# Which dry food is best? UK people please help!



## Fern's Mummy

I'm feeling very deflated atm and a total let down of a Mummy  I've just found out that feeding Fern and Dougal on Bakers Complete is like feeding them poison  I did a search online and there are pages and pages of terrible reports on Bakers and what's in it. It's basically the equivalent of feeding us processed foods every day :foxes15: 
They've been on it about a year now and _they_ love it! However, now I know all about it they're coming _straight_ off it and going onto something else. After searching online for the last 2 days I've got it down to either: James Wellbeloved, Arden Grange or Pets at Home own brand (apparently this is up there with some of the best but for half the price) the reviews of it are very good. However, I'm not sure which one. Can anyone help? I want a good healthy dry food but one which is not too expensive either. Also, a food where the pieces are not too large because ickle Fern can't handle big pieces. 

Any help from UK folk would be great! Though no wet foods or raw diets (nothing against them, just not for mine). Also, I can't afford Royal Canin and the like.

Thanks again!

Kristy x


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## 18453

Glad you did some research

Personally i feed prey model raw I don't do dry foods BUT I wouldn't feed any of the ones you suggested if you want to stick to a dry food origen has some good reviews here or you could try a dehydrated raw like ziwipeak for them

The price when you buy it seems quite high but you feed far less food than bakers which is basically fillers ad additives


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## Terri

I feed mine Acana, it's from the same makers of Orijen, just slightly lower in protein.
Mine all do great on it and the price is reasonable.
The bags also last well too since they get less each meal.
I get mine from Mutley and mog cause we can actually go in there since it's in Glasgow, but they also have a site.
They do more options on sizes for bags too than Zooplus does. x


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## codyann

heya i feed roxi on royal canin and she seems to get on with it when shes not in a funny eating mood lol, they evan has a chihuahua brabd  
good luck


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## rocky scotland

I fed Rocky Burns he does very well on it, he has a very sensitve tummy and it suits him well. Not easy to find in pet shops but my local vet orders it in for me. Its not expensive at £7 for a 2.5kg bag plus its a better food than Bakers, maybe worth a try.


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## *Chloe*

when i occasionally give mine kibble they have fish4dogs finest salmon small bite - its really small kibble size and grain free and one of mine that is sensitive to almost everything can eat it, i get it from champ shows for about £5 but they sell it from their website for about £8 including delivery


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## MyLittleCici

I am from the UK and I feed Cici James Wellbeloved. Its actually a really good price and last her quite a while, the kibble size is good, well Cici likes it. Shes been on it for around 5 months now and everything is fine. Also Cici is very fussy so I tried out many kibbles but she wouldn't take to them but she loves James wellbeloved so yes I think it's very good and you should give it a try  oh and great ingrediants!!


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## Bhoy Nick

Ferns Mummy we feed our babies on Royal Canin only as our first chi tyson needed the nutrients and the taurine etc.

We tried James Wellbeloved and Tyson didnt have the bvest of experience on it. We had 5 people all tell us Royal Canin including the vet. It really isnt asexpensive as you think. It lasts longer as its smaller bits in it and the chis eat less of it than the bigger dried food.

We have 3 chis and they all eat Royal Canin. I have attache a website address which gives you some good deals at very reasonable prices especially when you buy 2 bags.

Your chi is the most important thing in the world and personally I would go without something myself to give my guys the best food for them. Ultimately their health, lifespan fitness etc will all be better. 

Pets at home also do some good deals on Royal Canin. We have the junior and the chihuahua one as the babies go through spells where they like one better than the other. Spoilt brat and divas lol.

MedicAnimal.com this place is quite reasonable.


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## freedomchis

I feed mine burns mini bites and barkingheads which they all love


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## RosieC

When I got Alfie he was on Royal Canin and seemed fine on it, but having read up on it it's actually not a great quality food. I think ideally you need to find a food that uses human grade meats and doesn't use grains for fillers as these do not form any part of a natural diet for dogs and can cause health issues. 

Have a look at this site- Dog Food Reviews - Dry Dog Foods - Powered by ReviewPost Alot of the brands aren't UK ones, but there's quite a few that you can buy online from Zooplus or similar sites. 

Currently Alfie is fed Acana dried food in the morning and Wainwrights wet food in the evening, which contains alot of good quality real real meat and veg etc. and not grains or artificial additives. I have noticed a definite improvement in the softness and shine of his coat and his poos are much firmer and healthier looking since switching his diet. However I have to say that he's not mega keen on the Acana so I'm just about to try him on Orijen, which is made by the same people and rates really highly as an excellent quality dried food.


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## Fern's Mummy

Thanks for all the replies folks.

I've now got it down to either James Wellbeloved or Burns. I'm leaning more towards Burns though because it's lower in protein and fat. Fern has put a little too much weight on recently so I want to get her down again. I just hope she likes it  Also, they do Mini Bites for pups and smaller breeds with tiny mouths. Fern doesn't like big pieces of kibble so I'm hoping she'll like this. All-in-all I've heard nothing but good stuff about them and feel this brand is right. Oh, and they don't test on animals either :hello1: If not, I'll give JW a shot. 

As for Royal Canin. I've heard sooo many mixed reviews from people it's kinda putting me off. They _are_ pricey IMO (£9.99 for a 1.5kg bag) but I could stretch if I knew the product was right.... however I don't. I like the fact they do bread specific but this is no good for me anyway due to Dougal (my Bichon Frise) eating it too (they both share a bowl and eat when they please) so I don't really want him eating Chihuahua food lol. I've also read other reviews about it not being as 'natural' as other brands but whether this is true or not is anyone's guess. Any how, I'm just not sure it's right. Never say never though 

I'm getting their new food tomorrow so I will post how they're getting on with it then.

Thanks again


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## princess prada

I feed Prada Orijen
These are what I have found out about it:
The first three ingredients of this food are all named meat products, two of which are in meal form. There are further meat ingredients fifth, sixth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelth and thirteenth on the ingredient list (10 in total). We can thus have a high level of confidence in the meat content of this food, which the manufacturer states to be 70% of the total.
This is an entirely grainless dog food. The major carbohydrate source is potatoes, which are also a good source of B vitamins and other minerals. There is a good range of fruits/vegetables in the food, whole eggs and a good range of probiotics.
This food is outstanding in that it contains no grains whatsoever. Grains are not a natural part of a canine diet and it is pleasing to see dog foods on the market that exclude grains completely from the diet. This is a far more natural food concept and combined with a complete lack of any low quality or controversial ingredients is the reason this food is placed in a class above the more conventional form dry dog foods.
The only caution we would make on this food is that the high protein content may make it suitable for adult dogs only, particularly in the case of large breeds.

I have also heard great things about timberwolf organics from my breeder, but unfortunately she said that they don't sell that anymore in the UK


About Arden grange 
Pros:	First ingredient is a named meat product.
Cons:	Some low quality grain, use of controversial filler.
Beet pulp is a low quality ingredient and filler. It is a by-product, being dried residue from sugar beets which has been cleaned and extracted in the process of manufacturing sugar. It is a controversial ingredient in dog food, claimed by some manufacturers to be a good source of fibre, and derided by others as an ingredient added to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats and causing stress to kidney and liver in the process. We note that beet pulp is an ingredient that commonly causes problems for dogs, including allergies and ear infections, and prefer not to see it used in dog food. There are less controversial products around if additional fibre is required. We would prefer to see the use of whole eggs rather than egg powdert in the food.

This is what I found on James Wellbeloved
Pros:	First ingredient is a named meat product, grain free
Cons:	Some low quality ingredients, controversial filler

The first ingredient in this food is a named meat product in meal form. It is the sole meat product in the food, and present in an amount of 26% of the total. Although greater than many products on the market, this is far from ideal.
The remaining ingredients, although free of grains/cereals, are not high quality. Pea starch is a binder, but potato granules is unclear and may well be culls. Tomato pomace we consider to be filler. Beet pulp is further filler and a controversial ingredient – it is a by-product, being dried residue from sugar beets which has been cleaned and extracted in the process of manufacturing sugar. It is a controversial ingredient in dog food, claimed by some manufacturers to be a good source of fibre, and derided by others as an ingredient added to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats and causing stress to kidney and liver in the process. We note that beet pulp is an ingredient that commonly causes problems for dogs, including allergies and ear infections, and prefer not to see it used in dog food.
Overall, whilst we appreciate the absence of grains/cereals in this product - grains are not a natural foodstuff for canines - we are disappointed at the low meat content and low quality of other ingredients used. Users of this product might consider supplementing this diet with real meat.

Finally about Pets At Home food:
Pros:	First ingredient is a named meat product
Cons:	Meat and fat products of unidentifiable origin, controversial filler, some low quality grain

The first ingredient in this food is fresh chicken. This is not a meat meal ingredient, but instead is inclusive of water content (about 80%). Once this is removed, as it must be to create a dehydrated product, the ingredient will weigh around 20% of its wet weight. As ingredients are listed in order of weight, it is thus unlikely that this ingredient is truely the most prolific in the food and would be more accurately placed further down the ingredient list. It is followed immediately by a meat ingredient in meal form, which gives us some confidence in the overall meat content of the food.
Whilst relatively happy with overall meat content, the quality of ingredients used in the product are less pleasing. Poultry meal is a meat meal product but is not one named by species. This is a concern as it makes it impossible to identify the source, quality or consistency of the ingredient. Ingredients of unidentifiable source are usually very low quality, cheap ingredients and are not found in higher quality products. 
The main grains in the food are maize (corn) and rice. Rice is a decent quality grain, but the major grain here is corn, which is a difficult to digest grain of limited value in dog food. It is also commonly associated with food allergies. Corn (maize) gluten meal, next on the ingredient list, is also low quality. This is defined as that part of the commercial shelled corn that remains after the extraction of the larger portion of the starch, gluten, and term by the processes employed in the wet milling manufacture of corn starch or syrup. In plain English, the remains of corn after most of the nutritious bits have been removed. 
Animal fat is an ingredient of unidentified origin for which it is impossible to determine species, source or quality. Unidentified ingredients are usually very low quality. AAFCO define this asobtained from the tissues of mammals and/or poultry in the commercial processes of rendering or extracting. It consists predominantly of glyceride esters of fatty acids and contains no additions of free fatty acids. If an antioxidant is used, the common name or names must be indicated, followed by the words "used as a preservative".
And the same story about Beet pulp being a controversial filler.


Good luck finding the right food!


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## Lisajazzi

I use applaws puppy dry food as kibble and it's tiny pieces and mainly meat (95%) 

I can't find it in any shops though so order online. I love their food range!


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## Reese and Miley

Royal Canin is definitely not worth stretching your budget for. 
Just wanted to chime in with another Orijen/ Acana recommendation.
I had Reese and Miley on a number of different foods before we settled on Orijen. Miley will eat anything with gusto, but Reese was just never very interested in food. Ive always fed him twice a day, some meals hed eat part of his dinner, and some he would skip altogether. Reese also has some allergies/ food intolerances that made choosing the right kibble for him all the more difficult. I had them on Blue Buffalo and they both seemed to be doing really well on it, but then Blue had a recall on some of their foods and I was no longer comfortable feeding it. SO, I did some more research and finally settled on Orijen. All three of my guys like it, but Reese goes nuts for it! He finally ENJOYS eating, always licks his bowl, and jumps around in excitement when he knows its dinner time. Im very pleased with the quality of the ingredients, as well as the company, which I think is equally important. All the ingredients are regional, there are absolutely no grains, and they use a great variety of protein sources in each formula. The company is completely in control of their food, manufacturing it themselves rather than having another company make it for them as most do. They have had absolutely no recalls. Acana is a more affordable and lower protein option made by Orijen. There is a lower protein content/fewer protein sources in their kibbles but the same high quality of ingredients and still no fillers/grains which are bad for dogs. I feed all three of my guys the Orijen Regional Red and the Orijen 6 Fish, I alternate just to change up the flavor/protein so they get a bit of variety. 
As far as cost, it may seem like an expensive food to give based on sticker price, but really its very affordable to feed to such small pups. Im feeding three chis, two are puppies, and Miley and Reese are both over 5lbs. I pay just under $50 for two bags which last me about 3 months, so basically it costs me about 5o cents/ day to feed all three of my little guys a top quality kibble. It is a pricey food, but so worth it. And when youre feeding chihuahuas one bag lasts ages so its doable. 
As far as kibble size, they are larger kibbles but also flat, kind of a disk shape so my guys have no trouble crunching it right up, even Leo who has been eating it since he was 11 weeks old with his teensy baby teeth, so I bet Fern could manage it just fine.
Give it a look! Orijen


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## Lou_lou

I feed royal cannin chihuahua, mainly because I sometimes win it at shows haha and they do well on it.


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## catz4m8z

My lot have Burns Minibites in the morning and seem to like them. Its not that expensive either, (not that anything is with Chi sized portions!).
Dont think it compares to their raw though for popularity!LOL


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## Fern's Mummy

catz4m8z said:


> My lot have Burns Minibites in the morning and seem to like them. Its not that expensive either, (not that anything is with Chi sized portions!).
> Dont think it compares to their raw though for popularity!LOL


And the Mini Bites are definitely OK to feed to adult Chi's too? 
I'm definitely swayed towards Burns. Well I've got to make my mind up sharpish because I've got to get them their new food today.


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## Fern's Mummy

Thank you to everyone who has replied with detailed posts regarding food choice. I see that Orijen and Acana are very popular and I like the fact that their meat content is high. However, there are no stockist local to me so it would mean ordering online. This isn't really a problem, it's just I like to know I can pop out and buy local to me, especially if I've ran out of food and it's a bank holiday coming up, etc. Sometimes there can be problems with buying online, especially with delayed postage and the like. I'd hate to run out and not be able to get. If I do come across either of these two brands local to me then I'm definitely going to try them. For now though I'm going for Burns. The mini bites sound perfect due to Fern not liking large pieces of kibble. I might just buy a bag of James Wellbeloved too, just in case either of them don't like Burns.

Thanks again folks, and I'll keep you updated on how they're getting on with their new food


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## Ember

I'd recommend Orijen. 

ORIJEN 'Pet Food of the Year' AGAIN! | Orijen Pet Foods .co.uk

I order it online and it always arrives within a couple of days - even when we had all that snow! (I was very impressed)
If you're not sure, they do sample packs of the different varieties so you can try them before you fork out for a large bag. There's several varieties so my dogs don't get bored and they seem to love all the flavours.

At the moment they have an offer on the large puppy trial size bags.
QUOTE 
"Puppy Trial Size Offer
Buy One get One FREE* (Including FREE Standard Delivery to UK Mainland addresses) if you order two 400g bags of ORIJEN Puppy Large."

My older boys really like this one (even though it's meant for larger breed puppies) and baby Atticus pinches it when ever she can 

I find Orijen really good value as you only need to feed small amounts so it last for ages.


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## Bhoy Nick

Guys thank you for all the advice on this thread and it would appear that I may have gone with too many reccomendations on the royal canin.

The babies eat royal canin and I'm worried about changing it. Is I ok to change their food and if so do I need to introduce it gently mixing it with the royal canin kibble at first?

Is orijen a far better food for them than royal canin or is it just a preference of chi chi owners?


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## Ember

Bhoy Nick -
Orijen is a high quality, high meat, grain free food that is genuinely much better for dogs than Royal Canin. I'm not speaking out of personal preferrence but from heaps of reading up on dog kibbles. 
When i got my first chi, my vet recommended Science Diet and I felt obliged to come out of the surgery with an overpriced large bag of what is a really low quality food. (I wonder if some vets are on commission.....hmmm).
As for changing kibble - I wouldn't mix them together as you might end up with tummy troubles. Each brand of kibble digests at a differnent rate. 
Try feeding a new brand first thing in the morning (and again in the evening) after your dogs have had all night to digest the previous meal. You shouldn't have any problems then.
We all want what is best for our babies and some dogs do better on different foods, no matter what the quality or price.


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## Terri

I would defo say Orijen and Acana are better than Royal canin.
I chose Acana cause i didnt want such a high protein, plus have heard they can gain weight quicker if they are not really active while on that.
Both are really good foods though.

The breeder had mine on RC and i didnt like the large smelly almost greasy looking poos and their coat wasnt that shiney either.
Plus it has a few fillers.
A lot of vets mentiion feeding that, but to be honest they havent got the best knowledge on food and havent even heard of the better brands i find.
Breeders get discounts, well at least mine did.

I would say always mix in tiny amounts of any new kibble to avoid the runs.
Then gradually have less of the old one till there is none left.
That is what i have always done and had no problems with upset tums.
Most people do it that way.
Usually for about a week.

Also add a little water to the kibble it really helps them digest it and i noticed a big difference with my Dillon's poos once i started doing that.
He had soft poos when he came to me, but now that he is on Acana they are small and firm, and defo not as stinky. lol


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## Fern's Mummy

*UPDATE:*

Result (well 1 result). I bought Fern and Dougal Burns Chicken & Rice (was gonna get the Mini Bites but the pieces were _too_ small) and Ferny loves it :hello1: I'm soooo chuffed! She's not a fussy eater really but when we've tried her on different wet and dry foods in the past she's been pretty choosy about which ones she'll eat. However she really likes this new Burns so a great result there. Her breath is so fresh already lol. I can't wait to see the other changes that are to come from being on this new food!
Dougal on the other hand is a different story all together. He won't entertain it  He is a _very_ fussy eater (took him months to even try Bakers *wish he wouldn't have bothered now*) and it seems he's definitely not gonna try Burns. I'm going to keep on trying with him though because he may just surprise us all *crosses fingers*. I really don't want him to go back on the Bakers but if he doesn't eat that then the only other food he'll eat is fresh chicken and raw carrots  Any suggestions on how I can get him to eat his new kibble?
Samples from Royal Canin came too ( Chihuahua 28 ). Agian Ferny loves it but Dougal doesn't (not that I'd keep him on the Chihuahua mix because he's a Bichon Frise lol). I just wish he'd at least _try_ new food  Not sure what to do. 
Even though Ferny likes the Royal Canin I'm not gonna keep her on it as I prefer the lower fat and protein content of Burns. Not too keen on the use of 'fillers' in their food either. 

Anyway, that's my update - both good and bad.


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## Terri

Try rubbing the bottom of the bowl with some cheese or chicken.
When mine were being fussy another member here suggested that and it worked.
I also add water to their kibble each meal cause it helps them digest it, plus keeps them hydrated.
If he is still being fussy, lift the bowl after about 10 mins and put it back down later.
He wont starve himself, so just keep at it.
Good luck.


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## HollieC

I am a raw advocate but each to their own, and if you are going to feed dry food, feed the best!
I used to feed orijen puppy, not that many pet shops in the UK sell it, I got mine from the website - Zooplus.(That was the cheapest I found after loads of web searching) Ziwi Peak sounds like the best but is very dear. I Fed James Wellbeloved puppy for a while, cause I got it free from puppy training school. This is an okay food- miles better than the likes of pedigree and bakers- but still has grain fillers and niothing like Orijen. 

Go for the best you can afford- but beware some foods that are expensive and sold as "premium" are still just rubbish!

Check out this website 
Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble

xxxx Hollie


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## HollieC

Bhoy Nick said:


> Guys thank you for all the advice on this thread and it would appear that I may have gone with too many reccomendations on the royal canin.
> 
> The babies eat royal canin and I'm worried about changing it. Is I ok to change their food and if so do I need to introduce it gently mixing it with the royal canin kibble at first?
> 
> Is orijen a far better food for them than royal canin or is it just a preference of chi chi owners?


It is best to phase in a new food gradually to avoid digestive upset. Though I have to say when I attempted this with orijen from cheap pedigree puppy crap, Feodore just ate arround the pedigree and only ate the Orijen. Guess he could tell it was better


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