Help confused by all the dog foods Dr Greens - how does that rate?

[JacksMum]

Hello everyone!

OK, this is the score, we had Jack from the RSPCA about a year ago. He was then on Trusty beef which I stuck with because it seemed to suit him and let's face it it was cheap. For a while now he's settled in I've been meaning to upgrade to a healthier food. We needed some this weekend but without warning the RSPCA don't sell Trusty anymore so I have been plunged into a decision urgently.

All I could get within one day was what the Vets recommended, James Wellbeloved Turkey Adult and Fish Adult. Now he loves fish and loves both these foods. Mind you he will eat almost anything! He's totally food mad and we struggle to keep his weight down. Aswell as dry I feed a carrot a day, a small bit of tomato, brocolli and cabbage, along with a tiny bit of cheese/egg. He's 25kg and a collie/gsd cross.

Yesterday I went to our local pet shop, pet and farm place, and they had a lovely looking food called Dr Greens - cheaper than JWB and the ingredients looked top notch. Came home to compare on here and it's not listed. Please could someone tell me if this is better than JWB? I saw the Eden Holistic and wonder whether to order that online too? But now he has 2 new types of food due to us running out.

Please help! Thanks! Woof!

[50 Sheep Pets]

Hi JacksMum,

Dr Greens seems to be an own brand dog food from GA and some of them are quite good but you don't mention which recipe you have been offered. Something you can always do is copy and paste the ingredients into the instant review generator to see a rough guide to what the score might be. As too any other recommendations there isn't any one food that suits all dogs so the best thing to do is try one that scores well on here and you can get easily within your budget, and if your dog does well on it stick to it.

[JacksMum]

Hi, what is GA? Dr Green's seems to be an own brand from the shop "pet and farm place" here in North Wales. I found one review for it saying it was good and also cheap.

Here is the one I fancied getting:

Dr Green grain free salmon

this is the one I've tried a sample of, the one above wasn't in stock:

dr green premium chicken and rice

I also tried a sample of this:

Dr green super premium salmon and potato

thanks for your help!

[50 Sheep Pets]

Hi, sorry GA is a large dog food manufacturing plant that sell a range of dog food for pet shops to own brand. Again pop the ingredients in the instant review generator and you will get a rough score. Some of the foods are better than others, try the Dr Greens and if your dog does well keep with it.

[Dottie]

GA Pet food Partners has a huge plant in Lancashire.  Anyone can go to them and have pet food made.  It is then packed into bags bearing their own name.  Some pet food suppliers sell the food as white label products.   

Some of the products on the website seem to be not very good at all so you do need to check the formulas carefully.  The grain free salmon and potato is here.  The Instant Review Generator gives a score of 2.9 out of 5 stars.

As your dog likes the James Wellbeloved and is doing well on it, my feeling is that it is best to stick with it.  Having two varieties is good too because you can give him a change without upsetting his digestion.  It is worthwhile keeping an eye on the Pets at Home website as they sometimes have offers on JWB.  The other thing is that they do a Light version so if your dog does get a bit overweight you could try some of that.  Years ago I used this type to diet one of my dogs and it worked well although it did take about six months to get her down to the right weight. 

[JacksMum]

thanks Dottie. I wouldn't say he was doing well on JWB, he's only been on it 2 days - so really I wanted to try him with "the best" while I've got the opportunity to, and I was disappointed by the score of JWB considering the price! Should I try Eden holistic do you think?

[Dottie]

Sorry - I somehow thought that JWB was suiting your dog.  As you say, the review and rating on here is not so good considering the price. 

I am a bit puzzled because the Dr Greens that you referenced is in a different category to Eden, the latter being  the better product but is more expensive.  Was there something about Eden that took your fancy?  I think that if you are keen to have the best type of food for your dog and the cost is not too big a factor then Eden would perhaps be the one to go for.  However, I would caution that you need to transition carefully from the James Wellbeloved so as not to upset your dog's digestive system.  You may find that the amount your dog needs will be smaller because it is a high quality food.  This is particularly important in view of the fact that you are struggling to keep his weight down.  When changing to a new food it is always useful to keep an eye on the dog's weight, maybe every couple of weeks.  Pets at Home and pet supplies stores usually have weighing scales, as (of course) does the veterinary surgeries.

If you do go with Eden, it would be best to telephone the company for advice.  It would also be useful only to buy the smallest bag just in case it doesn't suit him.  Have a glance at the thread here to see if there is anything in it that may be of use. 

[JacksMum]

Thanks Dottie - I will get a sample from Eden. I mentioned the JWB and the Dr Greens because those were the only "good looking" products I could buy locally this weekend when we ran out of his normal food and found that the RSPCA don't sell it anymore!

[Dottie]

Please let us know how you get on with the Eden.  One of their products is fished based and I am wondering if that one would be suitable for your dog to start with as you mentioned he liked the JWB fish variety.  Also, fish is easy to digest and may be better for the weight problem.  However, check with the staff when you telephone.