It may sound obvious, but it is important to state if you have both a cat and dog, they can’t eat the same food to save money as one of them won’t be getting what they need and could get sick. Next, you need to look for food that is designed for the age of your pet. For example, young kittens need kitten food and adult cats need food suitable for their age. The age range is usually stated on the front of pet food packaging.
Once you’ve done this, familiarise yourself with pet food nutrition labels. It’s important to look past the advertising and see clearly what your pet will be getting nutritionally from the food. The ingredient list is a great place to start for this. Ingredients are listed starting with what makes up the bulk of the food, through to what is contained in the smallest amounts. A pet food that provides quality nutrition will normally list the ingredients in plain English so you can clearly understand what the ingredients are. You may see ingredients listed such as meat/ vegetable derivatives and cereals. Your pet needs a balance of these things to get the vitamins and minerals they need. This is also the time to look out for any ingredients that you know your pet is allergic to, to avoid them getting sick and a trip to the vets.
Another important thing to watch out for when choosing a pet food is the language on the packet. Does the packaging say beef or beef flavour? Chicken or chicken flavour? There will be a significantly lower amount of meat, poultry, or fish where flavour is stated. This is because the legal requirements, in terms of percentage of ingredient for that wording, are much lower. If flavour is mentioned there only needs to be 4% of the ingredient in the food. If flavour is not mentioned and it is outright stated the food has a particular ingredient, there needs to be at least 26% of each ingredient listed within the food. For example, if the food says made with chicken and vegetables the food must legally have 26% chicken and 26% vegetable content within the overall food mixture.
Buying your pet a higher-quality pet food may seem out of reach but buying in bulk from wholesalers online can also be a way to save money on their food over the course of the year. Of course, the initial cost can be higher.
Finally, if buying pet food at all is just too much of an expense for you right now, you could try contacting a few vets in your local area or a national pet charity such as the PDSA about being put in touch with a pet food foodbank. If there is one in your area you could get pet food for free if you are eligible.