why do people spend so much

cocker5

AndreaC

Thanks for that...

i am just sooo sick to the death of people saying .... "oh i cannot afford that" for their dogs without looking into it!!

its like the whole.... "im not paying for pet insurance" thing.....
ahhhhhh drives me insane!! .... i feel better rant over!!

did i read you are a breeder?? Which breed??

andreac

Im not a breeder, but i own a rottweiler that i show and he has been used at stud once so far

cocker5

love rotties, they are beautiful dogs!!

I myself have a black male cocker spaniel (hence the name )
not half a clever as rotties!

andreac

Rotties are a great breed, just have a terrible reputation unfortunately.

cocker5

andreac wrote: »

Rotties are a great breed, just have a terrible reputation unfortunately.

I agree and its very sad for the breed...

most people with any education or level of intelligence know that not all breeds or dogs can be tard with the same brush.... im sure some cockers can be vicious (although looking at my guy i find it hard to see) ..... and infact the small dogs are usually the worst offenders!! :P

its poor reputation is down to mainly irresponsible (scumbag) dog owners who use the dogs size as a way to terrorise people.... same for the Gernam Sheppards.... etc... they become products of their owners :mad:

morganafay

cocker5 wrote: »

i agree with what you are saying.... but i do think that if you added up the cost of supermarket food for a period of two months.... and compared it to other foods that can be bought in bulk... you would realise that infact you are spending the same ...
/QUOTE]

I don't feed supermarket food though, I get a 12.5kg bag of cheap dog food from a pet shop (not one that sells animals though) for €10. I'm actually a bit embarassed it's that cheap because I'm sure it's not great quality . . . but I have three dogs (though they're small) and 5 cats (the 15kg bags of cat food I get are about €20-25) and 5 guinea pigs and 4 rabbits (plus babies that I'm selling) (the 20kg bags of guinea pig or rabbit food I get are about €20) and then there's wood shavings and hay, so it all ads up.

You might say I should just have less pets and look after the ones I have better, but at least I do look after them all properly. It doesn't sound like loads of money but I'm a student and only work a few hours a week. When I get a proper job then I'll buy them better food, but for now they're all very healthy at least.

LBD

cocker5 wrote: »

ask any dog trainiers.... when they are called into a home where a dog is misbehaving etc first thing they will ask is regarding food... first thing they will change is a dog's food.... reduction in protein can reduce hyper behaviour etc.... :eek:

What?!!!!

We had a trainer in a few months ago, a few issues with our two dogs needing ironing out which he trained us (not the dogs) how to fix within a few hours. This guy was amazing would recommend him to anyone. He is an ex policeman, worked in the canine unit was responsible for training and looking after many dogs etc his resume was extremely impressive, he asked us what we fed our dogs and had no problem at all with it. We pay 14.99 for our 15KG bag which I'm sure in your expert opinion is "muck"......however in his EXPERT opinion it wasn't and didn't need to be changed at all :rolleyes:

morganafay

cocker5 wrote: »

if you agree the fact that the food is crap... why feed it to your dogs???
i just cannot understand this??? good / proper dog food is not expensive ... this is a myth... research the food and you will see...
make an effort ..... mine ends of being 90cents per day....

if a dog gets by on it?? is this not a lazy way of thinking "ahh sure its grand"... you dogs maybe healthy now... but after years of eating food with no nutrition etc chances are they will not be soo healthy in later life... :eek:

I don't have €55 every two months to spend on dog food, unfortunately. If I only had one dog, or even two, and no other pets, it'd be no problem. With everything that pets need, it's a lot, and I'm a student. I'm always having to take one to the vet or buy a new kennel or hutch or something, it's so expensive.

And my dogs are 6, 8 and 9, and are very healthy (and Cavaliers aren't meant to be very healthy). My old dog, a Springer, died at 14, in his sleep, never a health problem in his life. They were always fed this way, or on supermarket food, or on scraps. When we were kids the Springer ate mostly scraps, and it was mostly crap like bread. :rolleyes: I wouldn't feed my dogs like that, but do give them healthy scraps now when they're there.

I know it's not good for dogs, but the fact is my dogs look really healthy, aren't overweight, don't smell, have loads of energy, and the vet says they're perfectly healthy. They've never had any problems ever. And 9 is pretty old for a Cav.

I think when I have a full time job then I'll feed them a good dog food and also some raw meat/veg/etc. with it for a bit of variety. Cheap things like offal, which I'm sure would be good for them. Then I won't have to worry too much about them missing out on nutrients, and if I'm feeling a bit lazy then I can just give them the dry food.

cocker5

LBD wrote: »

What?!!!!

We had a trainer in a few months ago, a few issues with our two dogs needing ironing out which he trained us (not the dogs) how to fix within a few hours. This guy was amazing would recommend him to anyone. He is an ex policeman, worked in the canine unit was responsible for training and looking after many dogs etc his resume was extremely impressive, he asked us what we fed our dogs and had no problem at all with it. We pay 14.99 for our 15KG bag which I'm sure in your expert opinion is "muck"......however in his EXPERT opinion it wasn't and didn't need to be changed at all :rolleyes:

You can get personal and slag me off if you wish... i really couldnt care less..the fact that you are responding in such a childish and defensive manner shows... your level of maturity..... but the FACT of the matter is spending €1 per kilo.. it is MUCK... take it whatever way you want....
i dont really care... :pac:

LBD

cocker5 wrote: »

You can get personal and slag me off if you wish... i really couldnt care less..the fact that you are responding in such a childish and defensive manner shows... your level of maturity..... but the FACT of the matter is spending €1 per kilo.. it is MUCK... take it whatever way you want....
i dont really care... :pac:

Ok take it easy there. You took me up wrong. Sorry if I offended you but I don't see how? By bolding expert I was making a point not slagging you, thats your opinion not my intention.
Really don't think I'm the childish or defensive one in this discussion. How ridiculous.

After seeing your other posts i'm not a bit sorry you don't seem to have any problem offending people.

cocker5

morganafay wrote: »

cocker5 wrote: »

i agree with what you are saying.... but i do think that if you added up the cost of supermarket food for a period of two months.... and compared it to other foods that can be bought in bulk... you would realise that infact you are spending the same ...
/QUOTE]

I don't feed supermarket food though, I get a 12.5kg bag of cheap dog food from a pet shop (not one that sells animals though) for €10. I'm actually a bit embarassed it's that cheap because I'm sure it's not great quality . . . but I have three dogs (though they're small) and 5 cats (the 15kg bags of cat food I get are about €20-25) and 5 guinea pigs and 4 rabbits (plus babies that I'm selling) (the 20kg bags of guinea pig or rabbit food I get are about €20) and then there's wood shavings and hay, so it all ads up.

You might say I should just have less pets and look after the ones I have better, but at least I do look after them all properly. It doesn't sound like loads of money but I'm a student and only work a few hours a week. When I get a proper job then I'll buy them better food, but for now they're all very healthy at least.

you already know what most people would say to that....

I too am a student....and i work full time, pay a whopping mortgage, my bills... my VHI... the dogs pet insurance... etc..blah...blah..... and all the other bills EVERYBODY has....

i would love another dog.... but guess what ??? I cant afford one... personally i would rather look after the one I have and make sure he has a good life, than be selfish and get another for me... thats the reality.. i would rather have one and give him the best life i can than have 2 or 3 and they "just get by"... thats how i feel...

you dont need to justify feeding your animals crap to me... they are your animals... its your decision! :eek:

morganafay

cocker5 wrote: »

morganafay wrote: »

i would love another dog.... but guess what ??? I cant afford one... personally i would rather look after the one I have and make sure he has a good life, than be selfish and get another for me... thats the reality.. i would rather have one and give him the best life i can than have 2 or 3 and they "just get by"... thats how i feel...

Well if I felt like I couldn't look after them then I wouldn't get more pets, but I think I can. Apart from the food, they have all the best care. And their food is still counted as "complete dog food" so it's hardly neglecting them. They're not malnourished or anything. They're really happy, and I can tell that. They don't just get by, they're really happy and healthy.

I'm not trying to justify feeding them crap food. Just saying that they are really happy dogs and well looked after. Anyone who sees them could tell that. I seriously wouldn't keep an animal if I didn't think it had a great life. I'd feel way too guilty.

And believe me, I'd work full time if I could. I'd love to have money. And I literally spend all my money on my pets, so I don't think I'm doing anything wrong.

cocker5

morganafay,

I am sure your animals are very happy and well cared for... my point from the very start that feeding dogs cheap food will damage their health long term...and may cause behavioural problems (due to the high levels of protien etc) and thats its in the dogs best interest to fed the proper food to ensure that he /she is be given the best chance in life... that was my only point....

Juts beacuse a dog looks great... shinney coat etc... doesnt actaully mean they are healthy in the inside, thats a fact

people coming on and getting offened beacuse someone says cheap dog food is crap (and more importantly bad for the dog) is madness... it is no different from a human eating chippers / takeaways all day everyday... eventaully its takes its toll... fact is fact :cool:

boomerang

LBD wrote: »

What?!!!!

We had a trainer in a few months ago, a few issues with our two dogs needing ironing out which he trained us (not the dogs) how to fix within a few hours. This guy was amazing would recommend him to anyone. He is an ex policeman, worked in the canine unit was responsible for training and looking after many dogs etc his resume was extremely impressive, he asked us what we fed our dogs and had no problem at all with it. We pay 14.99 for our 15KG bag which I'm sure in your expert opinion is "muck"......however in his EXPERT opinion it wasn't and didn't need to be changed at all :rolleyes:

Sorry but being a dog trainer doesn't make him an expert on dog food, far from it. Especially if his CV is based wholly on experience rather than academic qualifications.

LBD

boomerang wrote: »

Sorry but being a dog trainer doesn't make him an expert on dog food, far from it. Especially if his CV is based wholly on experience rather than academic qualifications.

If u read my post including quotes you will see I was responding to someone infering a trainer was qualified to provide this info.

I 100% agree with you though.

cocker5

LBD wrote: »

Ok take it easy there. You took me up wrong. Sorry if I offended you but I don't see how? By bolding expert I was making a point not slagging you, thats your opinion not my intention.
Really don't think I'm the childish or defensive one in this discussion. How ridiculous.

After seeing your other posts i'm not a bit sorry you don't seem to have any problem offending people.

Why beacuse i speak the truth??
You can judge me from like a whole 6 posts??

Feeding your dogs crap food will eventually take its toll on their systems... any idiot can figure that one out!!!!! Im not gonna say "ah of course feed your dog X" sure its ok... we're in a recession afterall... fact it is not ok... they are living creatures and deserve to have a good life...

why not feed kids McDonalds all day??? eh beacuse its bad for them etc

star-pants

Guys - have some cop on please with the petty arguing - everyone is entitled to their opinion so don't look up or down your nose at others if they don't view things your way

cocker5

boomerang wrote: »

Sorry but being a dog trainer doesn't make him an expert on dog food, far from it. Especially if his CV is based wholly on experience rather than academic qualifications.

well boomerang according to the other poster is does :eek:

well said though

boomerang

LBD wrote: »

If u read my post including quotes you will see I was responding to someone infering a trainer was qualified to provide this info.

I didn't see any quotes in your post, sorry.

Edited to add: Yep - saw it now -glanced over it the first time. Me bad. I think Cocker5 is getting confused though - the cheaper dog foods have a lower amount of protein, if anything, and at that, a lot of the time soya is used to bring the percentage up as it's cheap - and as far as I know, dogs cannot easily digest soya and it is linked to an increased incidence of reproductive cancers, although I'd have to go and re-check my sources to confirm it. The other problem with cheaper foods is the reliance on cheap fillers to add bulk but which don't provide any nutritional value. Your dog will feel full, and will produce big poos - but basically the fillers go in one end and out the other, without any benefit to the dog other than satiety.

Some of the cheaper foods are also associated with allergic reactions which can lead to behavioural problems. Bakers Complete is a well-known culprit as it contains artificial additives that have been linked to hyperactivity in children and are now banned for human consumption.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=424&cat=7

LBD

cocker5 wrote: »

Why beacuse i speak the truth??
You can judge me from like a whole 6 posts??

Feeding your dogs crap food will eventually take its toll on their systems... any idiot can figure that one out!!!!! Im not gonna say "ah of course feed your dog X" sure its ok... we're in a recession afterall... fact it is not ok... they are living creatures and deserve to have a good life...

why not feed kids McDonalds all day??? eh beacuse its bad for them etc

on the otherhand you have me figured out in one post apparently I'm offensive, immature, childish and now an idiot it seems. Pot kettle black.

I don't agree with you can we leave it at that? I have no interest in getting into a slagging match, I find it a bit upsetting really.

cocker5

star-pants wrote: »

Guys - have some cop on please with the petty arguing - everyone is entitled to their opinion so don't look up or down your nose at others if they don't view things your way

I agree....ranting over..... thanks for bringing some sense on board ....

morganafay

cocker5 wrote: »

morganafay,

I am sure your animals are very happy and well cared for... my point from the very start that feeding dogs cheap food will damage their health long term...and may cause behavioural problems (due to the high levels of protien etc) and thats its in the dogs best interest to fed the proper food to ensure that he /she is be given the best chance in life... that was my only point....

Juts beacuse a dog looks great... shinney coat etc... doesnt actaully mean they are healthy in the inside, thats a fact

people coming on and getting offened beacuse someone says cheap dog food is crap (and more importantly bad for the dog) is madness... it is no different from a human eating chippers / takeaways all day everyday... eventaully its takes its toll... fact is fact :cool:

I agree that it isn't very healthy food. And I will definitely feed them good food when I can afford it.

I was just saying that my dogs are very healthy. They look healthy and the vet has checked them a few months ago and said they were all very healthy. They could have underlying problems, but all signs show they're healthy. And like I said my Springer lived til 14, which is quite good, and my Cavs are getting a bit old and are still doing great. Maybe I'm just lucky, but they've never had a health problem. I think it's pretty good to have 5 dogs (and loads of cats) who've never had any problem in their whole lives. Two vets have told me that cheap dog food works for some dogs and they never have any problems from it. One vet told me pedigree chum is fine, because she knows I can't afford better than that yet. I do agree that bad quality food can cause health problems (I eat really healthily myself so I definitely believe that) but so far, my dogs are definitely healthy.

cocker5

morganafay wrote: »

I agree that it isn't very healthy food. And I will definitely feed them good food when I can afford it.

I was just saying that my dogs are very healthy. They look healthy and the vet has checked them a few months ago and said they were all very healthy. They could have underlying problems, but all signs show they're healthy. And like I said my Springer lived til 14, which is quite good, and my Cavs are getting a bit old and are still doing great. Maybe I'm just lucky, but they've never had a health problem. Two vets have told me that cheap dog food works for some dogs and they never have any problems from it. I do agree that it can contribute to health problems for dogs, but so far they are definitely healthy dogs.

Glad to hear it.... and good luck with all your animals..

ppink

boomerang wrote: »

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=424&cat=7

looking at this site it seems impressive but when i am looking to see who is analysing the foods I can find no names or qualifications but that it is done by volunteers with an interest in nutrition.

it leads me back to the same thing as to who decides what is the "right" food for a dog and what is not.
If dogs live to older years with no problems on the cheaper food what does that mean? or is it like the 90year old who smokes but is still ok...ie not the norm.

also wondering if years ago we did have dogs who had allergies etc but they maybe were not cared for in as much detail as we do nowadays. now if Fido sneezes we look to sort it but years back may not have?.....or do the dogs these days have more allergies.

morganafay

ppink wrote: »

it leads me back to the same thing as to who decides what is the "right" food for a dog and what is not.
If dogs live to older years with no problems on the cheaper food what does that mean? or is it like the 90year old who smokes but is still ok...ie not the norm.

also wondering if years ago we did have dogs who had allergies etc but they maybe were not cared for in as much detail as we do nowadays. now if Fido sneezes we look to sort it but years back may not have?.....or do the dogs these days have more allergies.

I was wondering too if it was the norm or not for dogs who are fed cheap food to be healthy. I don't really believe I just got lucky with my 5 dogs and lots of cats, who never had health problems. I think it's like the majority or people eat very processed unnatural food (though sometimes think it's healthy) and they mostly are fine. But if you eat healthier then you do feel better and are healthier. So I guess maybe dogs that eat cheap food are mostly fine, but not quite as healthy as ones eating really healthily.

I think years ago if a dog had allergies then people probably weren't as likely to treat it. Maybe some dogs have more allergies now, because certain breeds are more likely to have allergies.

Outkast_IRE

morganafay wrote: »

I was wondering too if it was the norm or not for dogs who are fed cheap food to be healthy. I don't really believe I just got lucky with my 5 dogs and lots of cats, who never had health problems. I think it's like the majority or people eat very processed unnatural food (though sometimes think it's healthy) and they mostly are fine. But if you eat healthier then you do feel better and are healthier. So I guess maybe dogs that eat cheap food are mostly fine, but not quite as healthy as ones eating really healthily.

I think years ago if a dog had allergies then people probably weren't as likely to treat it. Maybe some dogs have more allergies now, because certain breeds are more likely to have allergies.

Lets be honest if a dog had bad allergies years ago it wasnt treated and they might of died , not a nice thought but thats natural selection for ya.

I would have no problem feeding dog the best quality vs price food i could afford , a bit of reseach goes a long way as i explained earlier i buy orjen just because iv tried all the others and dog had problems on them .
One very good observation i have made is that the dog eats far less of the orjen than she did of the old foods. This is due to the food being more nourishing for the dog. The dog was also small bit overweight before the new food and she has slimed to the correct weight for a dog of her size and breed , mostly because the food is low carbohydrate as dogs dont need carbs like we do.

morganafay

Well yeah that makes sense. Does anyone have any good recommendations for foods that are a bit cheaper than the most expensive ones but still good quality?

I've been thinking about changing my dog food for a while, but I don't really know what mid-priced ones are good.

Outkast_IRE

morganafay wrote: »

Well yeah that makes sense. Does anyone have any good recommendations for foods that are a bit cheaper than the most expensive ones but still good quality?

I've been thinking about changing my dog food for a while, but I don't really know what mid-priced ones are good.

Well what way will you be ordering just in a local shop or can you order online?
If its just the local pet shop you have access to then make a list of what foods they do vs prices and do some research online .

If your happy with the food your giving at the moment and the dogs seem happy and healthy then i personally wouldnt change, you could change foods and find it doesnt suit the dogs etc. If you were goin to spend a bit extra on them then i would do things like cook chicken fillets once a week that sort of thing.
Only consider changing when you wont be putting yourself under financial strain .

ISDW

cocker5 wrote: »

morganafay,

I am sure your animals are very happy and well cared for... my point from the very start that feeding dogs cheap food will damage their health long term...and may cause behavioural problems (due to the high levels of protien etc) and thats its in the dogs best interest to fed the proper food to ensure that he /she is be given the best chance in life... that was my only point....

Juts beacuse a dog looks great... shinney coat etc... doesnt actaully mean they are healthy in the inside, thats a fact

people coming on and getting offened beacuse someone says cheap dog food is crap (and more importantly bad for the dog) is madness... it is no different from a human eating chippers / takeaways all day everyday... eventaully its takes its toll... fact is fact :cool:

Except that a lot of the cheaper dog isn't particularly high in protein, most of it tends to be around the 18-20% range. Maybe the colourants in some of it might make a dog hyper though.

peasant

Just a thought re the grain content in dogfood

This dogfoodanalysis page works on the theory that a wolf in the wild would naturally eat nothing but meat and the odd bit of veggie matter but never grain ...hence a dog must not be fed grain and only grainless dogfood deserves six stars.

Now, I have no backup for this but I would think that ever since dogs decided to follow humans some 100-150,000 years ago (initally as mobile waste bins and then as pets) it was far from red meat that they were raised. Dogs had to live on scraps and offcuts ...bones, grizzle and indeed gruel and breadcrumbs (i.e grain)

I wouldn't be at all surprised if a dog's digestive system was quite different from a wolf's.

After all ...homo sapiens intially only fed on mammuts and berries (:D) so yoghurt should be potentially lethal to us, shouldn't it?