Gundog food

[ips]

Out of interest what do you feed your gundog as in make wet or dry other stuff ?

Seems that many makes have conflicting opinion as to there quality so I am trying to establish what is considered the best by my learned friends on here.

 

[teepee1234]

Steak, rare.  And a few Bonios now and then.

She's an important part of your family now, gotta treat her right.

 

[westley]

Better still, rarely or not at all steak. I worked Labradors for some 47 years and only ever fed dried food (bought from pet food suppliers in Burscough Industrial Estate). Occasionally I would put household surplus gravy over it or hot water, just to soften it. It is better for the dogs teeth to 'crunch' it though, if possible. Stick to the same brand as a change in diet can cause stomach upsets. It is also the most economic way of feeding. I used to split the daily amount into 2, half in the morning, half in afternoon/evening. If working the dog, miss out morning feed and give it all at night. I also used to give the dog glucose/water mix to drink, when working. Another advantage to dried food is that you can weigh out bags of food prior to going away, if the dog is going with you. 

 

[ips]

Trouble with sticking to one is that our thing gets bored. She is a diva.

 

[westley]

Forgot to add, it is easier to clean up after them.  Feeding meat can lead to dogs eating their own faeces too.

Oh, in that case I'm sorry. I could have sworn you said it was a spaniel !

 

[donna]

Totally agree with above, on our second working Labrador and have always fed dried food. When we go clay shooting I can take it in a bag to give her some during the day, it doesn't smell if it's left out during the day in the summer and it keeps the dogs teeth cleaner when they crunch it. As a preference, we use James Wellbeloved, she loves it and also looks good on it. Healthy coat, eyes and I hope I'm not tempting fate here but in 6 years has never been ill. We do sometimes (ok, I'm lying, quite often - it's the big eyes looking at me) put some veg on it when we are having our dinner. She loves carrots, raw or cooked and a few peas! She's also partial to a bit of steak if we have some left over! In actual fact, come to think of it, she's better fed than us.

 

[westley]

So what and how are you feeding her now ips ?

 

[ips]

Wet food with a dry mixer often put carrot with it and she has just had tin of sardines as sposed to be good as full of omega stuff. Treats are carrot or the odd dog biscuit oh and she has denty sticks and absolutely loves an ice cube.

Imo sticking to same food all the time must get boring. Have read about changing food giving them upset stomach but I remain unconvinced considering the rabbit poo and stuff that they eat in the feild and the fact that they lick there regions surely if that doesn't give em bad stomach changing brand of dog food ain't. My farmer mate says there many dogs when he was a kid lived on kitchen scraps and we're never ill.

 

[Beechin]

Mines not a working dog but I feed my boy on dry and wet food. Only about to spoon full of wet food so it softens the dry food a little bit.

 

[ips]

Yes that's pretty much what we do.

 

[Beechin]

Yh I give my dog the denty sticks because his bread is ment to have problems with there teeth so was advised to when I brought him.

 

[ips]

The hide ones are good flat things takes her weeks to get through.

 

[Beechin]

I use the pedigree puppy one as he is only 6 months old and tiny. Its a hand bag dog for the misses really but he is part of the family now.

 

[PhilS]

Ian, it is true about varying food gives them an upset stomach. If a dog is always fed on kitchen scraps then that is what it is used to. If you feed it dried food (we do, but have to use a low protein one) then the variety comes from veg on it, or scraps, or different flavour gravy.

Phil

 

[PhilR]

Milo, our Lab, is fed on Chudley's Working Dog Crunch. I've got a measuring jug marked up with the weight of food he has. He gets half in the morning and half in the evening. The latter meal is adjusted if he's had a scoff of dog biscuits as treats during the day. He has a carrot daily as a healthy chew, gone in 60 seconds. He has a raw egg on the crunch on Monday and Wednesday and on Friday he gets a tin of sardines in oil on the crunch. He's not fed from the table despite him using all the poor, starving Labrador tricks. I think the wife slips him a bit of cheese or ham when she's making the sandwiches though.

 

[ips]

I use the pedigree puppy one as he is only 6 months old and tiny. Its a hand bag dog for the misses really but he is part of the family now.

Yep we use pedigree we got it in desperation when she didn't eat for two days presumably bored with dry she wolfed the wet down.

 

[ips]

Ian, it is true about varying food gives them an upset stomach. If a dog is always fed on kitchen scraps then that is what it is used to. If you feed it dried food (we do, but have to use a low protein one) then the variety comes from veg on it, or scraps, or different flavour gravy.Phil

So On that basis if ours is used to change between dry wet and or mix of both then it too won't know any difference.

Cheers ian

 

[MARK-POACHER]

dont feed bakers !! full of protein and sends dogs nuts...had dogs all my life and have three working labs now always feed a working food in working game season as on average i do 30/40 days picking up a year and the dogs need the energy this gives...always feed any left food from meals as well and gravy ..(would you want to eat just dry biscuits everyday) ...every dog is different to what they like and how much they need ...good luck and have fun with mans best friend.. :biggrin:

 

[ips]

Cheers

Have been told similar about that make

Totally agree dry every day ain't for me.