Pet Knows

Every three weeks or so I head over to PetSmart and pick up a 35 pound bag of Purina Beneful Healthy Weight Formula for my dog. We’ve tried a few other formulas over the years, but he likes this stuff. At 32 dollars for a 35 pound bag - it runs about 91 cents per pound. With the rising cost of just about everything these days, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when a co-worker forwarded me this article: Inflation Gnaws at Pet Food Companies

An excerpt from the article:

“I’m more interested in the quality than price,” says Cathy Tuite, the Staten Island (N.Y.) owner of a miniature pinscher named Gracie. Tuite recently switched to grain-free, high-protein, oven-baked Wellness brand chow to address an issue with Gracie’s pancreas. “They’re not around long enough as it is,” she says. “We have to take care of them.”

Having recently dropped some cash replenishing the Nature’s Miracle (lots of eating grass = puke on carpet) and other necessities at PetSmart, I haven’t noticed a drop in pet spending as the article indicates. However, the cost of food is not insignificant. Wellness Rice & Venison clocks in at $47 for a 26-pound bag - or 1.80 per pound - nearly double the cost of my preferred Beneful formula.

Now I realize the holistic ingredients in Wellness are arguably superior to my Purina Beneful Healthy Weight Formula - but double the price? Further investigation yields that Wellness is not the only grain-free superstar out there as Taste of the Wild offers a similar formula with roasted bison and roasted venison in the High Prairie Canine Formula, but for only $1.40 per pound.

Cost Recap:
Purina Beneful Healthy Weight Formula $0.91per pound
Wellness Simple Food Solutions Rice & Venison Formula $1.80 per pound
Taste of the Wild High Prairie Canine Formula $1.40 per pound

I’ll try to keep an eye out on food prices over the upcoming months as the rising cost of fuel and other commodities has made nearly everything more expensive. I’ll also hopefully be posting an update about Taste of the Wild too as I’ve been wanting to switch to a grain-free formula for some time and I like that price. Stay tuned!