[Rhyno37]

Hey guys, I've got 2 dogs, DJ a 6 year old German short haired pointer, and Annie a 7.5 month old red lab. Currently I'm feeding them both variations of Blue Buffalo, And a 50+ dollars for a 30lb bag, its taking a toll on me as a college student. I'd like to switch to something cheaper while trying to keep quality. Id prefer to buy in store but don't mind online, we have pet smart, big r, tractor supply, and farm and fleet near by. I'd really like to be paying a dollar a pound if possible.

Second question is, can I switch Annie to adult food yet? If so, can I feed her and DJ the same food or must they be different? I.e. weight control and active. Last, how do I determine how much to feed? Thanks

 

[Loki Love]

At your local Tractor Supply, you may be able to get Taste of the Wild for cheaper. If you have a Costco, you could get the Kirkland brand as well. You may also want to consider going raw - it can be pretty cost effective once you get to know where to buy from.

 

[ChaosIsAWeim]

Tractor supply also has 4health (their brand), which is pretty cheap (I believe at mine I can get a 30-35 lb bag for about $30).

 

[Rhyno37]

I was just about to ask about it. Some variations can even be had for $25. From what I've read it seems to be a good food, hopefully my store has it. That being said, what variation do I need to feed my dogs? Can it be the same?
http://tsc.tractorsupply.com/search...C1pf9QvIIx&format=brand&modaf=a:brand:4health

 

[zhaor]

Same suggestion as Loki

Although around here, ToTW isn't really cheaper than $50/30lb, it atleast shouldn't be more expensive than blue buffalo. Ingredients wise it is one of the better kibble for the price and slightly better than blue buffalo. The high prairie and wetlands formulas at least, the lamb and salmon formulas for ToTW are a bit lower in meat and protein.

Kirkland Signature, the Costco brand is one of the most economic dog food when it comes to quality. I believe they have a grain free formula as well now that's probably comparable in quality to blue buffalo.

 

[Shell]

I suggest 4Health from TSC also. I'd just feed them both the regular adult blend, they have a lamb and rice or a chicken and rice. If either seem sensitive to chicken, the salmon and potato blend would be good.

 

[Rhyno37]

Thanks for the help guys I think I'll just feed them both 4health chicken and rice and see how that goes. If my store doesn't have 4health, how does diamond naturals compare?

 

[Shell]

Thanks for the help guys I think I'll just feed them both 4health chicken and rice and see how that goes. If my store doesn't have 4health, how does diamond naturals compare?

The ingredients are pretty similar. But since 4Health is TSC's own brand, I would be very surprised if they didn't have it.

 

[boxerlover876]

Fromm is also a food that's around one dollar a pound. Raw would be good too. I personally won't feed Diamond products so that's why I wouldn't go with 4Health. Plus I don't love the formulas.

 

[zhaor]

To add to boxerlover's post, Diamond recently had a salmonella recall back in April 2012 and there were issues with sanitation practices when the FDA went to inspect the corresponding plant. Still it's not to say that other pet food plants are better or that all Diamond plants are "unsanitary" but avoiding the brand is certainly understandable.

ToTW and Kirkland are also Diamond products. Obviously Diamond is a Diamond product. Really a lot of the "cost efficient" foods are made by Diamond.

 

[Sibe]

Have you thought about raw?

I feed prey model raw and spend about $60-75/month for two 40 lb dogs and two 10 lb cats. I go through about 2lbs of food a day. It would depend on your available resources though, if you are able to get scraps from butchers and hunters and friends you could do it for almost free.

 

[juliemule]

I also feed 4health, no issues. It's cheap, good, dogs like it, and no corn!

 

[Mheath0429]

Same suggestion as Loki

Although around here, ToTW isn't really cheaper than $50/30lb, it atleast shouldn't be more expensive than blue buffalo. Ingredients wise it is one of the better kibble for the price and slightly better than blue buffalo. The high prairie and wetlands formulas at least, the lamb and salmon formulas for ToTW are a bit lower in meat and protein.

Kirkland Signature, the Costco brand is one of the most economic dog food when it comes to quality. I believe they have a grain free formula as well now that's probably comparable in quality to blue buffalo.

I disagree with you. Blue Wilderness is a pretty great food and isn't manufactured by Diamond - which puts it higher on my list.

Personally, I feed raw. It's inexpensive and great for your dog. But, if you don't want to devote time to that you could try Eagle Pack or Nature's Recipe.

 

[zhaor]

I disagree with you. Blue Wilderness is a pretty great food and isn't manufactured by Diamond - which puts it higher on my list.

Personally, I feed raw. It's inexpensive and great for your dog. But, if you don't want to devote time to that you could try Eagle Pack or Nature's Recipe.

Oh I'd agree Blue Wilderness is comparable to ToTW and made by a more trustworthy company but it's also more expensive, around here at least. I guess i should have been more clear. I was referring to what the OP is currently feeding which I assume is just normal blue buffalo (since they said blue buffalo and 30lb bags), which ingredients wise isn't as good as ToTW.

I said "ingredients wise" because I know how some people feel about Diamond. It was an oversight on my part that I forgot to actually mention ToTW is made by Diamond, a company with a questionable track record on sanitary practices. Honestly though, Diamond makes a lot of the more "cost efficient" foods. Kirkland, 4health, Chicken Soup, ToTW....

 

[InkedMarie]

Do your dogs have any issues going on? Overweight, underweight, ear infections, etc?

 

[BlueChaos]

I personally would stay away from anything diamond made, they have a pretty bad track record, including a very recent one with salmonella contamination. Have you tried Nutri-source, it's very reasonably priced ($45 for large bag of grain free and less for grain inclusive) and they have not been involved in recalls. Another good compnay is Fromm, they have a classic formula which is under $40, no recalls either.

I recently started buying from this company, they had good prices, especially if you sign up for auto ship and free shipping on orders over $49

http://petbest.com/control/main?CURRENT_CATALOG_ID=HomeCatalog

 

[NicoleIsStoked]

go to petsmart and grab a big bag of authority. its their own brand and is actually very decent quality. no by products, artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. the lamb flavour is even corn free. you're looking at about $30 for a 35lbs bag. also, ask the staff for coupons. they usually have some lying around for $3-5 off. i have my little guy on it and he loves it and is doing great.

 

[wolfsnaps]

Depending on your sources, raw could be the cheapest way (and in my humble opinion, the best). I often get free meats of all kinds.

If you are unable or unwilling to, I would say Taste of the Wild. I really don't think dogs should have grains on a regular basis.

Good luck finding what works for you

 

[boxerlover876]

go to petsmart and grab a big bag of authority. its their own brand and is actually very decent quality. no by products, artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. the lamb flavour is even corn free. you're looking at about $30 for a 35lbs bag. also, ask the staff for coupons. they usually have some lying around for $3-5 off. i have my little guy on it and he loves it and is doing great.

Why do you keep promoting bad foods?

 

[cshellenberger]

I personally would stay away from anything diamond made, they have a pretty bad track record, including a very recent one with salmonella contamination. Have you tried Nutri-source, it's very reasonably priced ($45 for large bag of grain free and less for grain inclusive) and they have not been involved in recalls. Another good compnay is Fromm, they have a classic formula which is under $40, no recalls either.

I recently started buying from this company, they had good prices, especially if you sign up for auto ship and free shipping on orders over $49

http://petbest.com/control/main?CURRENT_CATALOG_ID=HomeCatalog

Blue, I feed Kirkland and have been for years. The thing with the recent Salmonella recalls is that if every food company tested the way Diamond does, they would ALL be recalled. Salmonella really only affects dogs if they have a compromised immune system, otherwise feeding raw would make dogs sick on a very regular basis. It's more of a human worry as most people don't handle (kibble) dog food as of it were raw meat (and they SHOULD no matter the brand). Dogs with healthy immune systems have a gut that is made for eating things we humans couldn't handle (because dogs are scavengers).