Moving to adult food...any recommendations?

Need help or advice on feeding your Schnauzer, whether it be kibble or treats, you'll find the information here. There is food reviews, recipes, remedies for poorly tummies and a wealth of feeding knowledge from your fellow Schnauzer owner. We cover BARF in a separate section.
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KellyDP
Puppy
Posts: 14
Joined: 04 Aug 2020, 19:39
First Name: Kelly
Dog #1: Walter
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 26 Aug 2020

Moving to adult food...any recommendations?

Post by KellyDP »

Hi,

Can anyone recommend a quality dog food brand for kibble? Walter is just coming up to 8 months and we are looking to switch him to an adult food by the time he is 9 months. He has been on Autarky as a puppy, which seems to be a high quality dry food and was recommended by the breeder as its grain free, but he has terrible wind every evening and I think we need to try something else. Autarky suggest moving to their adult food at 9 months. He is a big mini at 10.5kg already, but he is from a larger line of minis, does not look overnight and I can easily feel his ribs so I am not concerned, as I think he will just be a big boy.

Also, do people tend to feed wet food as well as dry? I realise a lot of people feed raw...I go as far as adding steamed veg and roasted meat (generally chicken) to his bowl when we are having this, to make it more interesting and he does get a sardine in tomato sauce added at breakfast and the occasional scrambled egg (as advised by breeder) which at least livens things up for him.

A friend has recommended Royal Canine but the ingredients appear to be dehydrated meat which does not sound so good!

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thank you.
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zeta1454
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Re: Moving to adult food...any recommendations?

Post by zeta1454 »

Hi Kelly,

As I feed prepared raw food (from a reputable small company) to all our dogs and would always recommend this as a first choice food, I couldn’t give advice on a specific brand of kibble. However, it may be worth having a look at the All About Dog Food website as there is a lot of good information there regarding all types of dog food from kibble, tinned, wet food to raw. The ingredients glossary on that website is very useful for interpreting what exactly the description on packets of the ingredients really means and how these can affect health etc.

https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/dog-f ... t-glossary

Many kibble manufacturers promote their ingredients as healhy for dogs when this is debateable to say the least. An example is the use of Maize in dog foods as one or even the largest proportion ingredient. From the website:

Maize (or corn to us Brits) is widely used in dry dog foods as an alternative to grains like rice, oats and barley. Of all of the grains used in dog food, maize is certainly amongst the most controversial, with vocal critics and supporters in equal measure.
It has to be said though that many of the most ardent supporters of maize are from within the pet food industry. They correctly argue that maize is a good quality, nutritious carbohydrate source with a comparable nutritional profile to grains like oats and barley.
Critics of maize, on the other hand, claim that it is harder for dogs to digest and is therefore much more likely to lead to food intolerance or allergies. Many canine nutritionists and some vets now recommend avoiding maize based diets altogether.


You can certainly mix wet and dry food if you wish although it is not recommended to mix raw and kibble as a meal for dogs. Whichever brand you choose, you want one with named high quality meat, no ‘fillers’ of grains or a large proportion of legumes; leafy vegetables, herbs and some fruit are OK to include. The advantage of using a food that contains actual named meat / fish / vegetables is that you do know what you are giving your dog rather than a label stating ‘meat derivatives’ or ‘meat meal’ which are vague terms and could be something you would not want to feed at all. Kibble is manufactured at exceptionally high temperatures to kill off pathogens which sounds good but it has allowed many manufacturers to use substandard and very poor quality meat knowing the toxins it contains will be destroyed rather than selecting good quality meat which is a necessity for raw feeding. High temperature processing also destroys most of the vitamins which need to be added back into the food rather than the dog being able to absorb the natural vitamins in the meat / vegetables, as they can with minimally processed food.

Royal Canin is a poor quality food at a premium price as with a number of other kibbles sold through vet practices. The vet practice is subsidised by the company to promote their product to their clients. I would be concerned not so much by the dehydrated meat as the other ingredients it contains. Royal Canin is a subsidiary of Mars (the confectionery company) as with so many big name brands that started out as dog food companies and are now owned by big corporations that have nothing to do with dog welfare. There is an article on this link with more information:

https://www.doglistener.co.uk/dog-food- ... -and-burns\
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


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KellyDP
Puppy
Posts: 14
Joined: 04 Aug 2020, 19:39
First Name: Kelly
Dog #1: Walter
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 26 Aug 2020

Re: Moving to adult food...any recommendations?

Post by KellyDP »

Thank you for the advice which was really helpful. I had not realised that you could buy prepared raw food - I have done some research and have concluded that raw seems the best way to go! I have found a company called Cotswold who deliver frozen prepared raw food and have made an order....I am sure Walter will enjoy it far more than the kibble and on reflection it does seem a much better option health wise.
Oscar 12345
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Joined: 02 May 2017, 11:28
First Name: Julie
Dog #1: Oscar RIP Sweety
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 21 Dec 2002
Dog #2: Otto
is a: B/S Mini Dog
Born: 04 Jul 2017

Re: Moving to adult food...any recommendations?

Post by Oscar 12345 »

Kelly, I switched Otto to Cotswold Raw. It's a great product and Otto loved it.
Man cannot survive with wine alone...
we also need a schnauzer.
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