# Lathams dog food?? Anyone used it



## MichelleKitti (Oct 8, 2010)

Ive recently fed my dog Science Plan when she was a pup, then changed onto James Wellbeloved and as much raw food as possible BUT then I food this Lathams Dog Food?

Does anyone know anything about this food? Is it any good?


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## Guest (Jun 8, 2011)

Ingredients are:
Composition,Rice (26%) , Lamb Meat Meal (26%) ,Peas ,Potato ,Chicken Fat , Linseed (2.5%) ,Digest , Sugar Beet Pulp (1.25%) , Seaweed (1.25%) ,Tomato ,Carrot , Alfalfa (0.25%) , Chicory (0.1%) , Yucca Shidigera Extract (0.1%) ,Calcium Carbonate , Glucosamine (0.03%) ,TempText9. ,Additives ,Nutritional Addtives/Kg ,Vitamin A 17 ,000IU ,Vitamin D3 1 ,500IU ,Vitamin E 145mg ,Calcium Iodate Anhydrous 4mg ,Sodium Selenite 2mg ,Copper Sulphate Pentahydrate 32mg ,Ferrous Sulphate Monohydrate 200mg ,Manganese Oxide 81mg ,Zinc Oxide 135mg. ,Technological Additives ,Antioxidant ,Tocopherol Extracts of Natural Origin 375mg/Kg.

So it's not awful but it's not great. Looks about the same as JWB. Personally I wouldn't feed it. You're certainly much better feeding raw (so long as it's balanced)


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## MichelleKitti (Oct 8, 2010)

I try and feed her as much raw food as possible but to be honest shes not taken to it that well.... Also I am a veggie and it goes against my morals. Is RAW really the only diet that is good for breeds like my dog?


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

MichelleKitti said:


> I try and feed her as much raw food as possible but to be honest shes not taken to it that well.... Also I am a veggie and it goes against my morals. Is RAW really the only diet that is good for breeds like my dog?


I'm veggie too, I fed raw for a long time and still give my dogs a lot of raw. TBH, it goes against my morals too, but my dogs don't have my morals so I won't force them on them.

There are plenty of good foods around if your dog doesn't like raw.


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## Guest (Jun 9, 2011)

MichelleKitti said:


> I try and feed her as much raw food as possible but to be honest shes not taken to it that well.... Also I am a veggie and it goes against my morals. Is RAW really the only diet that is good for breeds like my dog?


Not at all, there are PLENTY of good foods and raw itself can still be controversial.


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## MichelleKitti (Oct 8, 2010)

Thanks for your replies.... 

I know my morals shouldnt be forced onto an innocent animal such as my dog - BUT I am simply asking is RAW the only diet that is best for a dog.... I am sure there are people who believe that a VEGAN diet is best for dogs. What I am wondering is though what the majority of people think, what suitable dog food is out there that I could buy for my dog? I also will feed her RAW as much as I can she seems to like Chicken thighs but not chicken drumsticks, she will also eat mince and fish.


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## Nicky10 (Jan 11, 2010)

The best food has meat as the first ingredient and few grains or additives. No dog should be fed a vegan diet unless it has medical issues that require it. They're carnivores or at the very least omnivores therefore they need meat. You may feel that eating meat is wrong fair enough but sourcing the meat you give him from the most ethical sources maybe ask around some hunters? I know you may feel hunting is wrong but the animals have a healthy natural life

Do you feed wet or dry? Naturesdiet is one of the best foods, wainwrights, fish4dogs, barking heads


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## MichelleKitti (Oct 8, 2010)

Where an animal is concerned I dont feel it is wrong to feed them meat as that is what they need... I dont personally think a VEGAN diet would be good for a dog - but I maybe wrong..... My reasons really are to find out what foods I could feed as well as RAW as my dog isnt taking to it very well and I dont want to buy too much meat due to my morals BUT I will feed it to my dog if its the best diet she can have.

I shall take a look at these dry foods... My dog is currently on JWB dry food twice a day and wet food once a day - I also give her a couple of chicken thighs or mince inbetween the day or RAW bones.


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## Nicky10 (Jan 11, 2010)

I think raw is the best diet my dog is doing brilliantly on it as do most dogs owned by raw feeders and I try to source the meat as ethically as possible I would never willingly buy anything from a battery farm for example. If I was feeding commercial I would feed naturesdiet but I'm not sure if they do a dry food but wainwrights does it's a very good food as well


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## Rescue dogs are best (Jul 29, 2011)

I've not used Lathams however having viewed the product I would say its middle of the range and good for dogs that don't have any special requirements. 

As for the other comments, as with most things its what's ever is best for that individual animal. If your dog is not fussed on a raw diet, it may be best to consider alternatives as it is difficult to get the right balance. However, it is unlikely that a meat free diet would be appropriate, you may wish to seek your vets advice. Also, you can ring many of the big brands for nutrional advice, especially Burns. 

There are many, many complete foods you can try and it may take some time to find the right one. Foods should not be too high in fat/meat or protein, especially of you have a dog with any behavioural or digestive problems. It should be remembered that a dog should be tried on a food for at least three months to see how they adapt to it (unless there are any serious concerns that is).

In the past I've used everything from Wagg, JWB, Wainrights, Science Plan and Royal Canin. Currently I have a Beligan Shepherd who has behavioural issues and is a fussy eater - she's on Science Plan with a spoonful of tinned meat or tinned tuna or left over meat and is doing exceptionally well, she has put on a good amount of weight and appears calmer than when she was on Burns. I also have a 9 year old Doberman who is on senior JWB, this is suiting him fine and he has a stunning coat on it!!! 

I would suggest you might want to research your dog's breed as this may indicate which food is best (for instance, Dobermans shouldn't have a high fat diet as they are prone to heart disease and Beligian Shephards find it hard to digest potatoes and peas!!!).

If you go to pets at home they also have trained food nutritionalists in store to give help and advice. Hope this helps.


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## Jasper's Bloke (Oct 30, 2009)

MichelleKitti said:


> Also I am a veggie and it goes against my morals. Is RAW really the only diet that is good for breeds like my dog?


If you object to eating meat yourself on moral grounds then a raw diet is potentially the most ethical diet you can possibly feed. If you are able to source locally produced organic meats then you will be giving your dog what it needs safe in the knowledge that the meat has been farmed as ethically as possible. If you feed a commercial diet you can be pretty certain that this is not the case.

As for a vegan diet, forget it, dogs are biologically carnivores that have become omnivores only through domestication. A dog can live healthily and indeed thrive on a meat only diet, but would soon develop problems if the meat was removed.


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## aldobaggins (Aug 20, 2011)

I bought a bag of LAthams puppy as it looked like a good price for the ingredients eg proportion of meat etc. Dog won't touch it, even smothered in wet food or soaked and mixed with wet food. Am now accumulating various piles of dry food the pup doesn't like and wondering where to dispose of it?


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

aldobaggins said:


> I bought a bag of LAthams puppy as it looked like a good price for the ingredients eg proportion of meat etc. Dog won't touch it, even smothered in wet food or soaked and mixed with wet food. Am now accumulating various piles of dry food the pup doesn't like and wondering where to dispose of it?


I'd give it to my local rescue, they're always in need of food.


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

aldobaggins said:


> I bought a bag of LAthams puppy as it looked like a good price for the ingredients eg proportion of meat etc. Dog won't touch it, even smothered in wet food or soaked and mixed with wet food. Am now accumulating various piles of dry food the pup doesn't like and wondering where to dispose of it?


It may be worth going to your local Pets at Home and try some of their foods purely from a financial point of view. They have a returns policy and credit/refund even if the bag has been opened and food used. They send them to local rescue centres but you arent out of pocket.


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## Goblin (Jun 21, 2011)

> I try and feed her as much raw food as possible but to be honest shes not taken to it that well


Can you be a bit more specific as to what you feel the problem is?

I know a number of vegetarians who feed raw, realizing that a dog is a carnivore and full credit to them. I love eating meat but sometimes handling it raw isn't pleasant for me. I will say Alicia Silverstone feeds her dog vegetarian food BUT it requires supplements. I think a lot depends on the moral reasoning behind being a vegetarian yourself as to if that should be acceptable. To me a good/the right diet shouldn't need supplements.

There are good foods out there. Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost may be of interest to you. If you read the reviews it will also give you some ideas on how to read the ingredient list labels. Ignore any message on a packet which states "Veterinary Approved" or "100% complete". It's simply marketing. Concentrate on the ingredients.


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## baillieswells (Dec 27, 2008)

Dogs are carnivors and need meat, though not totally like a cat which is an obligate carnivor.

Not to feed a dog some meat is cruel. Dogs need most of their daily calories from fat. They don't use much carbohydrate, and certainly should not be fed corn (maize)


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