You are what you eat - even with four legs

Quality is hugely important when it comes to what we feed our dogs - for their energy levels, health and fitness.

To qualify as a complete food the recipe must conform to legislation and provide a minimum standard of nutrition. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a huge difference in quality between brands.

Feeding a higher quality diet is healthier for the dog, but it could also save you money. When the food is more nutritionally dense, you don’t need to feed as much, so the bag lasts longer. It’s recommended you calculate cost per day to work out how much your dog food really costs.

To calculate, you will need to know how many grams are in a bag, for example 15kg equates to 15,000g. Then work out how much the bag costs and how much to feed the dog per day in grams. You should feed your dog based on their ideal weight, not actual weight.

Country Dog Classic has 15,000g in a bag and costs £22.49. A 20kg dog in low activity would need 272g a day.

1. First divide the price by the weight in grams: £22.49 ÷ 15,000 = £0.001499 per gram
2. Next, multiply the cost per gram by the number of grams the dog should be fed per day £0.001499 x 272 = £0.408
3. This will give you the cost per day for your dog. Country Dog Classic would cost 41p per day for a 20kg dog

Alternatively, independent dog food review site allaboutdogfood.co.uk includes a nutritional rating out of 100, plus a cost per day guide based on the recommended retail price.

This allows you to compare not just price, but nutritional content too. Visit the website to see how your dog food rates.

In addition, many common minor ailments like itchy skin, tear stains and ear infections can be caused by a poor diet, so you could save money on vet bills and treatments by switching to a better quality food.

The more nutritionally dense foods also produce less waste, which means you’ll save on poo bags too.

We’re proud our Country Dog Classic Adult dog food is rated 65% on allaboutdogfood.co.uk and even better it is on promotion at £17.99 until 18th January.

As a complete food formulated for working and sporting dogs, Country Dog’s feeding guide is based on a dog working three to six hours a day, so you may need to reduce the amount if they are less active.

Most working dog food brands base their guidelines on a dog being walked on a lead for one hour a day, so you may need to increase the amount fed if your dog exercises more than this.