jacksmum Posted June 6, 2008 Report Share Posted June 6, 2008 I have been really happy with my complete food, I started Jack off with a brand found in the local supermarket and he lost weight and coat very quickly so I went back to the rescue I got him from and they fed him supaselect, a gun dog food which is high protein. I have been feeding him that ever since, I have not been able to source it locally so make a trip up to the rescue every month to get some more. He is doing really well on it and I often get comments on how good he looks, but this food is not advertised or found in pet shops (well I haven't seen it in any), I will investigate the ingredients a bit more now that I have read this. I have never felt that money buys quality with pet foods and I think my £12.50 sack of food shows that..I am not supplementing their advertising budget! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReikiAnge Posted June 6, 2008 Report Share Posted June 6, 2008 I have never felt that money buys quality with pet foods and I think my £12.50 sack of food shows that..I am not supplementing their advertising budget! I don't think high prices always equal quality for sure - one only has to look at Bakers! Some companies though, like Naturediet, Burns and Arden Grange do, I think, produce a high quality product and I'm happy to pay more for that Their advertising budget covers mag ads at most so I don't feel that's a major part of the cost and I think word of mouth is often the way they increase business - Naturediet was recommended to me by various unconnected people before I started feeding it and I have since recommended it to lots of people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cycas Posted June 6, 2008 Report Share Posted June 6, 2008 'Working dog' food is exempt from VAT, so it should be 17.5% cheaper than an equivalent food aimed at the pet market. Of course, you aren't really supposed to buy it for dogs that are not working dogs, but I won't tell the Chancellor if you don't... On the other hand, maize is cheaper than rice or potato, and rice and potato are cheaper than chicken. And factory farmed chicken is cheaper than, say lamb or free range chicken. The cheapest foods are not going to have the most expensive ingredients in them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksmum Posted June 6, 2008 Report Share Posted June 6, 2008 I didn't know your dog had to actually be a working dog to feed it vat free food! Does agility count as working???? I agree that cheap foods will have cheap ingredients, but I also think the very high priced foods are most probably not any better than the middle of the range foods, but I have nothing to back this up it's just how I feel as I have worked in the food industry and I know that when the big payers order has been filled (like M&S) the next order is filled using the same product but will retail at a lower price. It has made me wonder where they get the meat for the dog food cos in my experience they mash everything up for us humans, skin, bones and feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tootsmazza Posted June 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2008 I don't think high prices always equal quality for sure - one only has to look at Bakers! Some companies though, like Naturediet, Burns and Arden Grange do, I think, produce a high quality product and I'm happy to pay more for that Their advertising budget covers mag ads at most so I don't feel that's a major part of the cost and I think word of mouth is often the way they increase business - Naturediet was recommended to me by various unconnected people before I started feeding it and I have since recommended it to lots of people It is word of mouth in my view that sways me. I feed Mason two-thirds Arden Grange and one-thid either Butcher's Choice or sardines. I found AG on its own left him very soft and runny. Its not cheap but it is good. Today I handed over a foster dog - see other post - who was being fed Burgess Supadog Sensitive. I've nevr heard of it but apparently its sold by Pets At Home and is 30% cheaper than AG. I may look into it Marie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrier Posted June 8, 2008 Report Share Posted June 8, 2008 I just don't understand why so many consumers never give it a second thought as to whats in pet food, even if they don't care about their pets diet, you'd think they would get steamed up about paying through the nose for what can amount to muesli . Most people (including myself) have very little understanding of canine nutrition. If a company has provided a complete food with all the nutrients your dog needs then even if it's mostly muesli, what else does the owner have to go on? I didn't know your dog had to actually be a working dog to feed it vat free food! Does agility count as working???? Unless "agility" forms part of your income, probably not - but I won't tell . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrier Posted June 8, 2008 Report Share Posted June 8, 2008 Just came across this very excellent site all about dog nutrition and it's not trying to sell anything dognutrition the bits on protein and carbs are very interesting. Thanks. Interesting article - I've bookmarked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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