why do people spend so much

ppink

on dog food?

Am i missing something here or whay do people spend so much money on expensive dog foods.
Are the dogs healthier? Do they live longer? Are there any studies done to this effect?

andreac

Why not?

Its their choice to feed what they want to their dogs. I would feed the best i can afford to my dog as i wouldnt want my dog eating a crap dog food if i can afford to buy him better.

Thats like saying, why do people spend money on organic foods when you can get it cheaper.

LBD

Equally just because its cheaper doesn't mean its "crap".

We found a dog food that both ours like and it by no means costs a bomb, 14.99 for a 15KG as a matter of fact! We checked with our vet and he agreed it was perfectly suitable for both our pooches

I ain't eating caviar everyday so neither are they

Outkast_IRE

I was using a Red mills premium food , the dog is a collie cross , i think a 15kg bag could be got for 20 or 25 euro ....... the dog started to develop small random spots on her skin , her poos werent solid at all, so i said i would try a better food i changed to Orjen which is around 55 euro for 13.5 kg bag but the difference in our dog was noticable straight away, after 2 weeks no more spots on her skin, her coat always looks incredible, her poos are just right , which makes cleaning up the mess far easier , and she just seems happier.
I wouldnt of changed to a better food if the dog was fine on a cheaper food, but she wasnt so i made the choice and am very happy with it and so is the dog.
And i find that the 13.5kg bag of food lasts me longer than the old 15kg bag, as its much more nutricious the dog eats less of it .

I only changed to expensive food cause the dog wasnt doing well on the cheaper food .
I see the good food as an investment that hopefully down the line it may lead to less vet bills as she gets older etc .

LBD

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

I was using a Red mills premium food , the dog is a collie cross , i think a 15kg bag could be got for 20 or 25 euro ....... the dog started to develop small random spots on her skin , her poos werent solid at all, so i said i would try a better food i changed to Orjen which is around 55 euro for 13.5 kg bag but the difference in our dog was noticable straight away, after 2 weeks no more spots on her skin, her coat always looks incredible, her poos are just right , which makes cleaning up the mess far easier , and she just seems happier.
I wouldnt of changed to a better food if the dog was fine on a cheaper food, but she wasnt so i made the choice and am very happy with it and so is the dog.
And i find that the 13.5kg bag of food lasts me longer than the old 15kg bag, as its much more nutricious the dog eats less of it .

I only changed to expensive food cause the dog wasnt doing well on the cheaper food .
I see the good food as an investment that hopefully down the line it may lead to less vet bills as she gets older etc .

Yeah you actually put it better then I did. The food our dog is on suits them, solid poo and bags of energy. If they werent doing well on it (like they weren't on some of the other foods we tried) we would of course spend as much as necessary in order to find one that suited.

What I kind of meant is I'm not spending more on dog food "just for the sake of it".

Graces7

ppink wrote: »

on dog food?

Am i missing something here or whay do people spend so much money on expensive dog foods.
Are the dogs healthier? Do they live longer? Are there any studies done to this effect?

I don't think the more expensive foods are really better than own brand. Someone here was scandalised at a vet recommending LIDL dog food; LIDL is a German firm and their pet foods are excellent; well regulated.

It is the name etc.

The only processed food we buy for dogs and cats is the ASDA own brand mixer for the dogs and their own kibble for the cats.

Just to supplement the raw food all of them get, which is cheaper and healthier.

I would not buy "top brand" and nor would I ask a vet what to feed.

I do not like the smell or consistency of tinned foods and much of the kibble has additives to make it appealing.

So indeed I do buy the very best for my dogs and cats; but that does not mean it costs more than other food.

All here are healthy and lively and happy.

On a small pension cost is a great issue; and we buy food for our pets on the same principle as for ourselves; own brand cheapest whenever possible.

ppink

andreac wrote: »

Why not?

Its their choice to feed what they want to their dogs. I would feed the best i can afford to my dog as i wouldnt want my dog eating a crap dog food if i can afford to buy him better.

Thats like saying, why do people spend money on organic foods when you can get it cheaper.

i never said people should not spend the money.......what I asked was the reasons why?

peasant

ppink wrote: »

i never said people should not spend the money.......what I asked was the reasons why?

Some of the reason would be marketing.

Pet food makers know how to tug at our hearstrings and guilt-trip us into buying only the best (i.e. most expensive) products for our animals.

Graces7

peasant wrote: »

Some of the reason would be marketing.

Pet food makers know how to tug at our hearstrings and guilt-trip us into buying only the best (i.e. most expensive) products for our animals.

Ah of course; we do not have TV and get no magazines etc so see none of this and are not thus influenced. Interesting.

crotalus667

Graces7 wrote: »

I don't think the more expensive foods are really better than own brand. Someone here was scandalised at a vet recommending LIDL dog food; LIDL is a German firm and their pet foods are excellent; well regulated.

It is the name etc.

The only processed food we buy for dogs and cats is the ASDA own brand mixer for the dogs and their own kibble for the cats.

Just to supplement the raw food all of them get, which is cheaper and healthier.

I would not buy "top brand" and nor would I ask a vet what to feed.

I do not like the smell or consistency of tinned foods and much of the kibble has additives to make it appealing.

So indeed I do buy the very best for my dogs and cats; but that does not mean it costs more than other food.

All here are healthy and lively and happy.

On a small pension cost is a great issue; and we buy food for our pets on the same principle as for ourselves; own brand cheapest whenever possible.

Supermarket own brands and supermarket brands tend to be the nutritional ebullient of feeding your dogs junk food , that doesn’t mean they all are but most of them are . My vet recommended dicing up the lidl dog sausage thing and mixing it with the dry food I am using (RC) he also recommended changing the brand of dog food back and forth so it does not become boring for the dog

ppink

outcast & LbD thanks
i actually had a situation with a GSD that could not eat dog food so I boiled him rice and chicken every day.
it just amazes me that these days there seems to be huge trade done on foods that are very expensive. I wonder if it is dogs these days needing the more special diets or what.
We had 10+ different breeds of dogs at home years ago and none of the had health issues and all were fed on scraps! It just kind of makes me wonder why.

Peasent- i think you may have a good point there!

Graces- even my dentist told me to get LIDL/ALDI sensitive toothpaste for myself as there was no difference between it and sensodyne (sp?):D

crotalus667

peasant wrote: »

Some of the reason would be marketing.

Pet food makers know how to tug at our hearstrings and guilt-trip us into buying only the best (i.e. most expensive) products for our animals.

the only tv advert i have seen for dog food that is sold over here is ped chum which i would not touch with a barge pole , i based by choice on recamendations from research and profresionals + people i know that have used it

crotalus667

ppink wrote: »

! It just kind of makes me wonder why.

one thing that does effect alot of peoples choices is bad breath and farts :rolleyes:

ppink

crotalus667 wrote: »

the only tv advert i have seen for dog food that is sold over here is ped chum which i would not touch with a barge pole , i based by choice on recamendations from research and profresionals + people i know that have used it

you see I wonder if it is also the vets pushing the sales. when our guy got sick they very strongly pushed me to RC......but he was a big 8 stone dog and it would have cost a small car loan to pay for it so i opted to cook his food myself.
what I would like to see is the research done on these foods to see what constitutes "crap" and what constitutes good food.

i also think back to years back when it was discovered that the top brand washing powder was the exact same powder, coming off the exact same production line as a lower brand but it had a fancier box so appealed to different people!

Outkast_IRE

ppink wrote: »

outcast & LbD thanks
i actually had a situation with a GSD that could not eat dog food so I boiled him rice and chicken every day.
it just amazes me that these days there seems to be huge trade done on foods that are very expensive. I wonder if it is dogs these days needing the more special diets or what.
We had 10+ different breeds of dogs at home years ago and none of the had health issues and all were fed on scraps! It just kind of makes me wonder why.

Peasent- i think you may have a good point there!

Graces- even my dentist told me to get LIDL/ALDI sensitive toothpaste for myself as there was no difference between it and sensodyne (sp?):D

Your right with the scraps , scraps are perfect for dog cause if you think about it a lot of scraps are meat and veg etc things that are perfect for dogs digestive systems well most of the scraps anyway..........

The main issue dogs have with a huge amount of over the counter dry foods is the addition of grains to the food, from a manufacturers point of view the grains are cheap and bulk up the food, but grains dont digest properly in dogs for the most part.

Put it this way a lot of the ingredients in dog food arent listed properly , there is a dog food anayalsis company that tests all the foods against their listed ingredients , some are very disconcerting , a particualar red mills mix had no listing of fish anywhere on the packaging yet fish was being discovered in the analyasis.

Have a quick look through this and it gives a good account of why their food is more expensive and the main differnces between it and cheaper food http://www.orijen.ca/orijen/orijen/

we give our dog scraps whenever we have them mixed with the food .

ppink

crotalus667 wrote: »

one thing that does effect alot of peoples choices is bad breath and farts :rolleyes:

:rolleyes:that can be said for the owners too!

peasant

crotalus667 wrote: »

the only tv advert i have seen for dog food that is sold over here is ped chum which i would not touch with a barge pole , i based by choice on recamendations from research and profresionals + people i know that have used it

It's not just TV ads that say "this is expensive, therefore it is good, so buy it" ...it's a bit more subtle than that.

Go on any large food website and have a closer look:
Within the same brand (or at least from the same maker under different brand names) you will find:
-puppy food, junior food, adult food, senior food
-normal, special, lean, sensitive, active food
-small dog, medium dog, large dog
- breed specific food (does a GSD stomach know it's in a GSD and not a Rottie?)

lots of it is the same stuff, just in different packaging, different kibble size and with more or less colourants/additives at vastly varying prices.

We are being manipulated left, right and centre.

crotalus667

peasant wrote: »

It's not just TV ads that say "this is expensive, therefore it is good, so buy it" ...it's a bit more subtle than that.

Go on any large food website and have a closer look:
Within the same brand (or at least from the same maker under different brand names) you will find:
-puppy food, junior food, adult food, senior food
-normal, special, lean, sensitive, active food
-small dog, medium dog, large dog
- breed specific food (does a GSD stomach know it's in a GSD and not a Rottie?)

lots of it is the same stuff, just in different packaging, different kibble size and with more or less colourants/additives at vastly varying prices.

We are being manipulated left, right and centre.

No you just dont under stand that the needs of a puppy are different to the needs of an older dog and size of nut needs to be different as well the breed specific are made to cater for different breed's because different breeds have different needs thats all

Graces7

peasant wrote: »

It's not just TV ads that say "this is expensive, therefore it is good, so buy it" ...it's a bit more subtle than that.

Go on any large food website and have a closer look:
Within the same brand (or at least from the same maker under different brand names) you will find:
-puppy food, junior food, adult food, senior food
-normal, special, lean, sensitive, active food
-small dog, medium dog, large dog
- breed specific food (does a GSD stomach know it's in a GSD and not a Rottie?)

lots of it is the same stuff, just in different packaging, different kibble size and with more or less colourants/additives at vastly varying prices.

We are being manipulated left, right and centre.

Oh we don't read any of that stuff.....

Just go for the simplest which is the cheapest.

So we do not get manipulated except by those big brown eyes...

peasant

crotalus667 wrote: »

No you just dont under stand that the needs of a puppy are different to the needs of an older dog and size of nut needs to be different as well the breed specific are made to cater for different breed's because different breeds have different needs thats all

Just makes you wonder how dogs survived all those millennia before there was a pet-food industry

crotalus667

peasant wrote: »

Just makes you wonder how dogs survived all those millennia before there was a pet-food industry

dogs can survive on just about anyh thing the questen is what is best for them , breed foods are great for breed that tend to suffer from different illnesses (sorry my spelling is gone to pot )

EGAR

Since I have 20+ dogs to feed I can't afford to buy expensive dogfood and I need to watch the protein contents of the food as my bullies would climb the walls with more than max 22 % protein.

I buy dogfood which is 12 Euro for 15 kg. I never ever had any problems even with dogs with dodgy stomachs. I often supplement with rice, noodles, or meat (boiled) etc

olaola

My dog gets loose stools and itchy ears if we feed her other foods.
We were recommended to use this type of food by the vet & by the rehoming charity we got her from.

Lucyx

this thread is very interesting to me.

I spend 60euro on a 15kg bag of james wellbeloved as recommended by a fellow dog lover when i first got my dog. the bag lasts me a few months but it does kinda break my heart to pay that eventhough i'm crazy about my dog and would spend anything to keep her healthy and hopefully have a long life.

I do find that the wellbeloved suits her very well. her number 2's are very healthy and her breath is actually perfect and her coat and overall appearance is fabulous having said that i wouldn't mind only paying about 20euro for another bag even a couple of times a year.

i do detest redmills though. i used to help out in a dogs home and they all ate that and their number 2's were very bad, not solid at all. now that could have been anxiety as well but still it put me right off that stuff.

olaola

Lucyx wrote: »

this thread is very interesting to me.

I spend 60euro on a 15kg bag of james wellbeloved as recommended by a fellow dog lover when i first got my dog. the bag lasts me a few months but it does kinda break my heart to pay that eventhough i'm crazy about my dog and would spend anything to keep her healthy and hopefully have a long life.

I just got 2 of JW Lamb & Rice 15kg bags delivered from www.zooplus.co.uk for €80.

Jennyfer

I feed my dog Orijen, I dont want to pay that much for food but have been through all the other brands you can think of and NONE of them did her any good. This is the first one I came across that didnt make her sick so Im sticking with it. It just so happens to be an expensive one, it could have been a cheaper one and I would have stuck with that!

morganafay

If I could afford expensive food then I'd buy it, just because I know how bad I feel if I eat crap food, so it can't be good for them either. I eat really healthy food, so so should they.

But I'm a student and have a lot of pets so I feed them food that's €10 for a 12.5kg bag . . . but they're fine! They're really healthy and have glossy coats, bright eyes, and loads of energy. They get a few scraps too (only healthy stuff, meat, vegetables, potatoes, rice, etc.) and lots of healthy oils added so I think that helps.

But then again, you should see how much I spend on the guinea pigs and rabbits! Their food costs much more, and then there's all the bedding, and even though they eat grass all summer, it's expensive to look after them. Way more than the dogs . . .

peasant

Lucyx wrote: »

the bag lasts me a few months

You do realise that even dry dog food, once opened, can go off?

Do you have an airtight container for it? If not, you should get one.

goat2

EGAR wrote: »

Since I have 20+ dogs to feed I can't afford to buy expensive dogfood and I need to watch the protein contents of the food as my bullies would climb the walls with more than max 22 % protein.

I buy dogfood which is 12 Euro for 15 kg. I never ever had any problems even with dogs with dodgy stomachs. I often supplement with rice, noodles, or meat (boiled) etc

i have 4 doggies jack russells, you could give us great tips on ways to get by cheaply
i make them a cake made of liver and bacon now and they love it
anytime i have a bit of bacon left over after dinner, i freeze it and wait until i have enough in freezer, then i buy a little liver, fry the liver cut it in small pieces also cutting bacon in tiny pieces and frying off in the frying pan, then i get flour in a big bowl, toss in the liver bacon, break in a couple eggs mix the lot together, use a little warm water to bring the lot together, lay it out on a baking tray scoring lines through it so i can break it up later, as i cook it for a short while at 180 degrees c, then a good while at 120 degrees c, i leave the loaves in oven when i switch it off so these things come out good and hard, great to chew on, they would kill for it, they love it, i make a few loaves
and freeze some
it is cheaper than buying pigs ears or bones
anyone have any ideas

ppink

Goat2 that its very impressive!

I never give my dogs bacon as I heard it was bad for them...is that right?? or maybe it is bacon fat?

goat2

ppink wrote: »

Goat2 that its very impressive!

I never give my dogs bacon as I heard it was bad for them...is that right?? or maybe it is bacon fat?

dont know, never heard
but they love it
this cake thing is great for when i am going to town, i give them a piece each and it take a while for them to get through it, it keeps them occupied, but when mixed with the rest, there would not be that much bacon, say for 3 big cakes, a mug full of chopped bacon, and it takes 3 days to get through one of those cakes
i found that they do not like those chewy things chicken strips, beef strips, pigs ears, nothing please like this, and if you want to add vitimins you can, whatever you like, and you know what rex is having, all good

Blueprint

I feed my guy Orijen because I found it to suit him best. He's just been to the vets for his annual check up and I was told he was in fantastic condition with really good teeth. It costs me less than a fiver a week to feed him and I reckon it's money well spent and I don't regret a single penny of it.

My late cat was on cheap food all her life and died of kidney failure after a dental aged twelve. She was never in as good shape as she could have been and I can really see the difference good food makes to my present cat and dog family.

People think nothing of spending that much on a couple of pints and they bring me far more pleasure and joy than that!

goat2

i like you dont drink just occasionally, but i do like to give them treats, they still do prefer home cooking, dont we all

Sigma Force

When I tell folk the price of the dog food I use they're shocked..which is a bit silly because they don't realise it lasts 6 weeks, feeds 3 dogs and works out per week at around 10 euro which lets face it is pretty good.

If I were feeding ped chum or the like esp. tins I'd be spending a fortune. Years ago it used to cost me 10 old pounds to feed one dog for a week of ped chum wet and a bit of dry.

I feed Burns for many reasons, mainly because one of our dogs genuinely has a sensative tum and she tolerates the pork and potatoe best. Since one dog is on it might as well be feeding them all the same thing, plus they love the taste.

Sometimes it's hard to come up with the money every few weeks but then you have to remind yourself that it's actually covering you for the next 6 weeks.
I store ours in a large dog food container with lid in their food press and is still fresh to the last bit.

I've just ordered another bag now from zooplus.co.uk and I've saved myself €7.50 compared to what I was paying locally. So it's costing me 50 quid every 6 odd weeks at the mo. It depends on wether other dogs have been visiting because they love the flavour too and can't help helping themselves lol.

I also thing that it's pretty obvious the better the quality of ingredients the healthier wether it's for animal or people food. I know plenty of dogs that have lived long lives on cheaper food with table scraps thrown in.

Lucyx

peasant wrote: »

You do realise that even dry dog food, once opened, can go off?

Do you have an airtight container for it? If not, you should get one.

well i always make sure that i get a good best before date on the bag and i have one of those cereal containers and fill that up each week and i keep the 15kg bag closed fairly tightly.

geez i hope thats enough to keep the grub ok for my dog

Blueprint

Yeah, went I got my guy he was on Pedigree puppy and it cost around 8 Euro for 1.5 kilos. Which would have worked out way more expensive than what I'm feeding now. Plus he was hyper as anything on it... I also find his eyes get very gunky on anything with grain it.

Goat, I agree about the home cooking, but since none of the humans in this house eat meat and some of them would have a heart attack if I prepared anything containing it in the kitchen, I have to make do with processed.

They do all get the occasional chicken wing.

peasant

Lucyx wrote: »

geez i hope thats enough to keep the grub ok for my dog

If you're keeping the bag for several months, the bag itself should really be in an airtight container.

Left open, the kibble can go rancid after a (long) while, but due to all the preservatives you'll hardly notice it ..your dog's tummy will though.

We feed from 15 kg bags as well, but as we have three dogs one bag only lasts about a fortnight.

(found a few kibbles under a shelf once that had been there approx. two months and they were definetly very much off)

thebullkf

Blueprint wrote: »

Yeah, went I got my guy he was on Pedigree puppy and it cost around 8 Euro for 1.5 kilos. Which would have worked out way more expensive than what I'm feeding now. Plus he was hyper as anything on it... I also find his eyes get very gunky on anything with grain it.

Goat, I agree about the home cooking, but since none of the humans in this house eat meat and some of them would have a heart attack if I prepared anything containing it in the kitchen, I have to make do with processed.

They do all get the occasional chicken wing.

thought you NEVER give bird bones to dogs cos they're hollow and can splinter?????

{i never have anyway}


we give ours Hills Science Plan.

best of stuff-regulated ingredients.
and cheaper than Ped Chum,Madra,Winstons{?}

etc.

etc

when i go on a really long walk the odd time i buy a pouch/tin of Ped Chum if i forget to bring some of the Hills......you notice the difference in the dog straight away.....Hyper-Runny,stinky Stools,and then a"Come down" if you like..


i'm sure Royal Canin,Hills,James Wellbeloved are very similar tbh...

{ a lot are vendor driven/commission based or so the rumours say:rolleyes:}

used to have a boxer.....on hills......christ he ate a bag a week.....couldn't afford it in the end---switched to Aldi Complete food.....checked with 3 different vets---no problems

BUT..


for puppies if you can buy the best thendo it.

our dog is a member of our family...

and treated accordingly.


rant over;)

andreac

You should never feed COOKED bones to a dog but RAW is fine, hence feeding a BARF diet as some people do.

Lucyx

thebullkf wrote: »

thought you NEVER give bird bones to dogs cos they're hollow and can splinter?????

when i go on a really long walk the odd time i buy a pouch/tin of Ped Chum if i forget to bring some of the Hills......you notice the difference in the dog straight away.....Hyper-Runny,stinky Stools,and then a"Come down" if you like..

I agree on both scores.

No chicken wings for dogs. They'd love them, but NO.

I've done the exact same thing a few times re the pedigree food and you've only to see the 'stools' to see that its just not good food.

(PS I've never seen a post written that way before, its so spread out:D)

andreac

Lucyx wrote: »

I agree on both scores.

No chicken wings for dogs. They'd love them, but NO.

Sorry, but you are wrong, raw bones are fine for dogs,even chicken wings, its the cooked ones you cannot feed.

thebullkf

Lucyx wrote: »

I agree on both scores.

No chicken wings for dogs. They'd love them, but NO.

I've done the exact same thing a few times re the pedigree food and you've only to see the 'stools' to see that its just not good food.

(PS I've never seen a post written that way before, its so spread out:D)

thanks lucy



Took a spin up to Petmania earlier this evening.{santry}
....great shop,
great staff.....


Petfood is dearer than the vets on Malahide Road


its only 4e per 3kg bag but still..

in fairness i'd still buy in Petmania to show support,
shops either side of them are closed..so not much passing traffic



they'll quite happily show you their lizards,rabbits Parrots and tons of fish,gerbils hamsters etc etc.

i don't work there,own it or affilliated with it in any way.

I just think its the Dogs Nuts.:)


seriously....if you haven't been.......GO!

thebullkf

andreac wrote: »

Sorry, but you are wrong, raw bones are fine for dogs,even chicken wings, its the cooked ones you cannot feed.

lrushe

Generally what I do is feed a pup on a really good puppy food until around a year old to form good building blocks for the rest of its life as I do believe pups need specialised and correctly balance food, after that I will down scale to a cheaper food and add raw meat and oils to it. I have found an animal food wholesalers where I can buy a 15kg bag of food tailored to working / sporting dogs for between €10-15 to which I will add a spoon of fish oil and depending on what I am cooking that day some raw meat and veg.
Food - €15
Oil - €5
/ 6 weeks
= €3.30 per week to feed 3 dogs, no bad really, my dogs are vet checked yearly and always get a clean bill of health. My 9 year old has always been feed this way and he is as fit as he was at a year old, health coat, sparkling eyes and full of energy. The dog in my sig is fed the same and she is the absolute picture of health.
At the end of the day its each to their own and if someone wants or needs to feed their dogs an expensive food then thats their choice but I have never felt the need and my dogs have never suffered for this.

Graces7

"The best" is what is best for them; nothing to do with cost.

Which is as well for many of us on very low incomes....

lrushe

thebullkf wrote: »

Once you cook a bone you take out all the moisture in it leading it to splinter when the dog chews it up potentially causing stomach and intestine damage, uncooked bones don't tend to do this as the moisture in them keep them softer , less likely to splinter and more digestable.

LBD

andreac wrote: »

Sorry, but you are wrong, raw bones are fine for dogs,even chicken wings, its the cooked ones you cannot feed.

Sorry.....but I dont think there is a wrong or right on this matter. It's an age old controversial issue and for each owner to decide on. Personally I wouldn't give our dogs any chicken bones, raw or otherwise.

niallo27

Hi all, whats best for a golden puppy 8 weeks old, i dont mind paying a bit extra on him

andreac

thebullkf wrote: »

Have a read of this:
http://www.topdog.ie/content.php?151-Raw-BARF-Diet-FAQ

and this:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055694639

Will help clear up your confusion.

ISDW

Raw chicken wings are very good for dogs, they help to clear out the anal glands.

Cooked chicken bones no, raw ones, great.

andreac

niallo27 wrote: »

Hi all, whats best for a golden puppy 8 weeks old, i dont mind paying a bit extra on him

There are plenty of good brands of food. What did the breeder have the pup on as you should probably stick with that if its a good one.

The brands you could feed are Orijen, Royal Canin, James Well Beloved, Arden Grange, Clinivet, RedMills etc. Plenty to choose from. Any good pet shop will stock most of the above.