# Which dry kibble is best?uk



## Princess chi chi

Ok....so feeding raw just isn't an option at the minute.
Reggie my 20week old chi is struggling with his coat..it's thin in places & he could do with a high quality kibble that I can purchase locally.
Out of all these here....
Dog Food and Treats for Sale at Pets At Home: Dry Dog Food and Wet Dog Food sold online
Which would be the best to feed him?i have a 2& a half year old chi too who I would need to feed. At the minute they are on hills science plan as recommended by the vet but many say it's no good.
They eat it but both beg for my Dalmatians food by scratching at the bag,yapping at his dish etc.so I need something they will be interested in.
Thanks in advance!xx


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## Wicked Pixie

Does it absolutely have to be from [email protected]? They don't stock the best brands, do you have a Pets Corner near to you? They have better foods, but some of the best ones are only available ordered directly from the manufacturer.


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## Princess chi chi

Wicked pixi are you following me?!! Hahaha!!! Iv never heard of that shop?
I'd love to feed raw but it's not an option at the minute with the pups.im really stressing & to be honest I really shouldn't of bought Reggie with the pups pending arrival...he's bonking them within an inch of their life's at the minute! He won't leave them alone...he's licking them to make them wee & poo... So iv set up a play pen to keep them apart but he yaps to get to them! Lol!! I could write a page on my stresses at the minute.... Then there's my poor Dalmatian that's such a good boy but is getting left out  
I just want a food I can go buy that they will eat and is good for them.with the added stress of Reggie's coat I'm literally tearing my hair out! I'll end up bold at this rate!i suffer from discoid lupus & my hair started thinning a year ago...it's grown back now but stress makes it worse!throw in the fact iv just landed a job at my local hospital as a support worker & I'm stressed to my eye balls! 
Wow..... Feel better for that... Sorry for the rant...I realise how neurotic that sounds!! Hehehe!!xxxxx


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## zellko

My little came to us with dry, itchy skin and very dull coat. A neighbor who shows and breeds Chows gave me a supplement called Mapleton Vetplex. Not too pricey for our little ones. Within a month he was no longer itching, the hot spots disappeared and now people can't get over how soft his coat is! I buy it online.


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## Wicked Pixie

Am I following you? No, as a mod I read every new thread. 
Getting a good quality food that they all like to eat, and agrees with them all is a challenge, but don't stress, there are loads of good brands to try.
If you have a Pets Corner near to you, they sell Ziwi Peak, (which isn't a kibble but a great dry food) Orijien, Acana, and Canagan.
Store Finder | Pets Corner
If it has to be [email protected], then Applaws is probably the best kibble they sell.
Check out the ratings on this independant site, The Dog Food Directory - now listing 1188 dog foods!


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## Princess chi chi

I was only kidding  
Thanks will take a look at those... I once tried some kind of fish oil on my dals food but not long after he developed stones & had to have emergency surgery ... He now pees thru his balls :-0 he bled for weeks and at one point I thought putting him to sleep would be my only option as he was such a poorly boy  the op alone cost £900 but it was worth it as in the end he's still with us now.
Why do we have pets...they cause so much stress!but lots of love too! ;-)


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## Princess chi chi

That orijen...iv had a look at that but I read some bad reviews that caused death in a woman's dog :0


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## Princess chi chi

Orijen food recall pet deaths - Pet Forums Community
Think it was a cat actually xx


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## Princess chi chi

Just looked & that applaws at pets for home is online only....
If I went to my local pet shop what would I need to ask for?a food with no cereal? Will call tomorrow & see what they have but need to be armed with do's and donts for the food please xxxx


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## Wicked Pixie

I think the problems in that case were due to customs irradiating the food when entering Australia, rather than an issue with the manufacturer. As far as I am aware, the company that makes Orijen and Acana is a good one, the ladies on here are pretty hot with recalls. Dogfoodadvisor.com also flags up any recalls (its an American site, but definitely worth looking at, even if just to learn what to look for on dog food labels) This is one of the reasons I don't feed dog food though, I like to know exactly what I am feeding my dogs and where it has come from.


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## Wicked Pixie

They sell Applaws in my local branch of [email protected], so worth a look.
The criteria for picking a food is the same whether it is a kibble, canned, raw or whatever.
It should have a high meat content from a named source, be grain free, low carb with no artificial additives. You want to avoid cheap fillers such as soya, potatoes, grains (corn, wheat, rice, barley, oats) and any vague ingredients such as 'meat and animal derivatives'
It is worth doing a bit of online research using sites like which dog food and dog food advisor, to familiarise yourself with the ingredients in a quality food compared to a mediocre or poor quality one. Look up Bakers as an example of a low quality food, and something like Orijen as an example of a quality one. The Hills you are feeding is in between the two.


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## CoCo187

I had no idea hills wasnt the best - my breeder recommended it to me and a couple of others have said its good too... CoCo seems to love it...should I bother changing it if its not doing her any harm?


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## Princess chi chi

Wicked Pixie said:


> They sell Applaws in my local branch of [email protected], so worth a look.
> The criteria for picking a food is the same whether it is a kibble, canned, raw or whatever.
> It should have a high meat content from a named source, be grain free, low carb with no artificial additives. You want to avoid cheap fillers such as soya, potatoes, grains (corn, wheat, rice, barley, oats) and any vague ingredients such as 'meat and animal derivatives'
> It is worth doing a bit of online research using sites like which dog food and dog food advisor, to familiarise yourself with the ingredients in a quality food compared to a mediocre or poor quality one. Look up Bakers as an example of a low quality food, and something like Orijen as an example of a quality one. The Hills you are feeding is in between the two.


Thanks for that....have taken a screen shot and will toddle off to pets at home today & have a look!xx


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## Princess chi chi

I know bakers is rubbish as iv heard that loads!.... Why are they allowed to sell such c**p?!


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## Princess chi chi

There was no applaws at pets 4 homes...I stood for half an hour looking at all the different types & I came out with none :-/


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## Wicked Pixie

I don't think [email protected] is a great shop when looking for quality dog food unfortunately. Maybe they are phasing out Applaws. Was there not a Pets Corner near to you?


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## Princess chi chi

No iv never heard of pets corner.... I'll take a trip into hillsborough as there's a couple of small pet shops there.


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## Lisa T

Eden is a fantastic dry kibble, you can only get it online but their delivery service is prompt and reliable. It rates 5* on dog food advisor. I get the small bite kibble and am very happy with it. Just google Eden Holistic Dog Food and it will take you to their site.


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## Wicked Pixie

I have also been hearing very good things about Millies Wolfheart, which is slightly cheaper than Eden now. Not sure if it has a tiny kibble though.


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## Princess chi chi

Iv found a stickist that does orijen! It's only a 20 minute drive so I'm off to collect a bag this afternoon....getting the puppy one then princess,Reggie & the pups can all try it! I'll let you know how I get on with it  thanks for the advice everyone! Especially wicked pixie


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## TedZeplin

Hi guys I feed Teddy on advanced nutrition from pets at home. Do you think this is ok? 
Teddy is not a big eater.... Has about 20 pieces and leaves 10... He runs around like a crazed animal after (quite funny to watch!!)


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## Princess chi chi

They loved the orijen! The whole dish was demolished in minutes!


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## Wicked Pixie

That is great that you have found a quality food they love, it will do Reggies coat the power of good, and obviously Princess and the babies need the best nutrition. I would change over gradually though (not with the baby puppies, but the other two) to avoid any tummy upsets.

@TedZeplin, the [email protected] Advanced Nutrition is not what I would consider a quality kibble, far too little meat and far too many cereals. If it is making him hyper that would set alarm bells ringing for me. Plus he isn't eating it enthusiastically, so I would be looking for a better food if he were mine. Check out whichdogfood.co.uk it is a great place to start researching.


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## TedZeplin

Thank you wicked pixie... This is all very new to me!


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## Lilith

I've been using Royal Canin Adult Chihuahua food which was breeder recommended and what my girl was eating before she was adopted. 

It seems to have great reviews everywhere I've looked though I'm surprised and a little worried that no one in this thread has mentioned it!


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## doginthedesert

Lilith said:


> I've been using Royal Canin Adult Chihuahua food which was breeder recommended and what my girl was eating before she was adopted.
> 
> It seems to have great reviews everywhere I've looked though I'm surprised and a little worried that no one in this thread has mentioned it!


Royal Canin is much like Hills Science diet. It is a sub par food with a lot of fillers and corn in it that is marketed very well. At least in the US it is over priced for how poor the quality is. I am not surprised you see good reviews- they spend a lot of time making their brand look good. It is not as bad as say- bennefull- but is not as good as many other things out there. And the breed specific formulas are just marketing, it means nothing as far as nutrition.


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## Lilith

Oh dear, that's concerning. I'll switch immediately. One question then, out of *Eden*, *Orijin* & *Applaws*, which would you guys recommend.

From the site Pixie linked I noticed that Applaws is the only one that mentions a small dog variety. The others say 'all dog breeds'. I'm concerned that the kibble might be too large for my girl, what do you think?


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## doginthedesert

I don't feed kibble or live in the UK so I am afraid I am not of much help! A lot of people seem to feed "regular" size kibble without a problem though. I think it depends on the dog.


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## Lilith

Can I ask, if you don't feed kibble do you feed raw food? Until reading this forum I had heard it was dangerous but I'm rather confused now. Essentially, I just want to feed my girl the best she can get. I don't have a car though so I order my own food (and hers) from the internet. 

Should I switch to a raw diet then or is the high-quality dry food still good? I'd be worried I messed up the raw diet or couldn't keep myself well stocked without breaking the bank.


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## Wicked Pixie

I know Eden has a small kibble, it was developed by a Chihuahua breeder. If you feed kibble it is best to feed it soaked anyway, so kibble size shouldn't be a major issue.
As for which is best, it is a matter of trying them and seeing which agrees with your dog, all three you have mentioned are good kibbles, if you want to feed kibble. There are also great non-kibbled options such as Ziwi peak (air dried), canned foods and complete frozen raw diets available in the UK now.


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## Lilith

Wicked Pixie said:


> ...if you want to feed kibble.


Thanks Pixie. In all honesty, I'm not sure what I want to feed her other than what's best for her. Since reading this, a lot of people seem to feel that kibble in general is just bad for dogs. 

I don't want to be a terrible owner, but I'd like something which is good for her but also convenient for me to feed without being too expensive. Is there any benefit feeding a non-kibbled dry food over kibble? If not, I might switch to a better kibble for the moment. 

In the meantime, I could try researching the complete frozen raw diet you mentioned.

I apologise for so many questions, I just don't want my girl to be getting substandard nutrition for a minute longer than she needs to.


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## Wicked Pixie

Ask away, nutrition is really important and it is a minefield for the new owner.
Kibble is very processed, and has been sitting in the sack for a long time. Much of the nutrition is cooked out during the kibbling process and has to be added back into the final product, along with flavouring to get dogs to eat it in the lower quality kibbles.
I prefer as little processing as possible with the nutrition coming naturally from the ingredients. Ziwi Peak is an excellent dry food, just as convenient to feed as kibble but less processed and with a really high meat content. 
A high meat content is the most important factor whether feeding raw, dried or canned. Dogs are carnivores and their nutritional requirements are best met with meat.


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## TedZeplin

I have recently changed to hils science for puppy ( which was recommend ) - better nutrition!
I was also told that kibble is best given raw , because it cleans there teeth as thy eat.
Raw food allows the dental tartar to build up?


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## Wicked Pixie

Hills/Science diet is not a quality food or better nutrition. It is heavily promoted by vets,who sadly are not educated in nutrition. It has great marketing rather than great ingredients. Look at the ingredients on the bag.
Kibble cleaning dogs teeth is a myth. Carb based kibbles like Hills actually encourage plaque and tartar to grow on teeth. It is like saying eating cream crackers will keep your teeth clean!
A raw diet will keep teeth cleaner because it doesn't contain processed carbohydrates. Chewing on raw meaty bones is the best way to clean a dogs teeth, healthy white teeth and fresh breath is one of the reasons people feed raw.


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## TedZeplin

Oh gosh so I still don't have his diet right!!!


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## Teddy76

Really good thread,lots of helpful info.especially for a new chi owner.we have used the which dog food advisor thing,and are leaning towards ziwipeak , or Eden.
But will keep researching for a bit longer before we decide.

Thankyou 


X


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## Debbie1969

Hi I'm a new chi owner and I to am confused as what to feed my pup she 5 1/2 months and is 0.913kg I have just purchased James wellbeloved puppy dry food and also some wet natures choice wet food. Are these ok, I'm not quite sure about the James wellbeloved now, I was also going to leave a bowl of dry food down in the morning and feed wet food in the evening is that ok. At the moment she seems to be eating loads (not sure if she having a growing spurt) of wet food pedigree chum, but I know this isn't a good food.

Any advice would be great please. debbie


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## Little Miss Kizzy

I'm having real trouble finding a good food Kizzy will eat! She came to me on royal canin puppy food. I switched her to acana puppy kibble but she totally turns her nose up at it. I've tried wet food mixed through and she'll eat a couple of mouthfuls then walk away. 
Today I got wainwrights puppy kibble and wet food at pets at home and so far she's eaten 2 bowlfuls  
It says it's got no wheat etc. and I see they do a grain free adult food so if she continues to eat it that's what I'll be using.


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## cpaoline

check out dog food advisory .com, they have reviews of all foods. Fromm is a high quality kibble, wellness, acana, just picked up a sample of Zignature for mine.


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## Wicked Pixie

@Little Miss Kizzy, Wainwrights contains a lot of grain, it is a low eat content, high carbohydrate kibble. Not the worst food on the market, but I would want to feed a higher meat content to a Chi puppy.
@Debbie1969, I'm not sure what Natures choice is, but Pedigree wet foods are awful. James Wellbeloved is similar to the Wainwrights mentioned above, not the worst but there are better choices. Have a look on whichdogfood.co.uk for some ideas of better foods available in your area. (I would search 4 and 5 star grain free complete foods.)


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## Debbie1969

Hi thanks for the reply Wicked Pixie, I have done some research and think I may go with one of these Orijen, Acana, Applaws for the dry food and Nature Diet for the wet, sort got the name wrong before lol. Any recommendations on these please. Also is it ok to leave the dry food down all day and feed the wet at 5pm. She does seem to like her wet food more than her dry food at the moment.

Debbie x


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## Wicked Pixie

Those are all good brands, just make sure you choose the grain free option eg Acana Regionals as some Acana does contain grains.
You may well find she is keener to eat her kibble when you swap to a quality meat based one.
Lots of people leave dry food out at all times, as long as you have a dog that regulates their intake it can work well. Some dogs gorge and others don't really have an appetite when food is always available. So try it and keep an eye on her weight.


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## Rolo n Buttons

Mine are on Canagan, from Pets Corner. They love it, cant recommend it enough. Its not too bad price wise either

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## Debbie1969

@Rolo n Buttons I went to my pets corner, it's only down the road from me n the lady recommended canagan n it was one I research on to, so I was swayed with that one, as soon as I gave her some she was gobbling it down. She also recommended symply for the wet dog food which has 67% meat n other goodies! seems a good wet food.I know it sounds silly but I just feel she needs wet meaty food lol, but I may just try her with dry n no wet n see how she goes. X


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## Wicked Pixie

There is nothing wrong with feeding a wet food, it is marketing by the kibble companies that has given them a bad reputation. Most dogs find them really palatable, and they have a much more natural water content, plus less preservatives than dried foods. 
If you are feeding a grain free kibble, I would look for a wet food that is also grain free.
Here are a few to compare from whichdogfood.co.uk Fishmonger's Finest vs Forthglade vs Lily's Kitchen vs Simpsons vs ZiwiPeak!!


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## Princess chi chi

Well...after many trial & errors with the food iv finally found one that the chi's love!! 
It was recommended by the vet as princess has been having re occurring ear infections.really bad one too so the vet said this food would be fab for them.
It's worked wonders!& my fussy eaters polish off the bowl in seconds!
I'm surprised the vet advised it actually as his office was covered in hills science plan,I thought he would say hills zd but no!he said one that's sold in asda! 😳 I'd tried so many different ones and they didn't like them...including Wainwrights & orejen.
It's called vets kitchen with salmon & potato. It's a new one on the market & I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful it is! I'm off to buy a few more sacks tomorrow. It's quiet cheap too @ £6 for a 1.3 kg bag,they also do larger bags.
Vet’s Kitchen Adult Salmon & Potato | Vet's Kitchen


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## Wicked Pixie

It is better than Science Plan, but if your dog is having possible allergies I would still recommend a grain free kibble. I saw this in the supermarket, and thought it wasn't too bad for a supermarket brand.


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## Princess chi chi

Really?i thought if nailed it? Whith out me trawling through the thread what's best grain free?i thought this was?
Would love to feed raw but whilst I have Logan the Dalmatian I can't :-( xxx


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## Wicked Pixie

Salmon (min. 40% includes; Salmon min. 24%, Salmon Meal min. 16%), Potato (min. 24%), Brown Rice, Sugar Beet Pulp, Oats, Salmon Oil (3.7%), Brewers yeast, Poultry Digest, Poultry Fat, Pork Digest, Minerals, Vitamins, DL-Methionine, Marigold Flowers, Carrot, Apple, Seaweed, Nucleotides (min. 0.05%), Mannanoligosaccharides (min. 0.04%), Fructooligosaccharides (min. 0.04%), Glucosamine (min. 0.03%), Methylsulfonylmethane (min. 0.035%), Chondroitin Sulphate (min. 0.02%), Yucca Schidigera Extract, Mixed Tocopherols and Rosemary, L-Carnitine, Beta Carotene

It has brown rice and oats, better grains but still grains. It is also quite high carb with 24% potato as well.
Dalmatians can eat raw, you just have to adapt it to their needs. Nutriment even make a low-purine raw complete especially for Dalmatians and dogs with similar issues. I know of a few owners with raw fed Dallies if you did want to go down that path.
Don't feel you have to feed raw though, there are lots of ways to feed a good diet.


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## Rolo n Buttons

Debbie1969 said:


> @Rolo n Buttons I went to my pets corner, it's only down the road from me n the lady recommended canagan n it was one I research on to, so I was swayed with that one, as soon as I gave her some she was gobbling it down. She also recommended symply for the wet dog food which has 67% meat n other goodies! seems a good wet food.I know it sounds silly but I just feel she needs wet meaty food lol, but I may just try her with dry n no wet n see how she goes. X


Mine have a bit of wet food once a day purely coz they enjoy it and Canagan down at all times. They never seem to get bored of it. Good stuff

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## Debbie1969

Omg opend a tray of Naturediet wet food which I brought from pets at home for Flossy last night n it smelt really horrible like it was off. I didn't give her it. It has really put me off the food now. I had purchased it before from a different branch and it was fine. Iam disappointed to as Flossy really loved it when she had it before, but I wouldn't want Flossy to get ill. I won't be buying it again.


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