'I ditched my dogs' food for a subscription, now I save £204 and it's so much easier'
As the proud owner of two rescue Staffie crosses, Phoebe and Frank, ensuring they get the very best when it comes to their nutrition is a top priority. But recently, we had to make a tough decision - and it turned out to be one of the best we ever made.
Our go-to dog food was becoming more expensive by the month, and Phoebe - the pickier of the pair - started turning her nose up at mealtimes. So, I had a scout around and compared a number of brands on their price, nutritional value and shopper reviews, and we settled on a subscription of Forthglade’s Lightly Baked Lamb Kibble, and honestly, it’s been a game changer.
With the dry food subscription, owners can choose from 2kg, 6kg, 12kg and 18kg bags. While prices may vary depending on the flavour, the lamb starts at £12.59 down from £13.99. Personally, we opt for the 12kg as we know this lasts us exactly four weeks. If you have a smaller dog, that same 12kg could stretch you much further - potentially eight to 12 weeks depending on size, saving even more in the long run.
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Every month, two 6kg bags of nutritionally complete kibble lands on our doorstep with free next-day delivery. Personally I love that it comes in two 6kg bags rather than one 12kg one as it makes it much more manageable to move around, and keeps the food fresher.
The subscription costs £62.99 instead of the regular £69.99, which already saves us money as our previous food was £80 per month. In total, we're saving around £17 per month, which works out at over £200 per year, and that’s before you factor in the exclusive subscriber perks . For example, I managed to get a hefty discount on my first order and paid less than £50 for the first month.
Get at least 10% off pet food
Feeding naturally nourishing food shouldn’t come with a side of hassle - Forthglade's subscription service takes care of your dog and your to-do list.
Since then, every time our subscription has renewed, we’ve earned ‘rewards’ and currently have around £8 in our account that we can choose to knock off a future order. I could decide to make one month a little cheaper, or save up my credits until I have enough for a ‘free’ bag.
Forthglade isn't the only brand offering subscription services on their food. Elsewhere, Marleybones is offering new customers 30% off their trial selection boxes, with Butternut Box dishing out 25% off owners’ first two boxes in similar subscription services.
One of my favourite things about the Forthglade subscription, though, is the flexibility. We're heading on holiday soon and our order would have been due while we were away, so we simply moved our delivery back by two weeks with a few clicks. No phone calls, no fuss, just an easy online tweak. What’s even better is that it was dispatched three hours later and arrived the following afternoon, with next day delivery coming as standard.
Another reason we did want to tweak the subscription was because our orders were always placed on a Saturday, and therefore wouldn’t arrive until Monday, which is worth keeping in mind. They now arrive on a Thursday instead which is much more convenient.
I also like that you can skip, pause, or delay orders, and Forthglade sends a handy email reminder before each order. There’s no contract, so it can be cancelled at any time if it’s not right for you.
Of course, the most important thing though, is that Phoebe and Frank enjoy it and let me tell you - it’s been clean bowls all round. The lamb has been a real hit after years of chicken kibble. They seem to have reached a whole new level of excitement for mealtimes and as a dog mum, nothing makes me happier than to see them happy and healthy.
Other pet owners have echoed my thoughts on Trustpilot, too, where Forthglade has earned a 4.6 star rating from shoppers. One said: “The website is helpful for allowing you to make choices. customer services are responsive and address any issues directly with you - a real person not a Bot. Food is delivered quickly, well packaged. Most importantly I don't think in the three months we have had our pup, I have wasted a single ounce of dried food as she dives on it every day.”
“I have just changed my subscription with Forthglade and it was so easy to do ,” said another. “It’s so far so good as my boys are now on the Senior dog wet food. The delivery is always so prompt. Keep up the good work.”
Some people said they would prefer more variety. One owner said: “I have been getting the Salmon/Sardine multipack on subscription for a few months now and my dog loves it. Easy to change delivery days with subscription and never worry about running out. Great for my dogs allergies who can only have fish but wish the multipack had more than 2 flavours for more variety.”
“Subscription order came on time, notification was received of when payment was taken, my 3 little dogs are very happy that Mum didn’t run out of their chew sticks,” penned a fourth, “It’s one less thing to think about when doing my shopping.”
Previously I used to manually order food and the Forthglade subscription really has been a godsend for taking one thing off my life admin to-do list. The next day delivery is convenient, and the perks are a real bonus. Plus I've often ordered their treats and wet food from there too, so now I can just have everything arrive at the same time.
And one thing that was really important to me was that we weren’t sacrificing quality for convenience - Forthglade is still a premium brand, but they just know how to look after their customers. It’s one of the easiest, smartest switches we’ve made and my only regret is not doing it sooner.
Daily Mirror
