Quick food question
- Thread starter LilyoftheValley
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my advise is just the 2 cents.... i feed my babies Kibbles and Chunks from Pedigree and they love it, some on here will say that the 1st ingredent should be meat then meat by product, they say that it is better for them and such, but, i feel that they get just as much nutrion as anyone, because we balance their meals with REAL meat during the week like cooked chicken,beef and so forth, then they get treats and things like that. so as long as it is working for you then it is ok.
To put it lightly, Simon Cowel is giving the correct hand signal.
Both, or rather all three of those brands, are absolute crap. It's like feeding Spam, Twinkies, Oreos and gummy bears all mashed up and then covered with the grease from the bottom of the fryers at McDonald's. It's about as unhealthy a product as you can feed. Can you pronounce half of the indgredients? Do you really think dogs need to be eating "red lake #4" and "yellow 16"? What sort of nutritional purpose does food dye serve? Dogs are pretty well color blind, so it's all for our benefit anyway.
Both, or rather all three of those brands, are absolute crap. It's like feeding Spam, Twinkies, Oreos and gummy bears all mashed up and then covered with the grease from the bottom of the fryers at McDonald's. It's about as unhealthy a product as you can feed. Can you pronounce half of the indgredients? Do you really think dogs need to be eating "red lake #4" and "yellow 16"? What sort of nutritional purpose does food dye serve? Dogs are pretty well color blind, so it's all for our benefit anyway.
Pedigree and Beneful are not healthy foods. They will help your dog survive...but most people want their dogs to thrive.
I agree with all the other statements above. When you feed a dog junk as it's base diet, justifying it by saying they get meat in addition doesn't really help all that much. That's like saying you let your child live on cotton candy, but you supplement them with broccoli so it must be healthy.
Our dogs give us SO MUCH and ask for so little in return...just our love and protection. Feeding a healthy, holistic diet is a small action that they deserve.
I will put in bold all the ingredients that are terrible in beneful
Beneful
Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, sugar, sorbitol, tricalcium phosphate, water, salt, phosphoric acid, animal digest, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, sorbic acid (a preservative), L-Lysine monohydrochloride, dried peas, dried carrots, calcium carbonate, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, added color (Yellow 5, Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 2), DL-Methionine, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, Vitamin A supplement, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin B-12 supplement, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, copper sulfate, biotin, garlic oil, thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, sodium selenite.
The above doesn't just have poor ingredients, but some are potentially harmful like synthetic Vitamin K. Dogs need meat...this food has next to NONE!:yikes:
I agree with all the other statements above. When you feed a dog junk as it's base diet, justifying it by saying they get meat in addition doesn't really help all that much. That's like saying you let your child live on cotton candy, but you supplement them with broccoli so it must be healthy.
Our dogs give us SO MUCH and ask for so little in return...just our love and protection. Feeding a healthy, holistic diet is a small action that they deserve.
I will put in bold all the ingredients that are terrible in beneful
Beneful
Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, sugar, sorbitol, tricalcium phosphate, water, salt, phosphoric acid, animal digest, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, sorbic acid (a preservative), L-Lysine monohydrochloride, dried peas, dried carrots, calcium carbonate, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, added color (Yellow 5, Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 2), DL-Methionine, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, Vitamin A supplement, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin B-12 supplement, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, copper sulfate, biotin, garlic oil, thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, sodium selenite.
The above doesn't just have poor ingredients, but some are potentially harmful like synthetic Vitamin K. Dogs need meat...this food has next to NONE!:yikes:
I agree--would you want to eat bologna and chips every day? Or would you rather eat grilled chicken, wild rice and veggies? Sure the bologna will keep you alive but compared to the latter choice is it completely nutritionally void.
I would look into brands such as Innova, Canidae, Eagle Pack ect..
Just do the right thing!
I would look into brands such as Innova, Canidae, Eagle Pack ect..
Just do the right thing!
I agree with everyone! Please do feed a healthy food. It's not your fault though, I used to feed Iams for many many years, but since I have learned more about the downside of vacinations and junk pet food, my current dogs will never go back to yearly vac's or poor quality food. Good luck and while doing research on both you will be amazed at what you learn!
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ok so maybe some have other opinions on food choices, but let's be honest here, we all do the best we can based on what is available to us, here in utah we do not carry things like eagle's pack and such, at least not locally. and i know that the internet has them available but to me i do not want to wait for the order to come ( can take like 7 days) now, for saying this i will get bombarded with " you are such and irresponsible owner and how dare you fees you pets nothing but Top of the line foods. here in utah the ones we have available are as follows
AKC, AvoDerm, Beneful, Bil-Jac, More Options...
AKC, AvoDerm, Beneful, Bil-Jac, Blue Buffalo, Breeder's Choice, Castor & Pollux, Cesar, Diamond, Eagle Pack, Eukanuba, Hill's Science Diet, Iams, Kibbles 'n Bits, MAX, Mighty Dog, Mixables, Natural Balance, Natural Choice, Nature's Recipe, Nutro, ONE, Organix, Pedigree, Pet Ag, Pet Promise, Pro Plan, Purina, Royal Canin, Solid Gold, The Goodlife Recipe, Triumph, Ultramix, Vita Gravy, Wysong
now, i have done some research, have found some are better than others, but, next to what it offers you pet you also need to look at what you can afford, maybe some can afford the best top of the line food. but, as humans we are not eating all that healthy either.. we eat "red yellow" and any color under the rainbow.. and we are doing just fine, i love my pups just as much as the next, but, we need to think finacial obligations as well.
go ahead throw your stones and veggies, im ready **gets mit and helemet**
AKC, AvoDerm, Beneful, Bil-Jac, More Options...
AKC, AvoDerm, Beneful, Bil-Jac, Blue Buffalo, Breeder's Choice, Castor & Pollux, Cesar, Diamond, Eagle Pack, Eukanuba, Hill's Science Diet, Iams, Kibbles 'n Bits, MAX, Mighty Dog, Mixables, Natural Balance, Natural Choice, Nature's Recipe, Nutro, ONE, Organix, Pedigree, Pet Ag, Pet Promise, Pro Plan, Purina, Royal Canin, Solid Gold, The Goodlife Recipe, Triumph, Ultramix, Vita Gravy, Wysong
now, i have done some research, have found some are better than others, but, next to what it offers you pet you also need to look at what you can afford, maybe some can afford the best top of the line food. but, as humans we are not eating all that healthy either.. we eat "red yellow" and any color under the rainbow.. and we are doing just fine, i love my pups just as much as the next, but, we need to think finacial obligations as well.
go ahead throw your stones and veggies, im ready **gets mit and helemet**
Well Eagle Pack is listed in your list---is that not available? Often times it is independant feed stores that carry these premium quality brands. You can find them online by going to that foods website and looking for suppliers. There are 11 outlets for Eagle Pack in UT (although I understand they may be far from you).
Also many online places allow for free shipping--so there is no reason not to do this. As long as you know when you are running low it shouldn't matter then.
Also dogs generally eat less of the premium quality foods and therefore you cannot look at a $15 30 lb bag of bad food and a $40 30 lb bag of premium food the same way. Also poops/coats/smell and general health are better on premium foods.
Also if you do not like the idea of buying premium foods or having to go get them you can always work out a raw or homemade diet.
Feeding your dog poor quality dog food amounts to the same as feeding your toddler hotdogs and happy meals all the time. I take my pets health seriously and will do whatever it takes to keep the the healthiest and happiest they can be. If you cannot financiall afford a $40 food compared to a $15 food what would happen if your pet got hit by a car or needed expensive surgery?
Also many online places allow for free shipping--so there is no reason not to do this. As long as you know when you are running low it shouldn't matter then.
Also dogs generally eat less of the premium quality foods and therefore you cannot look at a $15 30 lb bag of bad food and a $40 30 lb bag of premium food the same way. Also poops/coats/smell and general health are better on premium foods.
Also if you do not like the idea of buying premium foods or having to go get them you can always work out a raw or homemade diet.
Feeding your dog poor quality dog food amounts to the same as feeding your toddler hotdogs and happy meals all the time. I take my pets health seriously and will do whatever it takes to keep the the healthiest and happiest they can be. If you cannot financiall afford a $40 food compared to a $15 food what would happen if your pet got hit by a car or needed expensive surgery?
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here is a price break down in my area, now i am NOT saying that i put a limit on my pups food, but, **ducks here comes the stones again** i am saying that at these prices, my 2 pups go thru 40lbs of pup food in just over 2 weeks.
Eagle Pack Super Premium Dog Food Large & Giant Breed Puppy Formula
33 lbs.
Internet Price: $35.99
Bowl Price: $34.19
Castor & Pollux Organix Puppy Formula
15 lbs.
Internet Price: $29.99
these two brands are concidered to be the top pf the line foods, so my food bill for 2 pups for the month would be well over aprox $200 or more depending prices and sales...
so, there you have it. My human food budget aprox $200 for 3 people, and that is when everything at walmart is ON sale... then you include mortgage, gas, electric.. etc, well, it adds up pretty quick plus i have aquatics and there bills are well over $400 for all of there needs *** ducks again for more stones** i am not saying i can not afford my babies, but, i sometimes need to tighten the belt so we can ALL survive, and that is what it comes down too. proceed with stone throwing...
Eagle Pack Super Premium Dog Food Large & Giant Breed Puppy Formula
33 lbs.
Internet Price: $35.99
Bowl Price: $34.19
Castor & Pollux Organix Puppy Formula
15 lbs.
Internet Price: $29.99
these two brands are concidered to be the top pf the line foods, so my food bill for 2 pups for the month would be well over aprox $200 or more depending prices and sales...
so, there you have it. My human food budget aprox $200 for 3 people, and that is when everything at walmart is ON sale... then you include mortgage, gas, electric.. etc, well, it adds up pretty quick plus i have aquatics and there bills are well over $400 for all of there needs *** ducks again for more stones** i am not saying i can not afford my babies, but, i sometimes need to tighten the belt so we can ALL survive, and that is what it comes down too. proceed with stone throwing...
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*** stone thrower away***
i see you point very very clearly and hear you loud and clear, but, what you are failing to see is that i want the best and only the best for my babies i do what i can... i do not think that tightening you belt so EVERYONE can survive is a bad thing, i am a very frugal person and believe that we do the best we can with what we have.
as far as the vet bills, did i mention that my hubb's uncle is a vet.. so i get free vet care.
what i do not understand is that when someone on here does not do it everyone's way on here ** watches out for stones again** they get the third degree, i LOVE my pups, and my mom's dog's have all been raised on Iams and such and they are the healthiest pups out there right now, she has a vet that sees them once a month, and they get a clean bill of health each and everytime...
like i said, i have done my reasearch and i have found that most pups food, even Eagle's Pack has things in it i do not agree with ... but, to each his/her own.. i also said that the internet orders is NOT for me... and i do the best i can do for my babies, i will change their diet as i see fit, if that makes me a BAD dog owner than so be it... at least i know that i am doing what I feel is right.. enuf said.
i see you point very very clearly and hear you loud and clear, but, what you are failing to see is that i want the best and only the best for my babies i do what i can... i do not think that tightening you belt so EVERYONE can survive is a bad thing, i am a very frugal person and believe that we do the best we can with what we have.
as far as the vet bills, did i mention that my hubb's uncle is a vet.. so i get free vet care.
what i do not understand is that when someone on here does not do it everyone's way on here ** watches out for stones again** they get the third degree, i LOVE my pups, and my mom's dog's have all been raised on Iams and such and they are the healthiest pups out there right now, she has a vet that sees them once a month, and they get a clean bill of health each and everytime...
like i said, i have done my reasearch and i have found that most pups food, even Eagle's Pack has things in it i do not agree with ... but, to each his/her own.. i also said that the internet orders is NOT for me... and i do the best i can do for my babies, i will change their diet as i see fit, if that makes me a BAD dog owner than so be it... at least i know that i am doing what I feel is right.. enuf said.
I'm not throwing stones--I guess I just don't understand. I didn't know you got a second pup? Perhaps that was not wise if the finances are so tight?
I guess I just don't get it...
Growing up our farm dogs ate junk like Pedigree and that's what I thought you did until I came to these forums and Mordy's site and learned better. I can't even imagine feeding that to them now! I'd rather cut back on my own budget or get a side job to feed them good food--but I guess that's just me....
It's hard for me to understand I guess. I just don't add more bills when I can't afford the existing ones I suppose.
I guess I just don't get it...
Growing up our farm dogs ate junk like Pedigree and that's what I thought you did until I came to these forums and Mordy's site and learned better. I can't even imagine feeding that to them now! I'd rather cut back on my own budget or get a side job to feed them good food--but I guess that's just me....
It's hard for me to understand I guess. I just don't add more bills when I can't afford the existing ones I suppose.
If...
If it came between me having cable or feeding the dogs the best the cable would go. If it came between me needing to get a few hours extra work or the best food for my dogs the extra work I would do. I try to keep preservatives, pesticides and icky stuff out of my food--so I try to do the same for the dogs as my family memebers....
I don't neccessarily believe in prepackaged foods either FYI. I got a nutritional consult for Wrigley from Mordy and started feeding it to both him and honey (a raw blended mix that takes 4 hours to make that I do every month)--unfortunately Honey was allergic to all of the meats in it (beef, chicken, turkey)--so back to Eagle Pack Lamb and Rice we go. If I can find a decent purveyor of Lamb I will proceed to make her raw food with Lamb only.
If it came between me having cable or feeding the dogs the best the cable would go. If it came between me needing to get a few hours extra work or the best food for my dogs the extra work I would do. I try to keep preservatives, pesticides and icky stuff out of my food--so I try to do the same for the dogs as my family memebers....
I don't neccessarily believe in prepackaged foods either FYI. I got a nutritional consult for Wrigley from Mordy and started feeding it to both him and honey (a raw blended mix that takes 4 hours to make that I do every month)--unfortunately Honey was allergic to all of the meats in it (beef, chicken, turkey)--so back to Eagle Pack Lamb and Rice we go. If I can find a decent purveyor of Lamb I will proceed to make her raw food with Lamb only.
I think people try really hard to educate here, particularly in this section of the forum. I rarely see anything I would consider an attack related to food.
I fed my old dog Eukanuba for nearly all his life, and he lived a darn good 15 years. He had some nasty lipomas, and his skin was terrible, but he seemed relatively healthy. I switched him to Innova Senior towards the end, when I started to realize just how terrible the food was, and there was a clear change for the better in his overall well-being. I regret not having had him on a better food his whole life. Perhaps we would have had a few more good years.
Meg eats only the best, even if it means I go without some things. I desperately need to go clothes shopping for winter, but I'm holding off a bit longer, because I just restocked her freezer with meat. Forget healthy - she positively glows with energy and strength! I don't know if I could ever force myself to feed her a low quality food.
You may want to look around for other foods in places you wouldn't expect. Don't go to Petsmart or Petco; look for feed stores (like farm animal feed) in the yellow pages and see what they carry. There are some fairly inexpensive, good quality feeds out there. A lot of farm stores carry decent brands, even if you don't have a top quality pet store locally. There are some 'super premium' dog foods, a lot of decent brands, and then even more that are basically junk. Even moving one step up the ladder could dramatically improve your pet's life.
I fed my old dog Eukanuba for nearly all his life, and he lived a darn good 15 years. He had some nasty lipomas, and his skin was terrible, but he seemed relatively healthy. I switched him to Innova Senior towards the end, when I started to realize just how terrible the food was, and there was a clear change for the better in his overall well-being. I regret not having had him on a better food his whole life. Perhaps we would have had a few more good years.
Meg eats only the best, even if it means I go without some things. I desperately need to go clothes shopping for winter, but I'm holding off a bit longer, because I just restocked her freezer with meat. Forget healthy - she positively glows with energy and strength! I don't know if I could ever force myself to feed her a low quality food.
You may want to look around for other foods in places you wouldn't expect. Don't go to Petsmart or Petco; look for feed stores (like farm animal feed) in the yellow pages and see what they carry. There are some fairly inexpensive, good quality feeds out there. A lot of farm stores carry decent brands, even if you don't have a top quality pet store locally. There are some 'super premium' dog foods, a lot of decent brands, and then even more that are basically junk. Even moving one step up the ladder could dramatically improve your pet's life.
I dont' see how you're coming up with $200/month in food bills...I have two dogs with a combined weight of 125 pounds and my food bill per month is around $25.00 dollars. I buy the 33lb bag of Innova Adult for $45.00 and it lasts us about a month and half. Feeding two large and very active dogs.
There was Solid Gold on that list as well, another good food. Keep in mind that with these higher quality foods, you will feed about half as much as you currently do. For example, Sawyer my 51lb active Aussie eats 1 cup twice a day. Virgo my 74lb active Lab eats between 1 1/4 and 1 1/2 cups twice a day.
So honestly, you would be saving yourself money by switching to a food that isn't made of mostly fillers, which would make you have to feed more to get the same amount of "fullness" I get from feeding half the amounts you do.
There was Solid Gold on that list as well, another good food. Keep in mind that with these higher quality foods, you will feed about half as much as you currently do. For example, Sawyer my 51lb active Aussie eats 1 cup twice a day. Virgo my 74lb active Lab eats between 1 1/4 and 1 1/2 cups twice a day.
So honestly, you would be saving yourself money by switching to a food that isn't made of mostly fillers, which would make you have to feed more to get the same amount of "fullness" I get from feeding half the amounts you do.
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you are right you do not understand, as it stands, like it is any of your business, but, for the sake of proving a point here is where we stand... WE DO NOT HAVE LUXERIES!!
my hubby works full time and gos to school, i work 2 fulltime jobs and go to shcool partime, we have the following bills:
monthly breakdown, these are all BASIC requirments for us to live everyday! no extras!!!
mortgage: 980 ( 3 bedroom rambler)
gas : 100-120*
electric : 130-140 *
gas for car: 150-200( varies)
insurance: 300 ( per year)
furniture payment: 240 per month
cable/phone/internet: 110 ( for business purposes, less than 5% lesure)
family insurance: 250
pet insurance: 150 ( for both)
food bills:aprox..
human: 200 per week
pups: 150
turtles: 80
fish/frogs: 20-30
Pet care:aprox
pups: 100-200
turtles: 80-100
fish/frogs: 50-60
GRAND TOTAL: $3,000 GIVE OR TAKE SALES,DISCOUNTS AND SUCH,. do you see anything on here that is for fun like movies,trips,and the like???
so, do not tell me i can not afford the best for my pets, i give them i give them, like i said you may not understand, but, maybe you do not have to be rude and assume i can not afford them, we BOTH work our butts off to support our family, now, there are alot of things we get that we do not pay for but those are just the basics.. so tell me that i cn not afford them, look at what us humans get VS what our pets get and you tell me who sacrifices more them or us...
MIsc bills:
toys for pets: 100-300 per month based on needs.
my hubby works full time and gos to school, i work 2 fulltime jobs and go to shcool partime, we have the following bills:
monthly breakdown, these are all BASIC requirments for us to live everyday! no extras!!!
mortgage: 980 ( 3 bedroom rambler)
gas : 100-120*
electric : 130-140 *
gas for car: 150-200( varies)
insurance: 300 ( per year)
furniture payment: 240 per month
cable/phone/internet: 110 ( for business purposes, less than 5% lesure)
family insurance: 250
pet insurance: 150 ( for both)
food bills:aprox..
human: 200 per week
pups: 150
turtles: 80
fish/frogs: 20-30
Pet care:aprox
pups: 100-200
turtles: 80-100
fish/frogs: 50-60
GRAND TOTAL: $3,000 GIVE OR TAKE SALES,DISCOUNTS AND SUCH,. do you see anything on here that is for fun like movies,trips,and the like???
so, do not tell me i can not afford the best for my pets, i give them i give them, like i said you may not understand, but, maybe you do not have to be rude and assume i can not afford them, we BOTH work our butts off to support our family, now, there are alot of things we get that we do not pay for but those are just the basics.. so tell me that i cn not afford them, look at what us humans get VS what our pets get and you tell me who sacrifices more them or us...
MIsc bills:
toys for pets: 100-300 per month based on needs.
You feed so much of the better foods, so it works out to be the same price in the end. ie if it costs 2X as much but you feed 1/2 the amount, it costs the same, and your dog will be healthier
It just hits a sore point with people here. It is like a parent saying I feed my kids Mcdonalds and doritos cause things are tight. Even with free vet care, I would still imagine a really healthy dog would cost less in its lifetime, if less gas in trips to the vet if nothing else.
I used to feed Purina Proplan. We had a huge dog live to be 9 (130 pound 33inch tall dog) His immune system shut down. I feel upset, he might have lived longer, if I knew then what I know now. (he might not have, but still it bugs me)
It just hits a sore point with people here. It is like a parent saying I feed my kids Mcdonalds and doritos cause things are tight. Even with free vet care, I would still imagine a really healthy dog would cost less in its lifetime, if less gas in trips to the vet if nothing else.
I used to feed Purina Proplan. We had a huge dog live to be 9 (130 pound 33inch tall dog) His immune system shut down. I feel upset, he might have lived longer, if I knew then what I know now. (he might not have, but still it bugs me)
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well, here is the thing my GS/lab will be weigh more than your two put together full grown, and you are suppose to feed based on full grown weight ( right now he weighs in at a very healthy 35-40lbs and he is only 3 months old... , so, for you that is all fine and dandy, but, for me, it will cost more, because cinni will weigh close to prolly 60lbs more or less depending on breed.
Did you see the breakdown that zoom provided? Even if your dogs would eat more premium food than her two large active dogs it would be much less than $200 a month--so I am not sure how the calculations are right??
My mothers dog is a lab/chow mix and around 80 lbs he eats a 30 lb bag of bad food per month--which is around $20---so with 2 dogs that would be $40.....even double that wouldn't be $200? I am just confused by your calculations.
I may have missed the post when you talked about getting the other new pup but why did you add them to the mix if you can't afford good food for 1?
I'm not trying to be mean or rude I am just trying to understand the logic of it all--both the calculations of the cost and also the addition of another dog to the family do not seem to add up correctly.
I also thought you said you were trying to pay $200 for a family of 3 for a month for groceries--now it is $200 per week? Or perhaps that was a typo?
I can't imagine what care (besides food and the unusual expense) is costing $100-$200 for a month with two pups--especially with free vet care--also the pet insurance with free vet care?
The fact of the matter is things are tight for a lot of the members of this board and somehow, someway they make ends meet and provide the best food for their pets.
My mothers dog is a lab/chow mix and around 80 lbs he eats a 30 lb bag of bad food per month--which is around $20---so with 2 dogs that would be $40.....even double that wouldn't be $200? I am just confused by your calculations.
I may have missed the post when you talked about getting the other new pup but why did you add them to the mix if you can't afford good food for 1?
I'm not trying to be mean or rude I am just trying to understand the logic of it all--both the calculations of the cost and also the addition of another dog to the family do not seem to add up correctly.
I also thought you said you were trying to pay $200 for a family of 3 for a month for groceries--now it is $200 per week? Or perhaps that was a typo?
I can't imagine what care (besides food and the unusual expense) is costing $100-$200 for a month with two pups--especially with free vet care--also the pet insurance with free vet care?
The fact of the matter is things are tight for a lot of the members of this board and somehow, someway they make ends meet and provide the best food for their pets.