What Cheap Dog Food Really Means for Your Pet’s Health

Feeding a 30 kg dog for $2.87 per day sounds practical, until you follow the cost trail backward. If the store bought it for $2.01, the distributor for $1.41, and the manufacturer’s cost was just 98¢, you’re left with one critical question: what ingredients can a pet food company realistically buy for under 50¢ a day?

To understand this properly, we need to look beyond price tags and into ingredient lists.

Why Pet Food Can Be So Cheap, and What’s Actually Inside It

Low-cost commercial kibble stays cheap because most of its components are dry, bulk ingredients that are easy to store, transport, and process at scale. Industry data shows that raw materials typically make up 60 to 70 percent of production costs, and budget formulas rely heavily on ingredients that are inexpensive, shelf-stable, and widely available.

A good way to see this is through a direct comparison.

A lower-cost supermarket beef kibble (Product A) lists its first ingredients as wholegrain cereals and cereal by-products such as wheat, barley, or sorghum, followed by meat and meat by-products, poultry by-products, animal tallow, palatants, and added vitamins and minerals. This type of formulation prioritizes grains and processed animal derivatives, with protein sources that are broadly defined and variable in quality. These ingredients are cost-efficient, but they are also highly processed and less digestible.

Compare that to a higher-quality beef-based fresh or raw food (Product B). Its ingredient list starts with clearly identified animal proteins such as beef meat, tripe, bone, cartilage, liver, kidney, and spleen, alongside whole chicken, salmon, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and functional ingredients like kelp, psyllium, and goat’s whey. These ingredients are fresh, nutrient-dense, and minimally processed, but they are also more expensive to source, store, and handle safely.

Even at a glance, both may be labeled “beef recipes,” but the nutritional intent and cost structure are fundamentally different. One is built around cereals and by-products to keep costs down; the other is built around whole foods that more closely resemble what dogs are biologically designed to eat.

This price difference isn’t accidental. Fresh meats, organs, and whole foods cost more per 100g than grains and rendered meals, and they require cold storage, stricter handling standards, and shorter shelf lives. That cost shows up in the final price, but it also shows up in the quality of nutrition your dog receives.

Why Ingredient Quality Matters and How to Choose Better

Formulations built on lower-cost ingredients tend to be less digestible, meaning dogs absorb fewer usable nutrients per bowl and may need to eat more to meet their needs. Research comparing budget and premium diets consistently shows that cheaper foods are higher in carbohydrates, lower in protein quality, and offer reduced nutrient bioavailability. Over time, this can affect gut health, coat condition, energy levels, and weight management.

The same pattern appears in treats.

A budget-friendly chicken tender treat (Product X) may contain mostly chicken, but it often includes additional ingredients like vegetable glycerine, preservatives, and vitamin additives to improve texture, shelf life, and appearance. These extras are not inherently harmful, but they dilute simplicity and increase processing.

In contrast, a higher-quality chicken jerky (Product Y) uses a single ingredient: 100% chicken. There are no fillers, humectants, or additives, just gently dried protein. The cost is higher, but so is transparency, digestibility, and nutritional clarity.

This is where perspective matters. Most of us already understand that fresh, minimally processed food costs more for humans, and we accept that trade-off because we value health, quality, and long-term wellbeing. Applying that same logic to dogs isn’t about guilt or judgment; it’s about informed choice.

Pet parents can make better decisions by reading ingredient lists carefully, prioritising clearly named protein sources, being cautious of vague terms like “meat by-products,” and choosing foods and treats that rely allowing ingredient quality, not just price, to guide feeding decisions