Dog food that's good quality, but not too expensive

heartofwhite

I have a 2 year old Boxer and up until the age of one I only fed her Beta which I found really great. It worked out at 36 euro for a 15kg bag and that did me about two months while feeding her twice a day.

My girlfriend did an animal care course in Carlow I.T. last year and as part of the course they got a food comparison chart for all the leading brands. Lidl and Aldi dried food came out on top. My girlfriend told me that they contain all the necessary ingredients at the right ratios. Since then I have been feeding the dog the food from Lidl. It works out about 10 euro for a 10kg bag.

My dog loves it and she is very fit and healthy and her coat shines.

ferretone

heartofwhite wrote: »

I have a 2 year old Boxer and up until the age of one I only fed her Beta which I found really great. It worked out at 36 euro for a 15kg bag and that did me about two months while feeding her twice a day.

My girlfriend did an animal care course in Carlow I.T. last year and as part of the course they got a food comparison chart for all the leading brands. Lidl and Aldi dried food came out on top. My girlfriend told me that they contain all the necessary ingredients at the right ratios. Since then I have been feeding the dog the food from Lidl. It works out about 10 euro for a 10kg bag.

My dog loves it and she is very fit and healthy and her coat shines.

I'd love to see the criteria that were used for that study. I'd imagine just the most basic analysis of protein/fat/carbs etc, and frankly, outmoded recommendations of those at that.

Those foods have unnamed cereals as the first listed ingredients, and while the pricing is very attractive, I'll grant you, modern ideas of dog nutrition would not regard such foods as a suitable diet at all. I'm surprised any accredited college is teaching such ideas in this day and age, or there again, perhaps not :rolleyes:

ETA: Mind you, I'm not saying Beta is any better, I think it's fairly comparable, but that's not a recommendation by any means.

dmg10

I use Skinners Field & Trial for mine. Get it via K9 Catering in Cork. I'm not sure of other suppliers in Ireland, you'd probably need to do a google on it. Their coats are in fantastic condition, good stools etc. They're both collie crosses so fairly high energy.

I had my 2yr old on their maintenance product for the past year after using Royal Canin etc. she's thrived on it for half the price. I had the pup on Gain puppy food for a few weeks and she was a bit runny on it so switched her to Skinners puppy and she's been great since & a lot more regular. Approx €30 a bag depending on the product. I get about 2 - 2.5 mths out of a 15kg bag for 1 dog, depending on the level of activity as I'll often have to feed up or down a bit.

Bakers? My friend visited & was feeding her dogs that stuff, I had to walk outside for fresh air it stank so much urrrgh

Edit: Just looked at Amazon UK, priced really well with free delivery... Have a look at the Skinners UK site to see what product would suit & try amazon for prices then

Gael23

Can I ask whats so bad about Pedigree? We have given it to our guy for close on 13 years now and it doesn't seem to do him and harm

falabo

heartofwhite wrote: »

I have a 2 year old Boxer and up until the age of one I only fed her Beta which I found really great. It worked out at 36 euro for a 15kg bag and that did me about two months while feeding her twice a day.

My girlfriend did an animal care course in Carlow I.T. last year and as part of the course they got a food comparison chart for all the leading brands. Lidl and Aldi dried food came out on top. My girlfriend told me that they contain all the necessary ingredients at the right ratios. Since then I have been feeding the dog the food from Lidl. It works out about 10 euro for a 10kg bag.

My dog loves it and she is very fit and healthy and her coat shines.

what kind of course is it ? I wouldn't trust it for one minute.
LIDL and ALDI ingredients, from what I can remember, had a look once a twice and nearly had a stroke: animal DERITATIVES, cereals, colourings, 4% meat etc ...

TheMilkyPirate

andreac wrote: »

Oh god, Bakers is awful stuff, prob the worst you can feed, along with Pedigree...

You are better off going with a big bag, 15kg, and that will last a lot longer. Plus, even though you are spending a bit more on it, it will go much further as you dont have to feed as much with a better food.

What breeds are they? Big or small?

A 15kg bag of Clinivet lasts my rottweilers about 3 weeks.

Why not go for something like Redmills Leader, that costs around €40 for a 15kg bag.

You are the difference.

ferretone

ryanf1 wrote: »

Can I ask whats so bad about Pedigree? We have given it to our guy for close on 13 years now and it doesn't seem to do him and harm

Read the ingredients list. Pedigree is often likened to the McDonalds of the dog food world. Dogs like it, but the ingredients in it are basically rubbish. For what you pay to feed pedigree, which funds their advertising more than what goes in the food, you could get a lot better food for that price.

The argument that somebody's pet has been healthy all their lives on X food, so therefore it's fine, is a common one, and does not prove anything except that they've been lucky. A lot of pets do get problems caused by their bad diet, and you don't know that your fella might not have been even healthier, shinier and livelier if he'd been fed a better food.

kylith

ferretone wrote: »

Read the ingredients list. Pedigree is often likened to the McDonalds of the dog food world. Dogs like it, but the ingredients in it are basically rubbish. For what you pay to feed pedigree, which funds their advertising more than what goes in the food, you could get a lot better food for that price.

The ingredients are impossible to find on their website, but I found them on Yahoo:
"Pedigree Complete Nutrition" adult dry dog food:
Ground yellow corn, meat and bone meal, corn gluten meal, chicken by-product meal, animal fat (preserved with bha/bht), wheat mill run, natural poultry flavor, rice, salt, potassium chloride, caramel color, wheat flour, wheat gluten, vegetable oil, vitamins (choline chloride, dl-alpha tocopherol acetate [source of vitamin e], l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate [source of vitamin c*], vitamin a supplement, thiamine mononitrate [vitamin b1], biotin, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement [vitamin b2], vitamin d3 supplement, vitamin b12 supplement), trace minerals (zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide).

As you can see, corn is both the first and third ingredient; meat should be the first ingredient, and not in 'meal' form as it's very low quality. There's also wheat, which is a common allergen for dogs. Also apparently the preservatives BHA and BHT are carcinogens banned from use in human food.

In comparison here's the list of ingredients from the food Iguana recommended:
*Ingredients
Fresh salmon (min 26%), potato (min 26%), oats, maize, salmon
meal, beet pulp, refined poultry fat, dicalcium phosphate, salmon oil, minerals and vitamins.

Jimmy Bottlehead

iguana wrote: »

Take a look through the Pet Connection own brand premium range. There is some decent dog food there, especially the salmon and potato,* for fairly reasonable prices, though not as great a bargain as the exchange rate is returning to more normal levels. It works out best if you buy 2 (or maybe 3) bags at once as the delivery charge is split.

*Ingredients
Fresh salmon (min 26%), potato (min 26%), oats, maize, salmon
meal, beet pulp, refined poultry fat, dicalcium phosphate, salmon oil, minerals and vitamins.

http://www.petconnection.ie/acatalog/Pet_Connection_Premium_Dog_Food.html

Well you sold me on it
Ordered 12kg so hopefully it'll go well! I'll let you guys know how it's received by the dogs.

iguana

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Well you sold me on it
Ordered 12kg so hopefully it'll go well! I'll let you guys know how it's received by the dogs.

Fingerscrossed your girls like it. Mine love fish so they gobble it down.

ferretone

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Well you sold me on it
Ordered 12kg so hopefully it'll go well! I'll let you guys know how it's received by the dogs.

Great to hear you've made a sensible choice! I read your thread about the new doggy, so knew you had your heart in the right place anyway Hope the 2 of them like the food.

I feed Acana Grasslands myself, but didn't recommend it, as it's outside your price range. My girl's a dobie tho, and a rescue one of unknown origin at that, so I need to invest a bit more to avoid health problems other than the ones I know she's at risk of already :rolleyes:

spatchco

what is the best for my schnauzer,she is betweenr 6-7 years old

ferretone

You've seen a fair few recommendations in this thread. It really depends a lot on your budget, and the time and effort you are prepared to devote too. Lots would say feed raw, but this takes knowledge, time and effort. Commercial foods that would be anything like as good tend to be quite expensive, although as has been said already, not as much more expensive as simply converting weight-for-weight from cheap commercial food, as you generally have to feed considerably less of a good quality food than one which is loaded with zero-nutrition fillers.

I tend to recommend the Origen and Acana brands, the grain-free ones at least, but they are quite expensive. Lots of others recommend Burns, which use brown rice rather than cereals, there is a bit of a dichotomy among owners as to which of these foods is the better choice, and I won't get into that. The food finally chosen by the OP appears to be a decent compromise: it does have maize and oats, but they only come into the list after over 50% of the compostion has been accounted for

Eoin087

Holy shít! Didn't realise there was so much to take into account when buying dog food.
A friend recommended burns high energy lamb for my 5 1/2 month old gsd pup would it be the same feeding him the Pet Connection Premium food or is there more of a benefit feeding him the burns food? I'm feeding him hills science plan at the mo, he doesn't seem to like it though!

ferretone

Eoin087 wrote: »

Holy shít! Didn't realise there was so much to take into account when buying dog food.
A friend recommended burns high energy lamb for my 5 1/2 month old gsd pup would it be the same feeding him the Pet Connection Premium food or is there more of a benefit feeding him the burns food? I'm feeding him hills science plan at the mo, he doesn't seem to like it though!

Absolutely, Hills is a very over-priced food, and gets an undeserved boost in many people's estimation, because so many vets recommend it, as it's the prescription food that they stock. Actually it contains wheat, corn gluten and soya, which cause problems for a great many dogs, and either Burns or Pet Connection Salmon and Potato would both be preferable in my opinion.

Mo60

ferretone wrote: »

The argument that somebody's pet has been healthy all their lives on X food, so therefore it's fine, is a common one, and does not prove anything except that they've been lucky. A lot of pets do get problems caused by their bad diet, and you don't know that your fella might not have been even healthier, shinier and livelier if he'd been fed a better food.

I must be extra lucky then. All my dogs have lived to at least the age of 15 years, the last one died last April at the age of 17 years.

I always feed them on dog food I have bought in the supermarket. A lot of dogs get problems even if they are fed on so called better food. Mine are all in good health, as confirmed by my vet.

ferretone

Long may your luck continue, Mo60. It still won't stop others giving good nutritional advice to other owners though

Mo60

ferretone wrote: »

Long may your luck continue, Mo60. It still won't stop others giving good nutritional advice to other owners though

Each to their own I say - if you think its better so be it.

Cork24

Royal Cannin and a tea spoon of Cod Liver Oil ontop of the Nuts

keep their joints really healthy.

ferretone

Royal Canin also lands in the category of over-priced, containing gluten, and over-estimated because of the link with the prescription products the vets stock.

In all honesty, pet nutrition suffers from the same misconception that vets are experts in it as with training and behaviour. Their expertise is veterinary medicine, and should be deferred to in all aspects of that. Training, behaviourism and nutrition are all areas that don't have enough coverage in the basic veterinary degree to make them expert. A vet who has extensively studied one of these aspects subsequently is another matter, but otherwise I wouldn't be deferring to their knowledge on them.

deandean

Well I switched from Royal Canon (65/bag) to Connolly Redmills Leader (40/bag), our dog took 2 weeks to get used to the Leader, he lost a little bit of mass and smells a bit fishy :eek:, but he's fully healthy.

I might try one of the other brands mentioned here sometime soon.

Taceom

andreac wrote: »

Dogfooddirect.ie have a great range of food at good prices with some offers so have a look at their website. Financially its better to buy a big bag as you are saving money in the long run.

I'd second that about dogfooddirect.ie - plus it's a great service. I ordered my petfood yesterday afternoon and it's been delivered to east Clare already this morning.

Mo60

ferretone wrote: »

In all honesty, pet nutrition suffers from the same misconception that vets are experts in it as with training and behaviour. Their expertise is veterinary medicine, and should be deferred to in all aspects of that. Training, behaviourism and nutrition are all areas that don't have enough coverage in the basic veterinary degree to make them expert. A vet who has extensively studied one of these aspects subsequently is another matter, but otherwise I wouldn't be deferring to their knowledge on them.

What qualifications do you hold in the field of pet nutrition?

nadey

we tried a few different dry food with our 2 dogs they turned their noses up at most but they really love is the tesco own brand dry food

anytime we put it in their bowls they eat it all up anyone one else would think that their never fed because they eat it so quick

shuridunno

andreac wrote: »

Oh god, Bakers is awful stuff, prob the worst you can feed, along with Pedigree...

You are better off going with a big bag, 15kg, and that will last a lot longer. Plus, even though you are spending a bit more on it, it will go much further as you dont have to feed as much with a better food.

What breeds are they? Big or small?

A 15kg bag of Clinivet lasts my rottweilers about 3 weeks.

Why not go for something like Redmills Leader, that costs around €40 for a 15kg bag.

How many rotts are you feeding with a bag, I used that brand when the pup was younger, now I have him on Flatazor.
Clinivet had him looking good but he seemed starving all the time, would that be the norm? He's in great condition now and doesn't seem as hungry, but I'm nearly broke trying to keep them all fed.
How much is the 15kg clinivet. Flatazor is €40/15kg.

Cherry Blossom

Mo60 wrote: »

What qualifications do you hold in the field of pet nutrition?

You don't need a qualification to know what a valid qualification looks like. The average pet owner is normally much better equipped to determine a suitable diet for their own dog than the average vet is. All the info you need to know is freely available on the internet to anyone who puts a bit of time and effort into seeking it out. Have you actually discussed your dogs diet with your vet as a matter of interest or did they just tell you the dog was healthy?

EoghanIRL

I think pedro is very good. I have been using it for years now and it's not too expensive

Mo60

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

You don't need a qualification to know what a valid qualification looks like.

I asked the poster what qualification they had because of their criticism of various professionally qualified people.

I have investigated dry foods on the internet and have come accross the statement, often repeated on this forum, that some foods are comparable to MacDonalds. All I can say is that all my previous dogs, six in total, lived beyond 15 years. If I want to survive as long, in human terms, maybe I should start eating MacDonalds.:)

I did not discuss diet with my vet. As he said that all my animals were healthy I presume that their diet is adequate, especially as I have had no problems in the past.

andreac

shuridunno wrote: »

How many rotts are you feeding with a bag, I used that brand when the pup was younger, now I have him on Flatazor.
Clinivet had him looking good but he seemed starving all the time, would that be the norm? He's in great condition now and doesn't seem as hungry, but I'm nearly broke trying to keep them all fed.
How much is the 15kg clinivet. Flatazor is €40/15kg.

Im feeding 2 rotties, male and female.

My female is always starving but thats just her. Shes mad for her food 24/7 so its nothing to do with the quality of the food.

I get breeders prices so its bit cheaper for me but i think its around 55 or bit less in the pet shops.
Never heard of Flatazor.

Ayla

We've fed this to our 3 dogs for the last 6 weeks or so & have had pretty good experience with it. Any thoughts on it?

I know it's not perfect, but pretty good for a 5yr old Dane, a 10 mo old GSD & a 10 mo old Rottie. The Dane can eat anything, but the other two have sensitive bellies (no pork anything for the GSD and no lamb anything for the Rottie). 2 bags last a month, but now I'm seeing that dogfooddirect.ie's special offer on the bulk buying has ended

Any suggestions for alternatives?

andreac wrote: »

Im feeding 2 rotties, male and female. My female is always starving but thats just her. Shes mad for her food 24/7 so its nothing to do with the quality of the food.

Hehehe, this made me chuckle - our female Rottie is *exactly* the same! Drives us nuts - part of me thinks she's part-sheep, part-dumpster, part-hoover