You'd Be Barking To Buy Bakers (Bakers Complete)

Member Name: NikkiH

Product:	Bakers Complete
Date:	27/01/08 (259 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap

Disadvantages: High in additives, sugar and colourings

Our puppy has just turned 6 months old, and when we first brought her home from the breeder, we were advised to leave her own Pedigree Chum Puppy Complete, as this is what she had been eating whilst with the rest of the litter. We did this until about 8 weeks ago when we noticed that there were many other brands which promised the same results as Pedigree but for considerably less money. We chose Bakers Complete by Purina for puppies/junior dogs up to 24 months old, mainly because it was more affordable but also because it was a brand name that we were aware of. There was only 1 flavour available in the 1kg box (cereal box size), and that was Beef and Vegetable, which cost £2.40 or 2 boxes for £4 at our local pet supply store.

The packaging does stand out from the competition. It is a vibrant blue box with a cute looking dog on the front, and a picture of the food which looks very inviting. On opening the box, I was pleased to see that the food was in small bite sized pellets which Bakers call kibbles of varying colours. The colours represent various food groups:

Yellow - Carbs for energy
Brown (Heart) - Iron supplement for healthy blood and breath
Brown (Meaty) - Protein and Fibre
Green - Vitamins and Minerals
Neutral colour Bone - calcium for strong bones and healthy teeth

Judging whether or not Amber likes one specific food more than another is difficult because she is still at the stage where she gulps her food down with a barely a chew. She was no different when we put her bowl of Bakers in front of her, and it was devoured in record time. The affect on her was almost immediate, and within 30 - 40 minutes our gorgeous dog turned into a foul smelling fart machine! The stench was vile, and taking her out on her walk showed that the waste product was not pleasant either. This food had really upset Amber's stomach, and with such speed I decided to do some research, and my findings were not good reading. It is so full of additives, high in sugar and artificial colourings I was surprised she was not bouncing off the walls! I am really disappointed in myself to be honest. I always check food labels and ingredients on the food I buy for the house, but it never entered my head to do the same with our pet's food. I naively trusted a brand with no evidence to back up that trust. Even the information on the box is not clear. The colours representing the food groups are nothing more than a potentially harmful gimmick. My dog, and I am sure most others do not care what colour their food is, but us humans are so used to basing our decisions on cosmetic presentation that the suppliers exploit that wherever and whenever they can. This food is the equivalent of junk food for dogs, and the colouring in the yellow pellets has been linked to cancer in dogs. Also looking closer, there was a small white notice saying this should not be fed to livestock....need I say anymore? It is good enough for the pooches but not good enough to come into the food chain!

I did not give her anymore, and visited my local store where I purchased the very expensive Eukanuba food, but it was the only one I was confident with the ingredients. It took about 3 days for Amber's stomach to settle after just 120g of this food. My advice would be to pay as much as you can afford for a food which caters to the needs of your dog, rather than the one that catches your eye. I have already written to Nestle and asked them to consider making the descriptions of ingredients more transparent and easier to understand, if you want to do the same, the address is:

Nestle Purina Petcare (UK) Ltd
PO Box 297
New Malden
KT3 4WL
ENGLAND

Summary: Steer clear and buy the best you can afford