Does anyone feed a puppy/dog on a budget?

[2plus2makes4]

We are getting a puppy soon (cockapoo) and so I have been doing some research - a lot actually in to different foods and what’s best nutritionally. I have joined the cockapoo owners club and I’m surprised to find that very few people (or those who will admit) feed their dog a lower priced ‘budget’ food. I guess I was naive regarding dog food as growing up all of our family dogs just had a massive cheap bag of wagg or the like, it seems like everyone feeds raw or (what I would consider) expensive foods. I completely understand different nutritional content and meat content etc and people have said to others on the group ‘why would you pay that much for a dog and feed it rubbish’ which I understand to a certain extent but my point is, aren’t dogs fed on a budget food such as Aldi, pets at home or others just as well as dogs fed on premium foods? Genuine question - does anyone get by just fine with it?

Our BT has decided he's got to have wet food and won't consider dry kibble any more (he's 10). I get Cesar most of the time - what do people think of that? I wonder if Cesar Senior is worth it? He is very fussy and has unidentified allergies, for which I give him Piriton. He's fit and in great health otherwise. I'd love to feed him home-cooked but would worry about nutrients; however the recipes above are great as reference.

Polkadot, I might look at Sainsbo's wet food then.

Following this thread

I will let you know if her poos are more fragrant

Not saying this to be rude normally means something rude is coming. I haven’t had it too rough on here apart from the occasional comment but I see some people on other forums that practically have a lynch mob after them for talking about the same topic! It’s really quite shocking. There are dogs out there being abused and not fed yet if you do your best for your dog and your best means feeding it wagg or other budget brands then you get strung up like some of the worst owners! I’m not advocating feeding a budget food nor am I advocating an expensive one. I asked a simple question to begin with to further educate myself and build on the research I’m doing. The point is there are dogs on this thread and out there in the real world that live long, happy and healthy lives on budget food, whether you choose to believe that or not. Dogs that have regularly got hold of a rogue chocolate bar or a few sneaky maltesers from a child and they still live to tell the tale. I understand perfectly about nutritional content but I also understand that dogs have lived to 15+ in family homes that never knew or understood all of this. I am not stupid and I will give Ddog the best of what I can. Ultimately I will give Ddog what she likes and what I feel is suited. Regardless of cost or opinion.

“The point is there are dogs on this thread and out there in the real world that live long, happy and healthy lives on budget food”

Of course there are, but there are also lots of perfectly healthy people that were weaned on to solid food at 3 months old because that’s what was normal and advised then, but that’s changed as more information has become available.

It’s not about brands or even price, value food ranges aren’t actually a great comparison because many of them aren’t that different, milk is milk, tomatoes are tomatoes - whatever brand you use or price you pay you’re getting milk and tomatoes.

It’s more like buying sausages, you can get 8 hotdogs for 50p or you can get butcher’s sausages for £2.50... but you know the difference isn’t the price or brand, it’s the ingredients.

I pay about £1 a day to feed my (very large) dog a food that suits him and has a list of ingredients that starts with meat and I recognise as edible. I could save 30p a day by feeding him something that contains a load of weird stuff topped up with the vitamins and minerals it doesn’t contain... but it’s 30p it’s not worth it.

With a smaller dog, you’re looking at even less money anyway.

I’ve seen foods that would cost me £5 a day for a 40kg dog (like I said, very large, lol) so if everyone was advising food like that, yes, that’s a ludicrous amount... but when the difference is pennies?...

I have a 2 year old JRT and have fed different food since we have had him as he tends to get used to a food, then decide he doesn't like it!

He tends to prefer wet food tins/ trays - grain free chicken / turkey and veg.

We had been feeding Lily's kitchen which is around £2.25 a tin which is obviously pricey - although he only eats up to a can a day. Recently I decided to try to reduce costs and have been feeding mainly Harrington's or Naturo which are both around £1 a tray so half the price of the Lily's kitchen (although he eats slightly more) and the ingredients seem OK 50-60% recognisable meat, veg and herbs. So yes I think you can be aware of budget but still feed something which is fairly decent quality.