The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Pets & Working Animals => Dogs => Topic started by: Bionic on December 28, 2011, 11:32:45 am

Title: Online dog food suppliers
Post by: Bionic on December 28, 2011, 11:32:45 am
My puppy is currently on Pedigree dry complete puppy food with bits and pieces mixed in, depending on what we are eating.
I am paying £6.99 for 3kg in Waitrose. I thought I might be able to get it cheaper online but everywhere I have tried it works our more expensive, even when buying a larger amount.

Do you use dried food and if so where do you get them from?
Sally
Title: Re: Online dog food suppliers
Post by: doganjo on December 28, 2011, 11:35:31 am
Pedigree used to have a breeder service where you could pick it up and get discounts but they cut back (like everyone else) and stopped that.  To be honest it's not all it's cracked up to be anyway.  I would say your pup could have anything except Bakers as that is full of e-numbers and additives.  Not sure if these all have puppy versions but I use Dr Johns, Wainwrights, Cobbydog - all of which are a good sight cheaper and readily available.
Title: Re: Online dog food suppliers
Post by: Sylvia on December 28, 2011, 01:10:33 pm
If you're going to feed a complete food I, too would reccomend Dr. Johns.
Title: Re: Online dog food suppliers
Post by: Rosemary on December 28, 2011, 01:46:08 pm
Watch this space - Dan's working on a price comparison website for pet products  ;D
Title: Re: Online dog food suppliers
Post by: knightquest on December 28, 2011, 06:52:24 pm
We have a pet shop, we've done the research and I wouldn't feed Pedigree, Bakers, Dr Johns (use old bread as main ingredient), in fact anything under £25.00 for 15kg. Check the ingredients - anything with derivatives, forget it. Anything that doesn't use meat meal, forget it..................... sorry, may start to rant in a minute, just check the ingredients is all I'll say.

Ian
Title: Re: Online dog food suppliers
Post by: Brucklay on December 28, 2011, 06:57:15 pm
Hi Knightquest - as the expert what would you feed a puppy (4 months-ish now) - when I got him he was on Beta puppy so I've continued as he seems happy on it - but would always welcome expert advice
Title: Re: Online dog food suppliers
Post by: Black Raven on December 28, 2011, 10:16:09 pm
I've got my two Labradors on Burns Alert, it's VAT free and I get it for £35 for 15kg.
Title: Re: Online dog food suppliers
Post by: Bionic on December 29, 2011, 09:56:44 am
Brucklay,
I am in the same situation as you.  My dog is just over 4 months and I feed him on pedigree puppy as thats what he was on when I got him.  He does get bits and pieces of what I am cooking too e.g. small potato, a bit of pasta, some veg, but generally the main bulk of his food is Pedigree complete.

Rosemary,
The pet food comparison website will be agreat help

thanks
Sally
Title: Re: Online dog food suppliers
Post by: knightquest on December 29, 2011, 07:28:20 pm
Hi Knightquest - as the expert what would you feed a puppy (4 months-ish now) - when I got him he was on Beta puppy so I've continued as he seems happy on it - but would always welcome expert advice

Hello Brucklay. I would not call myself an expert but I have studied dog food. The better makes are (in no particular order) Burns, Arden Grange, James Wellbeloved, Royal Canin and a fairly new food called Symply. They are the less cheap feeds. Orijen is a cracking food but VERY expensive.

Some things to bear in mind. Generally, food that is gluten free is better. Royal Canin is good but not gluten free. My advice as before is always check labels.
Also, when puppies are sold, companies are happy to give breeders free 3kg bags of food to give away with the pups. Beta and Pedigree do this. Obviously they do it for the follow on sales.
On a different note, Arden Grange would have been my best tip of the better known brands but they have moved their production to another manufacturer. This isn't good news! Existing users should monitor their food.

Another alarming thing to be aware of is that one cheap food manufacturer who is hard to identify at this moment has purchased a massive amount of old and out of date food from supermarkets and thrown it all together and minced it all up to make dog food.
As we know, dogs digestive systems can cope with different types of food to ours but the truly alarming thing is that they left all the wrappers on. Plastic and polystyrene etc.

That's how cheap dog food is so cheap!

I should say that I have no connection with the manufacturers named above, in fact we have our own alternative food made.

Finally, raw food is a good viable option but probably best discussed on another thread. Hope this helps.

Ian
Title: Re: Online dog food suppliers
Post by: Brucklay on December 29, 2011, 07:41:51 pm
Hi Knightquest - thank you for all the advice - I will look into the brands/makes and see what my options are locally - yes cost has to be looked at but at the end of the day all my animals are fed what is best for them and I vow to continue that or I shouldn't really have them - saying that we're not wastefully - ducks love left over goat feed!!