I gave up buying big bags around 2 years ago as I didn't like the feel or the look of the kibble, kept in closed containers in original packaging as per manufacturer instructions, towards the end of the bag. My preferred food now comes in a range of sizes from 1kg, 2.5kg or 12kg so I buy a couple of 2.5kg at a time at around £7 per bag and a bag lasts around 3 weeks
I just had a look at their feeding guidelines, apparently he's supposed to be on around 365g a day (that's the low end of the range for his weight and age), and he's actually on around 200g a day. I don't go off of feeding guides and just base it on how he looks. He's in fabulous shape, quite athletic and streamlined, a lot of times I look at him and feel quite envious (joking mostly ). He also get treats on walks and 1-2 kongs so I'm sure that's adding up to put him at the right daily caloric content, given that he's in such great shape. I think in our case, as he's already eating quite a bit less kibble than the recommended range, so maybe it's the composition that doesn't agree with him?
It's worth investigating. Although cheaper to buy in the big pack sometimes it's not too financially painful to buy smaller.
It's so hard to know what to do for the best sometimes . Could it be the treats or something in the kongs that is causing a problem and not the kibble? Might be worth considering before changing kibble.
Xena's on Orijen, has been since 4 months, and she's doing well on it, but those sneaky buggers decreased their large bag size considerably and didn't decrease the price accordingly! That's enough to lose me as a customer. I'll be switching to one of the Kiwi or Aussie brands, probably Black Hawk or Addiction. I always check the feeding guide, then the crude protein/fat content.
We tried to change Ella's food twice. Once to Black Hawk and once to Meals for Mutts. Both premium quality Aussie kibble. Both times we ended up back with Royal Canin Labrador Retriever Adult as it just seems to work for her. It's about $130 for 12kg so not exactly cheap but not breaking the bank either
Axel has always done really well on Acana. I did switch him to PetKind for a month but he did not do well, allergic reaction to something and also it was quite more expensive. At least with Acana, every 10 bags we buy we get one free. He was going though an 11.5kg bag every 14 days when he was growing, but about 4 months ago I was able to slowly reduce and now an 11.5kg bag will last him almost three weeks. I keep thinking I should try Origen as it has a higher protein ratio than Acana so I could feed less and save money! And they are sister companies I believe, so I feel he would do ok on it if I’m able to find something he can eat (allergies). I just remember before bringing Axel home that the lady at the store said that origen is too high a protein food for a lab as they aren’t large enough dogs.... I’m thinking she was bonkers and so was I for believing her.
Hello, we're from Australia so we don't get many of the brands mentioned above. We tried 3 different kibble brands (inc. Purina Supercoat and Hill's Science) before finding the one that's good and doesn't upset Bowie's tummy. Now he's on Black Hawk (Australian made pet food). I find that when we give Bowie raw meal/bones, his stools are firmer than when he's kibble fed. Also more fatty kibbles (like lamb) make his stools more loose. So we stick with chicken. Check the ingredients as well, some brands have majority ingredients of corn/corn meal which also makes Bowie's stools soft. Hope that helps.
So glad to read this. I was reading these posts wondering how we were getting through so much food in comparison to others on a monthly basis. However we buy 15kg bags which last 5 weeks and sometimes get a free 3kg making an 18kg bag which lasts about 6 and a bit weeks. That's based on the JWB feeding recommendations split into breakfast and dinner.
Yes I have always had to feed much more than the bag says, but for my other dog I have to feed half of what the bag says.
Just a quick update . Food delivery arrived on Monday morning and I made the switch back starting with breakfast on Tuesday as I don't like introducing changes or something different in the evening. And we have success - a nice firm poo duly delivered this morning . Next time I start considering changing foods without good reason, someone remind me of this experience
