advice needed re dog food

[HENRYSMUM]

Hi this is really aimed at uk members I am mum to eight week old pup Henry who is currently being fed on Beta puppy but having read previous threads I am not sure it is the best I could be feeding him I would appreciate any advice on suitable foods available in the UK as I really want to give him the best start that I can

 

[gmacleod]

You're right, Beta is really not a great food. That is some of the nastiest junk Purina makes - and they don't actually make anything that is high quality.

You would note that it has no meat in it at all - none. It just has 4% meat "derivatives". Derivatives is another term for "byproducts" which you can translate as stuff that's so low quality (including diseased) that it cannot be used for human consumption (not even hidden in minced meat or sausages). Just as a rough rules of thumb - if you see such vague terms as "cereals" or "derivatives" or "EEC permitted antioxidants/preservatives" anywhere on the labelling - do not buy it. It isn't just junk, it's likely harmful junk. Here's a short review of one the the Beta range: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1024&cat=all

Better options for you (that you'll find easily in the UK) would include Arden Grange, Burns or JamesWellbeloved. If you're prepared to buy online, you can get foods such as Canidae, Nature's Variety Prairie and Timberwolf Organics. Product information and reviews of their various offerings are all available at http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/index.php