[Nallah06]

I personally do not agree with the statement that you are paying for marketing, packaging and a fancy name.

I see little to no advertising or marketing for High End foods. I also tend to think they are a little more eco-friendly when they package their foods. Many are now using recycled materials.

To me, quality ingredients is peace of mind in knowing that I can trust what I'm feeding my dog. That is worth the price.

[LucyGoosy]

I agree that I don't think we are getting advertising, a fancy name, etc only when we buy the higher end foods.

If that were true, we would be seeing more ads on TV and magazines for the higher end foods, rather than the grocery store brands.

Advertising is expensive--when did you last see a TV ad for Orijen, Innova, Wellness, Taste of the Wild, etc???? I've never seen one. But, I see ads for Pedigree, Iams, Purina, etc. (lower end foods in my opinion) all the time.

That leads me to believe that I would be paying for advertising if I were to buy the store brands!

[PureMutt]

Come to think if it, you're right. I have never seen any ads for any of the premium foods. Not even Wellness.

[puppylove42]

I think that the most important things when it comes to food are

1) SAFETY - the food must be 100% safe. The regulations and controls on pet foods must be tighter.
2) Quality

Everything else - I don't care. I also would pay premium $$ to make sure the food is safe and that it contains what it says it contains.

[Moonshadow]

Originally Posted by MagicToller

It's an OK food.. Many fillers and by-products though

Actually Bil Jac is a very nice food. All ingredients are fresh, the chicken is not ever frozen and from the time the chicken is clucking to the time it's in Bil Jac is less than 24 hours. They do use by-products but only organs and corn really isn't a problem unless your dog is allergic to it. However...much depends on how the corn is processed as to if the dog can tolerate it or not and I know MANY dogs who's allergy tests state they are allergic to corn who do super on Bil Jac.

I don't currently use the food but I have and if something happened to the company that makes the food I am using I would not hesitate to go back to Bil Jac.

[Brandnewmom]

Hi there. I am a brand new mom to a black lab mix. I rescued him last night and went straight to Petco. I did my research first on puppy food. Most vets will tell you that the first ingredient should be Chicken or Turkey. Beef can tend to cause allergies. We purchased Cesar Millan's food. It is all organic, no by products and it have the essential fish oils they need. It was expensive, 17lbs for 39.99 but it was buy one get one free. I had a dog many years ago and used Nutro. I tried 3 different types of food before I had to succumb to Purina. I do not like Purina because of the poor quality and will stick with Cesar's food. I hope this helps. I am so glad to be a part of this forum.

[rosemaryninja]

Originally Posted by Brandnewmom

Hi there. I am a brand new mom to a black lab mix. I rescued him last night and went straight to Petco. I did my research first on puppy food. Most vets will tell you that the first ingredient should be Chicken or Turkey. Beef can tend to cause allergies. We purchased Cesar Millan's food. It is all organic, no by products and it have the essential fish oils they need. It was expensive, 17lbs for 39.99 but it was buy one get one free. I had a dog many years ago and used Nutro. I tried 3 different types of food before I had to succumb to Purina. I do not like Purina because of the poor quality and will stick with Cesar's food. I hope this helps. I am so glad to be a part of this forum.

There is a lot of hype surrounding Cesar Milan's food, just as there is a lot of marketing hype around any product endorsed by whatever "hot celebrity" there is in the industry at the time. There are a lot of other foods that will provide you with the same level of quality as Cesar's food, but for a lower price. $39.99 for 17 lbs is ridiculous, especially with a Lab.

[flipgirl]

You could always get Rachel Ray's dog food called Nutrish (I think). Don't know the cost or where to get it but it's another celebrity food. They should have one named after Oprah. At least she doesn't add an 'ish' to every single word she says. And, I would venture to guess that if Oprah did endorse a dog food, some of the proceeds would go toward stopping puppy mills.

[heat_2008]

Yes the more expensive the better. I have a bag of dog poop on sale on ebay for $10,000. So what it's dog poop, it cost $10,000 so it must be some great stuff right.

[Moonshadow]

Originally Posted by rosemaryninja

There is a lot of hype surrounding Cesar Milan's food, just as there is a lot of marketing hype around any product endorsed by whatever "hot celebrity" there is in the industry at the time. There are a lot of other foods that will provide you with the same level of quality as Cesar's food, but for a lower price. $39.99 for 17 lbs is ridiculous, especially with a Lab.

I agree it's VERY expensive but if it's certified orgainc (not sure if it is but I think it may be) then it's not that far out of line with the other organic kibbles. I've fed some of them and Karma (by Natura) is more expensive I think.

I don't eat organic so I gave up trying to feed it to my dogs but if someone is looking for that type of food I don't think the price is that bad.

[John Lee]

I can't believe people are saying No. The question is where expensive is better. I think if that's the only thing you are going by, you have to say yes. Brands like Timberwolf, Orijen, Evangers... among many others are more expensive, and YES--they are better than Iam's or whatever they have at Petco or Petsmart.

[heat_2008]

Originally Posted by John Lee

I can't believe people are saying No. The question is where expensive is better. I think if that's the only thing you are going by, you have to say yes. Brands like Timberwolf, Orijen, Evangers... among many others are more expensive, and YES--they are better than Iam's or whatever they have at Petco or Petsmart.

Uh no, price has nothing to do with the quality of the food. Some higher priced foods are good, some are not.

[Erick Aguilar]

Originally Posted by heat_2008

Yes the more expensive the better. I have a bag of dog poop on sale on ebay for $10,000. So what it's dog poop, it cost $10,000 so it must be some great stuff right.

Or alot of Poop, plus.. it's ebay what you speak of, people buy the strangest things there..


Honestly, i do agree that sometimes you buy the brand instead of the food, BASING my agreedment on how the mexican economy works.. the most expensive foods, sometimes tend to be the must sucky (I.E. Pedigree, Purina) are extreamly expensive here, and seen like the top dawgs, which is obviously not true.

[technotask]

Originally Posted by sheltieluver4

Hi yall, i have a question, is expensive dog food better than the cheap genaric kind? {i know i spelled that wrong srry} Cause we r getting a new sheltie puppy soon and i want to spoil her but i want good tasting dog food 4 her not boring kind, maybe i should taste the dog food lol just kidding

not at all.... there are amny brands offering beeter quality food for less price... nd afterall its all about the healthy food...

[bigbadjohnsmom]

What about Origen Large Breed Puppy? Is this good?

[ValtheAussie]

My dog's breeder swears by Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul, however, the woman is a whack job; I found this out, too late, by dealing with her after the sale of my puppy to me.

Now I am using a combo of Orijen Puppy and CSFTPLS which my Aussie seems to love it a lot and is doing well on it. I add some plain yoghurt or cottage cheese to the mix for a little extra calcium.

Could I get away with something cheaper? Well, I did try Nutro Puppy Max for a bit, and the puppy didn't seem to enjoy his food at all.

[InkedMarie]

Originally Posted by LDLegacies

I have 7 Shelties all ranging in age from 11 years to 9 wks old. I feed Innova and Healthwise Puppy.
Expensive foods are not always good foods, Science diet is one that people think is great. It's high priced, the vets sell it, so it must be good, right? Not! The 1st ingredient on the back of the bag is Corn! Big No NO. You always want your 1st ingredients to be meat meals (Chicken meal, lamb meal so on) and then your veggie types .
Visiti www.naturapet.com and look at the ingredients of there food. They also have a page where you can compare what you feed to there food. BIG DIFFERENCE in quality. Not only that, But when you feed a crummy food, they have alot of fillers in it so the dog eats more of it. When you feed a high quality food, they get full and satified because its meeting there nutritional requirements and not acting as a filler. Therefor, feeding less and a bag is lasting longer than the cheap food. It may be more cost upfront initially, But in the long run, you will save!

I agree with everything you said and have to say, I think I'd love your house. I love shelties, have two of them and my husband's dream dog is a Bernese!

[ValtheAussie]

Berner's have a cancer gene and they don't live much past 7 to 8 years; heartbreaking.

[wcolin54]

Expensive is not always best
here is a good way to rate the food

Dog Food Rating (Kirkland is the Costco brand and is $30 for a 40lbs bag)


Start with a grade of 100:
1) For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points
2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or
fat) reference, subtract 10 points
3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source,subtract 5 points
5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five
ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer's rice", "rice flour" are
all the same grain), subtract 5 points
6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats
in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points
9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2
points
11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic
to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to
wheat), subtract 2 points
14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to
beef), subtract 1 point
15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point
Extra Credit:
1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or
nutritionist, add 5 points
3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points
7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points
8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points
9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points
10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point
12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than
the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source
but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point
13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free
add 1 point
94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
69 = F
Here are some foods that have already been scored. Dog Food scores:
Dog Food scores:
Alpo Prime Cuts / Score 81 C
Artemis Large/Medium Breed Puppy / Score 114 A+
Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Authority Harvest Baked Less Active / Score 93 B
Beowulf Back to Basics / Score 101 A+
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
Blackwood 3000 Lamb and Rice / Score 83 C
Blue Buffalo Chicken and Rice / Score 106 A+
Burns Chicken and Brown Rice / Score 107 A+
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Diamond Performance / Score 85 C
**** Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
**** Van Patten's Natural Balance Venison and Brown Rice / Score 106 A+
**** Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
EaglePack Holistic / Score 102 A+
Eukanuba Adult / Score 81 C
Eukanuba Puppy / Score 79 C
Flint River Senior / Score 101 A+
Foundations / Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 B
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Innova Large Breed Puppy / Score 122 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
Member's Mark Chicken and Rice / Score 84 C
Merrick Wilderness Blend / Score 127 A+
Nature's Recipe / Score 100 A
Nature's Recipe Healthy Skin Venison and Rice / Score 116 A+
Nature's Variety Raw Instinct / Score 122 A+
Nutra Nuggets Super Premium Lamb Meal and Rice / Score 81 C
Nutrience Junior Medium Breed Puppy / Score 101 A+
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutro Max Adult / Score 93 B
Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice / Score 98 A
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Nutro Natural Choice Puppy Wheat Free / Score 86 B
Nutro Natural Choice Senior / Score 95 A
Nutro Ultra Adult / Score 104 A+
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
Premium Edge Chicken, Rice and Vegetables Adult Dry / Score 109 A+
Pro Nature Puppy / Score 80 C
Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach / Score 94 A
Purina Benful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
Purina One Large Breed Puppy / Score 62 F
Royal Canin Boxer / Score 103 A+
Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
Solid Gold / Score 99 A
Summit / Score 99 A
Timberwolf Organics Wild & Natural Dry / Score 120 A+
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

[Love's_Sophie]

Originally Posted by sheltieluver4

Well could yall give me a little heads up on what yall buy yalls dog/puppy? Thanks i kinda need ideas

I rotate Chicken Soup Puppy, Taste of the Wild, Solid Gold. I also feed a partial RAW diet.