Making a dog's dinner: vets and canine experts on the most eco and affordable ways to feed your pooch

[malaise]

Last edited Tue Apr 29, 2025, 10:03 AM - Edit history (2)

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/apr/29/making-a-dogs-dinner-vets-and-canine-experts-on-the-most-eco-and-affordable-ways-to-feed-your-pooch. Nice read.

Dog food products labelled “complete” are legally defined as providing all the nutrients your pets need, in the right proportions. Whereas a product labelled “complementary” should not be a dog’s only source of nutrition, says Lauren Bennett, RSPCA scientific and policy officer, as these “do not contain all of the required nutrients, may lead to poor nutrition and can cause dietary deficiencies and associated disease, such as metabolic bone disease”.

This sounds straightforward – but the price of “complete” foods varies considerably, and can’t be compared simply by cost per kilo, as different brands recommend different portion sizes. Comparing the daily cost of feeding a 5kg adult toy poodle, a clearer picture emerges.

Wet dog food is usually the most expensive “complete” option. Buying six meaty 400g tins of Pedigree Chum worked out at £1.05 a day, while a Butternut Box subscription of “gently cooked, never ultra-processed” pouches of meaty dog food “taste-tested by humans” came to a whopping £2.02 a day.