Dog food without the c**p! (Burns Real Food for Dogs)

Member Name: LittleEwok

Product:	Burns Real Food for Dogs
Date:	07/01/05 (8000 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Natural and healthy, none of the crap, Not massively more expensive than other science diets

Disadvantages: Hard to get hold of...try the website

If you knew what goes into your pets Pedigree Chum, you probably wouldn’t feed them it. All sorts of waste go in, plus a good deal of water and salt (water adds weight and salt is appealing to the dogs, but has the same health risks as it does for us), plus the parts of animals that we aren’t allowed to eat. In America the situation is worse, I’m not sure if it’s the case here or not, but in America actual dogs and cats go INTO dog and cat food!

Commercial dog food has been linked to a lot of problems. Shortened lifespans, heart problems and diabetes, as well as behavioural problems, have been documented as becoming more common in dogs with the rise of most commercial foods. For years a vet called John Burns recommended to his clients that dogs be fed not on commercial food, but on a diet of brown rice, vegetables, and fish, meat and chicken suitable for human consumption Clients who followed this regime found a lot of health improvements in their pet dogs, and thus Burns dog food was born.

The food is based on the assumption that nutrition information regarding dogs states too high a protein level, which is very detrimental to them, as are the additives and rubbish put into a lot of commercial foods these days. The home preparation of these sorts of foods for a dog is a real burden, and so Burns has become a choice for the pet owner concerned about what s/he is feeding her pet.

Whats in it…

The main ingredient in all of Burns dog and cat foods is brown rice, one or more animal meats (of human standard, and no battery chickens are used), meat or fish oil, sunflower oil, peas, oats, seaweed, vitamins and minerals, depending on which flavour you feed you dog. Neither dog nor cat food contains GMOs, artificial flavourings or preservatives, wheat or soya. The cat foods are similar but have higher protein contents suited to their higher protein needs.

Why this is better for your dog…

Everything from manure to paper to salt gets put in a lot these dog foods like Pedigree Chum these days. Premium foods like Iams are better, but a visit to www.iamscruelty.com should convince you not to take this route, and also, even more expensive brands like this contain a lot of crap that dogs don’t need. Here is a list of the stuff found in Iams Dog Rich in Lamb and Rice-

Lamb meal(>14%), rice(>14%), maize, sorghum, barley, wheat, animal fat, poultry meal, fish meal, dried beet pulp, chicken digest, dried whole egg, potassium chloride, brewer's dried yeast, sodium chloride, sodium hexametaphosphate, DL­methionine.

While it contains less rubbish than a cheaper food, it still has a lot of salt, and two rather worrying looking ingredients at the end (I never trust an ingredient I cant pronounce, whether for me or my pets).


Dogs will be just as badly affected from bad food as us. I find it remarkable how some pet owners fuss over their dogs so much, buying them ridiculously expensive beds and leather collars, and even clothes in the case of some US nutters, yet they are reluctant to spend the extra cash that could quite easily keep their dog alive and healthy for another few years (bad nutrition can shorten their lives dramatically). I used to feed my dogs off the human meat and brown rice diet until I found this stuff, and my dogs (of which I’ve had quite a few), have all reached at least quite old ages, for purebreds. Some sources say mainstream foods can take two or three years off their lives.

The taste test

If you dog is used to another brand of food, it may take some time for it to get used to this stuff. Mine were used to this sort of diet already as they'd been feed on a brown rice, meat and veg diet since I've owned them, and wolfed it down, I certainly had no complaints with them. I’ve heard other dogs take longer to adjust, but all of them eventually seemed to love the food being offered to them. I started out by giving their their normal food and a small amount of the new food, and then slowly upping the amount of the new food until they were living solely off it. I admit it is harder to get cats to try a dry diet, they like their food meaty, but if your pet has problems starting out with it, try mixing a bit of meat in with it, their health will thank you for it in the long run.

The cost test

The great thing is this stuff doesn’t work out more expensive than other premium dog food brands. A kg of Eukanuba adult dog food costs £3.49. 1kg of Burns dog food works out about £3.08. If you are already feeding your dog on one of the pricier types of diet (and if you care for your pooch’s health, you will be), then switching over to this won’t make a big hole in your pocket

The different varieties, prices and sizes

Burns Dog food comes in chicken and brown rice (£6.15 for 2kg), lamb and brown rice (£6.15 for 2kg), venison and brown rice (£6.85 for 2kg), and fish and brown rice flavours (£6.15 for 2kg), plus organic (£7.90 for 2kg, fish-based and with 95% organic ingredients), high oats for overweight or diabetic dogs (£6.15 for 2kg), for active working dogs (available only in 15kg for £27.95), mini-bites for puppies and toy dogs (£6.15 for 2kg), and canine extra, for growing large dogs and nursing bitches (£6.15 for 2kg). Most of the dog food comes in 2kg, 7.5kg and 15kg, with a 750 gram bag for Mini-bites.

Sadly there is much less variety in the cat food, with ocean fish and brown rice (£7.90 for 2kg) and chicken flavours (£6.75 for 2.5kg) with no kitten or senior food available. I feel it would be a good idea to offer at least kitten food also.

There are also several kinds of Burns treats which all went down exceptionally well with my extended family (most of whom have four legs instead of two). Ocean bites fish treats were loved by my two cats, but the dogs weren’t so keen on them, however they relished the Kelties biscuit treats. Cracklings are made from 100& pork rinds with nothing added, and Chewitz are made from 100% beef and additive free.

Why I think its worth it

The scare stories about commercial dog foods and what is in them is getting worse and worse these days, too bad to ignore. Before you bought a dog I’m sure you were forewarned about the price of feeding, keeping, and vets bills for them. Spending that much more on a diet that could reduce their risk of heart problems, behaviour problems and diabetes should be worth it if you love your pet. Another issue is the ethics of most dog foods. You may well have heard what Iams do to pet animals for research purposes, and more other commercial dog foods are guilty of atrocities equally as bad (if nothing worse, being involved in factory farming and poisoning your pet). Burns I feel, is both a more ethical choice, and a better one for your pet. We feed our dogs, cats and our ferrets on it, and wouldn’t consider feeding them anything else after switching to this stuff. It has all the benefits of a natural food diet for dogs, with none of the hassle of having to cook it.

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