August 13th, 2009
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Buying dog food is a big expense for most owners, costing upwards of $300 or more for a premium brand each year. Slashing costs on your pet’s food bill is possible, and you don’t have to sacrifice quality to do it.
Go Big- Buying pet food in bulk keeps a few extra dollars in your pocket. Make sure you store it properly, though, so it doesn’t spoil. Be Savvy- Visit manufacturer’s websites for downloadable coupons. But don’t stop there – shop around! Is your preferred brand cheaper in the store near your work? Or maybe the pet store in your hometown has better pricing. Ban Cans- It’s more economical to feed large dogs dry kibble. That’s because wet food is mostly made up of water so your pet needs more of it to receive all of his daily nutrients. Maryann Mott is a pet journalist and author. Her books and articles can be found at Petwriter.com and you can follow her on Twitter here. |
Hi, Maryann!
I’m a great fan of your articles.
Just to add some of my personal experience to this topic. I also find out that vegetarian homemade food plus nutritional supplements work very well for my two 8 years old dogs. I’ve raised them like that and they never had any health problem. They are very active and have a beautiful fur coat that impress even their vet. I do spend some more time in the kitchen but not only spend less money (compared to buying commercial dog food) but also feel more confident about what my dogs are eating.
cheers
Flavia
Seriously? A website all about loving and caring for dogs is giving TERRIBLE nutrition information to save a few bucks? This is like saying, “To save a few bucks on babyfood, buy only dry cereal… it’s the most economical way to feed your baby!” Economical, maybe… healthy?? NO!! I assume the “premium” foods you’re referring to are those commercial brands sold in grocery stores, and while they may be ‘expensive’ they’re neither healthy nor worth buying… at all. No dog or cat should be fed biologically inappropriate diets nor should they be forced to survive on a solely dry diet – it’s bad for the organs. Period. I understand that you want to help pet owners save a few bucks, but if people are not willing to spend the money to properly feed their dogs, THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE DOGS. I can’t believe this message was actually published and sent out to trusting Dogster followers and dog owners everywhere. I am thoroughly disappointed and hope to see in the future a Daily Dog Tip focused on PROPER NUTRITION FOR YOUR DOG that is actually researched (no commercial brands, please… yuck!) as opposed to ways to save a buck at your dog’s expense. For shame!
I’m really surprised that a supposedly conscientious dog owner would advise people to fees their dogs only dry food. Telling people to avoid canned food because it’s mostly water is utterly irresponsible. Pet owners with beliefs like yours are the reason why the incidence of cancer in dogs and cats has so dramatically increased. You can’t honestly believe that there is something wron with water in a dog’s food! It’s called NATURE-you don’t find wolves eating kibble!
There are plenty of good commercially prepared dog foods on the market today. Making a sweeping statement saying all kibble is junk (and harm organs or cause cancer) is simply not true.
Canned food is mostly made up of water and therefore you need to feed more of it so your pet gets all of his proper nutrients for the day. I’m not saying avoid water … dogs should have plenty of fresh drinking water at their disposal throughout the day.
This is a little too generalized… it says canned food is “mostly water” but it fails to mention that canned food is also less processed than dry. Dry food is harder on the organs because it lacks moisture and is super-processed. Back when my dogs were eating processed dry kibbles they drank upwards of 3 bowls of water a day. Now on a species-appropriate moisture-rich food they eat less (gasp! yes… when you have healthier, more nutrient-dense food they need less of it than a cheaper, filler-based food) and also only consume less than a bowl of water a day. To me that’s very telling.
Yes you can save a couple bucks by going to your local grocery store and buying a big ol 50lb bag of Econo-Junk but I’d rather feed less processed, healthier and more species-appropriate and save on the vet bills that that type of food contributes to down the road. I could also save money by eating off the McDonald’s dollar menu every day instead of buying fresh veggies and meats, but I’ll pay for it later in another way. Just depends on HOW you want to spend that money…
I agree that “species appropriate” food is a good choice (LOL! You wouldnt wan’t to feed your dog a feline formula) If you re-read the tip above you’ll notice that I never mentioned to buy kibble at a grocery store. Today, more than ever before, there’s a wide selection of well-made commercially prepared food for dogs on the market that are sold at pet stores nationwide.
Is some of the dry kibble on the market junk? Yes. But not all of it is. Saying all dry food is junk and bad for a dog’s health is flat out wrong.
Oh man, I cannot tell people how bad of an idea the first one is, not to be rude. Bulk dog foods do not have to be evaluated by AAFCO and in the past bulk pet foods have been found to have been found to have unhealthy levels of certain minerals which can cause sickness or worse in dogs. Part of the reason bulk foods can be so cheap is because they are filled with cheap ingredients and fillers, I’ve only found one bulk pet food to this day that actually had a real named meat source in it, not just “meat and bone meal” or “meat byproducts”, but even then it was still full of soy, corn, wheat products, and cheap grain; even the ones that may use some specific meat source will most likely still use a cheap source of it, parts humans would never consume that have little nutritional value.
Wet food may contain high levels of moisture, but that can be a good thing, especially for pets that have a low drive to drink water like many cats. High protein content with little water or moisture can cause stress on the kidneys.