The following report will contain a price analysis and nutritional comparison of three readily available dog foods - canned food (Pedigree in Gravy), cereal based complete food (Bakers Complete) and meat/poultry based complete food (Eukanuba).
The online store www.zooplus.co.uk was used to conduct the price analysis. Prices are the published price for all products on 2nd January 2011. The price calculation is based on how much it would cost per day to feed an adult medium sized breed weighing 20 kgs, according to the published daily requirements provided by the dog food manufacturers.
NB. It should be noted that in order to more precisely compare the prices of these three products, more than one supplier should be used. I considered that fell outside of the scope of this report and therefore this report is based on the published price from one supplier only.
Price Analysis
Canned Food
Product: Pedigree Multipack in Gravy 6 x 400g
Manufacturer: Pedigree Mars
6 x 400g pack cost: £3.99 (£0.17/100g = £0.0017/g)
Daily feeding recommendation: 1100 g/day (400g x 2.75 cans per day)
Cost per day: £1.87 (£0.0017 x 1100)
Cereal Based Complete Food
Product: Bakers Complete Adult Dog Chicken & Country Vegetables
Manufacturer: Purina Bakers
Daily feeding recommendation: 316 g/day (= 0.316 kg/day)
15kg pack cost: £25.53 (£1.70/kg)
Cost per day: £0.54 (£1.70 x 0.316)
Meat/poultry Based Complete Food
Product: Eukanuba Adult Medium Breeds Chicken
Manufacturer: Eukanuba
Daily feeding recommendation: 180 g/day (= 0.18 kg/day)
15kg pack cost: £46.90 (£3.13/kg)
Cost per day: £0.56 (£3.13 x 0.18)
Price Comparison
Of the three products selected, the most expensive dog food at £1.87 per day is Pedigree in Gravy, the second most expensive is Eukanuba Adult Medium Breeds at £0.56 per day, with Bakers Complete Adult Dog the cheapest (but only slightly cheaper than Eukanuba) at £0.54 per day.
I selected Eukanuba and Bakers to compare because I have found that the general consensus amongst the dog owners I know is that Eukanuba is ‘very expensive’ and Bakers is ‘poor quality’. I wanted to take the opportunity via this report to compare the price and quality of both products.
From a price perspective, there is virtually no difference in the cost per day of these products. At first glance, it would appear that the Eukanuba product is twice as expensive as the Bakers product. However, when you calculate the daily feeding requirements of both, a 20 kg adult dog requires nearly double the amount of Bakers as Eukanuba. As a dog owner I would be concerned about the resulting greater amount of faeces passed if my dog was on a Bakers diet.
The canned food alternative was significantly more expensive compared to the complete foods selected - it works out to be over three times more expensive. I selected the Pedigree product as it appears to be one of the more popular varieties available in supermarkets (in addition to supermarket-branded products).
The increased cost of the Pedigree product may be due to the following:
- portion sizes per tin - due to the short shelf life of tinned dog food once opened, it may be necessary to keep the tin size to a minimum. Dried dog food is available in larger quantities because it can be stored longer when opened. Dog owners can therefore buy in larger quantities, and the cost per 100g usually decreases based on the increase in package size.
- more expensive packaging - tins versus paper sacks
- higher cost and proportion of meat products, compared to cereals - Pedigree contains at least 40% meat and animal derivatives, whereas Eukanuba contains approx. 20% chicken.
Nutritional Analysis
The table below summarises the common ingredients and nutritional percentages of the three selected products.
| Pedigree | Bakers | Eukanuba | |
| Main ingredient | Meat and animal derivatives (=>40%) | Cereals | Chicken (>20%) |
| Fat | Not available | 10% | 15% |
| Moisture | 79% | Not available | 8% |
| Protein | 38% (8% protein on can, with 79% moisture, so 21% dry matter. 8 / 21=0.38x100=38%) | 23% | 26% |
| Fibre | 0.8% | 3.0% | 2.5% |
| Ash | 2.0% | 6.5% | 7.1% |
| Calcium | Not available | 1.2% | 1.2% |
In Sarah Hodgson’s book ‘Puppies For Dummies’, she mentions that the recommended percentage of protein in dog food should be between 21 and 26 percent. Should I be concerned as a dog owner that the Pedigree product contains 38%? High protein foods are used for working dogs and show dogs. Dogs who are a relatively sedentary or who spend hours alone do not need a high protein diet. ‘Feeding a high-protein diet (which, broken down, equals energy) makes a dog jittery and hyper.’(1)
When considering the dry food alternatives, the Bakers product contains a lower percentage of protein than the Eukanuba product. Although the percentage difference is only 2%, is it important to note that the main protein ingredients are very different, thus determining the quality of the foods. The Bakers product contains mostly cereals as a protein source, with additional meat and animal derivatives (but only 4%), whereas the Eukanuba product contains more than 20% chicken.
Meat protein is the type of protein that is the closest to human quality and is superior to other types of protein. Meat protein can consist of muscle meat or organ meat. A cereal protein is of poorer quality and needs to be consumed in greater quantities in order to meet a dog’s daily protein requirement. Protein from animal derivatives can consist of any part of the animal that contains protein - lips, hoof, hair, etc.
The Eukanuba product, therefore, can be said to be of better quality than the Bakers product mainly because of the higher quality protein it contains.
The percentage of fibre in the Bakers and the Eukanuba products are higher than the Pedigree product. This may be due to the higher percentage of cereal in these products, which is higher in fibre.
The Pedigree product appears to be less rich in minerals than the other products selected.
Product Summary
Pedigree Multipack in Gravy
The Pedigree product has the highest protein percentage, due to the larger quantity of meat and animal derivatives it contains. It also contains cereals, derivatives of vegetable origin, vegetable protein extracts, oils and fats (including min. 0.5% sunflower oil), minerals, and vitamins B, D3 and E. It contains the lowest fibre and ash contents compared with the other two products selected. There are no details regarding preservatives, however the appearance of vitamin E may deal with this as a natural preservative, in some part.
Bakers Complete Adult Dog Chicken & Country Vegetables
The Bakers product is a cereal based complete food, with the lowest protein percentage of the three products selected. It also contains meat and animal derivatives (minimum 4%), vegetable protein extracts, oils and fats, derivatives of vegetable origin, various sugars, minerals, vegetables. Vitamins A, D3 and E are also present. Bakers complete food is a combination of moist ‘meaty’ chunks and bright coloured kibble shapes, which are more likely to be marketed towards the dog owner than the dog himself. Colourants and preservatives are present in this product via EC additives.
Eukanuba Adult Medium Breeds Chicken
The Eukanuba product is a meat based complete food. In addition to more than 20% chicken, it also contains maize, wheat, animal fat, sorghum meal, barley, poultry meal, dried beet pulp, chicken digest, dried whole egg, brewer's dried yeast, potassium chloride, salt, sodium hexametaphosphate, fish oil, linseed, DL-methionine. It is the only product to contain omega-6 fats, which could explain why it has the highest fat percentage of the three selected products. It also has the highest percentage of ash, and is supplemented with a larger variety of vitamins - vitamins A, D3, C, E and Beta Carotine. This product has no artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives.
Works Cited
(1) Puppies For Dummies, ch.19, p296 (Hodgson, Sarah 2006)
Bibliography
Puppies For Dummies (Hodgson, Sarah 2006)
The Kennel Club Puppy Handbook (2007)
Internet
www.zooplus.co.uk
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