Just a Pet Food Rant

[Benny]

I feed my pup (10 months old) Royal Canin biscuits and beef mince. The biscuits come in a 12kg bag which lasts around 6 weeks, and costs around $110 (Aus-$$). Mince wise it's around $12 a bag which lasts maybe 4 nights? So on average it works out to be about, $5.60 per day?

When people tell my fiancé and I it's ludicrous to pay that amount I just reiterate the pup cost $1250, so there's no point in going cheap with food. Premium dog = premium food.


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[3ToesTonyismydog]

Actually Royal Canin is a very low grade dog food. Check it out by googling dog food review sites. I am not a big fan of dog food advisor because they list a lot of dog foods as 5 star, when they are really nothing more than 3 star. Dog food analysis rarely gets updated but they tell it like it is. But these 3 sites are a beginning.

Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor

http://dogfoodchat.com/

Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost

Here is a great site if you have some time to do a little reading.

The Dog Food Project - Ingredients to avoid

[Doc]

Royal Canin spends more on research than most other pet food companies. They build their kibble based on the demands of the dog. They were the first company that produced breed specific diets based on years of research on the nutrient requirements and physiology of the Herman shepherd. If you would study to why they include certain products in their food it makes perfect sense. I've used most premium kibbles on the market today and some dogs don't do very well on the most expensive brands - Origen included. Find a kibble you can afford and one that your dog will eat.

[x0emiroxy0x]

Rocky's food is 29$ for 40 pounds....pretty cheap but the ingredients are the same or better as many bags that run 50$ for a smaller amount.

Diamond Naturals Adult Chicken and Rice

[VanBuren shepherds]

Originally Posted by x0emiroxy0x

Rocky's food is 29$ for 40 pounds....pretty cheap but the ingredients are the same or better as many bags that run 50$ for a smaller amount.

Diamond Naturals Adult Chicken and Rice

That's what I'm using now. Perfect amount of protein. Dogs love it also!


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[x0emiroxy0x]

We tried 6 or 7 different foods..(over a long course of time, giving him time to adjust to each one)...no matter how long we waited, he had diarrhea on all of them and a dirty coat with smelly ears/breath. Within 5 days of being on Diamond Naturals, diarrhea was gone and within a few weeks his coat and ears were great!

[VanBuren shepherds]

Originally Posted by x0emiroxy0x

We tried 6 or 7 different foods..(over a long course of time, giving him time to adjust to each one)...no matter how long we waited, he had diarrhea on all of them and a dirty coat with smelly ears/breath. Within 5 days of being on Diamond Naturals, diarrhea was gone and within a few weeks his coat and ears were great!

Same here! Diamond Adult Chicken and Rice is what I have had the most success with. I feed 4 cups a day,2 cups in the morning and 2 cups in the evening. Lean muscle, shiny coat, consistent stools and full of energy. It's grain free, nice sized bag, and a decedent price!


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[Benny]

I find lately with her Royal Canin she won't eat the biscuits straight away, she will often it leave it until she's hungry I guess? Put some mince in it though and she will eat that ASAP.. After reading this thread I wonder if she just doesn't like the biscuits she's being fed?


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[NewbieShepherdGirl]

Originally Posted by Rerun

Because I just can't imagine at all how a person can sustain on only $100 in groceries a month unless you are emaciated and live on peanut butter sandwiches and raman noodles.

I actually, usually (finals week being an exception, in which case I buy junk food and don't even care), live on less than that. It's very doable and I'm certainly not emaciated lol. I will grant you it's probably not the healthiest diet, but it's really not that hard for one person, especially if you're paying attention to sales. I try to run about $50 a month on groceries, but am willing to spend up to $100.

As for how much I spend on dog food. My mom knows and two of my family members who also are really into their dogs know. Other than that nobody knows. Part of it is I think it's rude to talk about money. Part of it is, it's nobody's business why I do with my money. I earn it; I'll spend it how I see fit. People are only able to comment on your life if you provide them with information to comment on. My policy has been, unless you're asking about how much I spend on something for a reason I see as valid (such as one of my cousins asking me about how much I paid for Sasha's food because she was wanting to switch her dogs off of the food they were on.) then I'm gonna tell you I don't talk about my money.