Hi Debbie- When I first started researching nutrition for my dog, I felt the same way as you did. I thought grains were bad and all dogs were automatically prone to reacting to them, I had to feed a 5 star food or my dog would be unhealthy etc. After taking a deep breath, I realized that while this site is a good jumping off point, you have to find a food that works for you, your budget, and your dog and his/her needs. That may or may not include a 5 star food. I have fed a lot of 5 star foods starting with Blue Wilderness and ending with Orijen. My dog did ok on these 5 star grain free foods, but still had skin issues that I couldn’t seem to resolve. Now, my boy is eating a food that this site gives only 3.5 stars to, but for us its a 10 star food. His hair has grown back, his poop is the best its been and best of all he loves the food (hes picky as can be). It’s grain based and doesn’t have the meat content that some of the 5 star foods have, but it’s working great for us and I couldn’t be happier with the food.
The brand I use is Fromm and they make a great budget friendly Adult food in their Fromm Family Classics line.
http://www.chewy.com/dog/fromm-family-classics-adult-formula/dp/32646
