Low Cost Decent Quality Food?

[UrbanBeagles]

ok i wouldnt see why someone would save as little as 10 bucks per bag of #40 and feed the lower quality food to their family (your dog). For example, kirkland (rated 3 star, nat bad) cost 19.99 and Canidae ALS (rated 5 star, great quality) 30 at most 40 per #40 bad. Do you think you dog is worth more then 10-20 extra bucks? Plus a #40 bag last Stitch(she weight 60lbs) 3 months if i were to get the cheaper bag i would on be saving 3 bucks per month. To me my dogs health is worth way more then that.

Oh brother ... I am so SICK and tired of seeing stupid, meaningless LABELS beign placed on processed *dog* feed First of all, the dogs come in second to my families physical needs - you better believe I don't purchase processed junk food for my family. Occasionally, we'll buy cheaper food items (such as those 5 packages for $1 noodle soups) if the budget is a shoestring that month. I'd like to eat nothing but fresh, whole foods 100% of the time, but in the real world, us working class people have to stretch to make ends meet.

You can bet your butt with the way food prices are I am not made of money and can't afford to buy a bag of food that has a purchase price of $30-40+. I think that is insane, truly insane, ehen you have a human family to think about. My PETS are just that. Pets and hunting dogs. They don't rank anywhere near my family anf there are surely not my child substitutes. So I don't feed them like they were my children, and don't appreciate comparisons between dogs and human family members.

This Top 10, 5 star food rating system is complete bologna. It's just another way these manufacturers are ripping off customers of their hard earned money. Flame away, but these foods that are advertised to look like a restaurant meal are nothing but marketing gimmicks - my mentor in the breed calls them "yuppie" foods, lol, and sometimes I think he's right. They don't work any better than basic dog feeds - not bottom of the barrel foods, but plain feeds that won't win any prizes for ingredients and certainly don't rip off the purchaser. I pay $18 for 34 lbs of feed - $11 when I have my Pro Club breeder rebate checks. The feed is digestable, leaves firm stools, velvety & shiny coats that barely shed at all. Their eyes are bright and clear. The dogs are healthy, active, and in great overall condition - meaining they are at perfect weights with very little fat and mostly muscle mass. It's very difficult to get a dog food to give muscle mass in lieu of fat ... I do not feed tham any more than with other feeds, my 65lb dog gets 2cups per day, slightly more if I take him on morning jogs. He's 7yrs old and was NOT in good shape before we went to "cheap" feed. But he is now getting compliments again on his beautiful coat, muscle tone, and you should have seen the look on another dog owner's face when they found out how old he was ROFL! He thought Thunder was a pup!

What makes a food 5 star are the RESULTS, not the ingredient panel. I see many people recommending Canidae/Chicken Soup for lower cost foods ... I tried both and Canidae was a nightmare. My dogs went to pot on it. Chicken Soup, half wouldn't eat, the other half got diarrhea

Sorry but I've had my "grocery store garbage" food do miracles for my dogs so that, in my book, is a 5 star food. Make comments about the ingredients all you like, but my dogs are healthy, my pups grow well, bitches are coming into heat on time and the two I've bred recently are expecting large litters and are themselves in top shape. Go ahead and knock the cheaper feeds, becuase I'm laughing every time I see someone wanting to switch to the higher end feeds that makes the dog have bloody diarrhea or colitis or dry skin ... Some pwople just never learn. ugh.

[Chloe'sMom]

It seems I have caused quite a stir around here. LOL. That was certainly not my intention.

I have done more research and found a brand of food called Premium Edge it received a 4 star rating, and is found at my local feed store. It is also 30$ for a 35lb bag vs. Natural Balance which is 42$ for a 35lb bag.

I have listed the ingrediants below: This is for the Chicken and Rice puppy formula, since they are both still pups 7 months and 10 months.

Ingredients
Chicken, chicken meal, egg product, cracked pearled barley, ground rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), millet, potatoes, tomato pomace, natural chicken flavor, ocean fish meal, flaxseed, 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.

Looks pretty good to me, aside from the tomato pummace, which I hear is a non needed filler. But still pretty good.

Does anyone feed this? And if so, what have your results been?

Thanks!!

[K8IE]

It seems I have caused quite a stir around here. LOL. That was certainly not my intention.

I have done more research and found a brand of food called Premium Edge it received a 4 star rating, and is found at my local feed store. It is also 30$ for a 35lb bag vs. Natural Balance which is 42$ for a 35lb bag.

I have listed the ingrediants below: This is for the Chicken and Rice puppy formula, since they are both still pups 7 months and 10 months.

Ingredients
Chicken, chicken meal, egg product, cracked pearled barley, ground rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), millet, potatoes, tomato pomace, natural chicken flavor, ocean fish meal, flaxseed, 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.

Looks pretty good to me, aside from the tomato pummace, which I hear is a non needed filler. But still pretty good.

Does anyone feed this? And if so, what have your results been?

Thanks!!

Stir?? What stir?? LOL. The ingredient list looks pretty decent, much better than some of the really low grade foods. I bet your dogs will do fine on it. Try it out and see. Unless your dogs have some previous sensitivity to any of the ingredients you shouldn't have anything to worry about. Good luck!

[kenRC51]

i'm not saying that everyone should feed their dogs Canidae. That is just the food i feed my dog. Im just saying that there are other better quality food out there and I understand that all dogs are different and not all dogs do well on Canidae. Some might do better on cheaper food like Ol Roys. Im just saying that i would try one of the higher rated food first.

Sorry if i offend anyone, but it was not my intention.

[Chloe'sMom]

Thank you again everyone. I think I will try the Premium Edge once we run out of our Natural Balance. Hopefully they do well on it, for the price and seemingly good quality, it seems like a pretty good fit for our family (if it was 10$ cheaper that'd be okay too.) LOL

If anyone has used this food, please let me know how your pups have done on it!

Thanks everyone!

ALPO RULES!!!!

Just kidding!

[lovemygreys]

The Premium Edge looks pretty good. Let us know how it goes!

[Franny Glass]

Tomato pomace is "filler", as it's just fiber with no other nutritional value, but it's nothing to worry about. All dry dog food has filler fiber. I've never fed Premium Edge, but I wouldn't cringe at the idea of feeding it if half my dogs weren't allergic to chicken.

And, for the record-
Before I adopted my chicken allergic dogs and had to learn something about canine dietary needs, my dogs ate either Purina One or Pedigree. Sometimes IAMS, too. I can't say it did them any harm, as they all led healthy and happy (and long) lives.

[Molly&Jack]

At our local pet food store, I was suprised to find that the great quality food brands are about the same price (reasonably) as brands such as Pedigree (grocery store dog food). The 8lb. bag of Candiae was actually a dollar less than the 8lb. Pedigree.

[Willowy]

That's because most of the higher-quality brands do not advertise. The only higher-quality brand I've seen ads for is Solid Gold, and the ads look like they were translated from Swedish using Babelfish......almost unintelligible. Oh, and I've seen ads for Blue Buffalo, too. But that's it.

[ACampbell]

I'm going to be flat out honest here. I've tried the 5 star foods (I am definetely on a budget with a 60 mile commute every at $4 a gallon) and I did not have any luck with them. Diarrhea, shedding, poor coats...etc.
My puppy gets Purina One puppy chow...she's doing good on it (upgraded from Pedigree which her breeder swore by) while my adult dog is eating "cheap crap brand" that I won't name (I don't need a witch-hunt on me now do I?) and he has finally gained weight and looks like a dog, not a skeleton.

I think it all depends on the dog, just like people. One person might thrive being a vegetarian, while another starves to death on that kind of diet...different animals = different metabolism.
So my theory, feed what does well for them that you can afford.

[sheltiemom]

I'm going to be flat out honest here. I've tried the 5 star foods (I am definetely on a budget with a 60 mile commute every at $4 a gallon) and I did not have any luck with them. Diarrhea, shedding, poor coats...etc.
My puppy gets Purina One puppy chow...she's doing good on it (upgraded from Pedigree which her breeder swore by) while my adult dog is eating "cheap crap brand" that I won't name (I don't need a witch-hunt on me now do I?) and he has finally gained weight and looks like a dog, not a skeleton.

Yeah, me too. We've had some unexpected money issues that just keep coming one after the other....my boys are eating Purina One lamb and rice and I'm happy with it. Two of the three did ok on Canidae, and I know the price is comparable, but an hour round trip to the feed store and still having to feed the third dog a different food just isn't happening right now. Coats look nice, no one has the runs, I'm satisfied that no one is going to keel over from grocery store food and I'm not worrying about it. For the record, the kids and I are eating our fair share of Ramen too, so I'm not exactly skimping on dog food so the rest of us can eat 5 star meals.

[Darkmoon]

.

To the OP - I'm not sure if they still do it, but Natural Balance used to have a buy 10 bags, get one free deal (Petco also had/may still have a buy 10/get one free program)

Yes Petco still has that deal. Want to know something funny? I'll never get my 11th bag free!

I feed Solid gold, and go through 1 44lb bag ($44) ever 2 months. Their buy 10 get 1 free is only for 1 year. I only buy 6 bags a year lol....

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.

[5 s corral]

hi
i feed premium edge to my shelties and gsd
have had good luck with it i also do wellness
never had good luck with canidae
good luck in whatever you decide
jamie

[ACampbell]

Yeah, it definetely depends on how much you feed as to what is considered "affordable" -

My one adult dog is very large, he eats a LOT (even of the premium - we're talking 4-5 cups a day for maintenance weight, and he eats more since he is thin - has been wormed etc...and is now gaining weight on "crappy brand" dog food) I go through a 50 lb bag fairly fast...at least 1 a month. I imagine I'll go through more once Lily is older...but for now she gets the smaller bags.
When I had 4 large adult dogs (2 bassets, Smokey, and a mutt that got dumped on me) I went through 50 lbs in a matter of 2 weeks...needless to say I did not feed a premium.
Also, 5 star family meals for my human family isn't happening either, lol, we buy meat by the lb at Sam's Club - so I'm not just frugal to the dogs!

[Wimble Woof]

Honstly, if the dogs are eating, thats fine by me.
If someone wants to "upgrade" or learn about foods, excellent, if not, thats their choice.
I too was quite taken back by those comments about paying the extra for your pets, or you dont love them (basically) and I got to thinking at that point... Why on earth would that particular poster not be feeding Solid Gold or Orijen then? I personally feel they are far more superior to Canidae or Chicken soup?!?!?
By that logic, I guess there is still more loving to go on for those dogs.

Amount of money you can afford to spend on your dogs (from purchase price-burial options) DOES not indicate how much a person cares for them.
That just makes no sense.

To the OP.
Good luck with the brand you found. I hope you get good results off of it, keep us posted.

[Pai]

At our local pet food store, I was suprised to find that the great quality food brands are about the same price (reasonably) as brands such as Pedigree (grocery store dog food). The 8lb. bag of Candiae was actually a dollar less than the 8lb. Pedigree.

A lot of the more 'premium' food brands also require LESS food per serving than the cheaper brands... so either way you're actually saving money in the long run.

[Love's_Sophie]

Can you access Taste of the Wild, or Solid gold in your area? Around here, atleast, these two are cheaper than Natural Balance, and are both Excellent foods...might be worth a try if you decide to try a different food

Which Canidae did you try? Sometimes the 'red meat' types of foods DO cause issues, where areas the Chicken forumulas won't...you might try one of the other types of Canidae too; just be sure that when you DO switch over you allow ample time for the dogs to really make a switch, which means atleast a month or two on the food...

When I first got my Border mix, it took a long time for her to really get used to better food; and the 'better' the food got the more time it took for her to get used to it; most shelters don't give quality foods, because they can't...so she lived her first 6 months on really poor quality foods.

Now, however, she can switch back and forth easily on the foods I give her; I switch between Chicken Soup, Solid Gold, and have now added Taste of the Wild to the mix... I also supplement with Raw bones, and Natural Balance rolls.

[Criosphynx]

My dogs were on natural balance when we tried the Costco food.

After about a week or so , Scooters hair started falling out in huge wads (he normal doesn't shed) The new hair had no shine to it at all and all the dogs started itching themselves almost raw. There were firm, but much more frequent stools.
Their demenors just seemed overall dulled as well. Switched back and all is well again.

The Maxximum cat food worked fine for me years ago, don't know about the dog food tho.

[luv4gsds]

Chloe'sMom I know of a lot of dog owners that feed their dogs Maxximum Nutrition. At less this kibble doesn't have animal by-product. From what I can see from the chicken formula it isn't all that bad.

[Willowy]

Amount of money you can afford to spend on your dogs (from purchase price-burial options) DOES not indicate how much a person cares for them.
That just makes no sense.

Absolutely! I do like to do research into pet foods, and so there are some brands I would not feel comfortable feeding my dogs. But, if a certain brand is all someone can afford, then that's all there is to it.

I DO NOT like to see people feeding their dogs store-brand foods (Hy-Vee, Pamida, Country Fare, etc.), because I've seen what they do to dogs. I think they're nothing more than flavored sawdust. But if they're feeding a name-brand food (Purina, Alpo, etc.), and their dog is doing well on the food, then I see no problem. And Purina Dog Chow does not cost that much more than Hy-Vee food.

I would only think ill of a dog owner feeding a cheaper food if the dog is not doing well on the food, they can afford something better, but they refuse "because it's just a dog". Or if the family is eating expensive foods, buying a new plasma TV and a Nintendo Wii, with a hot tub and a Jet-Ski, but they still feed their dogs Hy-Vee food. Ugh. I used to babysit for a chiropractor who did that. They could afford a hot tub, but they couldn't even buy Purina for the dogs?!?!? Some people.