Feeding Your Pet and Your Budget
Financial factors when considering what to feed your dog or cat.
We all wish that choosing the best diet for our beloved companions was not affected by our budgets but reality is that it can be a deciding factor for many pet parents. I am here to tell you that this is okay! As a pet parent of 120 collective pounds of dog plus 10 pounds of cat I feel your struggle - I make decisions on what I feed my pets based on what I can afford.
It's Okay to Make Budget-Based Decisions
The number one thing to address here is the emotional part of this: you are not a bad pet parent for selecting, perhaps, lower quality diets for your pet due to finances. After all, if you can’t take care of yourself and your home, then you can’t take care of your pets. Also, contrary to common commentary on social media, not being able to feed your pet the most expensive diet on the market does not mean that you do not deserve to have the animals you have.
Pet Food Pricing Basics
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about average pricing of pet diets - keep in mind these statements are based on averages and what is generally true: there will be fluctuations to everything!
Kibble is the Least Expensive
Kibble takes the number one spot as the least expensive diet to feed your pet (except when it’s a prescription diet, but we will address that later). Kibble is a highly processed food item that was created for the purpose of convenience and reduction of cost. Most kibble diets available for purchase are AAFCO certified to meet the minimum nutritional requirements for dogs or cats. AAFCO stands for the Association of American Feed Control Officials - long-story-short these are the people that determine nutritional feeding guidelines for animal diets amongst other things.
Canned and Fresh Foods Can Be Competitive
Now this next bit might surprise you... canned food is technically next on the list, with lightly cooked/fresh-dehydrated and cooked-freeze-dried diets not far behind. You might be thinking, isn’t canned food cheaper than lightly cooked/fresh dehydrated/freeze-dried/raw-type diets? Yes and no, it really depends on the brand and protein-type. First things first, these diets generally also meet AAFCO standards provided the items are not intended as “toppers”.
A Cost Comparison Example
Missie models in front of our selection of pet food and treats at our Retail Corner. You can check out some of the items we have available HERE
I’ll provide you an example with one of my dogs, but before I do, please note that I am not advocating for nor advising against any particular dog food or brand, these are just examples to help make things make sense. The price and feeding information below is derived from the bag/box/can information and/or company’s feeding instructions.
Alright, so if I fed Baloo, my 48 pound mixed breed, Blue Buffalo Homestyle Recipe Chicken Dinner with Garden Vegetables & Brown Rice Canned Dog Food (say that 10 times over... phew!) I would have to feed him 3/4 to 1 can of food per 10 pounds of body weight per day...
If I fed Baloo The Honest Kitchen Whole Grain Chicken Recipe Dehydrated Dog Food, I would have to feed him about 2 cups per day (for the average, not highly active dog) which means that a 10 pound box would last me about 20 days which puts us at $4 per day...
On the higher-priced side of that, if I fed Baloo Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Chicken Freeze-Dried Dog Food it would cost me about $522 per month to feed him (I won’t bore you with the math on that one). If I fed Baloo Stella & Chewy’s, for example, it would cost me about $468 a month to feed him or about $15.5 per day. It’s cheaper than Grandma Lucy’s but more expensive than canned food.
Prescription Diets Are the Most Expensive
Right up at the top of the price list is one more thing...prescription diets. These can get VERY expensive and even the kibble variety can be right up there with dehydrated, raw, canned and freeze-dried diets.
Consider Other Factors Too
Ultimately, do what is right for you and your pet! Cost is only one of many factors to consider when selecting the right diet for your pet. In addition to cost there is health, dietary sensitivities, lifestyle, age, personal beliefs/preferences, convenience, handling concerns and the lifestyle of the family that can play an enormous role in your selection. There is no one-size-fits all approach because each pet parent and family and even each dog or cat is different and unique! Stay tuned to our blog, we will touch on some of these other factors in the future.
What I Feed My Dog
Baloo, my cutie pie
So, what do I actually feed Baloo? Baloo eats a mixture of kibble, cooked freeze-dried food, raw and home-cooked diets. Why? Because it is what works for him and our little family. My personal selection varies with what I know he tolerates well, what he likes, what is readily available, and the schedule of my family. Sometimes we cook dog-friendly leftovers for the dogs, sometimes we cook 40 pounds of home-made dog food, sometimes we default to kibble for the convenience and lower cost, sometimes I grab what is available by my workplace’s retail corner because I don’t have time to run to the pet store.
Life isn’t perfect and aiming for perfection is great, but it’s important to also be realistic. I am just like you, just an average pet parent, and sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do! The right balanced diet and a balanced budget can make it all manageable.
More Articles on Pet Nutrition and Diets
Nutrition & Preventative Care for Large Breed Dogs
Here's Why Overweight Pets Live Shorter Lives
Recognizing the Signs of Allergies in Dogs and Cats
Natural Supplements for Pet Health
