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Tuesday 31 January 2012

What's the very best dry food?

Dear Think Tank
I've just inherited Bonnie, a seven year collie, from an elderly relative who sadly passed away. Bonnie's been used to a dry complete food but a really basic economy brand probably full of E numbers and I'd really like to put her on something a lot better.
Where do I start? I've not had a dog for decades and I'm blown away by the vast array of foods I'd never even heard of before mentioned in your magazine! There's only a fraction of these more interesting sounding brands on the supermarket shelves.
What's the big differences - apart from price? I'd like to give Bonnie the best possible food. So which is it? And before anyone says raw, I can't stand the sight and smell of meat - we're a veggie household, so dry suits us all just fine!
Sally Millar, Esher, Surrey

Diet is the last thing I would be altering at this point. Bonnie was used to living with an elderly person, perhaps as a sole companion since she has now moved in with you. You say that you are a household, so that suggests at least two people, possibly children – all big changes. Give Bonnie a chance to settle in. This is going to be a big change for her so I would keep her diet to exactly as she is used to eating for the time being.
Change of environment, change of water, can upset the balance of the bacterial flora in the gut. The diet is the one feature which is easy to keep constant as it sounds as if you know what Bonnie has been eating. Once she has settled in, then you can think about changing diet and routine.
As a side thought, I would definitely be inclined to either plug in an Adaptil DAP diffuser and/or fit a DAP collar, to help Bonnie settle in.
For a vegetarian household, dried food is ideal as it is visually a long way removed from meat, and without a meaty odour. A seven-year-old collie is middle aged so an adult food will be fine. Has Bonnie been spayed? Is she at the correct bodyweight? Choice of food will depend on whether she needs to lose weight, or whether she is at the correct bodyweight but has a tendency to gain weight.
Then one should consider other features of Bonnie’s health. Does she have dental disease? Is she used to exercise? If she is a border collie, she will naturally love exercise, but may have had a low plane of exercise whilst living with an elderly person. She may therefore be unfit and will need a carefully rising plane of exercise. Indeed, do you know if Bonnie’s parents had their hips scored, and eyes tested? Does she have any other health issues, hidden or diagnosed, which might make a prescription diet more suitable?
Which brings me to a burning question – when was Bonnie last examined by a veterinary surgeon? If it was more than a year ago, then I would suggest a routine appointment when you can raise any other concerns as well as the ideal food to feed her.
Alison Logan, vet

3 comments:

  1. I would suggest that you start away from a supermarket. Supermarket foods tend to be full of E numbers, and things which have been banned from use in human food.

    I would stick to a complete kibble that is made from simple ingredients, such as beef rather than beef meal for example. Try your local pet shop(s) to start, but please do take any advice you're given with a pinch of salt; then go home & research the foods suggested to you.

    I could suggest several brands to you, but I don't know what your budget is (though quality food tends to work out cheaper than not-so-quality food), and what is available in your area, or whether you're willing to order on-line etc, so I will leave it down to your personal preferences.

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  2. HI. If you want to feed a natural healthy diet which is free from any harmful additives and as close to raw feeding without the work involved use the cold cold pressed dog food Markus Muehle from Germany. It is new to the UK market, but was developed over 50 years ago. Free samples are available so no need to buy a bag without knowing if your dogs likes the food or not.

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  3. Csj command performance is an excellent dry food . Has different protein levels - my dogs fed on cp21 - salmon based.

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