is wagg dog food good for puppies
Wagg Puppy Food Review
We take a close look at Wagg puppy food to find out if its the nutritional treat your young dog craves.
Wagg is one of the brands owned by IPN, Inspired Pet Nutrition.
IPN have been around since 1923 where they started out as a wheat trading business, before moving to animal feed and then pet food.
It wasnt until 1990 that they stopped producing animal feeds completely and created the Wagg name.
Incidentally, Wagg isnt the only quality dog food that IPN are responsible for; they also own the popular Harringtons brand.
The company has expanded rapidly over the years, and have enjoyed real success with Wagg, their first range of dog foods.
Although the recipes have been tweaked and capability increased, it still remains the same dog food which is based on nutrients, vitamins and minerals to keep your canine looking and feeling their best.
The Wagg range includes puppy food so younger dogs can also enjoy the great taste and health benefits of the brand.
The focus is firmly on shiny coats, supple skin, good digestion and strong teeth all the factors that are important for a dog of any age.
But is Wagg a brand you should consider for your young dog? Heres our Wagg puppy food review with the full facts you need.
Range of Food
Wagg do a wide range of foods for adult dogs, including options for working dogs and those with sensitive stomachs.
For puppies, theres not such a selection, with just a single formula for younger dogs:
- Wagg Puppy With Chicken and Yucca
This is a dry, complete food so theres no need to any extra for your pup to enjoy optimum nutrition.
Unfortunately, theres no Wagg wet food for puppies; its just the kibble available.
You can see their recommended feeding guide here.
Recommended: Check out our Skinners puppy food review next!
Health Benefits of Wagg
Youll never find any artificial flavoring or preservatives in any of the Wagg food, so you can feed your puppy this brand with confidence.
The protein levels are similar to many of the other puppy foods on the market and is designed to meet the growing needs of a young dog.
Theres also no added sugar, just natural ingredients plus vitamins and minerals to give your pups body the maximum benefits.
Fibre and yeast are both included to help improve the passage of food and aid your dogs digestion.
This can be a source of discomfort for many canines so its a helpful inclusion in the Wagg formula.
Feeding your pup with Wagg will produce a strong immune system, plus give them all the nutrients they need to develop and grow.
Puppies have much higher needs than adult dogs, and Wagg have devised a formula that meets all their changing demands.
Recommended:Is Purina Beta puppy food all its made out to be?
What are the Beneficial Ingredients in Wagg?
Wagg puppy food has a range of ingredients which have been carefully added because of the health benefits they offer to a young dog.
These include:
- Probiotic MOS to boost colonies of good bacteria and promote better gut health
- Yucca plant to reduce flatulence, as well as the odor of any puppy parps!
- Citrus extracts to support the immune system to keep your canine healthy
- Omega-3 fatty acids which promote healthy brain development, shiny coats and good skin
These particular ingredients sit alongside the rest of the Wagg ingredients which are specifically designed to support puppy health.
This includes vitamins C and D to look after their teeth, gums and bones.
Is Wagg Puppy Food Good Value for Money?
Wagg is a puppy food that wont break the bank, offering excellent value for money.
It may not be hypoallergenic or contain only organic ingredients, but theres no compromise on quality.
In lists of the best puppy foods, Wagg regularly features as a brand that offers the best value for money.
If your dog doesnt have any specific needs, such as a diet for sensitive stomachs, Wagg could be a delicious pick that is easy on the bank balance.
Are there any Negatives of Wagg Food for Puppies?
Wagg is a brand that many pet-owners have used for years, and in some cases its helped dogs who havent been able to tolerate other food.
There are plenty of Wagg puppy food reviews which discuss how their dogs delicate tum has calmed when they switched to Wagg.
However, there is only the single choice of puppy food with one flavor. If your puppy is picky, you might find it an uphill struggle without any alternatives to try.
Wagg isnt positioned as a premium brand, but the manufacturers are still keen to emphasize the commitment to quality.
However, the formula isnt hypoallergenic and not all the ingredients are clearly listed so if your dog is sensitive, this could be an issue.
The level of protein is around average, but only a very small amount comes from meat. The remainder is from animal derivatives and vegetables, which arent ideal for a young pup.
Conclusion
Wagg is a trusted dog food brand which has been around for decades, partnering with fellow canine brand Harringtons, under the IPN umbrella.
Many dog owners swear by Wagg, even though its not one of the premium brands in the market.
The reviews make it very clear that for some pooches, Wagg is the only food theyve been able to tolerate.
It would be preferable if there were more flavors to choose from, but most owners report that their pup loves the taste of the kibble.
Plus as your pooch grows, theres a much larger adult range so you can vary their diet a bit more when theyre older.
Value is undoubtedly the strongest point of the Wagg brand, and it allows owners to feed their pups well without spending a pile of cash.
Its not organic or hypoallergenic, but if you dont need a diet for sensitive stomachs, your dog might settle well on Wagg.
Even though its a budget brand, Wagg have a strong focus on quality. With extra vitamins, minerals and nutrients added, your dog should look healthy and have bucketloads of energy.
If youre looking for an alternative to Wagg, some owners found Chappie a good substitute.
Others you might want to try include Bakers Puppy or Pedigree Puppy, all of which are similar price points.
Wagg Dog Food Review
As part of our ever-growing dry dog food reviews section, we regularly purchase and review foods by looking at whats in it (were getting quite good at knowing good from the bad) and how much our resident Jug Jeff likes it. This article looks at Wagg Adult dry dog food specifically. We offer an unbiased opinion to help you decide if this food is good enough for your dog.
Wagg is a mainstream and well-known brand of affordable dog food in the UK. Based in Thirsk, North Yorkshire they make foods for cats and dogs but they share little about their company on their own website. We find this completely infuriating, to be honest as we really care about the history of the company, the recipes and their involvement in canine nutrition. Not a good start. Sort it out, Wagg.
Wagg Dry Dog Food Complete Review
The website, packaging and prominence of Wagg dog food in major supermarkets in the UK is a clear sign that its a company with a lot of money and put a lot of effort in their marketing. This is not inherently a bad thing but it does make us wary of how extensively they use cost-cutting techniques to maximise their margins.
Its brightly colouted, graphic and doesnt clearly display the benefits on the front but it does look nice. However, it is made in Britain which is great (dog food doesnt travel well) and offers support for digestive health, immune support and claims the food is complete which means no other food is necessary to give a dog everything it needs.
Wagg is a highly affordable and convenient food, if its something your dog responds well to then its easy to replenish as its easily available.
Jeff is not a complicated dog so the adult complete which we purchased should do him nicely, he is in good health but we have experienced a few things in the past that Jeff always has a way to tell us if the food he eats is good or not. First, lets look at the ingredients.
Wagg Adult Complete ingredients and composition
The ingredients are as follows
Cereals, Meat and Animal Derivatives (24.5% including 4% Chicken in Chicken & Pea disc), Oils and Fats, Derivatives of Vegetable Origin, Minerals, Vegetables (4% Peas in Chicken & Pea disc), Yeasts (MOS 0.1%), Citrus Extract (0.05%) & Yucca Extract (0.015%).
This does not make great reading considering how many quality dog foods weve seen over the years. The fact that cereals have been left vague (also means its not grain-free), meat and animal derivatives is also left vague has left us speechless. This is meant to be chicken flavour so what other animal is in it and if only 4% of it is chicken then how can they try and pass this off as chicken?
No specific vegetables other than peas have been named so youre never sure what theyre going to be eating and what on earth does derivatives of vegetable origin mean? Right at the end, we see citrus and yucca which we know is to help with breath and flatulence so at least theres that.
No fish oils whatsoever which is a key ingredient of most top tier dry dog foods. We checked the additives and they were not there either.
We looked at these ingredients and we were not totally clear what exactly we were about to feed Jeff. It has passed food standards so we knew it was going to be safe but thats just not very good.
All these ingredients end up looking like this:
- Protein 20%
- Fat Content 8%
- Crude Fibre 3.5%
- Crude Ash 8.5%
- Omega 3 0.3%
- Omega 6 1.5%
To be honest, these are within the right levels. Protein 20% is spot on, fat at 8% is great. Crude fibre is in there but its unclear if this comes from the peas or something else. Some Omega 3 and 6 is included but its unclear if this came from fish oil or some other source. The constituents do make it complete and balanced.
How did our dog take it?
Jeff lapped it up and licked the bowl clean. He loved it! It was eaten alone and with wet food mixed in without any issue. However, Jeffs soft but solid stools were no more and it became a lot wetter and significantly smellier. He also had some toxic gasses coming out of the rear end. However, he didnt see any skin problems.
Alarm bells for us and it was time to finish the test.
Whats the kibble like?
Wagg Adult Dry complete kibble was small, easy to chew and had a satisfying crunch with a light powder to give an instant burst of flavour.
How much Wagg dog food should I feed my dog?
Weight between 3kg-10kg = 75g-200g
Weight between 10kg-20kg = 200g-400g
Weight between 20kg-40kg = 400g-600g
Weight heavier than 40kg = 600g+
Pretty easy to follow but you will need to do some maths in between those weight ranges.
Conclusion
Were not too impressed with Wagg dry dog food, to be honest. The ingredients left us with too many questions and Jeffs stools gave us a definitive answer that it was junk. He lapped it up and licked the bowl clean probably because the ingredients were heavily processed with the emphasis given on flavour to convince owners dogs to love it and therefore its good stuff.
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Ronnie is the JugDog site editor and a dog expert who has lived and worked with dogs his entire life. Living in St. Helens, UK with his wife son and Jug Dog Jeff Ronnie spends most of time researching the answers to the burning questions of the dog community as well as reviewing the latest and greatest dog products.
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