Can't I save a lot of money by feeding my pet grocery brands?

No, they are cost comparable - the cost of feeding super-premium foods is usually the same or slightly cheaper and definitely less time consuming than feeding dog roll and wet foods. Every time you buy a $6 dog roll and a $9 bag of tux it adds up... if you cost up your spending on food and work it out over a month it'll surprise you.

By taking the cost of the bags that do meet your new healthy pet criteria (must be the same size e.g. all 3kg) you can divide the price of the bag by its weight to get your cost per kg. Good quality food works out more economical thanks to higher quality, more digestible meals - so the best for your pet is also the best for your budget! A bit over a dollar a day is about right for dogs, about a dollar per day for cats.

Why should I buy a super premium brand ?

 You will likely feed your dog half as much food by volume with a super premium dog food. Your dog will enjoy better nutrition, superior health and may not need to visit the vet as often as the food is a complete diet. Beware of the false economics of feeding your pet a "less expensive" food as much of the content is either water for wet food or cheap grains in supermarket pet food (wheat not corn or rice) and some of these brands cost the same as the super premium foods.....beware of the "high quality" supermarket foods that cost the same as the super-premium but are still heavily cheap grain based.

What do I need to look for in that list of ingredients?

The two most common ingredients in a pet food that may change from batch to batch are the protein source and the animal fat. If a food lists either by-products (other derivatives of the animal) or animal fat (can be any combination of fats) in their ingredients, then what goes into the mix may change from bag to bag.

Skin and coat condition strongly reflects the quality of both the protein and the fat in the food so these variations do not provide for optimal nutrition.

Look for a true fixed formula, which means a fixed protein source e.g. chicken meal (flesh and skin) as opposed to chicken & chicken by-products, and a fixed fat source e.g. chicken fat rather than animal fat.

what's the deal with skin allergies and irritated skin and what i'm feeding?

If your best mate scratches – they could be itching for a change, tux and other wheat biscuits are classic allergic triggers! There are four common allergens in a surprising number of pet foods that may aggravate or trigger allergies - these are beef, wheat, dairy and gluten. If your pet has sensitive/ irritated skin, or is prone to stomach upsets you should always check for these allergens in the ingredients list.

What other benefits can I expect?

Well, another bonus is those pungent and squishy stools will be replaced with low odour and more concentrated motions. They smell less, there's less of them and consequently there's less to pick up!

Please come in or send us an email to discuss which food is right for your dog! We recommend Royal Canin, Nutrience, Advance, Eukanuba, Iams, Science Diet. We supply our puppies and kittens with Nutrience foods.