Your Dogs Food and Simply Working Out Cost Per Serving

In the current economic climate, with grocery inflation and the further shrinking of the UK economy, it is always good to know exactly how much we are spending and how much we need to spend each month. This is particularly important when it comes to our dogs so we can maintain a good level of nutrition and health in our four-legged friends. 

In a previous post, we wrote about the dangers and cost implications of overfeeding your dog, and how it can affect their health and your wallet. In that post, we also gave a brief overview of how to work out the cost per serving of your dog's food so you can feed them correctly and healthily, and budget properly to make sure you don’t get to the end of the month without sufficient funds or dog food. 

In this post, we will be revisiting this formula and making it even simpler so anyone, even those of us that are a little mathematically challenged, can quickly and easily work out the price of each one of your canine companion's meals in a matter of seconds.

Dog Food Portion Size

The First thing you should know, or find out if you don't already, is what portion size your dog should be consuming at each meal, or each day. Knowing the exact portion size your dog should be eating is very important as it can reduce the possibility of obesity and the health conditions related to it, such as osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, heart disease and cancers. 

It is also important to know the appropriate portion size for your dog so you can buy appropriately when shopping for their food. If like many of us, you are on a tight budget during this period of austerity, underbuying food could lead to running out and having to turn to short-term loans or borrowing which can be financially disastrous and potentially embarrassing. 

However, there is absolutely nothing to fear if we all learn to do the simple calculations that will give us an amazingly accurate idea of how much we will need to buy each month and exactly how much that will cost us.

The simplest way to get an accurate guideline is by using the feeding guide provided with your dog’s favourite food. These are usually located on the back of the bag and are a really good starting place for most dogs. These guides give you a daily amount in grams, which you can easily weigh out with some cheap or old kitchen scales, and split into two portions which would usually be fed twice a day. If you are worried about your dog's weight or want a more accurate guide, your vet will always be happy to give advice based on your dog’s specific needs. 

Adding Treats and Chews to Your Dog’s Food Portion Sizing

For many of our canine companions treats and chews are part of the daily routine. Whether it's a treat for training, chews for dental health or just a tasty tidbit for being the best dog around, our four-legged friends love a little extra to wolf down.

However, many of us don’t take these added extras into account when working out our dog’s daily food rations. This can lead to overfeeding without realising it and an unhealthy hound in the long run. To avoid this, it is best to weigh your treats and edible chews and make sure you are taking out the equivalent weight in food at meal times. Simples!

The Formula to Work Our Dog Food Cost Per Serving

As we said before in our article on overfeeding, the sum is simple, you first work out the portion size, by using the attached guide on the bag or your vet's advice, and divide your dog food bag’s total weight by this number. You then take this answer and divide the total cost of the bag by it and voila, you have your cost per serving.

IE:

Total Bag Weight in g ÷ Your Dogs Portion Size in g = Portions Per Bag

And then:

Cost of Bag ÷ Portions Per Bag = Cost Per serving 

The example we gave in our last article was this: Take Artie, The Pets Larder's very own beautiful Borderdoodle, who weighs a healthy 13.5kg and has a normal active lifestyle for her breed, and Aflora’s Minster with Chicken & Sweet Potato. According to the guide, Artie should need around 230g of Aflora Minster per day, meaning each portion would work out at 115g. So firstly, we are taking the bag size which is 15kg, or 15000g, and dividing it by portion size, so, 15000/115 which is equal to 130.43. We then take the price of the bag and divide it by this number, Aflora costs just £57 per 15kg, so 57/130.43 = 0.44, so, each portion of Artie’s Aflora Munster would cost 0.44p per serving, 0.88p per day or £27.28 in a month with 31 days! This also means that one bag of Aflora’s Minster with Chicken & Sweet Potato would last Artie a little over two months.

So, if you are worried about affording everything you need in a month at the moment, use our super simple formula to see exactly how much your dog will need, and how much it will cost and never be afraid of running out or going over budget again.