hi stormy

i agree with you i feed my dogs what makes them happy and look good hd no problems with any of the foods they have had, yes i do feed pro plan but thats because this is the one that has been best for all my dogs and i ave seen a change while on it. but do listen to what everyone says and its my choice to what i feed.

''contains natural moisture''

Em, ok.

It's all very well to point out the negatives with tinned food....the water content, the quality of the ingredients, the effect on your dogs insides.....BUT if its the only thing you've found that your dog can eat without it running through him like liquid then what the heck are you meant to do?????

I don't like feeding Logan tinned but he's been on 4 different kibbles now and after nearly a year of regular squits (and I mean 3 weeks out of 4 and in the 4th week it's still soft) I think I'd rather take my chances with the tinned and have him happy and putting on weight than miserable and lethargic when he has a particularly bad week.

I agree that is not a great postion to be in, with a big dog too!
Have you tried him on real foods with no preservatives/additives etc? Like rice and chicken for 2 weeks to see if he ever settles?

Would feeding solely rice and chicken give sufficient nutrients on a permanent basis?

I've just moved from Pedigree to James Wellbeloved because of sloppy poos. I add some raw mince to the kibble a couple of times a week too.

incidentally my last two dogs lived to 14 and 13 on Pedigree. And 13 years was a good age for her breed.

Probably not, that's why she said 'for 2 weeks'

The runny poos are probably beacuse you are feeding kibble and raw in the same meal ! and with them digesting at different rates, one is pushing the other through the system too quickly.

She was having runny poos with Pedigree I meant. Think i had better read up some more on feeding raw...

Would I be best to feed raw say once or twice a week, but on its own? Or best not to bother if I'm feeding her kibble most of the time? thanks

I do feed some tinned, however one of the tinned is chappie to my oldest two.
I have medical evidence in the form of blood test results that chappie has helped one of them.
One is hypothyroid that had high cholesterol levels even with being on medication. So I asked my vet was there anything that I could do (canines can't take statins that humans can to lower cholesterol) she said yes diet, and got some feed back from one of the vets in her practice (they have some specialisms in nutrition) and they came back with tinned chappie as the best food to feed her.
(Pleasant surprise not to be plugged with the normal food vets try)

So although I personally am not too pleased with the artificial colourants, preservatives etc etc etc, the medical results have to speak and in this case it has worked and reduced her cholesterol to normal levels for a canine (if we are being hyper picky I'm not sure if for her breed that these levels are normal as I don't think there has been widespread research into cholesterol levels of healthy dogs in all breeds to get a breed average).

Thanks Mal. But after thinking on the question, if I had to feed either chicken and rice or dog food forever, I would opt for the first choice. People that know me, and know how strongly I feel on the subject, would tell you that you could not pay me a wage to feed my dogs on dog food.

I have known a person feed a lhaso apso on cooked chicken breast for 17 years, and someone who feeds pasta and beef heart every day. The latter example is a vet
Any real food is a million times better (in my opinion) than the 'food' they put into most dog foods. But I do believe in variation too.

The chicken/rice scenario is something easy to stick to, and every new food should be given 2 weeks to properly trial.
When people become aware that 99.9999% of allergys come from diet related factors, it puts a new meaning onto feeding.
It's not just about the 'yuck' that goes in the food, it's about their health.

So.... who does feed canned if so many people are against it? Or am I just a bad, lazy owner? Sorry Jamie