# Best 'cheap' dry food



## harrison79 (Nov 26, 2009)

Hi

Since getting my pup we have always fed him high end dry foods with a matching price tag. I say 'foods' as he seems to be a bit of a fussy bugger and goes off food so we have tried a few brands. We have tried Hills, Orijen, Burns and he gets Sardines and salmon oil.

Anyway, we have just found out we are going to have a baby and this means tightening our belts on everything. When i go on maternity leave we are really going to struggle money wise as i get paid significantly more than my OH and will only get SSP.

Can anyone recommend any cheaper brands? We have gone for a lower protein food most recently due to his hyper active behaviour. We have never been snobby about the food we buy him, it is just we could afford it so after some research we chose to pay what we could afford. Now we can afford less 

He is a 9 month old labXspaniel

Any recommendations would be appreciated...

thanks x


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## LostGirl (Jan 16, 2009)

csjk9.co.uk these are good food and cheap

also skinners


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

Skinners for me. About £20 for a 15kg sack at vetuk. I buy two bags at once to get free p&p and that'll last me about three months for two dogs, obviously it'd be much longer if you're just feeding one dog.

I've heard only good things about CSJ too, but the postage is quite high so for me I'd have ended up paying as much for p&p as I was paying for food. If you have a stockist locally though obviously p&p wouldn't be an issue.


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

We recently changed our foster GSD, who is prone to weight gain, to Autarky, who do a puppy food. We paid £20 for 15kg


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## London Dogwalker (Oct 27, 2009)

I would try CSJ too, you don't want really cheap value type food, your pup's still growing. 

Have you thought about raw? It can be done really, really cheaply and is great for dogs.


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

Another Skinners addict here :thumbup: If you go for their Field and Trial it's cheaper because it's vat free. 
If you contact them they will send you samples and most feedmerchants sell it, also some pet shops.

Good luck 

There's a really long thread here somewhere "best budget kibble" or something like that - loads of info on it.


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## Bearpaw (Dec 10, 2009)

Will reccomend CSJ also,theyre a great company,and the food,although cheap,is very good.Iv three labs on it and am really pleased how happy and healthy they are on it.


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## shamykebab (Jul 15, 2009)

Skinners has been mentioned already, but Vitalin is another good brand to try.


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## Broxi_jim (Mar 30, 2009)

csj food get the thumbs up from me !! :thumbup::thumbup:

Got my 4yr old rottie on it as well as our 15month Bullmastiff x Ambull on it.

Two 15kg bags delivered to me in Glasgow is £26.35 :thumbup::thumbup:


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## james1 (Sep 21, 2008)

Although cheap Vitalins adult formula is good at any price. 34 pound delivered i think. Chicken, potato no grain 
Adult on Vitalin Complete Pet Food


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## fizzog (Mar 22, 2010)

I was going to say Royal Canine but just seen the prices on the [email protected] site, I was sure I didn't pay that for his food


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## harrison79 (Nov 26, 2009)

thanks for all your suggestions!

I have looked at the CSJ website and made an enquiry with them. Hopefully i can get some samples and try out my fussy pup on it!

thanks again, i really appreciate it!


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## Staffybull (Jul 23, 2010)

harrison79 said:


> thanks for all your suggestions!
> 
> I have looked at the CSJ website and made an enquiry with them. Hopefully i can get some samples and try out my fussy pup on it!
> 
> thanks again, i really appreciate it!


Hi,i think CSJ dry dog food is not that good,:frownk the names of the food are impressive and it looks good on paper with names like (Natural Little Champ Puppy)and(Command Performance 30 Hi Energy Salmon)so how could anyone resist from buying this food,the names of the food looks inviting and of course it is reasonable priced:thumbup:but all of these dry foods(Arden Grange,Skinners etc, lack a decent meat content.If you were to buy this or any other dry food i think its best to top up the meal with chicken,fish,minced meat just whatever your dog is tolerant with,although not to much fatty meats,dont forget a dog is a meat eater and will thrive so much better.

Here is a link for CSJ dry dog food review and others,most of you know of this site,but for those that dont
Dog Food Reviews - All Products - Powered by ReviewPost

Does anyone know of a quality dry food,with a high meat content,without a massive price tag?


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

I used to feed mine of Royal Canin (£44 per sack), then I had a time when I simply could not afford it. Someone recommended Dr John Platinum and that is what they have been having ever since. It is only £11.49 per 15 kg sack and they do very well on it and they love it. I usually give them half a pouch of Nature Science each mixed in. It is not a lot, but I believe that dogs like the taste of meat.

I wouldn't put a puppy under a year old on it though. You need a good puppy food suitable for his breed.


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## rocco33 (Dec 27, 2009)

Depends on what you call cheap, but I use Skinners Duck and Rice. Their range varies from around £18 - £22 per 15 kg


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## Guest (Aug 15, 2010)

If you look at Complete Extruded Pet Food, Animal Feeds and Feed Ingredients direct from the factory.
They do a couple of premium ranges around the twenty squid mark!
Not the best maybe!! but better then much of the cr*p you buy in the supermarkets!!

That said - you can get two bags of arden grange for £45 from berriewoods!
DT


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## Staffybull (Jul 23, 2010)

DoubleTrouble said:


> If you look at Complete Extruded Pet Food, Animal Feeds and Feed Ingredients direct from the factory.
> They do a couple of premium ranges around the twenty squid mark!
> Not the best maybe!! but better then much of the cr*p you buy in the supermarkets!!
> 
> ...


At the moment i do buy from here,i was just about to post what i feed my friend which is this 15kg Premium Chicken Hypoallergenic Chicken and Rice Complete Dry Dog Food
but now im not so sure,at first i thought this was the best ever(for the price)and i am still feeding this,but also adding some meat or cooked egg,just to aid the protiens,but the more i read about dry food the more i seem to dislike it:frown:to many cereals not enough protien,hard to digest,does NOT clean teeth:frown:the list goes on and on,its driving me all this food stuff.


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## Guest (Aug 15, 2010)

I use royal canin you can get a 15kg bag online for around £37...which is great really.

I have used CJS treats but not food, however I am also looking to use CJS with natures menu wet food for my GSD.


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

My thoughts are that Vitalin adult maintentance chicken is up with the best and no cereals with a decent meat content. Unfortunately given a choice my little blighter prefers skinners salmon and rice. It has a low meat content but a bit of wet or raw added soon sorts that.

I have moved away from dried food and have opted for nature diet. Using up my dried by soaking it and mixing it with n diet.


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## Jasper's Bloke (Oct 30, 2009)

I have recently moved from Fish4Dogs to Skinners Duck and Rice and my 18mo lab x span is loving it, health wise he is doing just great and its saving me about £15 a bag, so that'll be another vote for Skinners then!


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

newfiesmum said:


> I used to feed mine of Royal Canin (£44 per sack), then I had a time when I simply could not afford it. Someone recommended Dr John Platinum and that is what they have been having ever since. It is only £11.49 per 15 kg sack and they do very well on it and they love it. I usually give them half a pouch of Nature Science each mixed in. It is not a lot, but I believe that dogs like the taste of meat.
> 
> I wouldn't put a puppy under a year old on it though. You need a good puppy food suitable for his breed.


£11 for a bag of mildly meat flavoured cereals and fillers is rip off IMO.

Review here:

Dog Food Reviews - Dr John Platinum - Powered by ReviewPost

But then I also think Royal Canin is over priced for it's ingredients (It gets a whole one more star that Dr Johns).

My personal favourite budget food is Skinners duck and rice, the ingredients are practically identical to burns (burns has seaweed in, Skinners doesn't), but it's over £20 cheaper.

I've said this before, but my god dog food is a blooming minefield isn't it.


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

Staffybull said:


> Does anyone know of a quality dry food,with a high meat content,without a massive price tag?


What kind of meat content are you looking for (percentage wise)? And what's your budget?


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## Staffybull (Jul 23, 2010)

Lyceum said:


> What kind of meat content are you looking for (percentage wise)? And what's your budget?


I have done some limited research on dry foods and i still dont know what is best:i am now no nearer to deciding what is acceptable,as far a i know it should be cereal free,although some cereals act as a energy source,but most are over cooked during the manufacturing process,so basically they become useless fillers and digestive irritants,someone recommended vitalin adult which is cereal free,but zero protein in real terms,how can a dog possibly get the proper nutrients required,how can this be sold legally as a complete food,one example is *akers,with all the nice colours and outstanding adverts on tv,surely this cant be real

I think i may have came to the conclusion that there is NO complete dry food,that can sustain a dog for its entire life,if someone feeds the same old cr*p year after year i dont think it will be a healthy dog in the long term:frownk your wee friend may look amazing to the eye on the outside,but what about your friends inside,that you cannot see,ok your friend may live to 15,but was it a fantastic and nutritional 15 years?

If us humans were fed the same old complete,i think we would all be raving :lol:and looking for that special meal full of proper nutrients,we may live and feel that much better,even only for one day.

The food i am feeding at the moment stops now,which i said before in an earlier post,i think now,the answer for proper and balanced nutrition is diversity,a mix of good and good,no compete is complete,i am now giving up dry food and so is my friend

Thanks to all who replied


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## henry (Mar 16, 2009)

I've noticed on here and other forums there seems to be quite a lot of owners questionning dry foods in general and moving away from it to some extent. A lot of people I know are moving onto meats such as Naturediet, Natures Menu - it's something I have been thinking about - currently feeding two-thirds Naturediet and one-third dry per day but once my dry has gone, I may try just the Naturediet, along with the addition of things for teeth like chicken wings once a week and Fish4Dogs Sea Jerky, etc.

Does anyone here use just a moist wet such as ND without the additional dry?


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## Guest (Aug 16, 2010)

henry said:


> Does anyone here use just a moist wet such as ND without the additional dry?


Well mine are fed perhaps 70% ND - My eldest COULD eat anything, but my youngest can sometimes have suffer minor upsets, if this happens all she gets is ND for a few days.

Also the forthglade is good


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## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

Someone mentioned raw being cheap and it is, all my five are fed on it. However you have to do it correctly. If, in the future you decide to try a raw diet read Dr Ian Billinghurst's - Give Your Dog A Bone.
It costs me around £30 per month to stock up the freezer for three 57kgs Malamutes and two 10kgs Terriers and I usually have some left.


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

I am definately in agreement that kibble aint what it seems.

It absorbs so much water in their tums - we may as well be feeding wet

Wet food is slated because we are paying for water but feeding dry, our dog has to drink said water to digest it.

Dry is more processed than wet to manufacture but in turn our dog's tums have to work a lot harder to process (digest) it.

Just doesn't seem right nor rest easy with me I'm afraid

I thought dry was the bees knees but no more. _If_ your dog drinks enough to hydrate it, then possibly ok - but I am much happier to soak it first to ease the burden on my little girl's tum.

All became clear to me after her tummy upset. When I tried to wean her back onto her kibble from fish and rice. everytime we got to more than 50/50 she went back to square one. Once I soaked it, we were away. She can cope with the odd kibble dry as a treat but thats all.

I have a lots of skinners to get thro so continue to soak 25% of her RDA and mix with 75% nature diet. I have no idea what I will do when it's gone but if I stick with kibble, it will be soaked.


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

Mum2Heidi said:


> It absorbs so much water in their tums - we may as well be feeding wet


That depends largely on the food. Orijen doesn't swell up at all, not a mm, I left it in a bowl of water for a few hours. It's the grain that swells up, less grain, less swelling. Perhaps that's why some dogs scavenge on orijen, because the grain doesn't swell, so they feel less full.


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## henry (Mar 16, 2009)

Yep - I really liked the Orijen but Henry just seemed really hungry on it. What dry do you feed now, Lyceum??


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

Dr John is mega cheap and seems to suit a lot of dogs.


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

Blitz said:


> Dr John is mega cheap and seems to suit a lot of dogs.


It certainly suits mine. They love it, much more than Royal Canin and they are fine on it, nice coats etc. They only like the platinum, though. I had to get silver once as the pet shop sold mine to someone else by mistake, and they did not think that was nearly good enough!


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

henry said:


> Yep - I really liked the Orijen but Henry just seemed really hungry on it. What dry do you feed now, Lyceum??


I feed 50/50 - raw and dry. Natural instinct raw and natural dog food company dry. They were on a full raw diet but it was making one of them absolutely hyper and being puppies the other was joining in.


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## morgi27 (Jul 19, 2010)

i use wainwrights i think it`s £30 for 15 kg and goes along way:thumbup:


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## Guest (Aug 16, 2010)

Jasper's Bloke said:


> I have recently moved from Fish4Dogs to Skinners Duck and Rice and my 18mo lab x span is loving it, health wise he is doing just great and its saving me about £15 a bag, so that'll be another vote for Skinners then!


Central wool growers have Skinners Duck and rice on special at £19 a bag!
Just thought I would mention it is you have a store near you! Know you can buy it as cheap online - but there is often p & p to add on

Not that I have ever tried it I add.
DT


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## Staffybull (Jul 23, 2010)

henry said:


> I've noticed on here and other forums there seems to be quite a lot of owners questionning dry foods in general and moving away from it to some extent. A lot of people I know are moving onto meats such as Naturediet, Natures Menu - it's something I have been thinking about - currently feeding two-thirds Naturediet and one-third dry per day but once my dry has gone, I may try just the Naturediet, along with the addition of things for teeth like chicken wings once a week and Fish4Dogs Sea Jerky, etc.
> 
> Does anyone here use just a moist wet such as ND without the additional dry?


Yip i agree with you saying that people are now questioning(so called complete dry foods)and for me i am one of those,for a while i thought this was a simple cost effective way of feeding,and also thinking how easy it was to through down a handful of hard rocks and walk away while your friend struggles to eat the stuff,then watch as your friend gasps for water,i do now feel guilty for feeding this sh*t,after all this is not a natural food but only jazzed up and glorified crap,with no real nutrition.I am now much more aware of dog foods and the dangers within them.
If you are feeding dry then feel free,but be aware of preservatives and antioxidants,and the so called minerals and vitamins,especially if the dry food has been preserved with butylated hydroxytoluene,ethoxyquin or similar chemicals,which can be in the long term fatal,causing cancers and other diseases.
If you do buy dry food then go for natural preservatives like (Vitamin E, C or Tocopherols)
Here is a link that you all should read,all about preservatives in dry rock food.

Antioxidants BHA, BHT, Ethoxyquin or 'natural' Tocopherols in dog and cat food

Although ethoxyquin has been used in animal feed for more than 30 years, in the last nine years the FDA has received many consumer reports about health problems occurring in dogs that were fed ethoxyquin-containing foods. The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine states, however, that there is insufficient scientific evidence to show that ethoxyquin is unsafe when used at approved levels or to warrant action against its use in pet foods.

A recent study by Monsanto, the major producer of ethoxyquin, indicated that the only problems caused by long-term, moderate-to-high ethoxyquin levels in food were mild increases in blood levels of liver enzymes and an increase in the levels of a normal red-blood-cell metabolite in the livers of lactating bitches, who generally eat more than other dogs. No reproductive abnormalities or other health problems occurred.

Both BHA and BHT have been investigated with respect to food safety as these are used in human food.

In 2001, the UK Food Standards Agency commissioned a project to develop methods to assess the health effects from mixtures of food additives. From an ILSIEurope ADI Task Force report, four food additives were selected where the
possibility of joint actions or interactions occurring in the liver could not be excluded.
The selected additives were all reported to produce liver enlargement which was
often associated with enzyme induction, and comprised butylated hydroxytoluene
(BHT), curcumin (CC), propyl gallate (PG) and thiabendazole (TB).

This report does not appear to have been made public yet


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## Jasper's Bloke (Oct 30, 2009)

DoubleTrouble said:


> Central wool growers have Skinners Duck and rice on special at £19 a bag!
> Just thought I would mention it is you have a store near you! Know you can buy it as cheap online - but there is often p & p to add on
> 
> Not that I have ever tried it I add.
> DT


Thanks for that, but a little out of my area. I pay £22 for D & R at a local shop, have also found 2 x 15kg for £32.99 with £5.99 p&p on ebay, so £39 for 30kg delivered.


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## Staffybull (Jul 23, 2010)

Mum2Heidi said:


> I am definately in agreement that kibble aint what it seems.
> 
> It absorbs so much water in their tums - we may as well be feeding wet
> 
> ...


I also thought dry rock food was the (bees knees):thumbup:easy,cheapish and oh so simple (for me)to feed my dog and not giving a second thought,thinking this is great for him,duh was i wrong

I have now moved over to a more pliable food(after all dogs are naturally soft meat eaters,and not dry rock eaters) which is naturediet and at a great price:thumbup: Naturediet Pet Food 4 Box deal Â£12.18 per box 18x390g on eBay (end time 03-Sep-10 05:55:18 BST) 
My friend is now delighted with his new,more easily digested meals
And i dont think the food should be(slated)in any way because of the moisture content etc.
Meat is moisture in real terms(more natural)dry rock food is so fake,i cant believe it is legal:frown:
Thanks to Mum2Heidi :thumbup:


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## kiara (Jun 2, 2009)

i recommend Harringtons every time. after lots of research and trying out different foods this has worked best for me.

you can get it in tesco, asda and online. £2.97 for 2kg bag. :thumbup:

Turkey Meat Meal (min 26%)
Protein 21%

Natural Dog Food from Harringtons - Natural Wholesome Nutrition for Healthy Dogs


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

kiara said:


> i recommend Harringtons every time. after lots of research and trying out different foods this has worked best for me.
> 
> you can get it in tesco, asda and online. £2.97 for 2kg bag. :thumbup:
> 
> ...


Not sure where you've got the ingredients from.

Here they are from harringtons own web site.

Maize, Turkey Meat Meal (min 14%), Porridge Oats, Meat Meal, Rice, Peas (min 4%), Beet Pulp, Poultry Fat, Digest, Vitamins & Minerals, Linseed, Kelp (0.2%), Yeast (0.1%), Citrus Extract (0.04%) & Yucca Extract (0.01%).

So it's basically a bag of meat flavoured fillers.

Plus it's made by wagg, so another minus point for me.

If it's £2.97 for 2kg, it works out about 20p more per kg than Skinners.


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## Staffybull (Jul 23, 2010)

kiara said:


> i recommend Harringtons every time. after lots of research and trying out different foods this has worked best for me.
> 
> you can get it in tesco, asda and online. £2.97 for 2kg bag. :thumbup:
> 
> ...


Another dry rock nightmare for me,seems ok though,for you and your friends

Personally not for me or my friend


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

Staffybull said:


> Another dry rock nightmare for me,seems ok though,for you and your friends
> 
> Personally not for me or my friend


If you're happy feeding wet, why keep looking for dry? Or are you just curious?

There are plenty of good dry foods out there, Orijen, Arcana, Fish4dogs. All with high meat content and none of them use ethoxyquin as a preservative. In fact, there's plenty of foods out there that don't use additives such as ethoxyquin.


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## Staffybull (Jul 23, 2010)

Lyceum said:


> If you're happy feeding wet, why keep looking for dry? Or are you just curious?
> 
> There are plenty of good dry foods out there, Orijen, Arcana, Fish4dogs. All with high meat content and none of them use ethoxyquin as a preservative. In fact, there's plenty of foods out there that don't use additives such as ethoxyquin.


 dry rocks are not naturel,and for the record(i am not curious)i am not a fan of rocks,so maybe i am trying to educate the uneducated 

Also for your mind to think of ethoxyquin,this has been banned in uk for years,and all these rock foods that you state are crap!

A dog needs meat,not rocky food,eye of the tiger stuff:lol:

And im happy with wet,so why question me about dry:frown:


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

Staffybull said:


> And im happy with wet,so why question me about dry:frown:


Because you're posting in a dry thread? And saying things like 'another dry rock nightmare for me' which to the average reader would come across as you looking for dry food.

Hence me asking.

Why not feed raw then? Since processed meat with added rice, veg and vitamins and minerals isn't exactly natural, may be more natural that dry, but still, it's not the dogs 'natural' diet.

I've fed raw, wet, dry and every other type of food you can and am certainly not uneducated about it. And Orijen is by no means, no matter what way you look at it, crap.

A mix of 50/50 dry and raw works best for my dogs, so that's what they're on.


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## Staffybull (Jul 23, 2010)

Lyceum said:


> Because you're posting in a dry thread? And saying things like 'another dry rock nightmare for me' which to the average reader would come across as you looking for dry food.
> 
> Hence me asking.
> 
> ...


You cannot start a sentence with (because)
As i said,i am trying to educate the uneducated


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

Staffybull said:


> You cannot start a sentence with (because)as i said,i am trying to educate the uneducated


Cheers for the English lesson, although in this case it's a little 'people in glass houses'.

As I said, I'm not uneducated on the subject. There are plenty of good dry foods, you just don't want to feed them, which is obviously your decision. I don't want to feed wet, I don't deem all wet food 'processed mush'.

We get it, you don't like dry food.


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## Staffybull (Jul 23, 2010)

Lyceum said:


> Cheers for the English lesson, although in this case it's a little 'people in glass houses'.
> 
> As I said, I'm not uneducated on the subject. There are plenty of good dry foods, you just don't want to feed them, which is obviously your decision. I don't want to feed wet, I don't deem all wet food 'processed mush'.


Oh,why do you not start with (because)you may have learned something tonight 

And yes you are so correct,this is my decision to say what i think and feel about rock food and also wet food,which in my opinion i favour 

Anyway,thanks for your opinion and input :001_cool:but can you tell me why you fed wet and dry together:as i thought that they may be(the wrong balance)for the dog?

As far a raw is concerned,i think there are to many problems concerning(bacteria etc)so this is why i have avoided feeding raw :

And just to confirm,i am not in a glass house,its to bright and hot


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

Staffybull said:


> Oh,why do you not start with (because)you may have learned something tonight
> 
> And yes you are so correct,this is my decision to say what i think and feel about rock food and also wet food,which in my opinion i favour
> 
> ...


I think you are giving out English lessons.

I feed raw AM and dry PM. Or the other way around. Some say not to feed them together because they have different digestion rates which can cause some dogs problems, but many people feed wet or raw with dry without issue. They didn't do well on a full raw diet, and I don't want them on a full dry diet. I prefer raw to wet food.

Feeding the dogs raw will give you no more problems bacteria wise than cooking raw meat for yourself.


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## Staffybull (Jul 23, 2010)

Lyceum said:


> I think you are giving out English lessons.
> 
> I feed raw AM and dry PM. Or the other way around. Some say not to feed them together because they have different digestion rates which can cause some dogs problems, but many people feed wet or raw with dry without issue. They didn't do well on a full raw diet, and I don't want them on a full dry diet. I prefer raw to wet food.
> 
> Feeding the dogs raw will give you no more problems bacteria wise than cooking raw meat for yourself.


I cannot possibly give out English lessons,and for this reason is that i am Scottish 

If meat is cooked all the way through,then the cooking process kills all bacteria,that is why us humans evolved and so did our friend,the dog

The wolf and other species(fox etc)do not live as long as the domesticated dog,only because their meat is infested with bacteria,including fish etc.

Cooked meat is bacteria free,if the carnivours could cook meat for themselves,then i think they would be highly intelligent and live a few years older.

I am still in favour of cooked meats,or so called processed tinned foods :thumbup:


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## Guest (Aug 23, 2010)

Staffybull said:


> I cannot possibly give out English lessons,and for this reason is that i am Scottish
> 
> If meat is cooked all the way through,then the cooking process kills all bacteria,that is why us humans evolved and so did our friend,the dog
> 
> ...


Good points!
And something I agree with 100%


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## noushka05 (Mar 28, 2008)

Staffybull said:


> I cannot possibly give out English lessons,and for this reason is that i am Scottish
> 
> If meat is cooked all the way through,then the cooking process kills all bacteria,that is why us humans evolved and so did our friend,the dog
> 
> ...


i totally disagree, wolves and foxes etc dont often live so long because surving in the wild is very hard not to mention their persecution by man... premature death is nothing to do with them eating raw meat their stomach acid is designed to tackle even rancid meat. There is a famous Arctic wolf who was still going strong at 14yrs he had obviously only ever eaten raw, and my oldest huskies are 9 and 10 yrs they eat raw meat and bones most days and are perfectly healthy. Raw is the natural diet for ALL carnivores their guts are short to digest it quickly , carnivores in captivity are fed raw and most live very long lives far longer that their wild counterparts who have to survive the day to day hazards of life in the wild.

most tinned meats are full of rubbish like animal derivitives and dangerous artificial additives.


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

I think the topic changed to wet v dry when it was mentioned that quite a few people are changing from dry to wet. I jumped in with my experience of changing over and with hindsight should have started a new topic. It's probably a bit unfair on OP to have gone off on a tangent but hopefully their question will have been answered as it was a while ago they posted.

I'm not a fan of tinned meat, altho there are probably a few with no "nasties". I know that once a tin is opened the meat should be used or any remainder kept out of the tin. The fact that it's in a tin doesn't rest easy with me - altho I will eat baked beans with no problem.

I like the idea that naturediet and some of the others, blast their food with steam at v high temperatures so that it is sterilised rather than cooked. It's a much quicker process than normal cooking and retains more of the nutrients. If I had the confidence/freezer space I would feed raw but as Naturediet is described as the closest cooked food to raw, I am happy.

At the end of the day, it's all down to personal opinion. Feeding what we all prefer. It goes thro fashion phases as well unfortunately which doesnt help. I'm just grateful my dog was able to let me know it wasnt working for her. Unfortunately it was thro ill health.

I guess in answer to OP, it's the one with no derivatives, artificial colours or preservatives and as few cereals as possible that works for you and your dog. _If,_ dry is what _you_ prefer to feed.


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## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

Can this be kept on topic please. The discussion is about the best cheap dry food, not a debate on wet Vs dry.


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

Nonnie said:


> Can this be kept on topic please. The discussion is about the best cheap dry food, not a debate on wet Vs dry.


Yeah, sorry OP. Will stay on topic.


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## FRAZ (Mar 10, 2009)

Hi I would like to help you here. My worry is you dropping from a food like Orijen to a lesser food. especially when your dog is a puppy.
i would like to offer you two bags for the price of one of the Orijen Puppy.
Contact me at : [email protected] and we can sort something out.

Cheers Fraz


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## Sandysmum (Sep 18, 2010)

I have been using Harringtons for the past year since changing from Wagg. I know some people seem to have a problem with these brands but I have a happy, healthy dog and that's what matters to me.


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

jetsmum said:


> I have been using Harringtons for the past year since changing from Wagg. I know some people seem to have a problem with these brands but I have a happy, healthy dog and that's what matters to me.


Sorry, I know you're happy with it, which is your choice, iI'm not questioning that. but since OP asked for a decent cheap food I have to point out how bad harringtons is,

Ingredients

Maize, Lamb Meat Meal (min 14%), Barley, Rice (min 14%), Meat Meal, Beet Pulp, Poultry Fat, Digest, Vitamins & Minerals, Linseed, Kelp (0.2%), Yeast (0.1%), Citrus Extract (0.04%) & Yucca Extract (0.01%).

IMO to be avoided at all costs. Barely a step up from wagg/bakers/pedigree etc.


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## Sandysmum (Sep 18, 2010)

I feel that I have to defend myself (and everyone else that uses Harringtons and the other brands you criticised)
Not everyone can afford the more expensive brands, I know I can't, but I do the best I can for my dog as he means so much to me. He is very healthy, has a beautiful shiny coat and is very happy. 
You make it sound like I'm giving him the equivalent of junk food. If these brands are so bad then why do thousands of people continue to buy them?


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

jetsmum said:


> I feel that I have to defend myself (and everyone else that uses Harringtons and the other brands you criticised)
> Not everyone can afford the more expensive brands, I know I can't, but I do the best I can for my dog as he means so much to me. He is very healthy, has a beautiful shiny coat and is very happy.
> You make it sound like I'm giving him the equivalent of junk food. If these brands are so bad then why do thousands of people continue to buy them?


I have just had someone cringe at the idea of Dr Johns, though my dogs have been fine on it for over a year! I think people think that if it doesn't cost a fortune, it can't be any good.


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## Jasper's Bloke (Oct 30, 2009)

jetsmum said:


> I feel that I have to defend myself (and everyone else that uses Harringtons and the other brands you criticised)
> Not everyone can afford the more expensive brands, I know I can't, but I do the best I can for my dog as he means so much to me. He is very healthy, has a beautiful shiny coat and is very happy.
> You make it sound like I'm giving him the equivalent of junk food. If these brands are so bad then why do thousands of people continue to buy them?


A high price tag does not always guarantee a good food, and vice versa, it is the ingredients that count. Harringtons may well be better than many commercial foods but its main ingredient is still maize, which dogs cannot digest and as the saying goes, what goes in must come out. In my experience many of these foods are a false economy because so much of them cannot be utilized by a dogs digestive system and so it just comes out the other end, this means that you have to feed physically more of the food, which obviously costs more. Better to spend a few pounds more on a food that you will feed less of. I used to feed fish4dogs, which is a relatively expensive food, but I worked out that it was actually costing me less than if I had been feeding Bakers.

Skinners Field and Trial is often recommended as a quality food at a very low price, expect to pay around £23 for 15kg, which is fantastic value. Also look at pets at home silver range, decent ingredients but cheaper than many named brands, it is also often on special offer.

The reason so many people buy these foods is because a - they don't know any better and b - they can be bought cheaply in supermarkets, which might be another consideration for some people. You also have to take into account the power of advertising, especially on tv. Iams for example, markets itself as a premium food and has a price tag to match, but it is no better quality than anything else on the supermarket shelves. Funnily enough their tv advert also fails to mention their atrocious animal rights record and how they mutilate dogs whilst researching their products.


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

jetsmum said:


> I feel that I have to defend myself (and everyone else that uses Harringtons and the other brands you criticised)
> Not everyone can afford the more expensive brands, I know I can't, but I do the best I can for my dog as he means so much to me. He is very healthy, has a beautiful shiny coat and is very happy.
> You make it sound like I'm giving him the equivalent of junk food. If these brands are so bad then why do thousands of people continue to buy them?


Sorry, but you are giving him the equivalent of junk food. As I said in my post before, you feed it, you're happy, I wasn't questioning that. You don't need to justify that to anyone. But the ingredients speak for themselves. And it's nothing to do with cost, Skinners is a great food, and it's under £20 per bag. I don't criticise wagg/bakers/pedigree/iams/harringtons etc for the good of my health or to make anyone feel bad/good/indifferent, I do it because the ingredients are atrocious.

Why do thousands of people continue to buy it? Because they don't know any better, they see the advert on the TV, believe what they say and buy it. Simple. Same with most house hold and food items.



newfiesmum said:


> I have just had someone cringe at the idea of Dr Johns, though my dogs have been fine on it for over a year! I think people think that if it doesn't cost a fortune, it can't be any good.


I'd cringe at Doctor John's too. Price is irrelevant, it's about quality of ingredients. Yes some foods cost a fortune, but you can also get very good budget foods like CSJ and Skinners. I'd be fine if I ate nothing but spaghetti hoops for a year, doesn't mean my insides would be jumping for joy does it?


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## Sandysmum (Sep 18, 2010)

Lyceum said:


> Sorry, but you are giving him the equivalent of junk food. As I said in my post before, you feed it, you're happy, I wasn't questioning that. You don't need to justify that to anyone. But the ingredients speak for themselves. And it's nothing to do with cost, Skinners is a great food, and it's under £20 per bag. I don't criticise wagg/bakers/pedigree/iams/harringtons etc for the good of my health or to make anyone feel bad/good/indifferent, I do it because the ingredients are atrocious.
> 
> Why do thousands of people continue to buy it? Because they don't know any better, they see the advert on the TV, believe what they say and buy it. Simple. Same with most house hold and food items.
> 
> I'd cringe at Doctor John's too. Price is irrelevant, it's about quality of ingredients. Yes some foods cost a fortune, but you can also get very good budget foods like CSJ and Skinners. I'd be fine if I ate nothing but spaghetti hoops for a year, doesn't mean my insides would be jumping for joy does it?


I joined this forum because you all seemed so nice, but now I find myself defending my choice of dog food to some very harsh criticism. It doesn't matter how you phrase it, this is an attack and not just on myself but on everyone who uses the brands you don't approve of. Let me make some final points,
1 I use Harringtons because IT IS ALL I CAN AFFORD. Sorry to shout but you seem to be missing the main point. The OP asked about cheap dog food, and I gave them an honest answer. 
2 My vet has never expressed any concern over my dogs health.He agrees I have a happy healthy dog.
3 I have never seen a Harringtons ad on tv and I don't get any papers or magazines which could have influenced me. I chose this brand on personal recomendation.
4 Regarding the spaghetti hoops comment - I get the point you're trying to make. But surely the same can be said of anything. I never said I give my dog Harringtons and nothing else. He has healthy additions to his food and I only give him dog treats, nothing that is bad for him.
5 THOUSANDS BUY THESE BRANDS BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW ANY BETTER.
again - I appologise for shouting but I just couldn't believe anyone could come out with such a statement. I think I detect a bit of snobbery here!
Anyway I'd better go and have a cup of tea and a nice chocky biccy to calm down.


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## Jasper's Bloke (Oct 30, 2009)

jetsmum said:


> I joined this forum because you all seemed so nice, but now I find myself defending my choice of dog food to some very harsh criticism. It doesn't matter how you phrase it, this is an attack and not just on myself but on everyone who uses the brands you don't approve of. Let me make some final points,
> 1 I use Harringtons because IT IS ALL I CAN AFFORD. Sorry to shout but you seem to be missing the main point. The OP asked about cheap dog food, and I gave them an honest answer.
> 2 My vet has never expressed any concern over my dogs health.He agrees I have a happy healthy dog.
> 3 I have never seen a Harringtons ad on tv and I don't get any papers or magazines which could have influenced me. I chose this brand on personal recomendation.
> ...


It is not an attack and I am sorry you feel you have to defend yourself but you did post in a thread asking for advice about the best cheap dry food and so should expect people to offer their opinions.

You asked why so many people buy those foods and I said it was because they do not know any better, which is perfectly true, its not snobbery at all its just a fact. Bakers Complete is about £25ish for 15kg whereas Skinners Field and Trial is about the same price but is a much better food with better ingredients that are more suited to a dogs digestion system, so why does Bakers sell so much more food than Skinners? Because they have a powerful advertising campaign and they are on every supermarket shelf in the country.

If you were to take the time to look into the ingredients of dog food you would realise just how much crap there is in some of them, dogs derive their energy from meat proteins (being carnivores after all) and have no need for vegetables or carbohydrates, therefore the main ingredient in a dog food should be a meat product. They cannot even digest most cereals such as maize, which I think is the main ingredient in Harringtons.


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

Is Bakers the same as Bakers choice? I know someone who has just bought a shihitzu puppy and the vet has told her the best food to get is Bakers choice puppy. I am amazed that you are saying that Bakers is £25 for 15kg, when Dr Johns is only £11.49. Why do so many buy it, then? It is hardly cheap at that price.

I have just invested in a small bag of Barking Heads to see if they like it. The ingredients look good and it has glucosomine and chondroitin and the other stuff which is good for their joints. It is £39.99 for a 15 kg bag in that pet shop, but I suspect I can get it cheaper and just wanted a small bag to try.


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## Hols<3Millie (Sep 2, 2010)

arden grange is a bit expensive but VERY good quality for what you pay, i know a lot of people recommend chappie which is £10 for !7.5kg (PAH), my dog won't eat chappie due to bland flavours  x


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

jetsmum said:


> I joined this forum because you all seemed so nice, but now I find myself defending my choice of dog food to some very harsh criticism. It doesn't matter how you phrase it, this is an attack and not just on myself but on everyone who uses the brands you don't approve of. Let me make some final points,
> 1 I use Harringtons because IT IS ALL I CAN AFFORD. Sorry to shout but you seem to be missing the main point. The OP asked about cheap dog food, and I gave them an honest answer.
> 2 My vet has never expressed any concern over my dogs health.He agrees I have a happy healthy dog.
> 3 I have never seen a Harringtons ad on tv and I don't get any papers or magazines which could have influenced me. I chose this brand on personal recomendation.
> ...


I've twice said you don't need to defend yourself. Feed what you'd like. It's not my business.

The point, and the the title of the thread is 'best' cheap dry food. Harringtons isn't that. I know this based on the ingredients the food has in it. Simple.

If you've taken that as an attack on everyone who uses that food, then you've taken my comments and twisted them. Since I've twice said it's up to you what you feed your dog.

According to Harringtons web site a 15kg sack is £20, which makes it the same price as Skinners. And more expensive than some of the CSJ foods. Also according to their site a 20kg dog would be fed 360g of Harringtons per day, which means Harringtons works out at about 48p per day and a 15kg bag would last 41 days. Skinners is about £1 cheaper than harringtons per 15kg sack, a 20kg dog would need around 220g per day (feeding guide is 100g per 8kg of dog) of skinners, so one 15kg bag would last 68 days and cost 29p per day to feed.

So you're in actual fact paying almost twice the price for a food of much lower quality. You'd save money buying a better food. But like I said, it's not my business.

You seem to be missing the point, the OP wanted a good budget food, Harringtons/pedigree/wagg etc are not that.


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

Jasper's Bloke said:


> It is not an attack and I am sorry you feel you have to defend yourself but you did post in a thread asking for advice about the best cheap dry food and so should expect people to offer their opinions.
> 
> You asked why so many people buy those foods and I said it was because they do not know any better, which is perfectly true, its not snobbery at all its just a fact. Bakers Complete is about £25ish for 15kg whereas Skinners Field and Trial is about the same price but is a much better food with better ingredients that are more suited to a dogs digestion system, so why does Bakers sell so much more food than Skinners? Because they have a powerful advertising campaign and they are on every supermarket shelf in the country.
> 
> If you were to take the time to look into the ingredients of dog food you would realise just how much crap there is in some of them, dogs derive their energy from meat proteins (being carnivores after all) and have no need for vegetables or carbohydrates, therefore the main ingredient in a dog food should be a meat product. They cannot even digest most cereals such as maize, which I think is the main ingredient in Harringtons.


They can digest it, but their digestive system converts maize/corn etc into sugar. Which is usually why dogs fed v high maize etc content foods have a spike in energy shortly after eating. Bit like a sugar rush lol. But you are right they don't NEED it.


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## SlingDash (Jul 30, 2010)

I've skimmed through this topic and it's not in the least bit surprising to see some people getting their knickers in a twist and taking other people's comments personally - which seems to be the way with this forum 

The problem with 'cheap' dog foods is that they are a totally false economy. Buy 'cheap' food, and all you'll be getting is a heap of grain-based rubbish that the dog/s will mostly sh*t back out in huge wasted piles all over the lawn.

Spend a bit more on a high(-er) quality food that is MAINLY meat-based (not cereal or grain-based, OR full of god-knows-what "meat & animal derivatives" etc, etc) and you will end up feeding less because the dog will get more nutritional value from that food.

Friends of ours once stayed with their dog one weekend, and they had to buy food from the local supermarket. To our horror, they came back with a bag of Pedigree 'Complete' (or whatever it's called) and, after biting our tongues and saying nothing, we were shocked at what came out the other end of their dog the following morning. 

Ours were doing lovely small, dry poohs (having eaten plenty of raw fish, chicken breast and offal for their dinner the previous night), and theirs was squirting out huge ice cream-like piles of wet 'sausage' pooh all over the place! It was just like watching sausages being made in one of those machines where the meat squirts out of the nozzle and into a 'skin' of pigs' intestines. Boooik!

It'd be interesting to compare, nutritionally, what went in the previous evening to what came out that following day. My guess is that probably 90% or more of that rubbish they fed was [email protected] straight back out again and was, therefore, a total and utter waste of money.


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

Well, mine have come off the chicken and rice and on to Barking Heads. It is much better the other end, they love it, and the good thing is you can buy three sizes, not just a small bag or a huge one. So I can get the 6kg bag for £20 which lasts a week, then I don't have to spend out nearly £40 on the 12kg when I can't afford it. I am very happy with it.


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