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The best Cheap Dog food... I think I found it

110K views 18 replies 13 participants last post by  Willowy 
#1 · (Edited)
So I know I have been an advocate for spending a little more on dogfood to get better ingredients... But lately ive been trying to find the cheapest formula that still has good ingredients.

I went to walmart and started comparing their entire selection... And only found one good one.

Its Rachel Ray Nutrish Chicken and Vegetables. Its 97 Cents per pound (cheaper than some lower quality iams and purina foods) and here are the ingredients

Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Meal, Soybean Meal, Animal Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Corn Gluten Meal, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Dried Beet Pulp, Natural Flavor, Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Dehydrated Alfalfa, Dried Peas, Dried Tomatoes, Dried Carrots, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Olive Oil, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Oxide, Dried Parsley,
...
I mean its not amazing, but for the price its outstanding.. The first 2 ingredients are meat, one of them is a meal which is important...
Compared to equivalently priced purina, iams, and beneful, its very good.
 
#2 · (Edited)
blah corn and soy... lol I have just pulled off a miracle, I was feeding kibble at $2/lbs and now Emmett eats (between RMB, yogurt, salmon oil, meat and organs) raw and I am litterally paying 80 cents a pound. He eats about 1.5 pounds so its really reasonable. can't complain :)

I'm sorry, for the price thats a really good food, you can find it at walmart and vs purina, beneful or Iams its very reasonable.. and I believe some of the profit goes to a pet charity?
 
#12 ·
blah corn and soy... lol I have just pulled off a miracle, I was feeding kibble at $2/lbs and now Emmett eats (between RMB, yogurt, salmon oil, meat and organs) raw and I am litterally paying 80 cents a pound. He eats about 1.5 pounds so its really reasonable.
Though raw may seem dramatically cheaper than kibble, you must also keep in mind that they have different levels of water content. Kibble is about 90% Dry Matter (DM), while raw is about 30% DM. That means when you buy raw, you are paying for a lot of water weight as well.

So if you do the math. Paying $2/lb of kibble means you are paying $2.22/lb of DM ($2/.9). And paying $.80/lb of raw means you are paying $2.66/lb of DM ($.8/.3)

I still think raw is great despite the costs, which is why I feed it to my dog :)
 
#7 ·
I agree with Dogluvr and zhaor.

If you have access to a Costco, Kirkland food is your best bet. It's only about $0.55/lb. And it's better than the Nutrish Chicken.

But if you can afford $1/lb then definitely go for Chicken Soup. Chicken soup is close in quality to Wellness and Innova which are more expensive. Those two are closer to $1.60/lb.

Try Chicken soup! You'll love it!
 
#9 ·
Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Meal, Soybean Meal, Animal Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Corn Gluten Meal, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Dried Beet Pulp, Natural Flavor, Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Dehydrated Alfalfa, Dried Peas, Dried Tomatoes, Dried Carrots, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Olive Oil, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Oxide, Dried Parsley

Way overpriced if it's got cheap fillers such as corn, and nonspecified animals in it. Yuck.

I also vote for Chicken Soup, or Diamond Naturals (both of which are made by the same company who makes Kirkland). I'm on a budget right now and feeding Fromm Gold.
 
#10 ·
I wish I had a Costco around here, I would give Kirkland a try. I have heard a lot of happy people feeding that. I would at least give it a look. I am currently feeding Taste of the Wild. I think it is pretty reasonable for the quality and my dogs really look good on it. They eat a lot less of that then some of the other foods they have had.
 
#11 ·
The ingredients mentioned above are awful (soybean meal, animal fat, etc). Chicken Soup For The Dog Lover's Soul is the best food for the price IMO. And of course Kirkland is great if you have a Costco membership. Canidae was always another good one for the price, but since they've been bought out I heard there was a decrease in quality and I'm not sure about the price.
 
#13 ·
Raw has very low carb content and high fat content. It actually works out closer pound to pound than you would think. When I compare calorie content per dollar raw is lower than some kibble like Wellness and about the same as most super premium.

Unspecified animal fat just gives me the shivers. Dogs are scavengers but I don't want mine to eat that on purpose. And pay for it.
 
#19 · (Edited)
The Rachel Ray isn't horrible, and is the best you can get in town here. Personally, I found it to be rather expensive ($8.50 for 6 pounds, and they don't have the larger bags). But better than most of the alternatives, and cheaper than Iams.

I think the best cheap food is Diamond Naturals/Kirkland (same stuff under different packaging). Way cheaper than almost any dog food out there, and not bad for the price. Grainy, yes, but nothing horrible. Chicken Soup is a little better, a little more expensive but still very reasonable (about $1.00 a pound for me). You'll find most of the good brands are sold in "strange little pet stores you've never heard of before", LOL.

The Member's Mark Exceed (Sam's Club premium dog food) isn't too awful but is definitely worse than Kirkland. It does have corn derivatives and the lamb formula has by-product meal, but the first ingredient is real meat, and in the chicken formula there's no by-products, so it's better than most.
 
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