Barking heads dog food, opinions please

Does anybody use this for their dog?
What do you think of the ingredients?

Ingredients:

Ingredients:
Fresh British Chicken (min 26%), White Rice (min 26%), Dried Chicken (min 26%), Ground Oats, Chicken Fat, Whole Linseed, Sunflower Oil, Salmon Oil, Rapeseed Ol, Minerals, Dried Carrot, Dried Tomato, Natural Seaweed, Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM, Vitamins.

Typical Analysis:
Protein 24%, Fat 17%, Fibre 3%, Ash 7%, Moisture 8%

Vit A 13,500 iu/kg, Vit D3 1,200 iu/kg, Vit E (tocopherols) 400 iu/kg

Copper (copper sulphate) 12mg/kg

Omega 6 (linoleic acid) 3.6%

Omega 3 (linolenic acid) 1.0%

Preserved naturally with natural antioxidants (mixed tocopherols)

and fish one

Ingredients:

Fresh Scottish Salmon (min 26%), Potato (min 26%), Ground Oats, Dried Salmon, (min 15%), Potato Starch, Rapeseed Oil, Salmon Oil, Minerals, Dried Tomato, Natural Seaweed, Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM, Vitamins.
Typical Analysis:

Protein 22%, Fat 16%, Fibre 3%, Ash 7%, Moisture 8%,

Vit A 13,500 iu/kg, Vit D3 1,200 iu/kg, Vit E (tocopherols) 400 iu/kg

Copper (copper sulphate) 12mg/kg

Omega 6 (linoleic acid) 4.5%

Omega 3 (linolenic acid) 1.0%

Its very very good, however I personally rate Arden Grange more highly

there on arden grange now, lamb one at the minute

Have you thought about the F4D? I don't like the idea of 17% fat in that food, especially as it's saturated fat, and gsd's are reknown for sensitive digestions, plus of course the pancreatic problems? If I was going to give that amount of fat, I'd much rather it be of the Omega 3 variety i.e. the one that's good for you. Here's their breakdown:

Ingredients
Fresh Fish 30.5%, Potato30.5%, Herring Meal 21.4%, Salmon Oil 7.6%, Beet Fibre 6.4%, Brewers Yeast 2.1%, Minerals 0.8%, Vitamins 0.7%

Nutritional Analysis
Protein 26%, Oil 12%, Ash 9%, Fibre 2.5%, Vitamin A 15,000 iu/kg, Vitamin D3 1,500 iu/kg, Vitamin E 125 iu/kg, Copper 18 mg/kg

Calorific value 338 Kcal/100gm

Plus a full complement of over 30 vitamins and trace minerals needed for a daily, healthy diet for dogs


that's the white fish one, but they do the salmon one too and the sardine of course. My dogs are doing fantastic on it, plus they love it!

I was thinking the higher fat would be a good thing as duke is quite skinny and doesn't eat much, so he would maintain his weight without having to eat a great deal if that makes sense1
I did send off for some samples of the f4d, but bit worried about the fact that people say it keeps the weight off them, also samples were very small so didn't get an idea if he would continue to eat it or if was just because it was something different to his normal food.
Do you know how much f4d reccommend for a 40kg dog?
thanks

I will look on my new bag for you tomorrow (it's out in the garage atm!). I don't even look at those guidances, I just like to see it in their bowl and judge from there. I would agree that it's not a great food if you want to keep some weight on a dog, but then I don't want to with my two for obvious reasons (one being old and on steroids, big porky boy, old bones to carry all the extra weight, and Zena being young, and the vet saying he never wanted to see her over 38 kgs which she is and has been for a whole year now).

What I can tell you is, Zena gets half a scoop (about one small cupful) 3 times a day with some mince mixed in (I fry the mince and then wash it under the hot tap to wash all the last bit of fat out of it!) and to have a dog that has kept the exact same weight for a whole year being fed that way is quite a miracle in itself I think, especially as she has been growing for the past year as well. The reason I like their food is the goodness factor, it's pure fish (fish is the easiest to digest) potato, omega 3's in abundance, NO saturated fats which I like, plus the vits and minerals. I've had a previous gsd with terrible guts, one with digestive orders so bad that she ended up with EPI, two with terrible skin disorders, and I can honestly say, hand on heart, since feeding this food for the past year I haven't had one poo from either of them that hasn't been perfect (of the roly poly kind! lol) and that's got to be a good thing.

It has had no detrimental effect on Zena that I mix the mince in with it, I do like her to have a bit of meat and that's why I do it, it's wrong I know,but all the time things stay like this I'm more than happy. If she's looking a bit skinny, then I throw in another meal at 9pm if she seems hungry, which she has of late, but it's only a large handful of the F4D that she gets then.

I'm actually opposite to you then Kirsty, I don't want a food that will put weight on, so maybe this one isn't for you, although of course, you could try adding some raw tripe to it perhaps, that's good for putting on weight?

Mine are on F4D - Just looked at the pack (I have the working dog Fish)

Says for Large dogs (35-100kg) the suggested amount is 350 - 725g

I'm afraid I don't measure....

Siren (18kg BC) has 3/4 of the bottom of a standard Silver bowl twice a day

Zeff (9mt old X - weighing about 27/8kg) has 1/3 - 1/2 of on of those bowls (twice day)

Siren puts weight on if I am not careful.

I have a friend who feeds the Barking heads (was to stop one of her bitches itching) she is very pleased with it.

I suppose i just want him to enjoy his food, but not sure he ever will. If he enjoyed the f4d and just maintained his weight then i would be happy, i can only give it a try and see. The igredients look great and never having to pick up a sloppy poo again would be great lol!! he looves the fish 4 dogs treats too

thanks for that.
hmm im abit stuck now as to which one to try or to just keep him on the arden grange ( hes fine on this but just doesn't seem to enjoy it, he only eats when hes really hungry)

Zeff can be a bit like that....although he is getting better at eating - I had to play 'flick the kibble' for a while to get him into it!