[theBCnut]

That’s a tough one because there can be so many reasons for colitis. For some dogs, increasing fiber helps, but for others(I think most) going as low fiber as possible is the key. Does the vet have your dog on I/D? If so, I would get a small bag of something relatively bland like NutriSource and start a VERY slow transition, like only 10% new food. Watch stools very carefully for any signs of stomach upset before increasing the amount. Other foods to try if NutriSource doesn’t work out are Abady and Victor’s Ultra Pro. They are both high calorie foods and will need a slow transition, but they are pretty low on fiber.

[Naturella]

Carlyn, I see. Yeah, I have given my roommate’s dog a few kibbles of Bruno’s food here and there as a training treat and it took her a minute to eat them, which is so odd, cause it is a much better food (I use Victor GF mixed kibbles and Nature’s Variety Instinct Rabbit – all from samples – as training treats for Bruno, as well as his actual kibble, which right now is Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch with Victor Yukon Salmon and Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension Original). So eventually she ate it, but yeah, I try to not give too much because I am not sure how she would be. She has eaten SD her whole life, switching between the chicken and lamb as protein (at least there has been SOME rotation), and he gives her some chewy fish-based treats (yay fish!), so she has been exposed to that too, so I think she is ok with having a tiny kibble here and there as a treat, especially because her particular SD formula is 3.5 stars, so not terribly bad (Earthborn Holistic CC is 4.5, Holistic Health Extension Original is 4, and the Victor GFs and the Nature’s Variety Instinct are 5, but are all mixed, so it evens out to like 4.5-ish). And I think the lab pup should be ok with a kibble here and there too.

But, I do agree animals sometimes tend to go for the lower-quality food – it took the roommate’s dog forever to try a kibble of Bru’s better food, and I have caught him eating her SD Lamb&Rice a few times, that idiot… So yeah, it probably is like “yummy fast food” to them, idk… lol

[Naturella]

I just noticed your Mastiff is a year and a half – he should be about full-grown, but I have heard that large and giant breed dogs take longer to mature than small-medium breeds, so I would certainly advise you to make sure the food is at least an All Life Stages food (which all of the ones I recommended (except NutriSource – not sure about that one) are). At least for a little while longer – just to make sure he is getting appropriate nutrients if he is still growing and altogether too.

Also, as far as kibble size is concerned (in case your Chiwinnie(s) need small kibble), all of the foods I mentioned are with a manageable kibble, especially Victor – theirs is pretty small – and then Earthborn and NutriSource (I have fed a couple samples of it) were about the same size, a bit bigger than Victor, and Dr. Tim’s was the “biggest”, but my then-about 10-lb terrier mix had no problems with it. So the Chiwinnie(s) should be ok with either one of these foods if you choose to feed one of them. Plus, rotation is always good, so you can well go through them all – allergies permitting, of course! 🙂

[Naturella]

Once you determine the allergy source, you can look into affordable foods – some of the more popular ones around here are Earthborn Holistic Grain Free; Victor Grain Free (make sure to check out their sales right now if you can’t find it locally – but the Ultra Professional is mid-400s in kcal/cup); and NutriSource (NOT affordable where I am, but others report it is pretty affordable for them. Dr. Tim’s is another high-cal, affordable food, but they mostly use chicken if I am not mistaken, which is what your dogs MAY (or may not) be allergic to. I think Victor use chicken meal in some formulas, but they have a few beef&pork ones and a salmon one. Earthborn are really cool, because they give you what the label says – seafood (for the Coastal Catch), buffalo and lamb (for the Great Plains Feast), lamb (for Meadows something), and chicken (for Primitive Natural). They do use a lot of peas though. So yeah, I definitely think you should do an elimination diet to find the allergy source(s), and then look for foods that do not contain those ingredients among the ones listed and others.

[crazy4cats]

I have never dealt with that issue as my current and past dogs will eat anything at anytime! I hesitate to make any suggestions due to your pup’s health conditions. I’m not sure if you have checked this out, but on the review side of this site, there is a list of excellent low fat foods. Just click on best dog foods and it will bring up different categories of foods, including low fat. It is my understanding that with diabetes, that kibble is not the best form of food to feed. Canned, dehydrated, cooked or raw is best. I hope someone that can help will jump in. But, I’m not sure that anyone can predict which food your dog will like and for how long. LOL! I feed my dogs with digestive issues Victor grain free mixed with canned, eggs, or sardines or fresh pet select. I also give a digestive and probiotic supplements. I hope you find something that makes your pup better. Good luck!

[Mom2Cavs]

I love Wellness, Annamaet and Dr. Tim’s and Fromm. I’m very glad to see that they’re on the Editor’s Choice list, as well as on the GMO free list. I also love Victor dog food. It is only on the budget friendly list, which is great. It does have some GMO free formulas, as stated on their website. I’m not sure if all their foods are GMO free, though, so I guess that may be why they’re not included. I just feel they should be at least on the GMO free list, my opinion of course.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Dori]

Amy R. I’ve been feeding my three toy dogs (Maltese, Maltipoo and Yorkipoo) Primal Pronto in their rotation of commercial raw foods. It is hands down their favorite and also mine. I’ve never had any issues with Primal Pronto whatsoever. You can’t go wrong. THK is very very messy with light colored dogs. My Maltese, Hannah, is obviously white and Katie my Maltipoo is a very very light apricot/blondish color.

I don’t feed any kibble so I can’t advise on Merrick or any other dry food. I have heard a lot of people recommending Victor Grain Free dry. I think it’s the Yukon protein that they like but they are probably rotating within the brand. As I said not sure.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Carl-
Welcome to the forum! I have two 2 1/2 year old lab mix dogs that are about 80 pounds each. I love, love, love Kirkland cuts in Gravy! It is a great value. And I don’t only say that because I work at Costco. LOL! I have learned from “hanging out” on this site for about a year now that it is best to feed a variety of food. I wish I had a bigger budget so I could get a little more variety in their diet, but I do the best that I can. So, whether you decide to go with kibble or canned, it is best to feed a variety of kibble or canned or a combination of both. There is an article about diet rotation on the review side of this site in the FAQ tab. Now, that being said, I will tell you that I have chosen to go with a combination of the two. I feed about 75% to 25% kibble to canned. Currently I am feeding Victor grain free kibble with either Kirkland cuts in gravy canned, Pure Balance canned, or whole earth farms canned. In the evening a couple times a week, I add eggs or sardines to their kibble instead of canned. These are all considered budget 5 star foods. Don’t be afraid to try something and change it up if it doesn’t work. Good luck!

[Chelsea l]

Victor grain free dog food

[Shasta220]

Crazy how different prices are! For me, Victor is nowhere around. I’ve looked online, but it’s all about 50-70$ for a 20-30# bag (yes, including shipping – usually) then my lucky-dog friend is able to buy 40# bags for 30$! Yes, I’m jealous!!!! LOL!!!

I can’t remember how much NutriSource is around here. I wanna say for a 35-40# bag, it’s about 50-60$. I just ended up getting a bad first impression on it. I may try it again in the future as I’m pretty sure I know what happened:

Cassy (our senior lab) had been on 1-3 star food her whole life. She had horrible skin problems, so I decided it was time to save up and get a 4-5 star food. I /did/ transition her from the 2 star up to the 4 star, but it made her flare up to disgusting levels (50% of her skin was raw. She had to wear a cone and a sweater until the vet’s meds started working! Even then, her feet tore through the sweater and she could chew on her tail…poor baby).

I’ve never tried NutriSource again, just because I’m so scared it may have had some odd ingredient she reacted to, but now she is on similar 4 star foods and doing fabulously!

[Jon P]

I found another feed store today about 41 miles from me. They stock most of the Victor line and they accept credit cards too!
I bought the VICTOR SELECT HIGH ENERGY Formula cost $28. Not a bad price for a super premium quality dog food IMO.

I made a trip to one feed store two weeks ago assuming they accept credit cards and when I was about to pay, they tell me that they are not set up to accept credit cards. I drove about 100 miles and came home with NO Victor dog food. I was furious, I’ve never been to a store that did not accept credit cards.

So I will be able to buy Victor foods for the time being. I may still try this Canidae Grain Free pureELEMENTS for awhile since my dogs seem to enjoy it as long as I can get it for $40 per bag.

[Jon P]

I’ve been paying about $30 for 30lbs. Victor depending on the variety I pick which is why I want Victor dog food as it is high quality food for much less than other brands.

I ordered two 24lb. bags of Canidae Grain Free pureELEMENTS All Life Stage Dry Dog Food delivered for $73. So far all of the dogs are enjoying this food. I may just drive the 50 miles each way to the feed store and get several bags.

They are supposed to be building a Costco near me so I may look into their Kirkland brand.

How long is the dog food good for before going bad? I was unable to find an expiration date on the Victor bags.

[Naturella]

I am noticing more and more people liking/feeding/talking about Victor, this is great! For some reason, I am obsessed with the Black bag, the Ultra Pro. I like the ingredients and the protein level, but other than that, I really don’t know why I obsess about it so much!
It may be because up until a few days, I was SURE I couldn’t get it in less than 30lbs, unless I get the teeny free sample. Well, nowadays sportdogfood.com have these bags for $10.50 and you can fill them up with any kibble by the pound! The GF ones are a flat $1.89/lb, which is a little much, BUT I will get at least 5lbs of the Ultra Pro FINALLY!!! 😀 Can you tell I am ecstatic???

And now, back to reality and this post – I agree, this food – Total Canine – may not be a great replacement of Victor, but Earthborn Holistic surely should do, and as much as people don’t like Diamond, Taste of the Wild may be a good choice too, as well as Dr. Tim’s (not made by Diamond). As for NutriSource, it is SEVERELY pricy at my local Petland – $34.99 for the 14 or 15-lb bag when Earthborn GFs are $24.99-27.99. That’s about $10 more. Is it cheaper elsewhere??

[DogFoodie]

Hi Jon,

That’s how far it would be for me to buy Victor in the store as well. You do know that you can order it from Amazon, right. It’s more expensive because you get “free” shipping. You won’t like the price because I know what you’ve been paying in the store and the difference is significant. You can also order Victor from sportdogfood.com.

If I couldn’t get that local store to carry Victor and the food was what worked best for my dog, I’d make the drive two or three times per year and stock up.

If you’re near a TSC, you might try Grain Free 4Health. The two newest varieties, pork and duck, are made by Diamond so I’d skip those; but, the other three proteins are made by Ainsworth, so I would choose one of those. I’d check out Earthborn Holistics and NutriSource as those are both affordable and widely available. Dr. Tim’s is also a great budget friendly food and if you can’t find it in a store near you, you can easily find it online.

Sorry your store stopped carrying your food. It’s better to rotate through a variety of foods of different brands and proteins anyway, so maybe find a couple you like and add them into a rotation with Victor when you can get it.

[Jon P]

I’ve been feeding Victor dog food to all of my dogs up until the store I’ve buying from decided to stop carrying the line. Now I have to drive some 50 miles just to get it. So I’ve been looking for a similar replacement to Victor dog food.

I’ve been trying to get a local feed store to carry Victor but they went with this brand Total Canine dog food. I cannot find any information about the food except what is on their website. Does anyone know anything about this food? Would it be rater 3-4-5 stars?

http://www.totalfeeds.com/Total_Canine.html

Thanks

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Barbara –

A new puppy, that’s so exciting! 🙂

I’d urge you to head over to the review section and check out Dr. Mike’s list of “best” puppy foods. Some brands that I know to have small kibble sizes (suitable for a toy breed puppy like a yorkie) are Nature’s Variety, Victor, Nature’s Logic, Fromm, Amicus and most any formula that specifically states “small breed.”

/best-dog-foods/best-puppy-foods/

I’d also recommend this article on diet rotation:

/frequently-asked-questions/diet-rotation-for-dogs/

[Mom2Cavs]

Betsy, I used to love Merrick! I even fed the dry for about 3 months after the change to the new Classic, Grain free lines. But I had some problem with some of the kibble. I still fed the canned food until I found weird looking, mold-like, stuff in the middle of a few of them. So I won’t buy them anymore. I really miss buying them, too, because they had a lot of variety. Now I tend to stick with Wellness, but I do add a few others in now and then for more variety. Our kibble is Victor, atm, but I just found out Wellness has some new formulas for smaller breed dogs that look good. I was always asking them to come out with Simple in smaller size kibble and to have other flavors in Small Breed formulas. Now they have! However, I have a ton of Victor I will feed first before trying them out.

[Mom2Cavs]

Naturella….I feel Victor dog food is a very good food, some even state they are GMO free. I feel it should be nominated.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Naturella –

Victor is included on the Budget-Friendly Dog Foods list.

[Naturella]

Well, today I had another success… My best friend, who also owns a lab-hound mix (like my roommate) began her journey in better dog nutrition.

I have not talked to her much about that because I thought that her dad was doing most of the doggie care, and the few times I have been over at her parents’ house (where the dog lives), the dog looked like she would rather eat me than her dinner… SO I had not raised the subject until today.

She moved back in with her family in a new house and we were hanging out and she had to go back to walk her dog. I went with her, but before that I had to take her to my fave pet boutique with the free samples. Needless to say, she got an informational pamphlet, a bag full of free samples, and the recommendation to get on this site. I love this store, in case I have not mentioned this before. ANYWAY, in the car (we rode together), I was explaining to her about how what she feeds now (Kibbles ‘n’ Bits) is bad, what is good, and how it will help her dog. She (the dog) is a bit overweight, has fat pockets formed in a few places, and may suffer bad joints in the future.

So the store hooked her up with samples of Victor for joints, nutri source, earthborn, canidae pure, merrick beef, nutrisca salmon, and some other ones.

When we got to her place, I was a bit scared to get out of the car, but I did… Her dog barked at me like crazy (as usual), but I let her sniff me this time and eventually she calmed down. We decided that if I were to give her some of the new food as treats, she may like me even more, so we did. We tried the Merrick, and she liked it. We were friends now! We walked her together, talked more about food and how it affects EVERYTHING – smell, gassiness, joints, mast formations or fat pockets, allergies, everything. So when we got back, we gave her dog some of the Nutrisca Salmon, and boy, she LOVED it! So we mixed it with her dinner serving of the crap… I mean, of Kibbles ‘n Bits, and she ate some, but not too much (she is stressed because this is her first day in my friend’s new house). But, I think my friend has potential. She had bought a bag of Back to Basics for her dog in Fall and I was proud of her! So yeah, making progress… I am so excited!

With this being said, I really am sorry, Carlyn, but I don’t think anything will help this guy’s dogs, unless, like Patty said, someone whose opinion he values (more) tells him the same stuff you have been… So yeah…

[Mom2Cavs]

Even though they just sell Victor dog food, I love Sportdogfood.com!! They are so nice to work with. I still use Chewy’s, too. I like to order my small dog gear from a few different stores, like Gollygear.com, Baxterboo.com, Gwlittle.com. And the cutest harnesses come from Udogu.com lol. Oh, I almost forgot Fabuleash.com!

[crazy4cats]

Yes, they usually do feel bad and embarrassed when they have accidents. Poor thing:) As Bobby Dog stated, all kibble has to have some type of starch to bind it together. I know that there are some grain free that use tapioca, like Natures Variety Instinct. Is that considered a starch? I use Victor with my lab mixes, but it does use sweet potatoes as a binder. Maybe you could mostly use canned food? Good luck with your pup.

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi Patrick. I don’t have experience with GSD’s specifically, but I do know that large breed puppies have specific dietary needs. You have to have the correct amount and balance of calcium and phosphorous in the food or they could develop orthopedic issues. Also, you must not overfeed. Slow and steady growth is best. The large breed puppy nutrition thread is a great resource.
/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/
Hound Dog Mom, a very knowledgeable member made a list of foods appropriate for large breed puppy growth. All foods on the list are 4 or 5 stars. See here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit

There are some affordable 4 and 5 star foods that won’t break the bank. You can get the best selection and price by ordering online. I like Chewy.com and Petflow.com. Both ship free with a $49 order. The most affordable foods with grain from the list are: Dr. Tim’s Kinesis, Nutrisource Large Breed Puppy, and Victor Select (Chicken & Rice or Lamb & Rice). The most affordable grain-free is Earthborn Holistic (Meadow Feast or Coastal Catch). Other grain-free foods I would consider are Wellness Core Puppy and Nature’s Variety Instinct Turkey. Grain-free foods are more expensive but you can offset the cost of feeding grain-free by alternating with grain-inclusive foods as long as your dog tolerates both. It’s best to rotate through different foods and not feed the same thing all the time. I hope this helps. Someone else may chime in and give you more specifics about GSD’s specifically.

[Melissaandcrew]

Lol. I have been there with a thin dog that just doesn’t gain. I would try Victor Ultra Pro or Abady granular. The Abady is almost 800 cals per cup. Its granulated and looks like dirt, lol, but it works wonders for weight gain. You can get a small box and just add a bit to each meal. Please note that both these foods are higher fat, so if your dog is fat sensitive, use caution. We have used them many times over the past year and have yet to have a rescue fail to gain with them.

[Naturella]

Bobby dog, thanks for the kind words!

Yes, shopping on a budget is a necessity for both my friend and I, but finding fantabulous deals for quality food is a hobby. Luckily, she has 2 dogs – the lab and a Chorkie (chihuahua-yorkie, although he looks more like a bichon…), so she likes to stock up for both of them… She feeds them different stuff, which I find slightly odd, but to each their own, they both eat really good food. The Chorkie is stocked up with Holistic Health Extension Small Breed, Earthborn Holistic Small Breed and Coastal Catch, as well as a bag of Whole Earth Farms – Pork (I think), Halo, Simply Nourish, and Evanger’s. The lab also has a bag of Earthborn’s Ocean Fusion as well, I forgot about that.

To add to that, we both have a bunch of PetCo coupons and wipll be using them throughout the year.

As for me, my little JR-Rat Terrier-maybe Chihuahua in there-mutt is on a mix of Dr. Tim’s Kinesis-Nutrisca Chicken-Holistic Health Extension Grain Free-Now Fresh-Victor Yukon Salmon Grain Free-Nature’s Variety Instinct Chicken + Raw Boost-Nature’s Variety Turkey, Duck, and Chicken (TURDUCKEN! 😀 ) + Raw Boost. Some is from his initial mix of the first 3 foods; the HHE bag I got for free from Petland; the Now Fresh I got on sale for $3 for 0.5lbs; the Nature’s Variety and the Victor are free samples. For treats I use those kibbles, or free samples of Victor Joint Health Grain Free and Victor High-Pro Grain free, mixed together. Lined up I have Earthborn’s Coastal Catch, Primitive Natural, and Great Plains Feast to be mixed with ALL FREE bags of HHE Original, Grain Free, and Lamb and Brown Rice, respectively. For later on, I have Victor Ultra Professional lined up to mix with Back to Basics Open Range, and the foods that I have PetCo coupons for, such as Wellness, Canidae, Blue Buffalo (Bruno has done well on it in the past), Avo Derm, Solid Gold, Nature’s Variety, and Merrick. Those last ones I will buy in the end of the year, so they will be next year’s stash.

As for the pet boutiques, I would not purchase food from Store A, even if it’s good. But Store B I really like.

And thank you for the compliment – Bruno is our first “real” dog (when I was little, I had a min pin for about 2 weeks, but my dad couldn’t stand her, so they gave her away… Gina was “real”, but not “mine” for very long…) and I really try to learn about what is good for him and what’s not… We really love the little guy and definitely take better care for him than for ourselves (which is not entirely good, but… eh…). 🙂

[Naturella]

Hey, guys! No, the expired food is 66lbs (two bags at 33lbs each), the rest is still good, she just stocked up. It is even less now since she has been feeding it for over 2 weeks.

She bought Simply Nourish online. The Victor Ultra Pro (still good for a while) and the 2 expired Great Life were bought at Store A. Victor Beef and Brown Rice and two Evanger’s were bought at Store B. For those who live in the Kennesaw, GA area: Store A is “The Good Dog Co.” that sold the expired food. Store B is “Top Dogs” that sells expirING food but lets you know what you’re getting yourself into and if you can feed it all by the expiration date, one can make the educated decision to buy it or not. Store A didn’t give my friend that option.

So far her lab has been adoring the Great Life, and she has now been mixing the 2 bags and feeding that so that she can get rid of them quicker. He lab kills 30lbs in about a month (more or less), so she shouldn’t be on this food too much longer… The lab is doing good for now, and I told her to monitor her, and if she notices even a slight change in her stool or behavior toward the food, to just toss it. Store A wouldn’t take it back since they said “it is still good 6-8 months after expiration”. So yeah… At least she has good quality and good (by expiration) food to get her lab back on when the Great Life is over.

I will also relay to her what you guys recommend. I don’t want her dog to get sick, so maybe she will decide to just toss the food anyway and continue with the others in the stash…

Betsy, special thanks for the links! I will check them out myself and send them to my friend also!

P.S. I had hoped that pet boutiques would be more honest about kibble quality and not just try to push it on people when it’s all expired and what not…

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by Naturella.

[Naturella]

Absolutely! And good job on learning something new yourself! 🙂

And, not to beat a dead horse, but I also keep learning new things, even when I am convinced I already know the truth.
So my friend (my success story, the one I got to switch from Shep to 3.5-5-star foods) and I recently discovered two pet boutiques, both literally 3 min from my house each, on the same street as my apartment complex! I was in heaven. Let alone the great foods they sell, they also have the awesome natural chews I like, and much more. Anywho, my friend bought 90lbs of food from Store A and maybe 50 from Store B. Well, 2 of the bags of food from Store A were on sale, which is why she bought them. We did not think to look at the expiration dates, and 2 weeks later, lo and behold, she finds out that one expired in January, and the other in February. She was pretty upset that she was sold expired food without knowing it, when Store B’s sale items are on sale with an extra sticker with the expiration date of the food right on top of the bag. She was saying that Store A has now lost her business and what not, and today I happened to be right next to Store A, and went inside to let them know how my friend was feeling because of what they had done. To my surprise, they were fully aware that they were selling expired food, and said that expired dry kibble is still good 6-8 months after the expiration date. Well, I was surprised, so I swung by Store B to ask them as well. After receiving a confirmation there, I reassured my friend that her dog will be fine (she bought the two Great Life 33-lb bags on sale for her yellow lab, along with Victor Ultra Professional 30lbs (And Victor Brown Rice and Beef 40lbs. And Simply Nourish 30lbs. And Evanger’s 5lbs to mix in. We are food nutties.). So she is much relieved, as am I, because now we know that expired food, while maybe not ideal, is still good for a little while longer. 🙂 Go figure, but I’m glad I swung by the store to tell them of the “incident” and learn something, that was also confirmed elsewhere. 🙂

Sidenote – Store A’s treats and chews are cheaper, so I will shop there for them, but Store B has more foods on sale at better prices too, and FREE SAMPLES! So I am totally in heaven! 🙂

[Naturella]

I think I have mentioned being in a similar situation with my roommate who feeds his lab-hound mix the Science Diet. While not as horrible as Beneful or Pedigree, he can still do MUCH better, especially because he has the means to! But he just believes he knows a lot about dogs and would not listen to another opinion. This weekend he was out climbing and I was in charge of feeding his dog. Many times I debated whether I should sneak some good food into her crap, or at least a sardine, some coconut butter, or some healthy additive, but never did, precisely because of what neezerfan said. The dog is somewhat picky and if she doesn’t eat the food and he gets home and sees it, he will be upset. Or, if she eats it and gets sick, he will be upset. So while it is heartbreaking to me to not feed her good food, I am working on coming to terms that this battle is one I will never win.

I have, however, gotten a really close friend of mine and a former roommate to stop feeding her lab and chorkie (chihuahua-yorkie mix) dogs the Aldi brand dog food Shep (1 star), to feeding 3.5-5-star foods, such as Blue Buffalo, Great Life, Earthborn, Holistic Heath Extension, Evangers, Nutro, Victor, etc. She can clearly see the effects of better food on her dogs, especially her lab, whose coat has gotten soft and shiny. Her and her dogs are my pride and joy! Now, if only I can get her to stop bathing them every week and giving them “greenies” every night, I would feel complete, but that’s another story, lol. She does give them bully sticks-antlers-marrow bones-hooves-himalayan dog chews-other natural chews, so I guess they are ok for the most part. 🙂

Another “battle” is with a classmate, who is a vet actually, but studied in Colombia, back in the day. Her husband feeds their rottweiler Pedigree (1 star) and stuff like that, so I am going to slowly introduce her to other foods for a great price too (Victor for example, and Earthborn, and HHE). I am giving her a bag of free samples of better foods I got from the nearby pet boutique, and I will hopefully get her to switch to Victor Joint Health or something like that soon. 🙂

Overall I have spoken to many friends who have dogs about dog food, and some take my advice, and some don’t, but if I can even help one dog, I would be happy. I would always want to help more though, but you just have to be careful, and really gauge how to speak to a person about what they feed their “baby”.

[crazy4cats]

My dogs are doing great on Victor Grain free right now. It is one of the cheaper 5 star foods that have worked for me. I can’t get it as cheap in my area as others as it is not very available. But, still less than a lot of other quality foods. There is also Earthborn, Nutrisource, Taste of the Wild (Diamond), and Dr. Tim’s. good luck!

[Naturella]

My local Petland sells the Earthborn Holistic (Grain free is 4.5 stars, I think) for the least amount of money ($25-$28) for 15-lb bags. Also, Victor (the grain inclusive ones) are mostly for UNDER a dollar/pound, and the grain free (5-star ones) are for a little over a dollar/pound. Petland’s Holistic Health Extension (4-stars except for the grain free, which is 4.5 stars) run for $12-$14 for 4-lb bags.

Online, just watch for sales on websites that sell dog food, such as petflow.com and chewy.com , or pet store websites. If there are pet boutiques around you, they usually put bags that expire soon on mad sales, so you can get a 5-star food, 5lbs for like $8 or 40lbs for $35!!! So just browse around, and good luck!

[Shasta220]

I’ve not done too much research as to most and least affordable, but if you’re not opposed to foods made by Diamond, I believe a couple of their varieties (DN small breed puppy and Extreme Athlete) are 5 star, and usually it’s about $1.50/lb. There are quite a few others that are relatively affordable, but you’ll probably be looking around at least 2-3$/lb. Some TotW and Victor foods are 5-star as well.

I’ve not tried a vast variety of foods myself, as I don’t have access to a whole lot, so I can’t tell you what /the/ best balance of price/quality will be.

Hope you find something that works for your dogs and your wallet!

[freshley]

I just found out from Canidae that even though they built their own manufacturing facility, some is made by diamond, performance pet, and Hampshire pet.
Yet again it seems like anyone can make dog food as all it takes is a recipe and then have diamond make it for you.

I’m looking for something at least 4 stars and is less than $50/30lbs.
I may either stick with wellness or try earthborn if I can find it.

I’ve heard that Merrick went down hill recently and even switched recipes without telling anyone.

I looked into Victor and there isn’t anyone around that sells it.

[Mom2Cavs]

Yes, their regular line is not available in the USA. Don’t know why, really. Merrick would be a fine substitution if your dog tolerates it. I personally like Annamaet or Dr. Tim’s, or Victors. Wellness Core is good, too. Lots of people love Fromm. I do, too, except I use their grain inclusive foods. We can get the Acana LIDs, or Singles, here in the States so if they’re suitable for a large breed pup then maybe you could try one of those. We can also get the Regionals, but I’m not sure about large breed pups. Remember, too, that the Singles do contain oatmeal.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Melissaandcrew]

I have a dobie with a very sensitive stomach, and it came to a point of thinking grain free would never work for her. I finally found Victor grain free ultra pro. For her, LESS fiber was the solution. So, if you try a food with more fiber and it doesn’t work, think about going lower. Every dog is different. Boxers are notorious for allergies and stomach issues, so perhaps a boxer forum can help.

[Mom2Cavs]

As I posted before, I order some of my dogs’ food from Chewy.com because I can’t get it locally. Recently I ordered some Dr. Tim’s from them. I ordered cat and dog. With the cat food I had to order a big bag because they were out of the small bag (and I didn’t want to wait to try it). I will store the bag in another container to keep it fresh. The expiry date was a good one for the cat food, out to 2015. However, with the dog food I ordered two 5 lb. bags, one of regular Kinesis and one of grain free Kinesis. Both bags came in good shape but their expiry dates are in April of this year! I takes at least a month, or more, for my dogs to go through a small bag like that so I was disappointed in the dates. I don’t think I put any note on the order about expiry dates but still….I was in the process of transitioning to Victor but now I’m going to have to start the Dr. Tim’s due to the dates being short. The food smells fine and the dogs love it, but I’m just disappointed that the dates aren’t farther out. Next time I’m ordering a medium sized bag and will definitely put a note on the order saying I prefer the latest expiry date they have, or better yet, I’ll call and order and ask them what their dates are. I guess this is the one thing that bothers me about ordering online, you can’t physically see the bag and what the date is. Oh well, lesson learned.

[Mom2Cavs]

Although people have said that having chicken fat in a food should not bother a dog with chicken allergies, just be sure to note that Victor Ocean does have that ingredient in it. I’m hoping it’ll work for Laverne. The Annamaet Option doesn’t have any poultry and it’s working great, so we’ll see when I rotate what happens. Keeping notes does help! Keep us updated. 🙂

[Mom2Cavs]

Sometimes it takes about 2-3 months to find out if a food works for your dog. At least it’s been that way for mine. Sometimes, though, I can tell immediately but other times it takes awhile. I am feeding Annamaet now and the dogs are doing great! I just got some Victor Yukon and Ocean, and lots of samples of the Senior, GF, and Adult. I plan on a rotation of Annamaet, Victor, and Dr. Tim’s and Fromm 4Star. Laverne may not be able to eat some of them due to them having poultry, but we’ll see. If not, she’ll just eat the ones with fish.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Harpers Mom]

So Harper has been on Merrick dog food now for about 2 months. She has done exceptionally well on the Texas beef and duck formulas. But all of a sudden in the past week or so she has gone from having a bowel movement once or twice a day to 5 or 6 times a day. Her stool was firm but not rock hard, now it’s very soft, almost diarrhea . We have been adding pumpkin to her food the past 3 days and still no change. I am about to change food to see if it helps. We are think Fromm beef feretta, or earthborn great planing feast. Or victor salmon formula, Any suggestions?

• This topic was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by Harpers Mom.

[Naturella]

Sheltie_Pom,

Considering you have other dogs too, I think you can do much better with the food choices. I don’t know if you can have food delivered if ordered online, but as noted, Victor is a MUCH better brand than those you listed, and you can get it for around $1/pound.

I understand the coupons thing, I use coupons too, but once those are used up, I would look for better options.

[Naturella]

I second both Shasta and dchassett. I have fed Blue Buffalo Wilderness with no problems and really good results, but it is a bit pricy. I do recommend stocking up on food, but watching the “Best by:” dates. The bigger the bag, the less per pound it is, as Shasta noted.

Here is another link for Victor foods that should be right on the money: http://www.victorpet.com/#!buy-organic-dog-treats-online/c13qg

Make sure you do some research as well, visit local feed or pet stores, shop online:
http://www.chewy.com
http://www.petflow.com
http://www.wag.com

Have good deals and sales often.

And do try to get a 4-5-star-rated food. It IS possible, even on a tight budget, we promise! 🙂

[Shasta220]

I will deeeefinitely say a HUGE no no to Science Diet. It is not much better than Purina dog chow, despite the high price. Blue Buffalo is alright, but it’s more expensive than the quality is worth. The link given for Victor foods was good, too. I’m on a big-time budget with my 3 pigs (oops! I meant dogs!) I buy 40lb bags of Diamond Naturals (some dogs do great on it, others do terrible…luckily my dogs are fine) for about $35

That being said, I’d imagine it’ll be harder to find something around $1/lb for a small dog, as small bags tend to be more expensive per pound, and I honestly don’t know how well a large bag of kibble would last. Possibly going for a 12-15lb bag? Really though, the bigger the bag, the cheaper the food will be per pound.

Hopefully you can find something that works! Oh, and try to make sure it’s a 4-5 star food on this site 🙂

[Naturella]

This company has some good deals: http://www.victorpet.com/#!sport-dog-food-store/ci6h especially if you choose the 40+20lbs, this brings it down to $0.95/pound.

[Naturella]

Oh, my goodness, I absolutely feel the same way – I REALLY need to watch my nutrition and exercise as closely as I watch Bruno’s, so I can be around him and my husband and I’s future human and furry babies longer…

But yes, I have stocked up on Earthborn and Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension for DAYS – a total of 42 lbs of Earthborn (3 varieties @ 14 lbs each), and a total of 12 lbs of HHE (3 varieties @ 4 lbs each), so 54 lbs so far, and I want to now get Victor Ultra Pro (GF) and the Yucon Salmon GF, 15 lbs each – that will be a total of 84 lbs of food for $110 altogether (great coupons I got). I also plan to add raw ground, RMBs, and marrow bones for gnawing as well as dehydrated natural chews… I am a mess… I need to REALLY stop shopping for Bruno after I get the last of Victor, and raw… And watch those “Best by: ” labels!

But yes, if you ever want to come up to Kennesaw to go to that store, and would like to meet up (there is also a great park with dog off-leash areas really close by), you can let me know if you want. You can add me on Facebook, my name is Aleksandra Ninova. 🙂

[Dori]

Yep. Turning friends on to good start would be the way to go. I’ve got three dogs that only eat 1/4 cup each twice a day and I’m constantly looking and buying more food. I just got an order today of Dr Harvey’s Oracle Tripe and Victors Yukon Grain Free but sure enough I’ll be in Kennesaw buying more food. My husband, Jim, thinks I’ve become a bit obsessed at this point over dog food. He’s obviously right but my dogs have always been my babies. I just wish I gave some thought to feeding us as well as I feed them. They are nutritionally balanced. We are certainly not. Haha.

[Mom2Cavs]

I posted back in Sept. and wanted to update what I’m doing now that’s working. For about a month now the dogs have been eating Annamaet Option for their kibble. Before that it was Fromm Salmon a la Veg and that was working fine, too. I’ve been adding as a topper canned foods. Mostly Wellness, either 95% Salmon, Lamb or Beef and Beef Stew. I also use Instinct Healthy Weight cans and Mulligan Stew Salmon and Fromm 4Star Beef or Pork. I use enzymes and pre/probiotics each meal. The ones I rotate with are Fresh Digest, Wholistic Pet Digest All Plus, Vetri-Science Mega Probiotics. Lucy gets a Maitake mushroom supplement from Vetri-Science for her cancer. Sometimes, actually rarely, I’ll add in a 3/6/9 supplement from Springtime, Inc. They also get a Fresh Factor chew from Springtime, Inc. in the morning. Recently, I tried substituting the morning meal for premade raw, but after about a week Laverne started having mild pancreatitis symptoms so I’ll probably stop doing that for now….I’m thinking about doing 2 morning premade raw meals a week and try that, instead of every morning. Maybe Tues. and Fri. I’m also thinking of actually trying some Annamaet Lean kibble….I know it’s chicken based, but I just want to see how Laverne does on it. I should be able to tell rather quickly if it’s bothering her. If it does, the others can eat it with no problem. I would also like to try Victor kibble (we may have it locally soon). Dr. Tim’s looks great, but I just don’t know, yet, if I’m up to trying it.

[Dori]

I too am sorry for your losses. It’s always a difficult thing to go through. I feed my three dogs grain, white potato, white rice free foods.
As someone else mentioned, if you check out the 4 and 5 star foods and read their ingredient lists you can go from there. Many of us on this site find a food that our dogs do well on and then continue the search so that we can have a few different brands and proteins to rotate through. Some rotate from bag to bag others rotate more often. I don’t really feed kibble any more (I feed commercial raw, also The Honest Kitchen which is a dehydrated food that you just add water to) and am just starting to delve into doing homemade raw meals. When I did feed kibble, some of the brands I really liked were Brothers Complete (you can only buy it on their website but they have very very quick delivery and great customer service, it’s a family run business), Zignature, Victors (you can also order Victors on Amazon, Natures Logic, Acana just to name a few.

Keep in mind that, and it’s only my way, when I first bring a puppy home (or any dog for that matter) I usually keep them on the same food they were eating for the first two weeks. My feeling is that they are going through enough stress with moving to a new home, new people, etc. that I think it’s just a little easier on them that at least something in their lives is familiar to them. Then I start the slow transition to a food I’m comfortable feeding and also comfortable with the companies website and where they source their ingredients and what plants are used to produce their food. I try to make sure I then research what other dog foods that plant may be producing and, of course, have there being any recalls on any of them.

On the top left hand section of this page is a wonder list of Dog Food Recalls and you can also sign up to be put on their email list for dog food recalls as they happen.

Hope any of this has helped. Good luck with the new puppy. Let us know how you make out. Oh, and ask all the questions you want.

[Mom2Cavs]

The foods I’m comfortable with are (in no particular order):

Fromm
Victor’s (haven’t tried them, yet, but would be happy to)
Dr. Tim’s (haven’t tried them, yet, but would be happy to)
Annamaet
Mulligan Stew
Nutrisource
Nature’s Logic

I feel comfortable with these foods due to many things. I either like/trust their company, no ingredients are sourced from China or they worked for my dogs (and I have one with allergy/intolerances).

[Shasta220]

I don’t have a whole lot of experiences with different foods, or where they’re sourced from. First off, I’m SO sorry for your loss! I’ve lost my favorite dog ever prematurely (I know you shouldn’t pick fave furbabies…but Otto always had a special spot), he was only two when he got killed..

Anyway, back to food. I trust this site quite a bit, and would say you could /probably/ get any 5 star food on here and be happy. Orijen is one of the favorites on here, and my friend has her dogs on NutriSource Grain Free. The 13y.o, lab/collie is happy, energetic, an super healthy. I also have heard good reviews on Victor.

But it really may take some trial and error. Some dogs have insanely great health on a brand, while other dogs don’t do so well, but like I say – check into the 5 star foods on this website to get started, 😉

Best wishes, and thank you for trying to get your dogs the best you have the resources for.

[gmcbogger38]

Years ago we had a Jack Russell who had terrible skin problems. We tried Dinovite and it completely cleared up her issues. Now, I have a Saint Bernard who has been having chronic ear problems and she has a odor that won’t completely go away when bathing her. Now she hasn’t had a bath in a couple months and she smells even worse. I have tried expensive high quality grain free and potato free dry foods and even raw (homemade with no grains, etc) and nothing has worked for her. I am finishing up a grain inclusive food right now and so far I have noticed improvements in her from being on grain free (seems opposite of what should happen). I will be putting my dogs on Victor dog food, since I have read some good reviews about it. I will give the food about a couple months and if I haven’t noticed her ears and eyes clearing up I have thought about trying Dinovite again. Now, my hesitation with it is the cost so I am wondering if anybody else has a suggestion of a supplement similar to Dinovite that might be cheaper please let me know. Thanks.

[RescueDaneMom]

I agree with what Ana said. I have a Great Dane as well so I understand the challenge that feeding a giant breed can be sometimes. I would avoid the hot dogs too. I only use hot dogs (good quality, all meat, all natural) for very special rewards. It’s not something you want to feed all the time.

My Dane was always slightly overweight on kibble no matter what brand I fed or how much I reduced his portion. The best thing I ever did for his health was switch him to The Honest Kitchen and raw. THK is a dehydrated food. You add water and let it rehydrate before serving it. It would be great for traveling in your motorhome with. You can incorporate some raw food instead of hot dogs if the concept of raw doesn’t bother you. There are a number of high quality raw frozen foods out there. I like Primal and Stella & Chewy’s the best. I started making my own homemade raw food because it was cheaper for me.

If you want to feed kibble, definitely check out the 4 and 5 star rated kibbles on this site. Everybody has their preferences. A few I like and have fed my Dane are: Earthborn Holistic, Annamaet Grain Free, Go! Fit & Free, Acana Regionals (Grain Free), and Orijen. Others I like are Horizon Legacy, Dr. Tim’s, and Victor. I would feed the 7 month old a food from Hound Dog Mom’s list of foods that are appropriate for a large breed puppy: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit All of these foods are 4 or 5 stars and have the appropriate amount of calcium for a growing large breed puppy.

Good luck and have fun with your newly adopted pups!