Where can I get cheap dog food?

Choc Chip

I think vets get a raw (lol) deal when it comes to recommending food.

How do they know that the person feeding raw has done the necessary research around nutrition and is ensuring that the food is healthy and balanced, and that they're not just throwing Fido some chicken mince every day with no bone or organ content. Without sitting down and going into detail with every client, they can't (and most clients wouldn't want to pay for that consultation). It's much safer for vets to recommend a prepared food which meets basic nutritional needs and which their client can't get wrong.

Cost and convenience also come into it. I don't have the spare time or money to feed my dogs raw right now. I don't think it makes me a bad owner to switch to dry food for now and switch back later, or add some raw where I can.

cocker5

irish_goat wrote: »

Most don't.



100%, but if you couldn't see a nutritionist you should take your GP's advice over that of people on the internet...same should be the case for animal health.

just on this no I wouldn't to be honest I do my own research and make my own decision... that's the truth

cocker5

Choc Chip wrote: »

I think vets get a raw (lol) deal when it comes to recommending food.

How do they know that the person feeding raw has done the necessary research around nutrition and is ensuring that the food is healthy and balanced, and that they're not just throwing Fido some chicken mince every day with no bone or organ content. Without sitting down and going into detail with every client, they can't (and most clients wouldn't want to pay for that consultation). It's much safer for vets to recommend a prepared food which meets basic nutritional needs and which their client can't get wrong.

Cost and convenience also come into it. I don't have the spare time or money to feed my dogs raw right now. I don't think it makes me a bad owner to switch to dry food for now and switch back later, or add some raw where I can.

I've yet to meet a vet that recommended raw... and while I do feed raw (complete / ready made - just defrost and go ) I know its not for everyone and agreed there is a cost element to it also.

I think the main issue is many vets don't actually recommend decent quality food.. dried / raw / tinned or otherwise.... many vets recommend Royal canin which is not a decent quality food, people can be far higher quality food for cheaper whether in the vets or in the pet store - that's the main issue here to be honest

Choc Chip

OP - I buy online because I find it cheaper and it's easier for me to check prices. Amazon and Zooplus are cheap, but Fetch Your Pet Needs is brilliant if you can support Irish.


Guys, I'm going to bow out of anything else because I can't face the confusion of dry v raw v wet v omnivores and carnivores and grain and fish and duck and singular proteins. My head will explode. And also because in the last 10 minutes I've had to persuade 2 separate dogs to give me (a) an apparently tasty dead rat, and (b) an old decomposing cat poo. I think what I actually want them to eat is the least of my problems.

tk123

Choc Chip wrote: »

OP - I buy online because I find it cheaper and it's easier for me to check prices. Amazon and Zooplus are cheap, but Fetch Your Pet Needs is brilliant if you can support Irish.

Oh Fetch has a competition on their NourishRite page to win €250 worth of food... there’s your answer OP enter as many competitions on FB as possible!!!

....Cat poo vs rat :eek:

Choc Chip

tk123 wrote: »

....Cat poo vs rat :eek:

#wholeprey :pac:

em_cat

tk123 wrote: »

Oh Fetch has a competition on their NourishRite page to win €250 worth of food... there’s your answer OP enter as many competitions on FB as possible!!!

....Cat poo vs rat :eek:

Off topic sort of, was thinking of Baily today as Esmae likes to dig & eat a bit o muck in the park after a particularly raucous bout of frisbee or thrash the ball...I’m going around filling the holes.

muddypaws

MayoSalmon wrote: »

Carbs do not belong in a dog's diet. Ever. No grains, no potatoes etc

Every Canid on earth is an Carnivore.

To think that a commercial pet food with 20% protein and 50% carb is biological appropriate food once I exercise Fifi enough is ignorant

Don't have a dog called Fifi.

Ignorant? No, based on research carried out by vets that study hard working dogs, first hand discussions not YouTube channels by someone with money to make.

You obviously have a bee in your bonnet, which unfortunately is very common when raw feeding is discussed. Passion is great, rudeness and a closed mind such as that displayed on this thread puts people off raw feeding.

For the record, I feed a mix of raw and kibble - shock horror, some of my dogs are even on Royal Canin :eek: :eek: :eek:

MayoSalmon

I'll end on this...

Dry food manufacturers have done an incredible job on both the vets and the general public to convince them all that you are incapable of feeding puppies anything but a magic brown ball of kibble. They literally recommend feeding that magic ball from 4 weeks old to death in many cases. Oh and to make yourself feel good from time to time about your choice for your dog maybe supplement a meal or two with a can of wet food consisting of rendered 2% chicken.

Squall Leonhart

MayoSalmon wrote: »

I'll end on this...

Dry food manufacturers have done an incredible job on both the vets and the general public to convince them all that you are incapable of feeding puppies anything but a magic brown ball of kibble. They literally recommend feeding that magic ball from 4 weeks old to death in many cases. Oh and to make yourself feel good from time to time about your choice for your dog maybe supplement a meal or two with a can of wet food consisting of rendered 2% chicken.

What would you think of this product (kibble) out of interest?


Product Details
80% Chicken, Turkey, Duck & Fish - 55% is freshly prepared chicken, turkey & fish
Hypoallergenic - No added grain, gluten, soya, dairy, beef or pork so suitable for those dogs with grain intolerances/sensitivities
Added Glucosamine, MSM & Chondroitin Sulphate - To help promote joint repair and mobility
Added Seaweed & Cranberry - A source of iodine to help support thyroid health, coat condition and cranberry to help promote a healthy urinary tract
No added artificial colours or preservatives
Contains salmon - A great source of Omega 3 fatty acids which have been linked with improved cognitive function and inflammatory response
Composition:

Freshly Prepared Chicken 36%, Dried Chicken 22%, Sweet Potato, Freshly Prepared Turkey 11%, Potato, Freshly Prepared Salmon 4%, Freshly Prepared Pollock 4%, Chicken Stock 1%, Dried Duck 1%, Pea Fibre, Salmon Oil 1%, Dried Egg, Miernals, Vitamins, Linseed, Dried Apple, Dried Carrot, Seaweed, Dried Spinach, Dried Cranberry, Tomato Pomace, Glucosamine 180 mg/kg, Methylsulphonylmethane 180 mg/kg, Chondroitin Sulphate 125 mg/kg, Camomile Powder, Burdock Root Powder, Aniseed & Fenugreek, Peppermint, Marigold, Grapeseed Extract, Green Tea Extract, Dried Dandelion, Dried Bilberry, Ginseng, Thyme, Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, Sage.

Nutritional Additives per kg:

Vitamins: Vitamin A (retinyl acetate) 25,730 IU, Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) 1,730 IU, Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol acetate) 190 mg; Trace Elements: Zinc Chelate of Amino Acids Hydrate 340 mg, Zinc Sulphate Monohydrate 285 mg, Ferrous Sulphate Monohydrate 310 mg, Ferrous Chelate of Amino Acids Hydrate 20 mg, Manganous Sulphate Monohydrate 110 mg, Cupric Chelate Amino Acids Hydrate 50 mg, Cupric Sulphate Pentahydrate 40 mg, Calcium Iodate Anhydrous 1.57 mg, Sodium Selenite 0.51 mg.

Analytical Constituents:

Crude Protein 35%
Crude Oil & Fats 19%
Crude Fibres 3%
Crude Ash 8.5%
Moisture 8.5%
NFE 26%
Metabolisable Energy 347.2 Kcal/100g
Ca:P 1.4:1.

cruizer101

Squall Leonhart wrote: »

What would you think of this product (kibble) out of interest?

What food is that out of curiosity.
Currently feeding mine a kibble that is 55% chicken, 26% sweet potatoe, peas, potatoe, beet, then some supplements and other bits.
Comes in at 26% crude protein, 14% oil and fat.
€51 for 12kg so not too bad.

Squall Leonhart

cruizer101 wrote: »

What food is that out of curiosity.
Currently feeding mine a kibble that is 55% chicken, 26% sweet potatoe, peas, potatoe, beet, then some supplements and other bits.
Comes in at 26% crude protein, 14% oil and fat.
€51 for 12kg so not too bad.

Sevens Grain Free. Yours sounds similar but 50eur decent price for it. I normally buy mine in from UK as its cheaper than local shops and I get 2 bags for about 115eur

MayoSalmon

Grain Free is just as unhealthy as Grain diet...confirmed by FDA in last couple of days. Just feed raw.

https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/news-events/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/24/health/grain-free-dog-food-heart-disease.html?module=inline

aonb

Acey10 wrote: »

Any advice on the aldi dog food I posted above?

its got 61% cereals and 22% turkey meal
its quite low in protein and fat, but very high in carbohydrates

If youre looking for a quality dog food, its safe to say that supermarket foods are not quality foods...

Check out Orijen, Burns, Canagan, Skinners, Carnilove etc

use your allaboutdogfood.co.uk/the-dog-food-directory to compare PRICE/NUTRITIONAL RATING until you find the best nutritional rating for the price you want to pay.

If its a 3 month old puppy, you will be feeding him puppy food for a while, before moving onto an adult food - so maybe a small bag initially to try him on, and to keep it fresh

AulWan

I feed my dog on Jameswellbeloved, and have done for at least ten years, and she has done very well on it. Its not cheap, but I shop around and bulk buy. Equipet, Maxizoo or Zooplus often have offers. Livingsocial sometimes has €20 spend for €12 vouchers for Maxizoo, though I haven't seen them in a while.

I surprisingly found JWB on offer in The Range stores. I got a 15kg bag there for only €48 last month. I get about 7/8 weeks out of that for one cocker spaniel.

Per kilo, it works out far cheaper to buy good food in bulk, then cheaper supermarket brands. Plus, good food makes cleaning up the back garden a lot more pleasant experience.

Graces7

we fed our dogs as we do the cats in essence. ie part raw, part processed.

a chicken raw portion each day and a second smaller meal of tinned for the cats, dry or tinned for the dogs.

It is a very individual choice.

Gael23

What do you think of this one?
https://www.zooplus.ie/shop/dogs/dry_dog_food/hills_science_plan/adult/128125
It’s not the variety we normally get but he seems to like it and eats it much more quickly than the small &minature one, it’s a bit cheaper also.
I’m just concerned the first ingredient is “Grain”.