Hi due to a change in circumstances I am having to be a bit tight with my cash. I have three dogs who are currently being fed a James well beloved. I am looking for a decent food that is free from additives and junk but is easy on the money? I would be grateful for any suggestions?

Chappie is very cheap.. both tinned and dried

Doesn't chappie contain EEC preservatives and additives??

What do you mean by EEC preservatives?

The ingredients on the tin of Chappie I have in front of me are:
Fish and fish derivatives (min 4% fish), cereals (min 4%), meat and animal derivatives (min 4% chicken). Coloured with caramel.

Analysis (%): Protein 5.5; oil 2.0; Ash 1.5; Fibre 0.4; Moisture 77; Copper 2 mg/kg as copper sulphate; vitamin A 500 iu/kg; vitamin D 150 iu/kg; vitamin E 10 mg/kg.

Thats what it says on the tin I think!! It doesn't sound good !

I've read the whole label, and there's no mention of the EEC - but as that hasn't existed for years I'm not surprised! ;) I know there are such things as 'EC permitted preservatives' .... I reckon if something's permitted it's okay!
:)

Sorry Jeangenie I admit defeat! But what about the caramel? Surely that is artificial? I must need glasses or I've had too many glasses of wine!!

Isn't caramel an artificial  colourant?

Caramel is basically burnt sugar!
E150a Plain Caramel

Caramel colouring is produced by heat treatment of carbohydrates such as glucose syrup and sucrose, in the presence of ammonia, ammonium sulphate, sulphur dioxide or sodium hydroxide. The types of caramel colour available include plain (spirit) caramel (prepared by controlled heat treatment of carbohydrates with or without an acid or base), caustic sulphite caramel (produced by heat treatment of carbohydrates with sulphur containing compounds), ammonia caramel (heat treatment in the presence of ammonia) and sulphite ammonia caramel.

typical products include biscuits, cakes, doughnuts, flour products, chocolate products, fizzy drinks, beer, wine, sweets, crisps, bread, pates, ice cream, sauces, pickles, preserves, vegetable protein and similar meat substitutes.

E150a Plain Caramel
isn't this one of those horrid E nos?

Not all E numbers are horrid! An orange contains 4 E numbers! All green plants contain chlorophyll, and that's an E number! You may find this and this helpful.

Well I think I have learnt something new tonight. I always thought chappie had those EEC things in it! Listen to the genie she knows her stuff!! Skinners do a decent range of vat free food including a hypoallergenic duck and rice. They also do a health and vitality range for all breeds which is reasonably priced.

Autarky would be my choice for a better level of animal based protein.

hi i feed my 3 adults Red mills leader adult i get it for just under £20 a 15kg bag and it does them 4 weeks heres their website  [url]http://www.redmills.co.uk/dogs.php[/url]  if you want to look into their food :-D

i add a wee bit of tescos value mince or chicken to it too so to feed 3 adults for a month it works out that i pay abt £7 a week :-D

HTH

Michelle & gang  

What about Butchers and a mixer? 

HI  everyone thanks for the suggestions. I enjoyed the bit of banter about e nos !!! I think I have to agree with king of bling, I am not so keen on those e nos myself !! I'm constantly avoiding the little blighters for my kids!!!But thanks for the info Jeangenie you sure do know your facts.I might try Red Mills michelle. how available is it ?

I don't think there's anything edible that doesn't contain e-numbers! Even grass has at least one! :D

hi Jeangenie Im relatively new to the dog scene,so please forgive my inexperience . What food would you recommend?

sorry i was only suggesting chappie and trying to help :-(

sorry m ne pero  and mc craic I honestly thought that chappie contained artificial additives of some kind!! Sorry!!!

Dont be sorry guys!! I hope I haven't started any bad feelings on my first night of joining the forum!! I am grateful for all your suggestions!!

Tinned Chappie is an excellent food for dogs with a delicate digestion, being bland and easily digestible.
:)

Hi Mc Craic! I'm no expert in nutrition, but I've learned that the best food varies from dog to dog - and is liable to change! If it helps, I've fed my dogs on Skinners, Chappie (both dry complete and tinned), Breederpack complete (£6.99 for 15 kg), and frozen pet mince with plain mixer.

It's a matter of finding a food that suits a) your dog, and b) your pocket. None of the foods available in this country are actually 'bad'. I tend to avoid foods which are brightly coloured (dogs are virtually colourblind) as I believe that's unnecessary expense in the manufacturing process, so the wner's throwing away money pointlessly.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the feedback Jeangenie. Its good talking to people with a wealth of knowledge!! Its good to see that after the talk of the e nos that both you and King of bling agree on skinners!! I might give this a try as well as chappie!!

I haven't a clue what e-numbers there are in any of the Skinners varieties - I just know my dogs liked it and were fit and healthy. To me, that's all that matters.
:)

hi again if you go to their website you can put in your area or postcode and they will give you places that stock it

i had to go to a local equinine supplier for mine but they re order everytime i collect a bag so its no problem getting it

the red mills company are from Ireland

mine have no probs with it

Michelle & gang xx

We feed plain old wholemeal mixer with tripe with excellent results! we had to make a cut back at xmas plus one needed a change anyway and they have come on leaps and bounds and we always get comments on their coats.

Is there a particular brand of whole meal mixture? Is it the frozen tripe? thankks

Thanks michelle, I might try a sample of it too!!

I used to nanny for a family who weren't allowed artifical E nos. and caramel was one of the ok ones, it's as harmless as beetroot red etc. HTH

I would recommend Autarky, I pay £10.50 for a 15kg sack. I feed this in the mornings and I feed raw in the evenings, a freezer full (chest freezer) or frozen minced meats and chicken wings costs me about £60 and lasts about 2 - 3 months.

I'd feed Autarky too...100% natural.A good percentage of chicken and lots of added herbs.My lot all did really well on it....great value
Archer

What about switching to Burns?  I used to feed my dog on James Wellbeloved and when she went off it, I switched to Burns (I also wanted to anyway so was glad she went off it!)

Anyway the feeding quantities differ greatly - she was supposed to have something like 250g of JWB a day (I should look this up, I may have exaggerated this greatly, its been a long time!) as opposed to approx 80g of Burns so therefore a bag, at roughly the same price, lasts about three times as long.

I can't tell you how long a bag lasts exactly because we also feed lots of other stuff like chicken, fish and occasionally Chappie so a bag of Burns lasts us an incredibly long time, but the amount to feed weightwise should save you a fortune if you wanted to carry on with a dry food.

I fed Autarky for a while but my dogs lost so much weight and condition that I looked elsewhere. I now go to Tesco's and buy a dog food called Gusto. It's £5.00 for a 10 kilo bag and my dogs are looking great! ;) I bought it at the end of the month when I was skint and my dogs loved it :D

Isn't Gusto made by the same company as Autarky?

I have been feeding my boy Autarky for a few weeks now and he is doing fine on it. Has not lost weight (more's the pity as he's looking a bit podgy of late) and still has a lovely shiny coat too (although I do supplement with Omega 3 fish oil and Vitamin E). He is far more keen to eat it than he was the last food which was more than £20 p/15kg bag dearer.

Linda,

I think Autarky make Gusto too, it's the cheaper version of Autarky, but I'm sure someone will correct me?

What about Dodson & Horrell's Turkey & Rice for sensitive dogs, even Arden Grange if you join the breeder club is cheaper than JWB?  Pets At Home complete is good too.

Hi ChristineW,

Glad you posted - it's you who feeds the Pets at Home I think (?)  My youngster's losing too much weight on Burns (even when supplemented with raw tripe) , JWB doesn't agree with her and she's gone off Wafcol since they changed the recipe :rolleyes: ;)  Knew someone had mentioned PatH but couldn't remember who!  I know it's wheat/gluten free which is a major plus IMO - any opinions on whether it's inclined to keep them on the lean side (not what I want for her).

Thanks in advance, Teri :)    

Teri,

I tried Curtis, my youngest Munster, on PAH, just a small bag to see if he would eat it and how it came out the other end several months ago.

He eats it and it's fine coming out the other end.    They now do it in turkey as well as chicken and if I can't get Arden Grange then I'm more than happy to put Curtis on this.    He has never carried a lot of weight and the PAH or AG do put weight on him!  And maintain it too.   I have his mum Miranda on it now and she likes it, super firm poos with her too!

Edited to add:  Both Burns & JWB give my lot 'pebbledash' poo.  I would try Nutro as well Teri, I think it's a fantastic food especially for bitches in whelp and rearing pups on.

Cheers Christine,

Thanks for the info - I totally forgot about Nutro - so will look into that one too :)  She's at the dreaded junior stage and faddy with it but I've been stricter with the Burns and although she's bouncy, healthy and happy she's lost a couple of pounds that IMO she really couldn't afford to.  The others are enjoying it and look well on it so I'm pleased with the quality and happy for them to continue but it's not suiting the one that I changed for in the first place <LOL>

Dogs, who'd have 'em!  Teri :)

The best food for a budget would definitely be Autarky IMHO.

I pay £11 - £13 per 15kg depending on where I get it from.  My dogs look great on it.

Teri,

After being a Nanny for more years than I want to remember, I'll opt for the 4 legs rather than the 2 anyday!!!!   ;)

Yep Gusto is made by Autarky. I buy it wholesale so it costs me the princely sum of £3.59 for 10 kgs (it has just gone up!! Puppy/Junior is the same price but only 7.5 kg bags) and so I feed 9 dogs, 7 of which are large, for less than a tenner per week! They've been on it for 2 years and I always think if they can do well enough on it to stay away from the vets, have puppies and do okay at shows then it can't be too bad. :) They love it too. Wish it was as cheap to feed my cats!!

Marianne

Gusto can be bought in Tesco for 4.99 per 10kg bag and is at least as good as Pedigree or any of the other foods that are bought in the shops. 
Autarky tho a little more expensive at 14.99 a 15 kg bag is great for dogs who need a little more calories, and is wheat and gluten free (no Barley, Rye or Oats either all of which are gluten containing) 
I'm happy to feed mine either :) :) 
Autarky Puppy, if you can get it, is practically the same as JWB and PaH, except it's only 4.99 a 3 kg bag :D :D :D

Autarky used to do Cat food and Kitten food too but the website isn't working at the moment so it would be hard to know where to get it, you could try ringing them - number on the bag ;)   :D :D :D

hi if you dont mind me asking were do you buy your mince and chicken wings and what size freezer do you have and how much do you ask for thanks

Nuttyhousewife, I get all my mince etc from landywoods they deliver to most areas, have a look at their website - www.landywoods.co.uk (cant do links) I usually order about 5 trays of mince (they come in individual bags of about 450g, 36 per tray) and then a couple of trays of chicken wings although these just turn up in a crate unfrozen and you bag them up yourself :(  I think my freezer is about 18litres although I could be wrong.

Always remember cheaper is not better. Some of the better quality food you feed less of as there is no waste.

Tripe ans biscuit is a good old fashion quality food that is not expensive at all. :-)

Hi Pam

We used to feed that to the dogs when I worked at Woodgreen Animal Shelter :)  The smell didn't bother me at all after a while :D 

The dogs loved it :D

Ali

were can i buy tripe from ?

I had heard that Autarky make Gusto, but the proof is in the eating, as they say :D There must be something in the Gusto that isn't in Autarky that put the weight back on my dogs. I only bought Gusto as I had run out of Autarky and didn't get paid for another week. It was just to tide them over. I was trying out a few different foods and would definately recommend the Gusto for anyone on a tight budget. I still give Autarky, but only a handful or two, depending on the dog. I also give raw tripe mince, chicken mince and chicken wings. Carrots are a favourite, too ;) Though I could do without the mess

Mine would chase you for some tripe. ;-) I get it delivered quite cheaply from Red Castles in Dundee.