# Pet Food Pricing



## I'm Howard (Oct 13, 2010)

U.S Price for Royal Canin Yorkshire Terrier Food, 10 pound bag is $34.99 +7% Sales Tax.

Canada, $48.99 + HST CDN..

Almost 50% differance for the identical product.

As an aside, it cost us about $150 to get dental work done on Max, locally we were quoted almost $600??

Florida for six months more than pays for itself, the health care argument can only be used for so long.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Go ahead and move. You seem obviously much happier in Florida.


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## ChrisR (Jul 13, 2009)

I think the most notable thing here is that the dog food seems to be priced based on a Canadian dollar worth 0.70 US.

I don't know about everyone else, but when I think about buying something in the US, this is the exact conversion that I do automatically. It then takes my brain a few seconds to catch up and remember that the US is currently having a fire sale, and we should take advantage of it while it lasts!


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## I'm Howard (Oct 13, 2010)

andrewf, some of us object to paying $7.99 CDN for a magazine or $4.99U.S

, and one of the nicer things about Florida in the winter, most of the people there are Canadians.

18 Holes of Golf with cart $35.

25 Celsius in February or minus 25 Celsius,damn straight I prefer Florida in the winter.

$45 to fill the car, or $70, need I go on???

NO H.S.T


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

We get our food from the vet. It is urinary SO food, special diet for infections. And it's expensive. I will look next time we are shopping buffalo, maybe at a pet food store or something.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

I'm Howard said:


> need I go on???


Nope.


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## Ihatetaxes (May 5, 2010)

andrewf said:


> Nope.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

I'm Howard said:


> Florida for six months more than pays for itself, the health care argument can only be used for so long.


I guess the question you have to answer is why are you up north for 6 months? It is obviously not the cost of living.

And it is unlikely to change...


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

kcowan said:


> I guess the question you have to answer is why are you up north for 6 months? It is obviously not the cost of living.
> 
> And it is unlikely to change...




I don't even like thinking about pet food right now - I have a pet in the veterinary emergency clinic fighting for his life right now.


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## cazaubon (Jan 18, 2011)

Sending healing vibes to your beloved boy, Money Gal. As for pet food, I cook my own. Much more economical and I don't have to worry about them being poisoned.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

MoneyGal said:


> I don't even like thinking about pet food right now - I have a pet in the veterinary emergency clinic fighting for his life right now.


Yes we have a "free" cat that we invested $2500 in along the way. Good luck with your precious one.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

Thanks, peeps. I feel kind of...dumb feeling bad about my cat, but he is a member of the family. 

He is 12 and we decided to have his hyperthyroidism treated by radiation therapy. While he was at the vet getting that therapy, he contracted some kind of viral infection despite very strict infection control procedures (very strict because he is shedding radiation and all staff have to be gloved and gowned and he is kept isolated from other cats, etc.).

To their credit, the veterinary emergency clinic has re-admitted him and taken full responsibility for his care as they know that he contracted the infection while in their hands. He is in the ICU, being "trickle-fed" (through his nose, as he will not tolerate force-feeding), plus IV hydration, etc. And the ICU doctor phones me twice a day with updates. 

Honestly, when my grandmother was in the ICU and I was (with my sister) one of the primary local contacts responsible for her, we didn't get this level of attention and care from the people responsible for her - and SHE contracted a severe infection while in hospital (MRSA; acquired during a fairly routine blood transfusion for her myelodysplasia) which meant she couldn't be released anywhere, and it was a hospital-acquired infection - so the circumstances were actually oddly similar to these with my cat!

It is a funny world.


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## Echo (Apr 1, 2011)

We spend roughly $1200/year on cat food (for 3 cats). The 3.5kg bag of Medi-Cal dental formula costs $44.28 each month (including taxes) and then we get 2 cases (48) of Medi-Cal canned food for about $85 that lasts us roughly 6-7 weeks. All purchased at the vet clinic.

My wife used to work at a vet clinic and has convinced me that all of the other pet food on the market is crap (Medi-Cal owns Royal Canin though and that brand is pretty good).

Most people feed their pets crap, but if you don't take care of them the vet bills can add up if they become blocked (UTI) or their teeth start falling out.

Shop around at different vet clinics though, we saved $20/month switching to a different clinic with a lower mark-up on the canned food.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

I normally make all pet food in my house (we have four pets). The cats normally eat raw food.


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## I'm Howard (Oct 13, 2010)

Echo, our Dog was on Medi-cal, but for some reason, you can't get it in the States, so we went back to Royal. 

Pictures?

http://www.durreryorkies.com


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## Echo (Apr 1, 2011)

@I'm Howard
Impressive!

Unfortunately I don't have a website dedicated to our cats 

Medi-cal is Canadian, I think they were bought by Royal (American)...that's why you won't find Medi-cal in the US. If I could get those prices I'd be driving down to Great Falls once a month for sure.


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## Dana (Nov 17, 2009)

MoneyGal said:


> ...but he is a member of the family.


How is your cat doing today, MG? We had to put our cat down last year. She was 19. We still miss her.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

Thanks for asking! This morning's report is that he continues to strengthen. (We got the report before 8 a.m. so it was just that he slept all night, really.) I will get another update around 4 p.m. and that will give me a better sense of what his day was like. 

He's 12. I've had a cat live, astonishingly, to age 23.


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## Kim (Jan 10, 2011)

Hope your cat pulls though MG - we just got our 9 yr old barn cat back from being in to treat an abscess she procured from fighting with a "drop off" cat. So now we have 5 cats - 3 of our own and 2 "drop offs". Our barn cats are not getting the best food, but they are supposed to be supplementing their diet with mice - which they do very well.

Our purebred GS has skin allergies, (along with chronic ear infections and deteriorating hips ) and has to have $84 / 40lb bag of veterinarian sold dog food!!!! WOW I can't believe I fork that over no questions asked but I won't buy Kraft cheese slices unless they are on sale! Sometimes my reasoning boggles me. I should have posted this fact under the thread for "Most embarrasing money losses".

All pet food has huge mark up but you get what you pay for.


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## Dana (Nov 17, 2009)

I also pay outrageously for premium, organic dog food. I tell/delude myself that this will payoff in the longrun with lower vet bills, but I think that regardless of what we feed them, the first year and last year of a pet's life are very expensive. Hopefully the premium food extends the years in between and adds to the quality of life. 

Our cat ate premium food and she made it 19years. 

Our last dog ate premium and only made it 10years.


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## zoya (Mar 20, 2011)

I actually give my cat the same food I eat. Chicken, turkey, beef and tuna. She is now 10 and been spoiled rotten all her life. I also have Petplan insurance for, but thank God never had to use it.


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## Dana (Nov 17, 2009)

MoneyGal, How is your cat? Did s/he pull through?


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