This morning David has posted on the AADF Facebook page a review of a new food by Barking Heads called Aatu. These reviews always create a lot of mostly sound bite type of discussion on FB. I know that we have members on here who do not ‘do’ Facebook so I thought it would be useful to give them an opportunity to discuss the matter here, perhaps in more depth. Here is a copy of David’s post:
Only the fifth dog food brand ever to receive our full 5 star rating is...
Aatu, from the makers of Barking Heads! From top to bottom, the ingredient list is excellent - 80% meat (50% fresh meat), free from all nasties, no filler grains or white potato, loads of nutritious, natural ingredients, who could ask for more?
But all this comes at a price. 10kg will set you back £60. That equates to a whopping £90 for a conventional 15kg bag!
Where do you draw the line for your dog’s diet? Is it quality at any cost or are some foods just too expensive? Do quality and price always go hand in hand? We’d love to hear your thoughts!
Coming from someone who doesn’t usually stint on dog food, I have to confess that I was quite shocked to see the price, particularly as it is likely to be considerably more including delivery. I can’t shake off the feeling that this is really OTT but what do you think? Is it worth paying top dollar for quality food like this?
I pretty much take the same approach to the dogs dinner as I do the humans. I try to pick a range of foods based on the knowledge I have about healthy eating. This seems just as complex and changeable for dogs as it does humans :
I wouldn’t buy a more expensive food if I thought I could buy something similar for less but I would be prepared to spend a bit more if I considered it to be the best choice to suit Muffins needs with no comparable alternative.
I would also feel okay about splashing out occasionally on a tasty treat just as I would a nice meal out for the humans. I can not see myself ever paying that much for food on a regular basis.
If I genuinely believed that my dog would do better on a food at that price - or an even higher price - than on any cheaper food then I would pay for it, even if it meant doing without myself…
But I don’t believe that he would, and I doubt that any dog would.
Looking at the cost per day for feeding 15kg dog its £0.90, compared to Bosch Active with a rating of 1.9 out of 5 at £3.50 a day, I know which I’d go for.
Bakers Meaty Meals (0.1 score, more meat on a butchers pencil) 90p per day, Aatu (80% meat no colours, no sugar, no E numbers - Score 5) 90p per day. I think this highlights the whole point of this site, being able to compare ingredients and price and make your own decisions. Don;t think Pet Food UK spent £9 million on advertising as Nestle/Bakers did when they launched the Bakers ‘Good As It Looks’ trays last year - cost per day £2.56 (personal score -5)
On the theme of price over content = there is a food available only through vets although a non prescription food, that retails at £69 for 12kg, main ingredient listed is ‘animal fat’ other ingredients include sugar and propyl gallate - I can’t see it getting a rating quite as high as AATU
This thread has certainly thrown up some interesting discussion, particularly in respect of some poorer products with a high price. It goes to show that it pays to do your homework when selecting dog food. On the subject of Aatu I have just realised why the company might have chosen the name - it gets them to the top of the alphabetical list on this (and presumably other) websites.
Aatu is Finish in origin meaning ‘noble wolf’ (…if only we knew someone in Finland that could confirm this) no doubt following the trend for the ‘Ancestral Diet’
