We all love a bargain; affordability is key for most of us. But not at the expense of our dog’s health. Cheap, cheap raw dog food means low quality.
I received a message from someone asking if we could stock raw dog food around €4 per kg and they gave me an example of another source that was selling it at that price hence the reasoning for the post.
When raw dog food entered the market some years ago it was based on high quality food for dogs to improve their overall health. It is one of the best, if not the best diets that we have introduced in the pet industry. Yet it is now being tainted with low quality options. Pet owners think it is a great price, why is everyone else charging so much? I need you to stop and think it through, it is not possible to produce food of any high quality at that type of price.
Example of pricing at €4 for 1kg of raw dog food:
€4 – 23% Vat = €3.08 to cover the below costs
Shipment from Europe of a frozen pallet @ €160 for 700kg = 0.22c per kg shipped brings that to €2.86
Shipment within Ireland if the customer receives free delivery is a cost of 0.28c per kg. We are now at €2.58
Remaining costs to be taken from €2.58
Retailer:
- Electricity Costs – we all know these have skyrocketed
- Wages for unpacking the delivery and repacking for dispatch, inventory management etc.
Producer:
- Production of the food itself
- Machinery
- Laboratory testing,
- Electricity costs
Then last but certainly the most important there is the cost of the meat itself.
€2.58 must be able to cover all those costs above. Can you really trust that the ingredients used to produce raw dog food at this price are going to be of any great standard?
Comparison Example of Cheap Raw Dog Food:
Pedigree Pouches Multipack pouches cost €4.50 per kg
Winalot Pouches Multipack pouches cost €3.75 per kg
We are all aware of what inferior quality Pedigree & Winalot pouches are vs raw dog food. Yet they cost around the same as feeding ‘very cheap’ raw dog food.
This is damaging to the reputation of raw dog food. I have spoken to so many clients that have ongoing conditions with their dog. When I recommend, we approach the symptoms with raw dog food I get the response.
‘I tried raw dog food before, and my dog got sick, and I had to go to the vet’
9/10 times they had tried an unsuitable brand with low quality standards and that was the issue. Raw dog food is not the issue. It is the quality and standards of individual brands.
My heart breaks that so many people are blindsided by big companies, small companies, vets, all levels of society every day in relation to the pet food they feed. It must be one of the most corrupt industries in the world.
As always, I recommend each individual pet owner needs to learn themselves what superior quality pet food really is. And if you do speak to someone about dog food, ask yourself do you trust the source? Does the price of the food reflect the composition?