Can't afford pet food

Doglover123

Hi,

This is my first time posting. Google didn't answer my questions...

Basically money is tight for us this time of year and we are struggling to cut costs any more. Does anybody know any good places or ways to get low cost pet food? Are there food banks for pets? I've emailed a few different animal charities, but haven't heard back. Really don't want to give my furry friends away Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks,

elsien

How many pets, what type, what size?

What are you feeding them at the moment?

How long term is this problem likely to be?

Doglover123

He's a cute little pug called Hugo I was talking to a friend about it and she said she had a similar concern about her cat though, so any advice would be appreciated

It's just over Christmas while money is a bit tight - we're expecting higher heating and electricity bills with it getting colder, as well as needing more food for the family.... it really makes the difference to our budget!

suki1964

Why do you need more food for the family?

It's a day, 2 or 3 meals

Sorry if I sound harsh, but you decided to get a dog. It's up to you to ensure the dogs needs are met

Cut back elsewhere to ensure your dog is fed

My dogs food was £60 and lasted up to 3 months, you can buy food a lot cheaper

My cat food is now £2.50 a week from lidl

Bogalot

Doglover123 wrote: »

He's a cute little pug called Hugo I was talking to a friend about it and she said she had a similar concern about her cat though, so any advice would be appreciated

It's just over Christmas while money is a bit tight - we're expecting higher heating and electricity bills with it getting colder, as well as needing more food for the family.... it really makes the difference to our budget!

Wear an extra layer. More people in the house will generate more heat. No need to use more heating.

If you have guests coming for food ask them to bring something with them. If you each do a course you'll cut down substantially on your costs.

Your dog is part of your family. Prioritise it the same as your food.

Person_one

Small dogs don't cost a lot to feed, and he will be fine for a short period on a budget dry food from Aldi or similar.

I do hope that you have some sort of plan in case of big vet bills though, with a pug its practically a case of when, not if.

krlyr

Check out www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk and find yourself a good, economical dog food.

"Cheap" isn't always economical - supermarket type brands like Bakers are often so full of fillers that you need to feed vast amounts to meet the dog's nutritional needs. A food that costs slightly more per bag but needs to be fed in much less quantity will save you money in the long-run.

Look at brands like CSJ, Skinners, Autarky. I would aim for a 3 star minimum in terms of quantity, if you go too cheap/low quality you may find costs arise elsewhere, e.g. vet bills for a reaction to a poor quality food.

If dog doesn't have a particular sensitive tum, you could try saving a bit by asking companies for free samples - some give out small packs (a meal or so for a small dog) on request. Maybe try some free/giveaway local groups on Facebook or similar too - some people give away open bags of food their dog doesn't like.

krlyr

Also, Tails.com are also doing a month's free trial for £1 delivery at the moment, they score 3.3 out of 5 on the allaboutdogfood site too.

sheramber

Cancel Christmas and use the money to feed your dog.

I presume you can feed your family. A pug can't need much food.

mellymoo74

Csj will send decent sized free sample's

My 2 are on this and thrive.

boingsaidzebedee

Having 3 GSDs I like yourself would despair on how to feed them at this time of year.
However living near a University I realised that students all got legless on the last day of term.
I go out when it gets dark with a wheelbarrow and cart a couple of the comatose more chubby ones home.So then I can keep one for fresh food and bung the other in the freezer.
This generally lasts us well into the New Year as students are not only for Christmas.