Advice on Cheap but good quality cat and dog food

zaksmum

RachRubyD wrote: »

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.

CSJ is brilliant for my dogs. The female who's now 10 had very loose poos before switching to CSJ and some joint stiffness too. All completely cleared up since being on CSJ.

Works out at £1 a kilo delivered.

BECKIN1507

Not sure why its like that, I can view it fine. Here's a link to a online shop that sell it http://www.notjustpets.co.uk/dog-food-natures-way-c-1_12_136.html?zenid=61ee7dfcda8baa43b727487c641e4c42

1 of mine was skinners the best ones are hypoallergenic, I think its only duck and rice, and a salmon 1

RachRubyD

CSJ seems to be good for price defo and they do a no grainer but its £32 and i'd rather spend a bit more and get the likes of Eden. At the moment its a toss up between CSJ and Skinners Duck and Rice which has good reviews. I will probs end up getting the higher end food in a few months when the 15kg bag runs out. Just right now on a budget and both of them better than supermarket rubbish.

Does anyone have any advice or recommendation for food for epilepsy. Been recommended milk thistle but thats for the liver damage from meds.
I try feed as natural as possible like chicken breasts and mince with veg most nights but sometimes have to make mince stretch and use wainwright wet food to bulk it up. Reason I want dry food is as I said think it helps with teeth and poo issues lol.

Would it be better to buy turkey mince or beef mince which is about £1 for 200g and mix 1/3 with 2/3 dry food and should last 2 days. Or even chicken breast (her favourite) half of that with rest being dry food. Then to save money 1/3 wainwright and 2/3 dry food.

Or would you do it 2/3 wet and 1/3 dry.
Also thinking about buying liver or heart and making natural treats does this seem at good idea. Just bought Applaws Liver and Chicken treats from Home Bargains and Cat and Dog obessedddd. Bought 20 of them to last them. Had tons so not being greedy.

Natures way Fish seems good as helps with allergy. Not that Ruby been diognsed with allergies but but have some and best to keep natural as possible.
Will ask for a sample bet she loves all the high brand samples typical. Cat has a obession with applaws but to expensive for mum who use to paying £3 for whiskers. At least switched to hi-life which is better than whiskers and butchers dry food but whole thread about dog poor cat .

katholicos

Very interesting thread. I have been reading the threads over on petforums, about raw feeding, because i want to improve the quality of the food our 1 year old collie eats. She has no health problems and has a gorgeous coat, clear eyes and her teeth are lovely. Our other dog died last year and one of the main problems we had with her (she was a yorkie), was her teeth. But then, i never even knew all those years of feeding her, how much crud ther was in a lot of the food we fed her. Donkeys years of blindly picking up the stuff from supermarket shelves, just so long as she enjoyed eating it and appeared healthy and energetic (excepting her tooth problems, which is notorious in yorkies anyway).

With our collie, i want us to get it right from early on,,so i am doing quite a bit of reading up. This thread, and others on the petforum are helping me to make an informed choice about which foods are preferable, suitable and wholly beneficial for our dog, and for our family.

Thanks!

RachRubyD

Bought some chicken drumsticks from ASDA today. Tried giving raw just to see how they get on. Cat just looked at it but she been fussy mood today. Didn't want her applaws treat (normally scoofs them down) and won't eat her hi-life but demolished whiskers tuna with seconds.

Dog licked the chicken drumstick and nibbled but then walked away and to be honest I can't see her being able to bite through its tough skin and bones. Just don't think raw the thing for me or the pets. Not to say don't agree with it but I don't like feel of raw meat and animals not even interested.

I am waiting for free samples from CSJ and Skinners (Skinners emailed me saying sent samples and recommend duck and rice or salmon as they both small biscuits). I think Skinners duck and rice be best but also quite keen on CSJ Herbie Rings l

Then try Eden sample (Cost £5) in few months when financially better) very similar to orijen but cheaper.

Been recommended CSJ Dem Bones as good product for teeth and also anal glands problems. Just recieved email from CSJ and really helpful. Anyway anyone else used Dem Bones before and do they look good? Says 100% Natural

katholicos

Well after doing a bit of reading up i have just placed an order for a 12 kg bag of Arden Grange lamb and rice. Working on our collie's weight, per day the bag will last for between 40 and 50 days, depending on whether she eats the lower end of the recommended feeling guide amounts, or the higher. Basically the food she would need would be between 240 grams a day and 290 grams a day which will work out costing between 54p a day and 67p a day. I am very pleased with that figure. At the most it will be her current weight and even higher weight, is only 4.69 per week....thats IF i got my sums correct lol!

I am well chuffed with that figure, i have actually been spending more on poorer quality food. Just hope she likes it.

If she does, then next time i will get a better offer if it is available as it is now, 2 bags of 12 kg is discounted still further and it will cost even less to feel our collie.

RachRubyD

Arden Grange seems a good food but bit out of my budget right now. May order a sample though and see if dog likes it. Wish you luck and its great that you can feed dog something better for cheaper. Wish pet owners including myself to begin with where better educated. Spend tons of money on Pedigree or Whiskers them types of food and may as well bought the cheapest crappiest food on the shelf as no difference.

Good website for people looking for dog food and treats. Has most popular dog food brands and rated out 5 and says what ingredients and contents and also reviews and average price. In addition the feeding guide is quite good for basics and really easy to understand.

Am not sure how much my dog should be feed a day. She is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and small in size than most. But her weight is at the highest it should ever be at 8.2kg. She is slightly overweight and the vet stressed than it needs to be brought down especially after being neutured. She has a heart murmur at the lowest grade so being overweight will put stress on it. Ideally would like to see her at 5-6kg which is ideal for her breed.

So on average says should feed a small breed (5-10kg) around 100-140grams a day if they normal/unactive dogs. But if she wants to lose weight need to cut that to 80-90grams a day. I feed 1/4 of the wainwright tray now with a handful of dry food.

Thinking of doing 50g dry, 30g of wet and 10g of of cooked chicken or turkey mince. Do I even need the cooked meat or just best with 40g of wet. I'd imagine 40g of wet would be about 10th of the wainwrights. Can normally get wainwrights dry on offer for 2 for £15 so thats 24 packets of food. So probs last 8 months feeding her that amount. Be best to keep her on 90-100g a day for life if she neutered.


Think I may actually go for the Eden dog food if I get 8months out of it. If I order a sample and then wait for other samples sure by time all came and tried be mid February and should be able to afford Eden. Is Eden the best do you think. Oijen seems pretty similar but cost slightly more.

Cats still eating whiskers just give up. Anyone know if you can order samples of Purely cat food. Looked in pets at home and don't do the chicken in just single satchet form. Don't wanna buy a packet of 12 for her to not eat it. Given up on Hi-life now, mum gives in and gives her whiskers cause she crying with hunger. A good dry cat food recommendation would be great to. No more than £10 for 2kg be best as its not me who paying but mum.

niandsa

I went with Eden over Orijen as it is a UK company using UK ingredients. Orijen is imported, I think from Canada, and that made it a no no for me. If it helps I feed my pup who is 8 months old 150g per day. Her weight is around 12kg. I then top it with 1/3 pack of NatureDiet wet food a day. This seems to be keeping her at a healthy looking shape and she is still growing a little.

Eden is the first dry food that she will eat plain if necessary. I sometimes give her breakfast in the kong wobbler and she will eat the lot! A first for us.

RachRubyD

Yeah good to support our own countries products. I think it also depends on what type of dog you have. What type of dog (s) do you have just out of interest?

Cavs are well known lap dogs an mine is so lazy its untrue. Does enjoy a brisk walk and a run about the park or beach and could play fetch all day but she very stubborn about the weather. Unless its sunny and warm doesn't want to walk. Slight cold or rain and I literally get her to top of road and she pulling me back home. Its impossible to walk her she just sits down, soon as turn back home speed walks I almost slipped on ice because she pulled me so much to get home. Find winter really hard to walk her and the weight is just piling on. Like humans exercise is key to health as well as diet. Easy to splash out on expensive food but true love is taken your dog for a walk in the freezing cold after a long day at work.

Does anyone know how much exercise for a cav is recommended? My vet says around 30mins a day. I take her for at least mile each night but this week been hard with the snow so only been 1/2 mile and it shows she running around crazy in the house chasing the cat. The cats gone loopy to because she won't go out in the snow and piling on the pounds as well.

The skinners samples arrived today. Only asked for samples around 3 day ago :O very good service. Tried the duck and rice, all she wanted to do is chase the biscuit and pushed it around the floor chasing it. Broke an egg on way home from shopping, so quickly rescued it and made an omlette with left over chicken and mixed the biscuits in. Of course once again everything ate but the biscuits. Its driving me crazy. I just don't know how to get her to eat them. Mix them up with tons of wet but still manages to leave them. Once tried a few other samples may just get a 2kg bag of food to last me through to March when I be able to afford Eden.

niandsa

Poppy is a very energetic miniature labradoodle. She has plenty of exercise each day - usually around an hour off lead in the morning and 1/2 hour on lead in the afternoon.

She has 2 main meals a day as per my previous post and various treats inbetween. She loves tinned sardines in either oil or tomato, raw egg, chicken wings, rice or potato in her kong etc. I also have a selection of dried meat products (Zooplus has a large variety) which she may have in the evening.

We have just bought a Kong Wobbler which is great as she will eat dry kibble from that but not her bowl. At first I mixed a little dry chicken and liver in with the kibble for her to smell but now she will happily eat the kibble on its own. Might be worth a try? Best price I found was Amazon.

Good luck and I hope her spay goes well next week