How to feed a dog? Some owners prefer feeding natural food, while others choose dry food.
Dry food is believed to be more balanced. It has all the necessary elements that are not so easy to find in ordinary (human) food. Let's talk about dry food for dogs “Stout”: can it be called a healthy and balanced diet.
Production
Food is produced in St. Petersburg. Gatchina feed mill has developed products for dogs and cats. The manufacturer positions the Stout food for dogs as a super-premium class. Note that the feed "Our Brand" is also from this plant. Let's find out if the Stout really matches the super-premium feed.
Composition
We turn to the composition of the products. What do we see?
- Meat or poultry meal.
- Rice, wheat, corn.
- Sunflower oil.
- Fish processing products.
- Sugar beet pulp.
- Brewer's yeast.
- Egg powder.
- Antioxidants.
- Mineral supplements.
- Vitamins
The main source of protein for the dog is meat. Super-premium food must contain at least 50% of this product. As part of the Stout feed, meat or poultry meal. Sounds weird. Meat, ground into flour, seems to be. But this is not so. The word “flour” means bones, skin, and other industrial waste. Sometimes feathers come across. They are ground and the basis of cheap animal feed is obtained. The economy class will pull. Super premium is a long way off.
Further we notice that the composition contains corn, wheat and rice. This is a source of carbohydrates that are not entirely beneficial for the dog. If rice can still be attributed to a healthy product, then corn is hardly.
The animal receives fats from sunflower oil.
Fish processing products. It’s not entirely clear what is the use of them. Fish is a non-allergenic product. It contains essential fatty acids for the dog’s body. But it is in normal fish. Processing products - skin and bones. Where can I get vitamins?
Sugar beet pulp is a product obtained by extracting sugar from beet. That is, beetroot leftovers. In small quantities, they are useful, but the pulp in the feed indicates that it serves as a cheap filler.
Opponents of beet pulp believe that it has a very negative effect on the health of the dog. Mythical rumors scare the owners of animals that the beloved pet's hair will turn red, he will get diabetes and get stomach problems.
It's a lie. Firstly, there is almost no sugar in beet pulp. Secondly, it is colorless and does not have coloring properties. And thirdly, the dog’s stomach spoils from malnutrition in general. Beetroot waste has nothing to do with it.
Brewer's yeast. Perhaps the only ingredient useful for the animal. Yeast improves the appearance of the coat and its strength.
Vitamins and minerals. The question is ripening: what? Not indicated.
Nothing is said about the antioxidant acting as a preservative either: what kind of beast such as it is called is not known to us.
The benefits of feed
Does Stout feed have any benefits? Of course.
- Affordable price.
- A wide range of feeds: for puppies, elderly dogs, active dogs, domestic dogs.
- Sold at any pet store, or online pet store.
- No colorants or flavor enhancers. Which is not addictive in a dog.
Cons of feed
What can be said about the shortcomings of the products of the Gatchina feed mill? There are more than advantages.
- Firstly, the composition. It completely lacks meat.
- Secondly, the availability of fish processing products. There is no benefit from them.
- The third point is the crops in the composition. Cheap sources of carbohydrates.
- Unidentified vitamins and minerals can be reckoned with the minuses safely.
Ruler and price category
As mentioned above, the Stout feed line is, according to reviews, quite diverse. These include:
- food for puppies of large, medium and small breeds;
- food for adult dogs of all breeds: with lamb and rice, beef and chicken, chicken and rice, chicken;
- food for elderly dogs;
- food for dogs with sensitive digestion.
The price of a feed bag weighing 3 kg is approximately 600 rubles. Big bags weighing 15 kg each cost from 2,500 rubles to 3,800 rubles.
What do the owners say
What are the Stout dog food reviews? Oddly enough, but he suits most of the hosts. Here are some examples:
- The dog was allergic to the previous food, hair fell out. Transferred to the Stout. The problems have disappeared.
- Pets like this food.
- Owners do not observe health problems.
- The price category is fine.
- The composition is good.
- They are fed only with this food, other brands are not recognized.
Despite such reviews about the “Stout” feed, we will not recommend it for feeding a pet. The composition is far from the best, although someone likes it in the reviews.
What vets say
There are no specific reviews by veterinarians about Stout feed. But there are opinions about feed economy class. This food is not very different in composition from those.
No veterinarian will recommend such feeds. All Aibolites know what is behind such a diet: problems with the stomach and intestines, problems with the kidneys and liver. The stomach of a dog, which during its life ate poor-quality food, looks terrible. Yellow and shriveled, it resembles a slice of dried apple.
Veterinary experts say that if it is not possible to purchase expensive holistic feed, then it is better to feed with natural food. And never mix “natural” and dry food. To process these two types of nutrition, completely different enzymes are needed.
Should I feed a dog?
Reviews about the dry feed “Stout” are contradictory. Owners like it, vets exclude from the recommendations for proper nutrition of dogs. Experienced dog handlers sigh heavily and say that it is poison. Like all cheap feed.
What conclusions can be drawn? Whether or not to feed the dog with economy-level feeds, its owner decides. From our side, we can say that it would be better not to do this.
General recommendations
We talked about the stout feed. And now, we suggest learning about how to properly transfer a dog to a new feed.
- To begin with, an animal should always have access to clean water. Especially if the pet eats dry food.
- If it was necessary to change the feed, then this is done gradually. Changing food overnight can lead to allergies in the pet.
- How to change feed? On the first day, 1/7 of the new feed is added to the previous feed. That is, they remove the seventh part of the old, replace it with a new one. On the second day, another seventh part is removed, replacing it with a new feed. And so for 7 days, until the dog completely switches to a new diet.
- If you notice an allergic reaction to a new feed, you will have to look for another one.
- Allergy is manifested in redness of the ears, tearing of the eyes. Red spots may appear on the skin. The dog begins to itch regularly. Hair loss may sometimes occur.
Summarize
The article clearly describes the composition of the stout feed. The main aspects:
- the composition does not match the declared super-premium class;
- the lack of a source of complete protein, too high a level of cheap carbohydrate products and unknown vitamins, coupled with minerals indicate that you should not feed them a pet;
- “Stout” feed has its own advantages: a rather extensive line, reasonable price and availability in pet stores, as well as in online stores;
- whether to feed the dog with this food or not, its owner decides;
- reviews of the owners are good;
- veterinarians and dog handlers are skeptical of economy-class feeds;
- this food is slightly better than the economy class, but it does not even reach the premium, not to mention the super-premium class.
Conclusion
That's all about the Stout feed. Readers now know what this product of the Gatchina feed mill represents. It is affordable, but the composition is poor. What is said above.
What feeds is better to feed a dog? Super premium and holistic. Even the premium is not as good as the manufacturers claim it. If there is no opportunity to buy expensive food, and the holistic is not cheap, it is better to feed with natural food and give a complex of vitamins.