[Pai]

I figure this article might be an interesting read for some folks here. The guy is very opposite of a lot of popular opinions, but he always makes me think.

[UrbanBeagles]

Originally Posted by Darkmoon

But because of the good quality food, I'm only spending $22 a month on my food. Something to think about when you go to a lower quality/price food.

It's not true that dogs will inherently eat less on a holistic food, because they're touted as being more nutrient dense & high calorie. If the food is not digestable, it's money down the toilet. Case in point - I tried Timberwolf last year, the SW Chicken formula. All but one of my dogs lost significant amount of weight on this, even though I bought it thinking the purchase price would be offset by less fed. Not so. My dogs were looking half starved on it. We only have one dog out of TEN that did well with it. Obviously not enough for me to continue feeding it.

I spend $36 on dog food per month, on average. This amount will increase during the winter & when I have pups - if we have a litter I'm buying at least 3-4 bags of food per month. I go through a 35lb bag every 2 weeks or so on the adults. It doesn't matter what I feed, they more or less eat the same amount. Even the foods they do eat less of, the bag will not last more than 2-3 days longer. My 65lb mutt eats 2 cups of food on Purina, and the Beagles eat anywhere from 3/4 cup to 1.5 cups depending on the size. That is not an extraordinary amount, and I have not found we've saved at all on food bills by feeding less of the holistic foods ... because we usually just don't feed much less of them, and as I mentioned with the TWO, I fed all the dogs so much more that the bag only lasted about 9 days

[Chloe'sMom]

So I tried the Premium Edge, has been two weeks or so now, and major hunger strike going on. They are refusing to eat it! I've tried mixing it with wet and NB dog rools and still, they kinda sniff take a few bites and walk away.

So back to the drawing board, for the time being my roomate feeds Dog Chow and I have been sharing her bag. They both love the Dog Chow funnily enough and I don't have to add anything to make them eat it. I am at my wits end!! I refuse to waste any more money on dog food, to end up donating the bag to the shelter and nothing more.

Now in the past I have tried Canidae (chicken and rice) Merrick (grammy's pot pie & wilderness blend) Taste of the Wild (High Prairie) Nutro Ultra Holistic and Natural Balance. All of which they either barely ate, or gave them the runs. They are both healthy dogs up to date on all they're shots, so nothing medical is going on here.

I would like to give my dogs the best foods, however, I just cannot afford to buy a bag of food hoping they will eat it, only to find out they won't and ending up donating it. And I really do not like switching their food so often, they just haven't done well on anything I've tried for them for any length of time.

So I guess I'm at a draw right now, I'll continue feeding the Dog Chow for now and hopefully if I hear about a food that dogs really love to eat that is healthier I will try that.

I have heard that Nutro Maxx is a better quality food, but has more flavor (similiar to a dog chow) does anyone know anything about this food. The holistic I fed Chloe when she was a pup for a few months, until she started getting the runs.

[JeanninePC99]

Check out the cost breakdown between a grocery store brand and a "premium" brand.

http://www.dogster.com/forums/Food_a.../thread/522883

If you don't have an attention span:

Orijen – Beneful
263.89 – 162.49 = $101.40 per year, or $8.45 per month.

To feed my dog one of the MOST EXPENSIVE FOODS it’ll only cost me an extra $8.45 per month. I understand that some people do not have an extra 9 bucks a month, but those people don’t have to feed one of the most expensive foods either. You can find a great food without ugly chemicals that you can afford! I swear!

[Willowy]

Beneful is insanely overpriced, and has the exact same ingedient list as regular Dog Chow (except for some random veggies WAY down the ingredient list). I think they should be shot for marketing Beneful like it's better. Purina has been around for a long time, and they do a lot of research. It isn't going to kill your dogs to eat Purina, unless they're allergic. You can do better, but you can also do MUCH worse. Store brand dog foods are terrible, don't fall into that trap.

I also think that Purina puts some kind of attractant in their foods....my cats are wild over Purina Cat Chow. I use it for treats. I tried to feed them Cat Chow and/or Purina ONE as their regular food, but the litterbox odor was so bad I had to switch to Chicken Soup.

Chloe'sMom----most pet stores/feed stores have free sample bags. You might try asking for free samples of their better foods, that way you won't be wasting money on buying a bag of food they won't eat.

[Pai]

A lot of times they put lots of sweetener and salt in the lower quality foods, and I think that's why often pets like them so much. Just like, if you had grown up on very sweet, salty things then switched to 'healthier', less seasoned food, it would taste bland for a while until you got used to it.

[Malkuth]

Surprised alot of you are finding Chicken Soup for so cheap. The only place around these parts that have it is Local Kennel Shop. And they have gone up to 40 bucks for 30 pound. 26 for 18 and 14 for the 8 pound bag.

Of course they also never have it in stock now, so I had to switch to Canidea

[Willowy]

Originally Posted by Malkuth

Surprised alot of you are finding Chicken Soup for so cheap. The only place around these parts that have it is Local Kennel Shop. And they have gone up to 40 bucks for 30 pound. 26 for 18 and 14 for the 8 pound bag.

Of course they also never have it in stock now, so I had to switch to Canidea

Ack! I hope they aren't raising their prices. My feed stores (both of them!) recently raised the price of Canidae to $38.99-$40.99 for a 40-pound bag---it used to cost $33.99-$35.99 (one store is cheaper, but they're way out in the sticks, so the savings is negated by the gas used to get there). But Chicken Soup is still only $30.49 for a 35-pound bag.

[Kibblelady]

Hmm decent lower priced foods... here is my list


Blackwood Pet Foods
Diamond Pet Foods
Regal Pet Foods
Exclusive Brand Pet foods
PetGuard Pet foods (Petco brand)
Kirkland Pet Foods (found at BJs wholesale clubs)
Excel Pet Foods

And.... watch the Petco and Petsmart circulars for specials on Pro Plan....


Cherri

[SMoore]

I know some places have free samples like already mentioned.

Also though if you want to try Blue Buffalo, probably the best brand of food sold at Petsmart my dogs really liked it. Also, I used to work at Petsmart and they will take anything back that a pet doesnt like, at least my store did and from what i've seen in various stores i've been in they all seem to share that philosophy.

If a bag of food is open and you bought it there, bring it back for a full refund, even without a receipt they'll give you a gift card.

I had a dog chew up one of their "indestrutable" tire toys and was able to get a refund and ended up getting kongs instead.

I also returned an old dog collar I have had for over 3 years, the buckle finally wore out. I took it back, no receipt got a gift card and bought a nice leather collar.

They don't sell very many high quality foods in my opinion but Blue Buffalo isnt bad and my dogs love the wilderness, my cats love it as well!

I believe it's also a 5 or 6 star rated food on dogfoodanalysis.com

[Criosphynx]

Price is never an issue for me.... thats why i own small breeds. A 40lb bags seems to last forever.....

[Chloe'sMom]

Thanks kibblelady, I will look into some of those choices as well. Still feeding them the Dog Chow for now, until I find something better that they will actually eat!

I'm a bit worried though, this morning both Chloe and Clancey vomited a yellow frowthy bile, which I'm thinking might mean this food is not keeping them full and satisfied until their next meal.

I've always heard Blue Buffallo is a good food, I have a friend who feeds the Wilderness one, but they are both too young I think for that high amount of protein. Especially Chloe as she's 50 pds at 8 months. I hear that it is a very pricey food though.

[SMoore]

They also have a puppy formula and maybe even a large breed puppy formula which would be best.

I also really like Natural Balance all life stages foods, they sell it at petco and i think it's around the same price of Blue Buffalo. The dogs like that as well.

[Pai]

Originally Posted by Criosphynx

Price is never an issue for me.... thats why i own small breeds. A 40lb bags seems to last forever.....

I know, it's really nice! =)

[FredMom]

Originally Posted by Chloe'sMom

Thanks kibblelady, I will look into some of those choices as well. Still feeding them the Dog Chow for now, until I find something better that they will actually eat!

I'm a bit worried though, this morning both Chloe and Clancey vomited a yellow frowthy bile, which I'm thinking might mean this food is not keeping them full and satisfied until their next meal.

I've always heard Blue Buffallo is a good food, I have a friend who feeds the Wilderness one, but they are both too young I think for that high amount of protein. Especially Chloe as she's 50 pds at 8 months. I hear that it is a very pricey food though.

When Fred would throw up yellow bile, it usually meant that his stomach had been empty too long. I had to change his feeding schedule. Now, he eat right before he goes to sleep. I know EXACTLY what you went through with feeding premium foods that caused a lot of digestive upset. I put Fred on Purina Pro Plan for Sensitive Skin and Stomach. Now, when my pockets are thin, he eat Purina One Sensitive Systems. Both foods are good. It sounds like your dog doesn't need those high calorie, premium foods that other dogs need. Pro-Plan costs me about $40 for a 37.5 lb bag. Purina One Sensitive Systems is about $25 for a 40lb bag, which you can find at any grocery store.

Now, a lot of people on here don't like Purina but I will tell you that it has been great for my dog. When it is all said and done, you have to do what is best for YOUR dog. After all, it is Chloe, not YOU that is eating the food.

Hope this helps.

[Chloe'sMom]

So went to Petsmart during my lunch break yesterday, just kinda poking around at food brands/prices/ingrediants what have you.

Came across Authority Harvest Baked, ingrediants looked good and 35$ for a 35# bag, about a buck a pound. I bought a small 5# bag just to try it out and mixed a little with their kibble last night, they ate it. So we'll see. Again, this probably isn't the BEST out there, but it's fairly affordable and I feel better about these ingrediants.

Here's the Top 10

Chicken, Whole Ground Wheat, Chicken Meal, Whole Ground Barley, Canola Oil, Carrots, Salmon Meal, Dried Egg Product, Spinach, Tomatoes

(Fred's Mom) I gave them both a little extra food at dinner time last night and each a cookie before bed, and no bile vomit this morning!

[doggymommy]

Originally Posted by borzoimom

I would check out chicken soup here is the link- for the price and the quality, you woudl be hard pressed to beat it..
http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/

I agree! I have been feeding that, large breed puppy for 2 months now and my 11 month old Gsd ( who had been scratching a lot on Eukanuba) is not itchy at all anymore.

The feed stores here carry it and it is 32.99 for a 35lb bag. Purina one just raised their prices and cut the 37lb bag to 32lbs and kept the price the same at 27.00.
Purina is a lot of filler and corn, so for my money, I would rather have my dogs on a food that is not mostly filler.

Here are the ingredients for Chicken soup for the Pet lovers Soul (large breed puppy)

Chicken, turkey, chicken meal, ocean fish meal, cracked pearled barley, whole grain brown rice, white rice, oatmeal, millet, potatoes, egg product, tomato pomace, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), duck, salmon, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, salmon oil (source of DHA), choline chloride, dried chicory root, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, L-carnitine, Enterococcus faecieum, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Saccharomyces cerevesiae fermentation solubles, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, vitamin E Supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Again, what works for 1 dog may not work for another. IMO this is the best dry food I have ever tried except for Innova's Evo, which is 50.00 for a 30lb bag.
If you use the scoring system for dry food (located in another topic under this thread,) Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul ( large breed puppy) scored 106 points, which makes it A+.

Again, just one woman's opinion.

[2puppimsmom]

Lovemygreys, I agree with you about the bad comments about what people feed their dogs determines how much they love their dogs. That is so cruel to say that. But some people should try to find out more about the dog food recalls and why they were recalled. A lot of the cheaper brands have been known to have Phenobarbitol in them. That is what they euthanize dogs and cats with. It has been said some dog food companies get dead animals from rendering companies. Some of those animals are from animal shelters. I read recently that this is still going on. So some dog foods don't determine what kind of meat is in their food They just say meat meal or meat and bone meal. I read Ol Roy is on that list. And people should decide if they would pay a cheaper price for their pets food and risk health problems that might cause vet bills or a shorter life for their pets. I'm on a fixed income and with the price of everything going up, it is harder to buy the more expensive food. But I would rather pay more for our dog's food than pay expensive vet bills. And as other's have said here, I don't have to feed as much. The better foods fill them up better.

[sheltiemom]

Originally Posted by Chloe'sMom

So went to Petsmart during my lunch break yesterday, just kinda poking around at food brands/prices/ingrediants what have you.

Came across Authority Harvest Baked, ingrediants looked good and 35$ for a 35# bag, about a buck a pound. I bought a small 5# bag just to try it out and mixed a little with their kibble last night, they ate it. So we'll see. Again, this probably isn't the BEST out there, but it's fairly affordable and I feel better about these ingrediants.

Here's the Top 10

Chicken, Whole Ground Wheat, Chicken Meal, Whole Ground Barley, Canola Oil, Carrots, Salmon Meal, Dried Egg Product, Spinach, Tomatoes

(Fred's Mom) I gave them both a little extra food at dinner time last night and each a cookie before bed, and no bile vomit this morning!

I tried the Authority food (well, my dogs did...) and thought it was fine, the only issue I noticed was they had huge poops while they were on it. Otherwise ok.

[guy0677]

Originally Posted by Chloe'sMom

Hi There!

I'm sure this question has been asked about a million times, but I am looking for a dry food to feed my two dogs, Chloe - a 7month old hound/pointer mix and Clancey a 10month old lab/corgi mix.

We are currently feeding them, Natural Balance and although they seem to do alright on it, we are looking for a lower cost food that will produce similiar if not better results. (Clancey tends to have softer poops on this food) I know all about the junk that is in foods such as Purina, Iams etc..and would love to be able to feed them super quality food such as Innova etc. however, at this time in our lives it is just not cost effective. We are saving for a house and making cuts wherever we can.

Does anyone have any suggestions besides telling me I am a bad doggie parent, by not buying top shelf premium food? I have heard about a brand of kibble that is sold at Walmart called Maxximum Nutrition that has received a 3 star rating on the Dog Food Analysis website, is this a decent food to feed them for the time being, at least until we are more settled?

Thanks for any input you may have!

Chloe and Clancey's Mom!

I think the best value brand that is all natural and high in protein is probably Dave's Simply the Best. Another good brand that isn't so expensive is Evolve. They aren't as expensive as the Innova's and Orijens, but the ingredients are high quality. I know Dave's is a private label of a retailer in the northeast. The food is made by one of the big natural names without the label. I live in the northeast and I can go the Dave's Soda and Pet Food City store to get them. I think you can buy on their website, but I'm not sure. I also know that www.communitypetsupply.com sells the food. Hope that helps!