<a href=”Crossin Dixon “I Love My Old Bird Dog”
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Enjoy!

I’ve probably ran the gamut of dog foods trying to finding something that is good for them as well as reasonable on my pocket book. I’ve fed complete raw diets, gone through the major pet chain semi premium brands, the ultra premium brands, and on occasion when I really needed food in a pinch the dreaded cheap grocery store brands. By far the grocery stores have dog food that is very cheap per pound. But how much does that cost you in the long run?

I recently came across a website that will tell you just that…How much it costs you per day to feed your dog. It compares 3 kibble type dog foods that you could buy at a grocery store, super pet store, or a specialty food store. You will be surprised at how much more expensive the grocery store brand is when you compare calories per cup and the amount of calories required to feed your dog. The chart shows how much it cost you to feed.

The foods that are compared on this chart are – Purina Beneful, Science Diet Adult Maintenance, and Canidae All Lifestages. I looked at the source code for that information as she doesn’t put it on the page. As you read through the other pages take note of the calories per cup that are listed on some of the grain free foods that are out there. It’s all about how many calories per day your dog needs, a higher quality protein/fat food equals more calories per cup which equals fewer cups per day resulting in an overall savings per day.

As you can see the author put some work into researching a lot of different food brands that we feed our dogs. She also busted some of the myths we are told about too much protein and other ingredients that are contained in our dog’s food. But the bottom line is buy a higher quality dog food and pay more upfront and you’ll actually save money in the long run. You’ll not only save on the food budget, but I’ll also bet you’ll save on your vet bills as well. The only problem is “What constitutes higher quality?” Look at the ingredients along with the caloric density of the product you purchase this seems to be the most important factors in this question.

Don’t believe all this, then do your own study and let me know how it goes. Finding the right food for you dog is a lot less about cost and a lot more about how healthy your dog is. The other good thing about feeding the ultra premium dog foods is you have less waste. Yes, a lot less waste. When your dog is producing less poop you know their bodies are better utilizing the food that goes in them.

Remember, just like with people, dogs need only a specific amount of calories per day to sustain their healthy weight based on their activity level. The recommended feeding guidelines on the bags are only a guideline. Some days they need more, and some days they need less. Some dogs always look hungry and will beg for food no matter how much you feed them. Don’t fall into their trap!

In case you were wondering what I feed my dogs…I feed Nutro Ultra and Innova Evo and I always add water to the food. I usually top it with a spoon of plain yogurt and sometimes they get raw food as an extra treat. I also tend to shell out raw veggies for treats on regular basis as well. My German Shepherd, Caley, loves raw asparagus!

Carla Collins
Sit Means Sit Dallas