Need to find cheaper dog food, if possible.

[OldMaaa]

We have two dogs - a whippet and a greyhound.
I feel awful but I need to look for a cheaper alternative food for them. COL is impacting us so looking to cut back across the board. I don't want to compromise too much on quality though, so not sure if I can find anything.

They are currently fed Akela Country Kibble, which is grain free. Either Lamb or Duck. They have a bit of Butcher's tinned wet food mixed in with it (I don't intend to change wet food just the kibble).

Greyhound doesn't tolerate poultry very well.

The current food is £66-67 per 15kg sack.

Any recommendations for me to check out would be very welcome. I have been looking at "All About Dog Food" but there's so much choice it's a bit overwhelming. I did find an almost identical alternative which was £10 cheaper per bag, but postage was extortionate making it basically the same price as the one we currently feed.

jolleys lifestage - any of the fish ones

Jollyes Lifestage Lamb with Mint is great for dogs with poultry issues.

The same food is available branded as a few different things including Country Kibble, HPR, Hunters and Nourish so you could check out which is cheaper for delivery.

I too was going to say use All About Dog Food, but it can be so individual what your dog will like/tolerate. I buy gentle dog food, but I only have 1 dog and she is 8kg. Its rated 82% on that site, but I don't know how accurate/realistic those ratings are?

I also mix in some forthglade cold pressed 73% or naturo 71% (whichever is on special at the supermarket). My dog will meticulously pick out and eat these first- leaving the more expensive gentle dog food to eat last! I can't find akela country on the site, but those listed range from 69%-73%. Could you try mixing in a more affordable kibble bit by bit to see how they go? Or a kibble which doesn't need delivery and you can buy in a supermarket?

Mine also gets wet food. I buy it from amazon now with a regular delivery, because having a subscription saves 5%.

Coming from someone who has been down this rabbit hole and drowned in the guilt, please don't feel bad about needing to find a budget friendly dog food. I switched my three dogs to something cheaper and I haven't noticed any difference at all in their health or energy levels. In fact, puppy is doing better as her dandruff has cleared up.

Two of mine are fed Country Kibble Turkey and Cranberry. I think it's £59 for 15kg. I think it's basically the same as the Jollyes food, but without the extortionate delivery charges for Scotland.
My third is fed James Wellbeloved senior food, which is a bit cheaper. And she's doing really well on it.
I also have friends who feed Skinners. Their dogs are extremely fit and healthy and compete in agility and cani-cross.

Have a look at Gain 28 or Gain 20 under the brand name Time.

How long does that dog food last?.I have 2 border collies, one 10, one 2. For 30 years plus,my dogs have had Lidl kibble and tinned dog food. The youngest has their working dog kibble,10kg bag lasts months. They also get left overs,veg,raw apple,raw carrot.. when I met DH i had a collie , she was a private rescue owing to ill health fed on vegetarian kibble. In the 80s it was very new and very much frowned upon to feed a dog on veggie food.We've had different dogs,a phalene and our last border collie and a mid size cross breed (no idea what) all lived to almost 18.our vet of 30 odd years, said what ever we are doing,it works, keep doing it.

Harringtons grain free about £36 for 12kg. 30% off first subscription (you can cancel anytime) means you could upgrade that to their ‘just 6’ range (6 ingredients) for not much more. Only 12kg but my dog fine on all these and she used to get premium food too.
Edited to add I’ve just looked and the lamb ‘just 6’ is on offer plus 30% off first subscription- so just under £28 for 12kg.

My border collie has Burgess sensitive, either the lamb or salmon variety. It costs about £30 a bag and my dog has done really well on it. He didn't manage well with the higher rated kibbles, too much protein gives him the runs!

Remember when comparing prices that different foods are fed in different quantities. So make sure to take that into account when looking at prices. The price per day given by all about dog food isn't necessarily accurate, e.g. the kibble I buy on there is listed as 75 per 10kg but I actually pay 55 per 10kg which is a huge difference.

Thank you! Some great options for me to check out. That Jolleys one looks promising, as do some of the others suggested. I appreciate all the advice.

When we got the greyhound he was on very cheap food (£15 for 15kg) and it was horrible. He constantly had the runs, super smelly and the food was mostly carbs. I tried more expensive/protein heavy foods before settling on the one we are feeding now, I think the sweet potato content is good for him. He is pretty happy on it, firm poos and I alternate the two flavours as he can be picky. Hence reluctant to change but it is expensive and now we have the whippet too it isn't lasting long (1 bag does approx a month feeding both of them I think).

A 'Sliced Bread' episode on Radio 4 was convincing that expensive brands are no better nutritionally (experts were consulted). All pet food in UK has to pass strict nutritional standards.

If it were me I'd work out the cost per day (using the quantity adjusted weight) and see what the difference per day. See how much you'll really save, it might not be enough to warrant changing over & the expense of trying them on them.

Dont feel guilty though. You're still looking for quality food for them, not the cheapest crap available (that shouldn't even be permitted to be sold).

My collie/lab cross alternates between Markus Muhle (the red deer or black angus version) and Purizon 80/20 fish - whichever is on the better offer for a 15kg sack at Zooplus when we are running low. Both work out about £45 for a 15kg sack.

The Markus Muhle standard version is even cheaper, under £40 for 15kg, but I wasn't keen on the corn content.

The Jollyes lamb does contain sweet potato @OldMaaa . Our last two Pyreneans have both done well on it.

We use jolleys lifestages salmon, trout and asparagus or something like that. Sounds very bougie!

I second "please don't feel bad about needing to find a budget friendly dog food". All dogs are different and what works brilliantly for one won't necessarily work great for another as you know with your dog's sensitivities. My advice would be to find not one but some types that you consider healthy and that work well for your dogs. That way you can almost always shop the offers. Start by buying small bags and size up to budget friendly bags if effective. I'd also recommend using a wide range of healthy toppers. A little egg, mackeral, sardines, tuna, carrot, sweetcorn, cooked value fish or healthy leftovers etc. add nutrients and meal-time interest at very pennies per portion. Shopping the reduced isle for fish, meats can be really cost effective toppers too. Ialso often use on offer wet dog food as toppers Many companies like Tails and Bitternut Box offer huge introoductory deals which can represent good value as one offs Again, I think variety can be key to avoiding excessive costs because you always have options. It works for my eat-anything dog but I appreciate it may not work for more sensitive dogs. Some cheapish relatively healthy kibble brands I rotate between (when on offer) include Barking Heads; Pooch & Mutt; Edgar & Cooper; Burns; Tails; Lilly's Kitchen; Wellness Core and many, many others. I'm going too try Essentials sample packs next (although not cheapest!)

I get the Wagg sacks of complete dry food for my Staff x American bully, she seems happy enough.

We have Millie’s wolfheart it £44 for 12 kg

My dog is on Burgess mature food, he was fed on their supadog adult before he got older, he loves it and it doesn't upset his stomach like many other more expensive foods we tried including raw did. I'm sure they do one tailored for greyhounds as well .

Our vet recommended Chappie for our dog with a sensitive stomach and it has been really good for them. Plus we now feed them for a week on what it used to cost for a day! So I would definitely recommend it if you want to save money.

Second this. Good for any sensitivities as they don’t use chicken or grain in any of the foods so you don’t have to sift through each one.

I agree that it's good, but it's not really significantly cheaper than their existing food.

Sorry, should have replied to @firstofallimadelight

My gundogs are fed on Skinners Field and Trial. Springer is on the maintenance variety (currently c£22/15kg on Amazon) and Lab is on the salmon and rice as he's sensitive to chicken (c£33/15kg).

The Jollies Lifestage kibble is really good and great value.

I’ve also started making up my own dog food using mince and vegetables, this works out cheaper than the tinned food and my dog absolutely loves it.

What kind of mince?