Looking for cheaper dog food suggestions

BungleGirl

Hi,

I'm after some ideas on dog food. My lovely Springer Spaniel has been on Hills Science Plan since we got her (two years ago) and I'm contemplating weaning her onto a cheaper brand.

I guess I've bought into the blurb about the benefits of the more expensive brands...so I'm hoping that you can either tell me I'm right and I should stick with it or maybe suggest a cheaper alternative?

In my heart of hearts I want to keep her on Science Plan but I know that financially it would make sense to find a cheaper brand...

Any thoughts?

Humphrey10

We used to feed our dog Autarky, it's very good value, and she was in very good health on it, great coat condition, and normal looking poo!
She was never very keen on eating it though, sometimes she would go a whole day without eating it (she wasn't loosing weight though, it must be a very good quality food so they don't need to each much of it). One day I was very bored when serving out her food, so decided to taste a bit of the Autarky, it tasted so unlike food, all strange and minerally or something (though I'm vegetarian, so possibly it tastes like some kind of meat?), I realised why she didn't like eating it!

We though as she is so old (13) she deserves nice food, so now we feed her Bakers Complete mixed with Pedigree Country Meals tins (it's got little peas and bits of carrot in, I'm sure she really appreciates it), she wolfs it down! You can tell it's not as good quality, she poos much more now and it's much more smelly, looser too. It's much more expensive too.

SarahLou

SupaDog is good stuff and comes in various flavours. Country Value Chicken is decent stuff too. Dr Johns is good too but avoid the bronze stuff as thats a bit shoddy (it comes in three grades, bronze, silver and gold - gold is unnecessarily high in protein so I would recommend silver grade for normal pet dogs (not working)). You're looking at between £10-£16 for a 15-20kg bag for any of the aforementioned brands. :-)

Rev

IMO Hills is expensive for what it is. Ingredients don't reflect the price.

Have a look at skinners duck and rice and salmon and rice, £20 for 15kg, not amazingly high in meat but once protein source and easy on tums.

I'm sorry to the last poster but supadog and dr johns are terrible foods. Reviews here.

Dr johns silver
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1123&cat=7

Supadog
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1670&cat=all

It's not about price, it's all about ingredients, I often find expensive foods are not what they should be ingredients wise, given the price. But yes you are right, with dog food, to a degree, you get what you pay for, and a rule of thumb is, if it can be bought in the super market, it's not good. Although sainsburys have started stocking vets kitchen, but at £4 for 1.5kg, it's expensive stuff.

For the price you're paying for hills you could get MUCH better.

Depends what you want really. Skinners is great for the price (but stick to the duck and rice, salmon and rice and lamb and rice - the rest don't look that great), CSJ herbie nuts is meant to be great too, ingredients look ok for the price (£14.99). Simpsons do a cereal free range of foods for about £30 per bag.

Arden grange (especially the lamb and rice), barking heads, natural dog food company, wainwrights (pets at homes own brand), fish4dogs, Orijen, taste of the wild, acana.

That's just a few.

Vet UK sell some of them at cheaper prices than I can find anywhere else. Zooplus sell the likes of acana, orijen, taste of the wild. But the only place i've seen natural dog food company is their own site.

BungleGirl

Thanks everyone. I'm going to spend a bit of time looking up those brands (some of them I've never heard of).

I have been very lucky as since having Maddie she has only had an upset tummy 3 times in two years (no other illnesses in that time either) and looking back, she came into season shortly afterwards so I think that it may have been related to that. And (sorry if this is TMI) she does one firm poo straight after each of her two meals a day. I had thought this was due to her having a high quality food (and the fact that she has no human food/scraps at all). She also has a lovely shiney coat, bright eyes and is perfectly within her ideal weight range.

I think when I've spent a bit of time looking into the brands mentioned I'll get a small amount of one of them and mix it with her normal food and see how it goes.

Rebob

My dog has alway been fed on Bakers. All the vets she has seen over her nine years have said it is a good choice. We have never had any problems with it and can get it from anywhere which is handy while on holiday.

Hintza

Skinners Muesli and then Working 23 during the shooting season for my Springer. Working dog food is VAT free which can save you a bit of money. Also I need food that is going to keep the dog going for a hard day in the field. They also do other foods:-

http://www.skinnerspetfoods.co.uk/products/

Dont buy dog food from Petshops or Supermarkets either buy at farmshops or some placesonline give you free P+P if you spend more that say £40 (not as many as there used to be)

Try these guys they are cheap:-

http://www.vetuk.co.uk/dog-food-cat-food-c-62

BungleGirl

Oh my goodness - I can't believe that I haven't looked into this before now.

Usual spend Hills Science Plan 12kg from Pets At Home £40.89

Skinners Muesli Mix 15kg £19.51 from Pet Supermarket £19.51 (would probably buy some other bits and pieces to get the free delivery or buy two sacks)

Half the price and an extra 3kg! I have checked the feeding guidelines and the quanitities are the same for both (200g per day)

So up until now I have been spending 66p per day and I could potentially get that down to 26p per day!

:eek:

I still haven't decided which food I'm going to go for but at the moment am liking the look of the Skinners Muesli Mix. Maddie isn't a working dog but extremely active - so it looks as though it would be suitable.

Off to do some more research...

Thanks everyone!

BungleGirl

Even chepaer at vetuk!

OnAndUp

Personally I wouldn't go for the skinners muesli mix - don't like the look of the ingredients...

BUT I agree with Rev that the Duck & Rice, Salmon & Rice, also Turkey & Rice are excellent. I think for the few quid difference in price they are far superior.

compare

Duck
Whole rice (40%), duck meat meal (20%), naked
oats, peas, whole linseed, sunflower oil, beet pulp,
vitamins and minerals.

Muesli
Protein pellets containing beef meat meal,
wheat glucose syrup, cooked flaked maize,
extruded wholewheat biscuits, cooked flaked
peas, cooked wheatflakes, oils, vitamins and
minerals.

The Duck seems more natural and gives you exact quantities of the Duck & Rice. Not sure what they mean in the Muesli by protein pellets nor wheat glucose syrup which is second on the list - some sort of sugar?

Ps. you might also find that the feeding guide is less for Skinners too so cheaper still!

Pps. Ignore that just seen that you checked the quantities!!!

BungleGirl

Thanks OnAndUp - I see your point, the price difference isn't very much and it would still be a massive saving.