feeding pets on a budget

zagubov

Kinski wrote: »

cereal is a cheap filler which a lot of dogs can't digest properly, it's also the ingredient in food that makes them hyper.

Sure cereal is filler but what scraps / leftovers have dogs been living and thriving on for thousands of generations?

tiff wrote: »

I used to feed my old dog on tinned food, my current dog has dried food and its soooo much cheaper. Dont allow them to be fussy!

Tiff, you're spot-on! Feed your dog Wagg if he's happy on it. And if any more posters here use capitals and shout a lot - I'd put their claims under the microscope just like everybody else's.

Sid_Wolf

dogs cant digest cereals, whereas we can, so its totally different.

Cereals are also the number 1 cause of allergies in dogs, how many times have you heard a dog owner say their dog is scratching but doesnt have fleas?? Ok you may not have, but Im a member on a good few husky and general pet forums and its a very common question/complaint. Normally you will find this person is feeding wagg, bakers, pedigree... etc etc, as soon as they move the dog onto a cereal free diet the itching clears up.

And no, this isnt bull, my male siberian, Grey has an allergy to cereals, we're not sure which one, but he got an itchy skin complaint which would improve with steroids, but as soon as he was taken off them it would flair up again. Poor boy was driven nuts and spent a good part of his day (basically whenever he wasnt walking, sleeping or eating) scratching himself red raw. As soon as he came to us we chucked out the Pets at Home food and got him onto Skinners Salmon and Rice, 3 days later he wasnt itching.

EC permitted additives are known to cause cancer, I cannot recall the name of the specific chemicals but they are allowed to be used as additives/preservatives in pet foods. Cancer in dogs was much less back when dogs were fed table scraps and chicken carcusses, because if you give a dog something you have eaten, it wont contain these chemicals, since the boom of the pet food industry cancer in dogs has risen, and its down to these chemicals.

Additives in foods like wagg etc make dogs hyper. Wagg has a lower protein %age than the food I feed (Quest), but if I was to feed my 2 on it for a week, they would be manic, I know, I have fed it to Kira when she was a puppy, before I studied dog nutrition. Now everyone pins hyperactivity on the protein amount, but Quest is 30%, and my 2 are quite chilled, even if they miss a walk or 2, and these are siberian huskies, a high energy breed.

Maybe you should do a little research into dog nutrition and what your actually feeding, rather than blindly believe everything that comes out of the manufacturers mouth

Kinski

Sid_Wolf wrote: »

dogs cant digest cereals, whereas we can, so its totally different.

Cereals are also the number 1 cause of allergies in dogs, how many times have you heard a dog owner say their dog is scratching but doesnt have fleas?? Ok you may not have, but Im a member on a good few husky and general pet forums and its a very common question/complaint. Normally you will find this person is feeding wagg, bakers, pedigree... etc etc, as soon as they move the dog onto a cereal free diet the itching clears up.

And no, this isnt bull, my male siberian, Grey has an allergy to cereals, we're not sure which one, but he got an itchy skin complaint which would improve with steroids, but as soon as he was taken off them it would flair up again. Poor boy was driven nuts and spent a good part of his day (basically whenever he wasnt walking, sleeping or eating) scratching himself red raw. As soon as he came to us we chucked out the Pets at Home food and got him onto Skinners Salmon and Rice, 3 days later he wasnt itching.

EC permitted additives are known to cause cancer, I cannot recall the name of the specific chemicals but they are allowed to be used as additives/preservatives in pet foods. Cancer in dogs was much less back when dogs were fed table scraps and chicken carcusses, because if you give a dog something you have eaten, it wont contain these chemicals, since the boom of the pet food industry cancer in dogs has risen, and its down to these chemicals.

Additives in foods like wagg etc make dogs hyper. Wagg has a lower protein %age than the food I feed (Quest), but if I was to feed my 2 on it for a week, they would be manic, I know, I have fed it to Kira when she was a puppy, before I studied dog nutrition. Now everyone pins hyperactivity on the protein amount, but Quest is 30%, and my 2 are quite chilled, even if they miss a walk or 2, and these are siberian huskies, a high energy breed.

Maybe you should do a little research into dog nutrition and what your actually feeding, rather than blindly believe everything that comes out of the manufacturers mouth

Well said.
The ec permitted additives are BHA and BHT, they are banned in human food but not in pet food. I've convinced a few people over the years to change their dogs from foods like Bakers, Wagg etc and they've all commented on how much calmer and better behaved the dogs are, that includes a few dogs who like your lad who would scratch until they bled but changing on to a better quality food sorted it.

Sid_Wolf

ah thankyou, saves me from googling lol.

Its easy of people are willing to listen, unfortunately some arent

Rev

I have a low income and two dogs and two cats to feed. But I honestly don't see why people buy cheap crap pet food. It's a huge false economy. They need to eat more, because the nutritional value is so little, thus you need o buy more, so you end up spending more.

I feed two cats a grain free high meat content wet and dry diet for roughly £20 a month, and I'd not call that expensive. If I fed felix or some crap, they'd go through about 4 pouches each a day, plus a few bowls of dry. Instead one carton of bozita lasts 2 days and I use 100g of applaws per day.

The dogs get kibble with wet added, p@h own wainwrights brand wet, which is 60% ish meat, and is 12 trays for £7.50, and skinners duck and rice £19 per 15kg bag. So the dogs cost about £35 a month.

Were I to feed supermarket crap they'd need at least two tins each of canned food at about £1 per tin, I'd spend in a day feeding them crap, what I spend in a week feeding them good quality food.

Barf is even cheaper if you have a friendly butcher.

Rev

Sid_Wolf wrote: »

ah thankyou, saves me from googling lol.

Its easy of people are willing to listen, unfortunately some arent

It never ceases to amaze me how some people (not pointing fingers at anyone here) complain that their dog is hyper whilst filling it's bowl with wagg, pedigree, bakers etc.

Cerials are converted to glucose by the dogs digestive system, so they get a massive sugar rush after every meal. Add that to the sugars and e numbers put in the food to make it taste nice and it's no wonder dogs ate mental.

Sid_Wolf

Thundercatsarego wrote: »

Well I used to have a cat that would only eat 'Bounce' dog food and would'nt touch the cat-branded foods. He lived to a grand age of 17 and was very healthy all his life. Dog food also comes in larger quantities and is often cheaper... there's no harm in trying it I guess but just buy one small tin to start off with in case the cat turns his nose up!

your cat was very lucky, cats need tourine, its essential to their health, and dog food doesnt contain any.

While your cat may have been fine, i wouldnt recommend it to other cat owners

first78

When I lived abroad my parents used to feed our dogs on rice and cheap scraps from the butchers. All cooked up in a great big pot and cooled before they ate it. Very cheap way to feed them and they loved it.