Does anyone on MN not just feed ordinary bog standard complete dog food?

[ChewingGum]

I have fed my dogs on your run of the mill fairly cheapish dry complete dog for for YEARS with no issue.

I am wondering if we are getting into a trap of having to spend a fortune on all this special food sometimes costing 40 to 50 pounds per sack.

Are we being taken for a ride? I have pedigree springers and when I read threads on here about what others feed, sometimes i feel guilty, but when thinking more about it I am not sure If we are getting dragged into spending more than we need.

So, I am looking for other cheap feeders, because I cannot be the only mner!

I feed mine Nature Diet and the groomers' own brand complete food as a mixer. I doubt it costs more than four quid a week.

James wellbeloved for my cavalier. She looks happy and fit on it.

I have to feed Jasper Burns Mini Bites because he's allergic to just about everything. I have to express his anal glands weekly, and if he eats anything else he is scratchy, restless, a bit bonkers and does hideous splatty poos. Oh, and those anal glands fill up within two days. I am much better aquainted with my dog's arse than I'd like to be. I am, however, about to try Skinners Duck and Rice in an effort to halve our feed bills.

my dogs BARF diet is actually very cheap - ordered in bulk from supplier

www.anglianmeatproducts.co.uk

with biscuit.

and it resurrected her after health troubles as a puppy...

Bog standard working dog £8 per sack. They get meat daily.

Good healthy happy dogs.

I do home-made. Frozen mince (beef, chicken, lamb or occassionally rabit) from local pet-shop, mixed with economy-brand rice and cheap veggies (usually carrots or cabbage). One batch takes a few minutes to prepare and lasts for 3-4 days and I work out it costs me around £1.25 per week.

Our collie eats Omega from the vet/pet shop, its a bog standard dry food AFAIK. it is the only thing that he seems to be able to eat without runny poos or vomiting. but The company have discontinued it so we are doing traila nd error (and not succeeding very well) trying to find something else

Those of you who give your dog meat daily, where do you get it from? is it like beef or lamb or what?

Having seen my old dogs suffer skin complaints and irritated eyes on Hill's crap, I now feed Orijen. It is worth the money.

I'd love to feed normal dog food - and our Lab would happily eat/stomach anything but we have a Vizsla that can't even tolerate dog chews without puking (always at 3am…). I can't give him a bone for fear of repercussion. DP didn't believe me when we first met and snuck him bones/treats…… so I made him clear it up!!!! I wish he ate food that cost less than my steak!!!

I give Jasper raw chicken wings a couple of times a week. They help with the anal gland stuff, and they're cheap from my butcher.

My dog has a hypoallergenic puppy food its about £8 a sack. She's almost 7months old and we've used about a sack and a half so pretty cheap.

mine is on raw food, is very cheap compared to nature diet (he was on 3 a day), and didnt settle well onJWB

Mine eat whatever the rescue provide us with mixed with Butchers Tripe tins, butchers block or raw minced tripe plus chicken wings. My own two used to be BARF but the Grey soon clocked on that they were getting something different to her and all hell broke loose. They are now on the same things. My freezer is not big enough to BARF feed a large breed dog.

James Well beloved cereal free here. Have a grain allergic staffy. I'd rather pay the price of the food than the frequent vet trips it would be without. We just don't have the storage space for a raw diet.

Did have both on Orijen but £120+ a month was too much.

JWB most days, but liver every couple of days, chicken and rice at the weekend. Rawhide treats pretty much whenever she wants plus a bit of fruit (apple or pear) most days (she picks them herself!)

The only thing I find if she has cheaper food is that her poo absolutely STINKS! I have a pretty strong stomach but I retch clearing up after her.

Having a combination of biscuit/complete food days with meat days seems to suit her and her coat and eyes are super shiny.

me, our two eat dry pedigree chum and tesco own make wet food, and whatever other 'human' food they can get their paws on (which is a lot!). No health problems neither.

My dog eats Aldi's dry food with some tinned meat for fun. He's looking great on it (Heinz 57 type dog).

Bog standard BARF here too. Minces, bones, rabbits, tripe etc, real food very cheap and healthy.

Thanks all this is all very interesting. Agree that hills science shit is very expensive and not alot of good, just pushed by vets as they are making a mint on recommending.

If you have more than one dog, who could feed royal canin anyway.

My springers have always had ordinary either working dog sort of own brand stuff at 9 a sack and the most expensive i have ever bought was about 12 per sack.

I really believe we are getting dragged into wasting our money.

BARF does interest me greatly and something I would possibly look into with future dogs, but my current lot will continue to be fed cheap dry because they are happy on it.

And I have been warned about the stench of shite and runs during the change over period!

They also enjoy any human scrapings and chews or shops own brand treats.

I feed my lab Skinners working dog - or maintenance. Isnt expensive at all. £18 a sack and she loves it

Those of you who give your dog meat daily, where do you get it from? is it like beef or lamb or what?

before we bought the frozen stuff, and feeding only one dog, value chicken/beef bits from supermarket cooked in microwave and boned.. (hassle but bloody dog wasn't eating otherwise..)
frozen stuff is just a lump of meat with some bone meal as part of its make up...lamb, chicken, beef, tripe...fish (for dog with dicky tum)

they really love tripe >boak< and it's great for their tummies. it does produce the most abominable stench.

Scared to confess........ Bakers with gravy. Healthy, happy, dog, scoopable poop - what more do you need in life?

Firstly - what does BARF stand for?

My dog is a fussy beggar and I have been through all of the tinned meat range and most of the dry dog food.

Have never fed her the vet-recommended brands, never bulk buy (she'd go off it and I'd waste money!)

At the moment she's on 'Super Chunks' with a bit of Wagg thrown in. Very cheap, but most importantly SHE EATS IT

The next step is mince/chicken/rice....fingers crossed she settles on this though.

We now feed our labs Chappie complete dry food, with our leftovers, and whatever cat food they can manage to steal.

We have fed them other more expensive stuff in the past, as one has a sensitive tum - can you imagine the horror of a greedy-will-eat-anything-going labrador combined with a delicate easily upset digestion - and were on Hills Science diet for a while at £££ per sack. Changed to Chappie, dogs are fine and happy.