Feeding

This subject is open to interpretation and your own personal views; we believe a lot depends on circumstances and the dog in general. There are several ways to feed your dogs available on the market today. Here are our views and experiences:

B.A.R.F.

This is relying on "old" methods - as in a raw meat diet. It's very popular with some and they swear by it to promote good health and conditioning. The better meat you can find, the better the diet. We tried BARF for around four months. In that time we found in our dogs:

1. Increased "prey drive" - i.e. on the fields, farm hunting more and trying to flush game more often.

2. An increased alertness. We actually found the dogs were a little "too keen" and around this time regularly had tussles with each other.

3. The time spent in preparing the food and sourcing good meat was around six hours per fortnight and very messy bagging the food up and storing. We found that a box freezer was the best for storage away from human food, etc.

4. Then of course, if you're feeding meat you need to balance out the diet with vitamins and minerals. This we felt is where the problem exists with BARF. Dog food manufacturers have spent years and millions working out the exact vitamin and dietary needs of a dog. So for the novice dog keeper to try to get the formula correct we feel is a "shot in the dark", so to speak. Over or under feeding vitamins and minerals can result in bone deformities and serious ill health, and it is best left to the experts.

5. The dogs "stools" were much less of a problem on BARF as they cleaned up much easier and were less than a dry diet.

6. Maybe two, three or four hundred years ago dogs ate meat and a much more simple diet with no vitamins, etc. This, I think, is the main reasoning behind BARF - "to get back to the proper diet of a dog/canine". But all those years ago most breeds simply did not exist. We feel that breeds, just like dietary requirements, have changed and evolved; and so just like any other animal a dog needs a balanced diet.

7. Some do add vegetables to the diet but again there's a right and wrong of what should be puréed, boiled or fed raw.

8. Bones - if you ask most vets will tell you to avoid with dogs, especially strong chewers like a bulldog, due to splinters and chocking.

Dry

1. This method is fed by 99% of large/experienced breeders we found after visits and research.

2. In the twelve years or so with Staffordshire Bull Terriers we fed dry only. Both my SBTs lived to a decent age, ten and twelve years, and were very healthy active dogs.

3. Dry is very easy to buy and store.

4. It has a balanced vitamin and mineral content, so no extra worry or expense.

5. Helps clean teeth and increase cheek/jaw muscles.

6. Dry does have bloat associated with it - no one can disagree with that. Each biscuit swells/bloats when water is added - twice as big as when dry. So some common sense is needed. Ways to avoid bloat seem to be:

a) Feed after exercise, not before it.

b) Do not feed too much as it will swell.

c) Watch for signs of bloat in young pups - difficulty breathing, swollen stomachs, cries.

d) Try to feed what's recommended on the packaging/bag according to weight.

7. Dry foods range from around £5 to £40 per 15Kg. We feel that a mid range food is best; the cheaper foods contain large amounts of cereal with isn't much benefit to a large breed dog.

8. The dog's waste "stools" tend to be more frequent and more of them. This needs to be cleared more often than BARF.

Also there is "half and half" - as in BARF and dry mixer biscuit, tinned food which is mainly 80% water and other packaged food available.

Protein Levels

We feed a higher protein feed, around 29%, for large breeds like bullmastiffs and such. Then as the dogs stopped growing at around 14 months we reduced the protein to around 24%.

Supplements

A healthy dog should not need any "miracle" cures or supplements. There is a large selection of supplements to choose from, and some of the best include:

SA43 - a multi vitamin and mineral supplement. Useful when the dog is recovering from illness, etc.

Glucosamine - a supplement great for older dogs or dogs with hip/joint problems.

Vitamin C - believed to be good for coat, temperament and overall condition in winter months.