As a pet food retailer, I hear peoples opinions on products frequently and am also asked my opinions and recommendations in return. The verdict on Chappie dog food seems split. There are the people who think it's cheap and nasty and there are people who swear by it and have had their vet recommend it for a sensitive tum. There are also surprising number of people going from camp 1 to camp 2 (not to mention back again!)

My personal opinion of Chappie is that it isn't one I'd be first to recommend. Looking on the packet, you'll see that meat isn't the first or even second ingredient when listed by content. Even then it isn't listed as just meat. It's animal derivatives - scrapings from the factory floor no doubt! A minimum of 4% meat is promised which, in my opinion, isn't enough for an omnivorous anial such as a dog. After trying Chappie briefly my dogs went onto James Wellbeloved fish & rice which is a minimum of 26% fish. Spot the difference!

Chappie is recommended by some vets for sensitive tums. Sams are well known to have a delicate digestion which is why I tried it. It seemed to be very palateable and it went straight away but what came out the otherend was quite sloppy and lumpy and not at all pleasant to pick up. The volume of poop also seemed to have increased 3 fold. Yuk! Looking back, the packaging does mention added preservatives and other added gubbins. Comparing again with the JWB which is hypoallergenic ith no added colours, flavours and preservatives, it seems these may be the culprits for the upset tums. I just don't want to feed my dog added extras when they could be having good food with trusted ingredients.

I'm aware part of the charm of Chappie is its price tag. At around £13 for a 15kg sack (many times with 3kg extra free) its easy on the wallet and if your vet recomends it too that just about seals the deal. However, I think the extra price of a premium dry doet is worth it. Personally, I could see the difference in my dogs almost immediately. However, I know everybody can't afford to feed a more premium diet and they shouldn't be looked down on for this reason only. If it works for your dog thats great. Mine just didn't get on with it and I've explained why I think this was. My opinion is that if you can afford better food your dogs will be better for it!