I recently heard from a pet owner asking my opinion of some pet food brands they were considering. Both of the pet foods he asked about were what I considered to be very inferior. When I informed him of my opinion, his response was they could not afford a better food. I understand that higher quality dog and cat foods can be two or even three times as expensive than the cheaper brands.
However pet owners who think they cannot afford the quality pet foods more than likely will pay in the long term. Pets often get sick with kidney or liver disease or skin and ear problems due to inferior nutrition - those 'few cents' more a meal to feed them quality nutrition are nothing compared to the heartache and vet bills. Nowlet me explain the 'few cents' more a meal issue Most pet owners suffer sticker shock when looking at purchasing a higher quality pet food. The price tag causes them to gasp considering how fast Fido or Fluffy eats that food.
What most don't understand is that with higher quality pet foods, you don't feed nearly as much as you do with the inexpensive, lesser quality pet foods. Cheap foods have cheap ingredients thus the pet needs to eat more in an attempt to consume the nutrition their body is telling them they need. On average, pets eating higher quality pet foods consume about 1/3 less than that of an inferior food. Looking at a pet food cost per mealIf your pet currently eats 1 cup of food per day, a 20 pound of pet food will provide you with about 50 meals. If the dog food or cat food costs you $15.00 for a 20 pound bag, that costs you about $.
30 per meal. Now, if you feed a high quality pet food - feeding about 1/3 less, a 20 pound bag will provide you with about 80 meals for your pet. If the better food costs twice as much as the inferior food - $30.00 for a 20 pound bag, that breaks down to less than $.
38 cents per meal. So even though the price tag of the food reads to be twice as expensive - it's actually far from the truth. Using the above example, at .
30 cents per meal, two meals a day, in one month you are spending around $18.00 per month to feed a pet with the inferior food. With the apparent twice as expensive higher quality pet food, at .38 cents per meal, two meals a day, in one month you are spending around $22.
80 per month. Less than $5.00 per month difference that can save you thousands of dollars in vet bills and add years to their life.
You must look at the cost per meal to completely give the price of the food consideration. With better, higher quality pet foods, your pet does not need to eat as much as with the cheaper inferior quality foods. Don't let that old habit of feeding more sway you when you change to a higher quality pet food - again, with higher quality ingredients your pet will just not need as much food. In most cases, if you switch your pet to a high quality pet food and continue to feed the same amount as with the lesser quality brand - your pet will gain weight. Serving size will vary from pet to pet. If your dog or cat has no 'figure' or shows no waistline - chances are they need to lose a few pounds.
Cut back the serving size slightly. Or if you can visibly see ribs, your pet probably needs to gain a little so slightly increase the serving size. And as they get older, the serving size will probably get smaller too. Keep a constant eye on your pet's weight - a healthy weight is a healthier pet.
Please don't just look at the sticker price of your dog or cat's food. Look at the first five ingredients and consider the cost per meal.
Learn the truth about pet food. To read more articles about how to select a healthier pet food for your dog or cat visit www.TruthAboutPetFood.com. Subscribe to the free newsletter and Petsumer Report.