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How to compare the cost of pet foods

submitted: Apr 8th 2008 | by: SusanThixton | Total views: 41 | Word Count: 748 | |

I recently received an email asking my opinion of a couple of brands of pet food. Both of the foods the pet owner asked about were what I considered to be very inferior. When I informed him of this, his response was they could not afford one of the better quality foods.

I know very well that better quality dog and cat foods can cost two or even three times more than that of the cheaper brands. Pet owners who feel that cannot afford it, unfortunately will more than likely pay in the long run. When their pet becomes sick with kidney or liver disease or when their pet continues to be treated for skin irritations and/or ear infections - those vet bills to 'fix' the health problem due to years of inferior nutrition cost far more than the 'few cents' a meal to provide the pet better quality nutrition. Before you scoff at the 'few cents a meal' theory - let me explain.

Many pet owners suffer 'sticker shock' when considering purchasing a better quality food. They look at the price tag and gasp when considering how fast Fido or Fluffy eats that bag of food. What they don't know is that with better quality pet foods, you don't feed as much - cheap foods have cheap 'filler' ingredients that do not satisfy the nutritional needs of the pet, thus they eat A LOT more attempting to get the nutrition that their body is telling them they need. Better quality foods/ingredients provide the animal with quality nutrition and they eat on average 1/3 less.

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 high quality, nutritious dog and cat foods, your pet will not need to each as much as with the cheaper foods. Try not to let the old habit of feeding more sway you when you change to a higher quality food - again, with high quality ingredients your dog or cat will just not need as much food as with the inferior foods. In most cases, if you change your pet to a high quality pet food and continue to feed the same amount as the lower quality food - your pet will gain weight.

Serving size for your pet is something you will need to experiment with. If your dog or cat has no 'figure' - shows no waist when looking at them from above - chances are they need to lose a few pounds. Cut back the serving size. If you can visibly see ribs - they probably need to gain a couple of pounds and you need to slightly increase the serving size. Please note too that a cup of food a day at 2 years old will more than likely be too much food when they are a little older. Keep a constant monitoring eye on them - 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.

Tags: pet food, dog food, cat food, healthy pet food, healthy dog food, healthy cat food, premium dog food, premium cat food, bad dog food, bad cat food, natural dog food, natural cat food, dog nutrition, cat nutrition

About the Author

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.

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