Help with dog food?

loopymadlover

Hi there

I have a boxer who is costing me a fortune each month, the poor lamb has epilespy and also a history of pancreatitis, I have managed to get him onto burns original fish/chicken and rice I buy offline as its cheaper per bag and also they normally deliver the next day.

My issue is that with his anti seizure meds + liver tablets + food he cost £100 per month, I don't know if anyone has found a food similar to burns that is not quite as much ??

GwylimT

How much are you spending on food per month?

I don't know much about Burns, our bull dog eats taste of the wild, it has been the only food we have found that doesn't result in explosive diarrhea.

Have you considered raw? I know quite a few people who do it and it works out very cheaply, especially if you buy things like off cuts from the butchers and chicken wings alone with fresh vegetables like value carrots.

loopymadlover

I used to do raw but as he has to have a low fat diet it worked out more expensive and he lost about 8kg he looked unloved. He used to have rice veg and frozen fish (which was gross) i used to give him porridge or low fat cottage cheese to liven it up sometimes.

We spend £45 a bag which is a months supply but including all his other bits it's pretty expensive for us we also have another dog who is on chappie which works for him and he maintains a healthy weight

Paradigm

£45 per month is less than £2 per day so I doubt you will shave much off that if you want to feed a quality food.

You don't say where you get his meds from, if it's from the vet then you can make substantial savings by paying the vet for a prescription then buying the meds online.

pawsies

Naturediet?

Quality without the cost or time constraint

Blondygirl

Have you tried speaking to CSJ http://www.csjk9.com/

They do some excellent food at a good price & they are very helpful if you give them a call & explain the issues.

getcarter

Many of the more expensive foods require you to feed less so work out cheaper.


If you go on here one of the things they have is a price comparison per day.


http://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/

RachRubyD

My dog was diagonsed as epiletic few years back so I know how expensive and heartbreaking it is. Thankfully she hasn't had seizures in over 2 years and off medication. I use to feed her ceasers wet food and bakers dry. Not saying that changing her diet stopped the seizures but it may have.

I feed her raw food now pre-prepared from Nutriment. I'd recommend a really high quality food without cereals or very low in cerals at least. So think Taste of the Wild, Eden, Millies Wolfheart etc. Wainwrights wet or Naturesdiet are also pretty good.

Do you give milk thistle for liver as it helps repair damage to the liver which the epilepsy tablets do.

You say you need low fat due to pancreatitis problems well Nutriment do a raw food designed especially for that http://www.nutriment.co/low-purine-phosphorus-formula/.

I don't think your going to find much cheaper than burns to be honest. Decent food does cost alot but you feed less of it.

Here is a link to an excellent website created by top vets for epiletic dogs. There is recipes for home cooking for epiletic dogs especially ones that need low fat diets. It may be something worth looking out for. You could buy marked down meat and veg and cook it then freeze in batches. http://canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/healthy_diet.htm

yorkshire_terrier_owner

loopymadlover wrote: »

Hi there

I have a boxer who is costing me a fortune each month, the poor lamb has epilespy and also a history of pancreatitis, I have managed to get him onto burns original fish/chicken and rice I buy offline as its cheaper per bag and also they normally deliver the next day.

My issue is that with his anti seizure meds + liver tablets + food he cost £100 per month, I don't know if anyone has found a food similar to burns that is not quite as much ??

I can't really help, but just wanted to say I feel your pain! I have an elderly cavalier with stomach problem (her body doesn't absorb protein properly) and she is on a prescription diet that costs me about £100 pm. That's before I've fed my other 5 dogs and 2 cats! She has blood tests every six weeks to monitor her protein levels so there is also the cost of that. Plus she has to have an egg every day for extra protein. Eggs are not cheap, but fortunately I have a friend who has chickens and provides me with fresh eggs for her weekly.

Then if I have a litter there's the extra cost of vets fees for them, puppy/weaning food, whelping boxes (I use disposable ones), supplements, dam eats 2-3 times her normal amount etc etc.

It's not a cheap do is it?!!!!!

rising_from_the_ashes

I would imagine if he's got pancreatitis then that will really restrict the foods that he can have and I know that the Burns range are also able to be fed instead of the prescription food from the vet - different ones for different illnesses

Can you give us an idea of what the foods needs to be ie protein levels / fat levels / must have x / must not have y etc and we'll maybe be able to come up with some ideas

If he's not insured, have a look and see how much the meds are online & ask your vet for a prescription

There will be a charge (mine charge £10) but they can write up to 6 months on one prescription

It can be hugely cheaper - Ben's meds were £68 from the vet & I could get them online for £18 - and that's several years ago now

zaksmum

Blondygirl wrote: »

Have you tried speaking to CSJ http://www.csjk9.com/

They do some excellent food at a good price & they are very helpful if you give them a call & explain the issues.

I give my dogs CSJ and they thrive on it. It's sorted out their loose poos and their coats are much more glossy.

It works out at £1 a kilo delivered.