Alright, you caught me; my dog’s name isn’t Fido. It’s Rusty. He’s a Border collie Australian shepherd mix we rescued from the pound. We’ve had him for about four years now and he’s a much loved member of the family.
Because he is a member of the family – we do need to feed him. With this being the case, his food must go into our budget. Now Rusty has a pretty sensitive tummy (I’ll spare you the rest of the details) so we only feed him dog food.
We settled on Purina’s Beneful (no, I’m not getting paid to say this. But if Purina sees it – Send me some free coupons!!!). It’s a mid priced dog food that he really enjoys. For a 15.5 pound bag, it normally retails for $19.39. Now this is good to know, so when it goes on sale, I know to buy up. This is also where a price book comes in handy. Whenever I see it on sale, for maybe $17.00, I will just buy the one. Until it really goes rock bottom around $12 - $13. Safeway normally will have this at the lowest price. If I have a coupon as well, I’m really happy!
I do purchase soft dog food for him. He’s a middle age dog and I think he deserves a little extra love from time to time. This is where I won’t remain loyal to a brand. If I have a coupon for it, and the soft dog food is on sale, I’ll try it out.
This all still applies to portion sizes. Don’t over feed your dog. Consult your veterinarian on how much your dog should be fed. If you just fill up his bowl, and the food goes to waste - that’s wasted money. On the other hand, you want to make sure he’s getting fed enough!
A note on treats – coupons are huge here. You can get many dog treats for very little to almost free. There is major competition in this category so you can really benefit from that.
I’ll be honest though, I make my dog his treats. There are super simple recipes out there. Here is my favorite for milk bones:
3/4 cup hot water
1/3 cup margarine
1/2 cup powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
3 cups whole wheat flour
In large bowl pour hot water over the margarine. Stir in powdered milk, salt, and egg. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Knead for a few minutes to form stiff dough. Pat or roll to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into bone shapes. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes. Cool. They will dry out quite hard. Makes about 1 1/4 pounds of biscuits. Costs around 30 cents per pound.
It’s all about knowing your dog, what kind of food he likes and how he responds to new foods. Having a pet is fantastic and there is no reason you need to go broke feeding him!
Here are some free samples for your four legged friend:
Get a sample of Blue Buff Dog or Cat food
Enjoy!
