food. @COASTER - A high propriety of mine would be that both puppies are getting the correct (balanced) nutrient values. @Meg - They are ‘thriving’ well and running rings around us. ;D
Many thanks
T’is good to hear, happy healthy pups! 