Loungefly Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 (edited) Hi all, Hoping to get some feedback re Coprice dog food vs Great Barko and Uncle Albers. We've got a 10 month old Lab/Kelpie cross and we've been looking to switch dry foods for a while. She's been on Supercoat Puppy and Supercoat Sensitive. Her coat hasn't been doing that great (some itching as well) and we thought we'd try something new. After reading around these forums I had noticed heaps of people raving about Great Barko and Uncle Albers. I thought it would be worth a try so I emailed Laucke Mills and they sent me some sample bags of both GB and UA. Obviously with samples bags it's not enough to see how she does on it in terms of coat etc, but as far as taste goes she absolutley loves the stuff. I put a bit of each in two bowls and she scarfed down both and spent the next 10 minutes sniffing around for more . Soooo, I thought I'd just go ahead and buy a 22kg bag of one or the other. I called the nearest place (hardware/feed store) that sells it only to find out they don't stock it any more. The guy said that they sell quite a bit of Coprice Family Dog and Working Dog. He reckons it's the best. He mentioned going to some vet conference and how a bunch of vets were sitting around a table talking about foods and that the general consensus was that Coprice was the best dry dog food available these days. For all I know he could have been just making it up to get a sale, although he seemed genuine . I have heard a few good things about Coprice, but I've noticed more praise aimed at GB and UA on these forums. I looked on the Coprice website and it looks as though cereals are the main ingredient. I had always thought that wasn't supposed to be a good thing? Anyhoo, I've found a place in Canberra that sells GB and UA and I'll be heading up that way in a couple weeks so getting my hands on it isn't a problem. What this guy was telling me about Coprice thought got me thinking. Anyone here have any experiences feeding their dogs both Coprice and GB or UA? Edited July 13, 2010 by Loungefly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ark Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 I used Coprice for a while with no problems, but then again my dogs don't seem to have any major health issues. I decided to go with Uncle Albers/Great Barko instead due to the fact that it seems more meat-based whereas Coprice has quite a high grain %. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 He mentioned going to some vet conference and how a bunch of vets were sitting around a table talking about foods and that the general consensus was that Coprice was the best dry dog food available these days. How many vets do you know that sell it? I can't name one. No rice based food is going to be optimal for a carnivore, no matter what you add to it. Only trial and error will tell you what your dog does best on but the general consensus is that there are way better products than Supercoat out there. You can also supplement a kibble diet with raw meaty bones and some decent EFA oil to improve the diet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rysup Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 I feed both Coprice (Family) and Great Barko. I alternate between the two, just depending on where I buy my food that week. The local Petbarn doesnt sell Great Barko, but if I am out near my mums place, her local does. I find them both great. The dogs like both, though I find a slight preference towards the Barko. If your dog needs to add weight, I would lean towards the Barko. If they need to loose or maintain weight, then Id lean towards the Coprice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rysup Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 Vets only sell Hills? So what is your point? No vet is going to stock a food that comes in 22kg bags when space is normally at a premium. They stock premium, vet only lines last time I checked. Just because a vet doesnt stock something does not mean they dont like it or vice versa. He mentioned going to some vet conference and how a bunch of vets were sitting around a table talking about foods and that the general consensus was that Coprice was the best dry dog food available these days. How many vets do you know that sell it? I can't name one. No rice based food is going to be optimal for a carnivore, no matter what you add to it. Only trial and error will tell you what your dog does best on but the general consensus is that there are way better products than Supercoat out there. You can also supplement a kibble diet with raw meaty bones and some decent EFA oil to improve the diet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spencers_Mum Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 Hi Loungfly I use GB for my almost 10 month old viz as I find the higher protein/fat content keeps him in better condition than anything else. I did have him on supercoast for awhile but because of the 'itchs' I changed. I find he likes it alot better and his stools are always firm - I also supplement some meals with chicken wings/necks/carcasses and lamb flaps. P.S Horsewear House in Mitchell has UA and GB for $33 a bag. Always in stock Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 Wow - I just emailed Laucke Mills enquiring about the product (GB and UA) being available in WA. Less than 5 minutes later they came back with this........ Currently Jandakot Stock & Pet Supplies at COCKBURN CENTRAL are stocking the dog foods and we are confident that Allstock and some other stores will take on our feeds from early next month. If nothing else I am very impressed with their customer service Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 Rysup: Vets only sell Hills? So what is your point? No vet is going to stock a food that comes in 22kg bags when space is normally at a premium. They stock premium, vet only lines last time I checked. Just because a vet doesnt stock something does not mean they dont like it or vice versa. My point was if vets think Coprice is such good stuff, why wouldn't they be selling it to clients? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ark Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 Wow - I just emailed Laucke Mills enquiring about the product (GB and UA) being available in WA. Less than 5 minutes later they came back with this........Currently Jandakot Stock & Pet Supplies at COCKBURN CENTRAL are stocking the dog foods and we are confident that Allstock and some other stores will take on our feeds from early next month. If nothing else I am very impressed with their customer service Their customer service is excellent. I emailed them the other day asking them to confirm that their products contained NO meat or by-products from horses (something that's important to me) and had an emailed confirmation within half an hour - stating that they do not contain any horse meat or by-products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loungefly Posted July 13, 2010 Author Share Posted July 13, 2010 (edited) Thanks for the feedback everyone. You've all pretty much confirmed what I had been thinking. Never hurts to get a few extra opinions . Looks like I'll go with UA and GB for the time being and see how that goes. Hi LoungflyI use GB for my almost 10 month old viz as I find the higher protein/fat content keeps him in better condition than anything else. I did have him on supercoast for awhile but because of the 'itchs' I changed. I find he likes it alot better and his stools are always firm - I also supplement some meals with chicken wings/necks/carcasses and lamb flaps. P.S Horsewear House in Mitchell has UA and GB for $33 a bag. Always in stock Funny you should say that. I just got called them a few minutes ago to ask about it. Also found that Queanbeyan Rural Supplies (which is a bit closer to where I'm going) has it as well, $30 a bag. Not too shabby. Ditto to Laucke Mills having excellent customer service. I emailed them last Thursday afternoon asking if there was anywhere that sold smaller bags so I could try it out before buying a 22kg bag. I wasn't necessarily after any free samples. I would have been happy to pay for a smaller amount to try it out. Within a couple hours they emailed me back to say they sent me out some free samples, 2packs of GB and 2 packs of UA. They got here this morning. Very impressed Edited July 13, 2010 by Loungefly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiveplusone Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 I changed my GSP to Uncle Albers and almost straight away his breath was better (in fact he doesn't have "dogs breath" at all. My kids morning breath is worse than his!) and his stools firmer making pick up easier. His coat is glossy and feels like velvet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moko81 Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 (edited) A few mths back we tried Coprice Family Dog & UA. The condition of our dogs coats on Coprice was not good & the stool of our dogs on UA came out very runny. I did change them ever so slightly but they couldn't stomach the UA, hubby was put off by the appearance of the UA/GB didn't bother me, but did notice that they tend to crumble alot more then other biscuits & there seemed to be alot of excess in the bottom of the dry food bucket. Since the Coprice, UA/GB we've now got our dogs on Bonnie Working Dog. They absolutely love it & are now looking very nice & chunky. We don't feed them solely dry they have semi lean mince also. I was mixing it together but have read that's a no no. So now they have raw in the morning & dry at night, also with yoghurt & sardines. googled UA to double chek which 1 we used, Edited July 13, 2010 by moko81 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsKatie Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 Ours are on Coprice Working Dog - along with a raw diet as part of their daily feeding - they both seem to be doing really well on this - we got onto Coprice after buying our bloodhound as this was what the breeder was using - both the 9 month old bloodhound and the 2 year old kelpie seem to do well on it - I have heard good things about the UA / GB but PEtstock have the Coprice so it is more convenient Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitKat Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 (edited) I tried Coprice Working Dog, unfortunately my GSD's wouldn't eat it and they aren't usually that fussy - but they scarf down UA/GB. Edited July 13, 2010 by KitKat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 He reckons it's the best. He mentioned going to some vet conference and how a bunch of vets were sitting around a table talking about foods and that the general consensus was that Coprice was the best dry dog food available these days. What a load. Vets dont only sell hills there are many that also sell RC, Eagle Pack, Advance and Eukanuba. Since they are not a pet supplies store they wont clog the waiting room with shelving. Coprice dog food Natural cereal grains (can include wheat, sorghum), chicken and chicken by-product wheat bran, beef tallow, salt, vitamins A, D3, E, K, B1 (thiamin), B2 (Riboflavin), B6, B12, biotin, pantothenate, folic acid, niacin, choline, trace minerals (Cobalt, copper, iodine, iron, managanese, selenium, zinc), mixed tocopherols (vitamin E), citric acid, kelp, garlic, and yucca schidigera extract. For 2 of my dogs I would have to feed them over 5 cups a day each. Great Barko Great Barko is formulated from a selection of the following ingredients. Cooked meat or meat by-products derived from beef, lamb, chicken, pork, cooked fish or fish by-products, fat, cooked cereals, wheaten bran. Canola and soy products derived from them. Lysine, methionine, antioxidant, bentonite, vitamins and minerals. Vitamins: A, D3, E, K, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B6 (pyridoxine), B12, niacin, pantothenate, folic acid and biotin. Minerals: Calcium, phosphorus, sodium, chloride, cobalt, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, selenium and zinc. Uncle Albers INGREDIENTS Uncle Alber's is formulated from a selection of the following ingredients. Cooked meat or meat by-products derived from beef, lamb, poultry or pork. Cooked fish or fish by-products. Fat, cooked cereals and wheaten bran. Products derived from canola and soyabeans. Lysine, methionine, antioxidant, bentonite, vitamins and minerals. Vitamins: A, D3, E, K, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B6 (pyridoxine), B12, niacin, pantothenate, folic acid and biotin. Minerals: Calcium, phosphorus, sodium, chloride, cobalt, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, selenium and zinc. 2 of my dogs need 6 cups a day of these two foods for their weight O_o I have a 15kg bag of royal canin maxi feed three dogs for over 2 weeks without adding other food, or up to a month if I give them raw meaty bones and pet mince too. I cant imagine the amount of poo from 6 cups of cheap food a day :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitKat Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 If i was to feed my dogs the recommended GB/UA they's be the size of houses...lol - one of my dogs only gets between one and two cups of the stuff and he keeps at a good weight, the other one gets three cups to keep him at a good weight (both dogs are good sized GSD's) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 both my boys are over 50kg each. Recommended is 5-6 cups and I beleive that. I tried coprice, they were always hungry and the boys hair started falling out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 I have never yet met anybody who follows the recommended feeding guides on UA/GB. If I fed anywhere NEAR what is recommended to any of mine, including the Greyhound, they would look like the Goodyear blimp!! I tried feeding almost the recommended amount to the Greyhound at one stage and not only would he not eat it all, but I swear he got cellulite!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitKat Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 (edited) My guys are 40kg and 45kg - and I'm not sure i've ever fed the recommended amount on anything they either need way more or way less! Eg Nutro and Raw/BARF they needed waaaay more then the recommended amount, RC/UA/GB they get away with less then recommended ETA - the 40kg dog of mine appears to have a quick metabolism or something...if i fed the two dogs the same amounts one would blimp out and the other would look like a ribby stick - yet they both do the same amount of exercise, however the smaller/lighter dog is a fair bit more anxious which i think perhaps accounts for some of it. Edited July 13, 2010 by KitKat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 BTW, this is a puppy after almost a month on UA. I don't think anybody could say that he isn't doing well on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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