Advice on Cheap but good quality cat and dog food

RachRubyD

I have posted a few times before on this forum and been given great advice so thought i'd ask for some recommendations and advice from you knowledgeable lot on cheap but good dog and cat food for my 2 scamps.

I will start with the dog as she is the complicated one. She is a Cavalier King Charles called Ruby and 4 years old. If anyone has seen my other threads then will know she is epileptic. On medication and has been seizure free for 2 years almost medication is phenobarbital and on 15mg once a day and coming off them soon at vets advice but has to stay on for now as she being neutered 28th Jan 2013 then can ween her off.

Anyway she is 8.2kg so slightly overweight, so that's another reason need change up of diet. Finding it very hard at the moment with the cold as she doesn't like the rain or cold so won't walk and has a fierce appetite.
At the moment we feed her cooked chicken, sardines in sunflower oil, sometimes she has beef mince or lamb chops. Also give her wainwrights wet food from pets at home. I bought it on the recommendation from this forum. She has bakers meaty chunks but she will only eat one at a time like treats and doesn't eat them very often . I would rather her have smaller biscuit like dry food as her teeth aren't looking as pearly white as they should be.

Am going to buy her a toothpaste like logic and a finger toothbrush that i've seen recommended on threads on here. Buying the solution Vet Aquadent Anti Plaque Solution for Cats and Dogs mainly for cat because don't fancy trying to brush her teeth.

So have wainwrights for wet food which am pretty happy with and give her 1/4 of the packet (quite big) a day which is recommended. I always mix porridge oats or bran flaks with all food she has and also veg like carrots and peas to bulk up the meal.
I want to incorporate dry food into her diet and I think it be best if its mixed with some wet food as she won't eat dry food on it own.
Been looking through different threads about dry complete food thats good quality but is cheap.
Harringtons Complete dry food @ Asda seems a good option for £7.28 for 5kg.
Not really sure what to look for really that's why I need advice.
Also thinking about buying some raw chicken drumsticks and thighs for dog and cat to have once or twice a week. As Ruby (dog) suffers with her anal glands as needs them emptying quite alot.

Moving onto the cat named Milly she is 8 years old so classed a senior also nutured. She rather fussy but is fed whiskers or felix wet poaches. About 2 of them a day and always have dry food down, which she does snack at it each day. Dry food is usually Whiskers or Go-Cat.
However she only really likes chicken, salmon and tuna and turns nose up at beef, lamb, rabbit or any other fish. Likes cooked chicken but not beef, pork or lamb. She is about 4kg and health is fine. She was a stray cat and her mum gave birth to her in neighbours garden and we managed to rescue her around 5 weeks old. So she a tough little thing and a mean hunter :S so she would enjoy a nice raw chicken thigh.

Been also looking at forums for cat food and high life which you can get cheap from home bargains or Butchers classic cat tins seems pretty good for wet food on the cheap. Once again Harringtons dry food for cats seems quite good but also been looking at purely from pets at home. Only issue is that don't have a car or a pets at home nearby so ASDA which sells harringtons is easier to buy the food from. But could buy a large packet of food to last from other places I suppose.

Also the vet gave ruby a really good inspection and look over and said that need to clean and trim her ears. Could anyone recommend a good but cheap ear cleaner for dogs as there so many on market.
She doesn't have an infection or anything its just because spaniels are prone to ear infections so need to keep ontop of them.

Sorry for long post but feel its best to tell you everything especially medical history as this may need to be taken into account.

neneromanova

Why not put pooch on wainwrights dry food? I feed my pug the salmon & potato one. I bought the 15KG one for £32.99 in novemberish, might have been late October. He's still got 1/3 of the bag left so it only work out at (at full price of £38) £12.60 a month. Not bad for good quality food.

RachRubyD

I went a quick shop today just my local ASDA and Home Bargains. Picked up Hi-Life chicken pouches for cat x12 for £2.99. Tried it out this evening and cat loved it. Really happy because she loves chicken and tuna flavour and with the whiskers or felix half the box goes to waste as only a few chicken flavour or tuna. Butchers classic for cats was oos and its mixed anyway so she may not like this.

Also picked up a 750g butchers for cats dry food from 99p store whilst dashing to hospital only had beef though not sure she eat it but for 99p doesn't matter.

Now onto ruby (dog) well she still got lots of wainwright wet left and think I stick to that as she likes it and good for price. Bought butchers complete dry food chicken flavour as was £2.00 for 1.5kg and she totally out of dry food.

Well put the dry food down on it owns. Got excited when she started to pick a biscuit up but unfortunately she spat it out and rubbed her head and body on it. Mixed the dry food with her wainwrights and some chicken but she just eat all the wet and chicken and picked all the dry food out and spat most of them out on the floor. Feel its a little to big for her maybe. Its just so hard to get her to eat dry food she doesn't consider it food I feel. Cats eating the dogs biscuits though so at least its not going to waste, strange animals always trying to eat each others food.

Is wainwrights dry food small the cheapest to buy is £7 for 2kg and don't want to waste anymore money. £39 is pretty steep I think pets at home is so overpriced its unreal but only ones who sell wainwrights.

neneromanova

You can get wainwrights small breed food, but Dave manages the normal biscuits OK. You could just wet the food down so its easier to chew

RachRubyD

I don't think its hard to chew she just doesn't like dry food because she isn't use to it. My own fault she would never eat dry food and would only eat if I made them into a game like throw one biscuit at a time for her to chase and eat or catch and eat. I wonder if I rang pets at home who own wainwrights right if they could send a sample.

Someone suggested skinners is cheaper and very similar and around £25 for 15kg. Also found applaws on ebay for £27 its only 12.5kg but isn't meant to be much better. I only just educated in like meat content but I don't really have a clue because meat content and protein content is total different .

Also on a previous thread was recommended Autarky Grange as its £35 for 2x 15kg dry food and free delivery and they also sell Arden grange for £33 for 15kg. Sometimes just to much choice.

BECKIN1507

It's not much of a big saving but this food is really good http://grahamsmelt.wix.com/ultima#! It's called natures way, I got mine from a local garden centre for £31, I think its a bit more online. It's 50-60% meat my pup loved it, but I've now changed to raw and my dogs look better than ever. The natures way smells good enough to eat and dosn't have loads of junk in it.

melovesyou

Hi! This is going to be my first reply and I am happy to give my simple advice to you.

Well, I am a pet lover too. I have 3 female dogs and 2 male cats. What I am doing to help myself save money especially on the food they are to eat and thing they need to have like shampoos, powders and everything is that I am looking for free samples on pet stuffs. Like in freaky freedies, they've got a tab on pet freebies and similar to other sites too.

Free samples for pets is a look at it an advantage especially for us pet lover. Wondering how can I save here? Well here is what I am doing, for example, I am looking for a dog/cat food. Basically, if we will buy directly on the market, there is this small tendency that the pets wont like it and goodbye to that money spent on buying.

Whereas, if I have to try a particular brand first, its is free, if they'll like it, and bingo! Hurry to the store to buy large amount.

RachRubyD

I can't find that natures way anywhere online and the website is weird all the products blurred out and unable to see price or add anything to basket. I don't have a car so have to buy online.

I look about for free samples but they generally from same company's like james wellbeloved and for kittens or puppies.

Been looking at CSJ dog food. Rocket fuel £19 for 15kg and Herbie Rings £15 for 15kg seem a good choice and also free delivery for me as I live in Liverpool. Sent the a email asking for samples. Has anyone tried there dog on this? Rocket full has 30% meat but recommended for breeding dogs or working dogs. Which mine defo isn't, lazy dog more like it. Herbie ring has 24% protein but lots of herbs.

Also heard good things about skinners and meant to be resonable price but seems to be loads of different types and wouldn't know which was best for my dog.

sharloid

If you're not able to feed raw (I'd recommend this over any commercial food - it can do wonders for allergies) then I'd go for something that's hypo-allergenic and wheatfree etc. Definitely something with a high meat content - dogs don't need oats, wheat etc.

Here's some information worth reading:

http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/194976-wet-dog-food-index.html

http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/255727-updated-dry-dog-food-index.html

Here are some food to consider:
Wainwright's wet trays

Taste of the Wild, Orijen etc which are available from http://www.zooplus.co.uk/

niandsa

I have moved my 8 month old pup onto Eden dry dog food after trying both CSJ and Fish4Dogs.

It works on the 80:20:0 ratio, 80% meat and fish, 20% fruit veg and herbs and 0% grain and gluten. It is only the 2nd ever food to receive 5 stars from which dog food .com

It is a little more expensive at £49.99 for 15kg but I have found that I am feeding less so a bag is lasting much longer. Her coat is much shinier and a low grade infection in her ear has cleared right up. It is 100% British which is great unlike it's main competitor Orijen.

Have a look an see what you think

http://edenpetfoods.com/index.html

RachRubyD

I already feed my dog wainwright wet food I did say so on my first post but its rather long winded I know Dog and Cat doesn't suffer from allergies (That know of) but agree that all these cerals and maize just fillers that cause nothing but problems. Been looking at Naturediet though for future. Its very similar price to wainwrights but not sure if its better.

Orijen is very expensive £60 for 15kg and I just don't have that . I am a part time student and struggle as it is on JSA.
I been thinking about raw but worried about choking on bones or being sick from raw meat. In fairness she generally has a good diet.
She has a chicken breasts mixed with oats and veg one night.
beef or turkey mince mixed with wainwright wet food and few oats and veg and thats last 2-3 days.
My mum buys yellow fish cobbler 2 pieces and makes scrabble egg with and dog has a piece.
Other nights she has wainwrights wet food with veg and oats or now and again sardines in natural oil.
The reason I want a decent dry food is I have been mixing oats for fibre and roughage but doesn't seem to work and she doesn't like oats. Plus she doesnt have anything that she is really chomping to remove tartar from teeth like dry biscuits do. Bought her bones before like a ham bone but she isn't keen ignores for a month then goes insane on it for one night but doesn't crunch just nibbles so its all soft and slimey .

Eden dog dry food seems pretty good bite expensive but for what you get its fanastic. Wonder if I mixed it 60/40 with wet (40% being wet) last longer but still get the fibre and crunch for teeth. Just a shame its only really avaliable from one place or two as you may be able to get offers or cheaper deals elsewhere. Even ebay don't have it . Something to think of for the future as cheapest of the more premiere brands. Right now need something under £30 really for 15kg. Just had to fork out over £200 last couple months on medication for epilepsy and visits to nurse for anal glands expressing and then yearly booster. Also next week ruby being neutered which cost arm and leg and then more medication (being weened off after operation though). Suppose could use the money I budget for medication each month towards Eden.

Also a very similar food to Eden at similar price called Millies WolfHeart
Whilst googling Eden dog food I found another great thread that has a list of most dry food and the author has rated them green(great) orange(good/ok) red (poor) its just their own opinion but seems pretty good. Oijen and Eden both green.
http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/255727-updated-dry-dog-food-index.html
Thanks for the advice guys