[LabsRawesome]

Hi Peter, I think Brother’s is a very good food. You should consider rotating foods. Pick 3 or 4 foods from different manufacturers, with different proteins. That may be more difficult with allergy dogs. Have you ever looked at Victor dog food? They have at least 1 formula that is considered an allergy formula (depending on what the allergy is to) I have had great results with Victor’s Yukon River, and Ultra Pro 42. If you have a store in your area, the price can’t be beat. I pay $39.99 for 30lbs of Ultra Pro42, and $42.99 for 30lbs of Yukon River. All the grain free formulas of Victor are rated 5 stars on DFA. Here’s Victor’s site, they have a store locator. http://www.victordogfood.com/

[crazy4cats]

Hi Julie-
It pains me to read your post as I have gone through basically the same scenario with my two pups, 3 year-old, 80 lb lab mixes. We battled both giardia and coccidia for about a year. I think they have permanent issues from that condition. I found a ton of helpful information on dogaware dot com. Check out this site’s digestive disorder tab. My dog’s stools are still loose after exercise or when they get real excited, unfortunately. But otherwise they have been pretty consistent. I feed mine mostly Victor grain free food. It contains a clay that is supposed to be helpful for dogs with different types of colitis. I also rotate between the Perfect Form, Gastriplex and Vetri Pro BD supplements that contain probiotics and enzymes along with some diarrhea remedies such as slippery elm that seem to help a lot too. As far as toppers go, it seems like when I add either raw nuggets or dehydrated to their kibble, they do better than when I add a little canned food. Of course, murphey’s law, they are much more expensive than canned. I hope you can find a combination that works for you. If you do start switching up, do it slowly and one at a time so you know if it is helping or not. Good luck!

[Crystal J]

One of my dogs, Victor, had a period of time where he wouldn’t eat breakfast. I found out that prefers a variety of textures and flavors of food throughout the day. Also, I found that he likes to eat dinner earlier than what I was feeding him at. Once I completely switched his food and started feeding him dinner earlier he started eating breakfast consistently. I know how worried I get when one of my pups won’t eat, I hope you find something that works for your pup.

[Barbara]

I was wondering after reading some of the comments about digestive enzymes if it is okay to continue using THK perfect form for any length of time just to keep stomach issues from reoccurring? I am talking like 6 months at 1/2 dosage for 2 of my 3 dogs (one is a lab and the other a Husky mix both about 75+ lbs) they each seem to have a loose stool maybe a few of time a week still. I had been using it full dosage for about a month when I switched them off of Taste of the wild because of diarrhea even when I was switching them slowly…I think part of it was I first went to Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural which was too rich for them. I like Victor the best of the dry dog foods I have tried but want to keep switching the protein. 4 to 5 star Dry is about 2/3 of the their diet plus canned Kirkland’s ND Turkey and pea stew is 1/3. They get good human food toppers a couple of times a week also. I just want to be sure it is okay to continue to have them be on THK perfect form at 1/2 dosage since they both can have sensitive tummies occasionally… Thanks!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by Barbara.

[Naturella]

Zach, I found my old menu for Bruno from May this year! LoL! Here it is, in case it helps or for reference of what has been to what is now regarding feeding. Only a little bit has changed really – I don’t mix foods anymore and I only feed twice/day, and I have sopped feeding dinner on Sundays if he gets an RMB. My additives also fluctuate sometimes too, and I may or may not use canned sometimes instead of THK/BDN.

Enjoy:

“Bruno’s add-ins (various canned such as Merrick, Wellness, Nutro Ultra, etc.; THK Love, Embark, Force, Keen; yoghurt/kefir, cottage cheese, coconut oil, raw eggs, pumpkin, flaxseed meal on occasion, canned sardines on occasion, RMBs (pork necks and chicken backs at the moment), and raw spelts (small fish), and natural dehydrated chews – bully sticks, ears, snouts, chicken feet and necks, tracheas, etc.) constitute about 1/4 (25%) of his daily intake. However, THK and canned are also considered balanced foods (right?), so I think I am at below 20% with unbalanced additives. I just use his body condition as a guide, and will start keeping track of his weight (IDK if I will measure him though) – he is very active and runs a lot, and appears to be in tip top shape.

Also, I will give you Bruno’s weekly sample menu. He is an about 13lb, 1 year old, active Rat Terrier mix.
Kibble mix is: Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch:Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension Original:Victor Yukon Salmon in 3:1:1/3 ratio.

Treats: above kibble mix or NutriSource Seafood Select or Castor and Pollux Organix Adult (the last 2 are from samples). Also available are Nutro and Old Mother Hubbard biscuits for special occasions. Also for special occasions (or to keep him busy when I’m busy too) I make him ice-cream with yoghurt, peanut butter, coconut oil and coconut butter, and a sprinkle of cinnamon and turmeric, and I fill anything I can – his Kong, marrow bone, hoof, other toys with holes – and freeze. Rarely I give raw veggies/fruits like carrots, cucumbers, watermelon, apple, pineapple core, mango, raw coconut, etc. (safe stuff).

Monday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon coconut oil and water to make it soupy
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK chicken and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons canned and water to make it soupy

Tuesday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons yoghurt/kefir and water to make it soupy
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons canned and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK turkey and water to make it soupy

Wednesday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with raw egg (no shell) with a sprinkle of flaxseed meal
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK beef and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons canned and water to make it soupy

Thursday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon coconut oil and water to make it soupy
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons canned and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK turkey and water to make it soupy

Friday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons cottage cheese and water to make it soupy
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons raw organ meat (whatever I have) or raw meat/fish (whatever I have) or 2 teaspoons of canned and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK chicken and water to make it soupy

Saturday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon coconut oil and water to make it soupy
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK turkey and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons canned and water to make it soupy

Sunday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons pumpkin with a sprinkle of cinnamon and water to make it soupy
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons canned and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK beef and water to make it soupy
RMB to cap it out

On days when Bruno runs a lot (i.e. Dog Park days) I may switch his next meal’s add-in with raw egg or raw meat/organ meats/fish (or canned sardine) for added natural protein “post WOD”. Or give him a dehydrated natural chew like a bully stick, a cow/lamb/pig ear, or tripe stick, or you know – “richer” stuff to make up for the calories burned and supply some lean meat for his muscles. I really just kind of gage his body condition and appetite for stuff as far as additives go. And sometimes, if I’m out of canned, I put his plain dry kibble in a dispensing toy and let him play with it and eat it as is. I also do some training daily and reward with about 20 kibble bits, and, if I want to stress on something – an Old Mother Hubbard or Nutro biscuit. Oh, and I almost always add water (as you can see) for added hydration.”

[Naturella]

Zach, let’s see… Bruno is 14.5 lbs (could go up to 15 lbs eventually if he isn’t yet, but in late September he was 14.5 lbs). 14-15 lbs is a healthy weight for him. He is a small terrier mix of sorts (could be Jack Russell +/- Miniature Rat Terrier +/- Chihuahua +/- something else for all we know – he was found in the bushes, so we sometimes joke that he is a Bush Terrier, lol).

For kibble – I never go below 4-star foods (so far) and I rotate brands and proteins with every bag now (I used to rotate AND mix brands before). Thank goodness my guy is small, so foods last him a while. But, I supplement with a teaspoon of raw, organic, unrefined, cold-pressed coconut oil every other day or so (Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday at breakfast), 2 heaping teaspoons of plain yoghurt/plain kefir Monday and Friday at breakfast, a raw egg once/week (Wednesday at breakfast), a half can of sardines in water once/week (Saturday at breakfast), and a raw meaty bone once/week (Sunday for dinner always – no other food for that meal). Also, for all meals that do not include the above additives (the dinner meals), I add 1-2 teaspoons of THK (alternating between Love, Embark, Force, and Keen, and also BDN), and I add water to make it soupy. Sometimes I would use canned, and still add a tad more water. And also Big Dog Natural (BDN; air-dried) green tripe, so you add that and water to the kibble, let it rehydrate as with THK, and serve.

As far as how much I take away – as per the feeding calculator on this site, and his food bags recommendations, he should have about 1 cup of dry/day, give or take small caloric differences in his brands of food. So, what I do is, I feed 3/4 cups/day of most recipes to account for the additives. On Saturday, when I feed the 1/2 can of sardines I feed 1/4 cup kibble for breakfast instead of the usual 1/4 + 1/8 cup. On Sunday, when I feed the RMB for dinner, I feed no kibble or THK, nothing. Just RMB. On Wednesday, when I feed the raw egg, I feed 1/4 cup kibble. All other meals, even with additives, are 1/4 + 1/8 cup of dry per meal. Of course, I make minor adjustments based on activity, body condition, etc., but that is his norm from which I can adjust.

Dry foods I have tried that he has done well on and could eat the kibble with no problems are: Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy (his first food when we got him, before I knew much about dog food – not a bad food though; Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy, Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension – Original, Allergix Chicken and Turkey, and Lamb and Brown Rice formulas, Dr. Tim’s Kinesis Grain Free (slightly bigger kibble, but oh well, he managed it just fine), Nutrisca Chicken and Chickpeas, Earthborn Holistic Grain Free (Coastal Catch and Primitive Natural), Victor Grain Free (all formulas) – (LOADS of samples, enough to consider him having eaten it and done well on it as a brand), Nature’s Variety Instinct (on samples he did well, on the actual food, Rabbit recipe – not really, so I stopped feeding it), Now! Fresh Adult (1 lb sample, he did well on it), NutriSource Grain Free all recipes (samples), Annamaet Grain Free (samples), Wysong (various samples), and I have a lot lined up – Back to Basics Red Meat, Canidae Pure Salmon, Dogswell LiveFree Salmon, Wysong Nurture with Quail, Earthborn Holistic Great Plains Feast. He’s had one-time samples of Stella and Chewy’s and Primal too, loved them. On occasion I would give him a small piece of a fruit/veggie, or a piece of organ/meat as a tiny treat, but those are sporadic enough for me to not account for. Same with edible natural chews – he can chew on and “eat” his antler daily, but sometimes I give half a 6-inch bully stick, 1/3 cow ear, 1 piggy snout (small) or 1 lamb ear, homemade doggie ice-cream treats, and those I don’t account for in his meals.

Hope this helps, I tried to be pretty extensive… LoL

[Naturella]

Hey, Korey! What other brands have you tried? Maybe a fish-based food will help, or, you could start adding raw, organic, unrefined, cold-pressed coconut oil or wild salmon oil to his food. Walmart or Costco have affordable coconut oil, but only get the unrefined stuff. It has made a ton of difference for my Bruno

I have also used Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch with great success. Other affordable brands besides Earthborn Holisitic are Victor, Dr. Tim’s, NutriSource. Rotational feeding is also a plus both for the dog and for the wallet – this way you can take advantage of sales and add variety to Max’s diet. 🙂 If you’re into ordering online, you can use websites such as petflow.com , chewy.com , wag.com , petfooddirect.com . They often have great sales and deals.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Naturella.

[Travis A]

Thank you all for your advice, i actually didn’t have my dogs on Kibbles n bits it was my roommates dogs so they just got a taste here and there because i knew it was crap food. Although our other Pit eats it and seems to be pretty healthy so idk but i will try and mix in some soft food or yogurt or something more tasty until i find a good replacement, i’ve tried Several brands such as Zach’s Quality dog food which i really like but it’s pricey to ship a 50 lb bag so they only had that once then it’s been, Authority, Simply Nourish, Ideal Balance, Wellness, Iams, Pure Balance, and Exclusive so they have had a variety of decent foods throughout i’m just trying to find a nice rotation of affordable food they will eat. I’m in OKC, OK so Victor isn’t around my area but i’ll look into yall’s suggestions, thanks again and god bless.

[theBCnut]

As long as the food is Puppy food or All Life Stages food, and is a small enough kibble for the little one, it’s fine for both.

Nature’s Logic, Nature’s Variety, Brother’s Complete, Victor, all have small kibbles. Earthborn has larger kibble, but it’s very thin so small dogs can handle it.

Others will have loads of ideas for you. They(I) will want to know what kind of puppy it is, and if you will post pictures of the two of them together. Hint, hint.

[Travis A]

My 2, 9 month old dogs are not eating this stuff very much, they started liking it but this is their 3rd bag of it and they will barely touch it, more so when i put some water on it so i’m wondering if it’s because it’s too hard or something, because the other food around the house was Kibbles N’ Bits which is horrible but they will eat that up in a heartbeat so idk what the deal is with the Pure Balance. But they don’t like it that much apparently but just recently so idk just looking for advice on what may be the issue and what are good alternatives for them in a decent price range. They like the Authority from Petsmart and it’s not that pricey but they get bad gas off that one other than that everything else is overpriced for the quality so any other options, i haven’t tried Victor yet as suggested previously for me as its not in my location of OKC, OK. My dogs are pit/shepherd or lab mixes so decent sized males.

[Naturella]

Depending on the area, NutriSource may or may not be budget-friendly. Diet rotation is both good for the dog AND good for the budget, because it allows you to take advantage of sales and what not. If shopping online is an option, Petflow.com , chewy.com , wag.com and petfooddirect.com are good websites that often have great sales. Brands like Victor, Dr. Tim’s, Earthborn Holistic, Wysong, and Tractor Supply’s 4Health are all good brands and reasonably-priced too. On those websites mentioned above, you can type “sample” or “trial” and see deals for sample-sized or even full-sized bags of food. I would check them out weekly.

[LabsRawesome]

Hi Halina, Victor is a great food. If you can buy it local, it’s a budget friendly food. The grain free formulas, and 1 grain inclusive formula (Active Dog and Puppy) are rated 5 stars. I pay just under $40 for 30lbs of GF Ultra Pro 42. Some of the formulas are available in smaller bags too. Here’s a link to Victor’s site. http://www.victordogfood.com/ Check out the dealer locator for stores in your area. 🙂

[Naturella]

I would not want to repeat what the above posters have said – I think they got you covered, Dog_Obsessed. I would just add that, depending on your area, some of those budget-friendly foods are not-so-budget-friendly. For example, I live close to Atlanta, GA (north of Atlanta) and in my immediate area with 5 pet stores I can EASILY get to, NutriSource is severely overpriced. Earthborn Holistic and Victor are decent though (I LOVE Victor btw – small kibble, great quality food). Dr. Tim’s is not sold in any of “my” local stores. So it just depends, but do some research on those brands mentioned above, and you will find for yourself what foods cost what where. Also – websites such as petflow.com , chewy.com , wag.com often have sales and/or deals that you can take advantage of. Petflow sometimes sells “trial sizes” (usually 4-5lb bags!) of good quality food for about $1/lb! I have gotten me some Nutrisca Chicken and Chickpea, Dogswell LiveFree Salmon (although they had Turkey, Lamb, and Chicken too), Wysong Nurture with Quail from them all for $1/lb. AND, The Honest Kitchen dehydrated food – 4 boxes, 2 lbs each, for I think $2/lb, which is UNHEARD of a price for this food – it was 97% off so that tells you what it usually costs! It is worth it though! 🙂

[Bobby dog]

Thanks Naturella! I hope she comes back, but mostly I hope something can help that poor dog. I also hope those food suggestions you made entice them to change kibbles! Victoria if you need any other suggestions on where to look for places that might sell kibble in a certain price range or bag size, please ask.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Victoria W:
I understand your budget constraints and hopefully I can offer some more suggestions in addition to the ones you have received. You are very kind to give your relative’s dogs the extra attention they need!

It is surprising they would continue to pay for office visits and medication without trying a new diet as well. However, it sounds like she has an infection and needs antibiotics at this time.

Buying a 50 lbs. bag of food is convenient for large dog owners. Throw in a price of about 45 cents/lb. and it’s hard to talk someone out of buying it. In the future, if you are able to convince them to try another food they should expect to pay at least $1/lb. for a food with more meat protein; about $10 – $15 more per bag. If they would agree to this price point you could find some decent kibbles for them in 40-50 lbs bags.

If you decide to add a new food or supplement be sure to add slowly and in small portions building up to the desired amounts.

If your relatives will only shop at Wal-Mart for dog food and are adamant about feeding Ol’ Roy, maybe you could suggest they try adding other brands to their dogs’ diet along with Ol’ Roy. Here‘s a thread with kibble & canned foods available at Wal-Mart with decent ratings:
/forums/search/Wal-Mart/

There is a PDF download from Steve Brown, “See Spot Live Longer the ABC Way.” It will help you improve any quality of kibble with the addition of fresh foods (eggs, tinned fish, fresh meat, vegetables) you can get at the grocery store. There is a menu that walks you through the amounts of each food to add according to the quality of kibble being fed and the size of the dog. I feed anything from a 3 to 5 star kibble and this download helps me to improve my dog’s diet very easily and affordably. I add the fresh food over several meals rather than feeding it in one day.
http://www.seespotlivelonger.com/home/sll/page_41/see_spot_live_longer_the_abc_way___electronic_down.html

I don’t always have sardines on hand for my dog and when I don’t I supplement his diet with CVS drug store 1000 mg fish oil capsules 3x/week. I also supplement vitamin E once a week regardless if I feed sardines or CVS fish oil. Here’s a link to more info on supplements, it’s also a great site with lots of other info:
http://dogaware.com/diet/supplements.html

As far as mercury or chemical contamination, smaller fish are not usually high in contaminates due to their short life span and the depth of water they live in. Herring, menhaden, and sardines are some smaller species. Here’s a site with some more info on contamination in fish and a link to a wallet card with a list of fish and the degree of contamination they may have:
http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/

I think adding some probiotics to her diet would really help with her skin issues; it helped tremendously with healing my cat’s skin. This would also help keep the antibiotics from destroying the friendly bacteria in her digestive system. An affordable way to do this is to feed unflavored kefir; most grocery stores sell kefir and it has a very long shelf life. I add it to my cat and dog’s food daily. Here’s some info:
http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com/2012/05/foods-rich-in-probiotics-beneficial-for.html

Other probiotics recommended by regular posters are Dr. Stephen Langer’s Ultimate 15 Strain Probiotic, Swanson Ultra Soil Based Organisms, and Mercola complete.

Coconut oil would be another food that would help with her skin. I add it to my dog’s food 3x/week, more if he has skin issues. I also apply it directly to his skin when it’s irritated. Unfortunately, he loves it so much I have to be sure I have time to supervise him so he doesn’t lick it off before it’s absorbed. Only use unrefined organic. The best price I have found for it was at BJ’s or Costco; Wal-Mart also has a good price just in a smaller jar. Here’s some info on the benefits and dosage:
http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com/2012/02/coconut-oil-is-good-for-your-dogs.html

After a bad experience with my cat and steroids when my dog developed a skin infection I was more than willing to put in the work I needed to help him heal. Bathing with medicated shampoo and applying antibiotic cream regularly was integral in healing his infection. The active ingredients in Malasab shampoo is 2% Miconazole Nitrate and 2% Chlorhexidine Gluconate. There are some generic alternatives that might be more budget friendly. Look for my post on page 3 from June 9, 2014 at 6:40 pm for info on some alternatives and for some ingredients to look for in medicated shampoos.
/forums/topic/maybe-its-time-for-a-diet-change/page/3/

I don’t have any experience with a dog that has hip dysplasia, but I think you are on the right track with a glucosamine supplement. Here are two threads that might be helpful:
/forums/topic/joint-health/
/forums/topic/budget-friendly-supplements-for-14-year-old-dachshund/

And here’s a coupon thread that might help with your pet food budget. The first page is an intro and the last page has the most current info posted.
Page 1:
/forums/topic/coupons/
Current page:
/forums/topic/coupons/page/15/

[MelSnowy]

Oh, Victoria, I am so very sorry you and the poor dogs have been placed in this position. Is your local ASPCA ‘friendly’ ..can you ask them if they have a doc with no charge or little charge for those with limited income and can perhaps see the lab and recommend inexpensive and grain free food? Also, when my St. had hotspots vet recommended we use human benedryl tabs rolled into a bit of peanut butter. I know for our St. 120 lbs, we gave her one full tab. We were also given a spray to stop the itch, can’t remember the name. Hope this helps.

[Barbara]

Hi Victoria, I feel for you and agree with the others and their suggestions. Maybe you could afford the difference in price from the Ol’Roy to something better for the relatives large dogs, especially the chocolate lab with the allergies. All the corn in Ol’Roy and other bad ingredients has to contribute to the skin allergies. You might also want to search the forums for allergies and skin issues. Omega 3 really helps. I use Victor grain free dog food and it has great ingredients and if you can find a feed store or co-op near you it can be very reasonable. The grain inclusive Victor is even a better price. Check their web site for a dealer near you and call them for prices. Good luck with your quest to help these dogs.

[Susan]

Hi Victoria, is there anyway you ask the owners can you buy her food instead & change her food to something else, Sardines in spring water are cheap, the fish oil in the sardines should help mix a couple of the sardines thru her Ol’Roy feed, also a good medicated shampoo, I use Malaseb medicated shampoo this kills any bacteria on the skin but doesnt strip the good oils, there might be another shampoo that is like the Malaseb that kills bacteria, you can buy at the pet shop, she should be bath weekly in the Malaseb shampoo, that will releave her itch & start to heal all the sore, the Predisone is just a bandaid it doesnt fix the problem, her feed needs changing ASAP. Also she’d need a good dog probiotic for her tummy after being on Antibiotics..Can you cook her meals if so, she needs a low carb diet, something fishy for the higher omega 3 & 6 for her skin..they’d save money from the vets if they just changed her diet…I hate pills I always asked my vet for creams & other things instead of tablets like Steriods & Antibiotic, Good-Luck,

[Naturella]

Victoria,

I feel for you! A few of us here have had our fair share of stubborn dog owners who just refuse to get the facts and do what is truly good for their companion…

That Ol’ Roy is crap, you obviously know… I guess, if you can, try to get a small bag of Walmart’s Pure Balance/Pure Balance Grain Free (two of the more decent foods sold at Walmart), and maybe entice the family to try and add some to Ol’ Roy, see how their dogs like it. When I added some of the food I feed my dog to the food of the dog of the family for whom I babysit, she did not want to touch her Kibbles ‘N’ Bits anymore at all! Lol, she knew the good stuff! Maybe this will help them – plus, Pure Balance is ALSO sold at Walmart, where Ol’ Roy is.

Another thing you could do, is just add some good canned food as a topper to their meals, or a raw/lightly cooked egg here and there, some canned sardines, coconut oil if you have/can afford it, and some plain yoghurt and canned pumpkin (plain, not the pie-filling stuff). That’s what I do even with better-quality kibble and I believe it helps. If you can throw some raw/lightly cooked meat in there, or raw meaty bones here and there, it should help improve their diet a TAD, but really do try to get them off of Ol’ Roy…

Good luck, and know that many of us have been there too!

[Naturella]

Ivan,

I second C4C – rotation is great for them, plus it is easy on the budget too! Websites such as http://www.petflow.com , http://www.chewy.com , http://www.wag.com offer awesome sales sometimes and you can stock up on various good 4- and 5-star foods for down to about $1/lb!!! Which is an awesome deal. For Victor, try http://www.sportdogfood.com too.

As for toppers – yes as well! I also use canned (sometimes), The Honest Kitchen (dehydrated raw I think), plain yoghurt, eggs, coconut oil, and canned sardines. Once a week my Bruno gets a Raw Meaty Bone (RMB) too. The effects of all those additives on skin and coat are tremendous, plus, it helps add variety to their diet and is overall better to their general health. 🙂

Good luck!

[crazy4cats]

Ivan-
I think it’s a good idea to rotate food. I try to rotate kibble, but I definitely rotate toppers every meal. I think variety is important. I also think it is very important to add fresher type foods to kibble to boost its nutrition as kibble is the least healthy, but the most convenient and affordable. I add canned to every breakfast. To their evening meals, I add either eggs, sardines, dehydrated, raw or lightly cooked fresh meat. I feed mostly Victor kibble, but you could print the 4 or 5 star list of foods and bring with you to your store to see what they carry and fits your budget. You will probably have to transition slowly if they have eaten the same food for a long time to avoid digestive upset. Also, some plain canned pumpkin or probiotics and digestive enzymes may also help with the transition until they are fully adjusted. I’ve seen a noticeable difference in my dogs’ coats since I’ve started the sardines and eggs. Good luck!

[InkedMarie]

Are you looking for samples to see how your dog does on Victor? If yes, the sample sizes are almost not worth it, unless they’re sending you a good size bag. It takes at least a few weeks to tell how your dog does on the food.

You’re best to call & tell them you’d like to try their food; ask for a coupon for a free bag.

[Liz S]

I emailed Victors Dog Food 2-3 weeks ago. I asked for them to reply. And also asked if they’d be willing to send me samples of all their types of kibble. I know samples sometimes take a while but I wish they’d reply to me. Gonna call tomorrow because so many on here has spoken highly of them!

[InkedMarie]

James, as Naturella said, look at shipping. I believe a good amount of us here buy our food online. I recommend Chewy for first time ordering a new food, simply due to their return policy. I use Chewy allowed the time. If you’re ordering dr Tims, Farmina or Victor, also look at SportDogFood.com

[crazy4cats]

Hi James D-
Welcome to DFA! I’m glad you pulled the trigger! I feed my dogs grain free Victor with various toppers. They have a grain free Ultra Pro formula that is 42% protein and 22% fat that might be a good option. Also Nutrisource has a few formulas for active dogs that are a lot higher in calories than average.
As for the chews I can totally relate. I have two golden labs that compete for food so they tend to gulp things before they should. They have actually passed a few socks. Yikes! I feed them thick bullysticks that are attached to vice grips that prevent them from swallowing too soon. I also,give them raw marrow bones that are at least 4 inches or bigger. However, some don’t recommend marrow bones for fear of breaking teeth. So far so good! I’m thinking of trying knuckle bones next.

[Naturella]

James,

As far as chews – have you tried an antler? They are naturally-shed, they do not splinter or break easily (never seen one break), they have great minerals that are beneficial for your pooch, they come in all sorts of different sizes, and they last a good while. 🙂

As for foods, maybe Dr. Tim’s Kinesis (Grain Free) or RPM (also GF I think) may be good for his athletic endeavors. The kibble size is small, but not tiny at all, and hopefully he will like it. For athletic/active dogs, Victor, Annamaet, and Earthborn Holistic are also good brands with many grain-free options, as well as any high-protein, high-calorie food – you can feed less, but they will get more out of it.

[aquariangt]

Naturella gave you plenty of information to go off of, so I would review some of the things she linked. I’m a sheltie person too 🙂

As far as Budget friendly-I’ll second Marie’s Earthborn-I don’t really follow a budget either but I do use that in rotation. I don’t like Nutro-almost every dog food is AAFCO certified (im a bit confused, do you just mean AAFCO compliant?) so I wouldn’t use that as a base or selling point.

A few other options that come to mind: Victor if you can find it as Marie said-it’s not really around me and it’s pricy online, but haven’t tried it myself-Simply Nourish-I use the source blends from time to time are a few other options. Dr Tims people seem to like and I haven’t tried. Whole Earth Farms is budget friendly but made by Merrick, so buy it after doing your research on them. I wouldn’t personally but plenty of people like them

[Naturella]

Sheltielove, a few of us here are college students, myself and my husband included. We also shop on a super tight budget for our dog, but so far we have managed to keep our food costs at $6.07/month for 4-5-star food. That is pretty low, although I am not counting Bruno’s (the dog’s) additives in the price. He gets an egg, a raw meaty bone (usually a chicken back or pork/beef neck bone piece), 1/2 can of sardines, and a tablespoon of coconut oil every other day and 1 tablespoon of yoghurt every other day. And The Honest Kitchen raw dehydrated food as a topper (1 tsp/meal, aside from when he gets coconut oil or yoghurt). The price of THK is calculated in his food cost though. Right now we are stocked on kibble and THK till the end of August, 2015.

Now, how did we do that?
Part 1 – lucked out! Our local Petland had a special during the months of November and December 2013 and was giving away FREE small bags of Holistic Health Extension. I stocked up on those with 4 bags.
Part 2 – Petland also sends me a coupon for $10 off of $25+ purchase – a great way to get bigger bags for less. I got 3 14-lb bags for about $20 each (with tax and all).
Part 3 – Luck again – there is an awesome little pet specialty store with amazing sales on top notch brands when they’re a month away from expiring, plus they give away free samples. Got me some of those too.
Part 4 – I facebooked a bunch of companies to ask for samples of their foods – some sent just coupons, some samples and treats, and some – whole small bags of food. Two bags of food came this way.
Part 5 – Planned couponing – for more info and to speak to this site’s real coupon guru Akari_32, see this thread – /forums/topic/coupons/
Part 6 – Scouting for deals and sales online. Websites, such as petflow.com and chewy.com will have flash sales at which you can get food for $1/lb – I got 19lbs of food this way, all in 4- or 5-lb bags of great, various flavors and brands.

Part 7 – MOST IMPORTANTLY – all of the above methods will be kind of on the hard side if you do not rotate protein sources (flavors) AND brands of food. More on diet rotation and why it’s important – /frequently-asked-questions/diet-rotation-for-dogs/ But this way you get to take advantage of all or most deals and sales versus being stuck to a specific brand/flavor.

Also, some of the more affordable overall brands are: Earthborn Holistic, Victor Select and Victor Grain Free, in some places NutriSource (not around Kennesaw, GA though – here it is soooo expensive!), Taste of the Wild (a Diamond product), Canidae (in my area it’s not too pricy), and possibly Dr. Tim’s.

As for Diamond – they manufacture several brands. They had a huge recall in 2012 and handled it poorly. Hence the issue of many with them.

As for Nutro, I cannot speak, although I have fed their small breed puppy food – one bag, first food we bought for our doggie before we discovered this site.

Hope this helps! Welcome, and keep the questions coming! 🙂

[crazy4cats]

Hi Karen G-
Congrats on the new pup! What kind of dog is it? Did you see the recommended dry foods for large breed puppy spreadsheet that is posted on the large breed thread on this forum? I think it is on about page 33 of that thread. It lists both with and without grains kibble. The main thing objective is to keep calcium under 3.5 g per 1,000 kcal. Also, the food should be labeled for puppies (growth) or all life stages. It does not necessary for it to specifically say for large breed pups. There is no recognized standard for large breed as far as food labels go.
Nutrisource large breed pup with grains is listed and also Wellness Core puppy grain free is on the list. There are several others as well. I was trying to mention more well known brands.
Keep your pups growth slow and steady. Do not over exercise or run him/her. I feed my 3 year old big dogs Victor. Both The Victor Select chicken and rice and lamb and rice would also be good options for your new pup! Hip, knee and elbow problems are so prevalent with big dogs. We need to do what we can to try to prevent them. Have fun with your pup!

[LabsRawesome]

Hi Lynn, if you’re looking for more brands to rotate with, Victor is also GMO free. Here’s there site. http://www.victordogfood.com/

[Constance C]

I have an 8-month old Afghan Hound that I’ve had for 2 months. She came to me from the breeder eating Kirkland Signature Puppy Chicken, Rice, & Vegetable. For consistency, I’ve been feeding her a little less than ½ Kirkland and a little more than half Victor Dog Food Select Hi-Pro Plus Formula for Active Dogs and Puppies, but after reading the Large Breed & Puppy thread I’m rethinking everything (calcium, dry vs wet, other?).

Am I feeding her the right food? Should I add wet food and if so, what kind? I’m a new dog owner, but I’ve read enough to know I should avoid gluten and grocery store type dog food.

(PS. She eats her kibble but never really seems enthused about it, but maybe this is ok?)

[texasniteowl]

Just want to mention, that if they live in the country, it is possible that a local feed store may carry Victor. Also, Taste of the Wild. Now, I’m in Texas, and not every feed store around me carries Victor, but one close to me does. There are feed stores out there that carry more than just Purina. In addition to Victor, mine carries Nutro, Canidae, Blue Buffalo, and Nature’s Variety among others.

The Victor Dog Food web site does have a “Find A Dealer” link and is accurate for my stores.

http://www.victordogfood.com/

Of course, online is good too.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by texasniteowl.

[Cyndi]

Well, I can tell you that no one on here would recommend any Diamond products because of the recalls they’ve had. It may be a good food, but…. I think you’d be safe with Victor. It’s definitely a great food and many of the kibble feeders on here feed it in their rotation. Maybe you could get your sister to switch too?

Good for you for checking out your dog’s food. This site has been a godsend to me and a real eyeopener! Good luck with your pup! 🙂

[LabsRawesome]

Hi Cameron, I definitely wouldn’t use Good Friends dog food. I didn’t see the ingredients on the site, but with a price of $11.99 for 40lbs, there’s no way it can be a good food. Maybe you could talk your sister into buying something higher quality? I don’t know what her budget is, but if she could spend a little more (maybe you could throw some in) she could get a lot better food. Here’s the site I found for Good Friends- http://www.ruralking.com/pet-supplies/pet-food/dog-dry-food/good-friends-dog-food-kennel-kruncher-40-lb-182666-40.html There are lots of good dog foods that won’t break the bank. I have great luck with Victor. I pay just under $40 for 30lbs of grain free. Their grain inclusive formulas are even cheaper. You can check them out here. http://www.midamericapetfood.com/victordogfood/dogfood.html They have a store locator for stores in your area. There are lots of other budget friendly foods too. Rachael Ray Zero Grain, Pure Balance, and 4health, are good quality too. What stores do you have near you? Do you have Tractor Supply, Costco, Walmart, Petco, Petsmart?

[Naturella]

I agree with Mom2Cavs – there are a fairly decent number of brands to choose from in those stores and I think she covered them. Also, if they are willing to order online, not only Victor (which is usually a steal $/lb), but websites, such as petflow.com; chewy.com; wag.com are great options and they often have amazing sales. As long as rotation is not a concern (it is actually encouraged), they can stock up on sale bags, and I am sure they will use them up fairly quickly with large dogs. I have gotten 4 and 5-lb bags of food for $4 and $5 respectively. They often have sales on the larger bags too, just have to browse around, and I think for those websites, shipping is just $5 flat rate, unless you order over $49 worth of things – then it’s free! 🙂

Some brands that overall run cheaper, from my experience, are Victor (of course), Earthborn Holistic, Taste of the Wild (Diamond product), Wysong (all besides the Epigen line), 4Health, Canidae, and the ones recommended by Mom2Cavs.

[Mom2Cavs]

First off, I feel your pain…..some of my kids have pets, but won’t let them live inside! They also live in the country. Again, they shouldn’t have them but they DO. The only thing in their defense is that they feed high quality food to them. Anyway, here are some of my suggestions:

Petco: Merrick has a line called Whole Earth Farms that is a nice budget food. That may be the only suggestion I have for Petco.

Petsmart: Petsmart has their own brand Simply Nourish that isn’t a bad price. They also have another brand called Authority and some people use their grain free, it’s also not a bad price.

Walmart: Walmart has their brand called Pure Balance that is a good deal and not bad ingredients. They also carry Rachel Ray’s Zero Grain that’s not too, too bad in price and ingredients.

If they’re willing to order online, then there’s a food called Victor that is great and is budget friendly. I have ordered mine from Sportdogfood.com. They do ship to certain states so I’d check that out, too.

One more thing….if you are a member of the Editor’s Choice forums you can check out the budget friendly listed foods there and see if they are available to you.

Good luck! I’m also sure others will post that are more knowledgeable than me.

[Naturella]

I agree with Marie. Earthborn Holistic is also a good, affordable option. 🙂 Kibble size is small enough for my 13.5-lb dog, so your 20-lb pup should be able to handle it. As for other affordable options – Dr. Tim’s, Victor, and, in some places, NutriSource, are great options. In my area (Kennesaw/Marietta, GA) NutriSource is severely overpriced, but online you can more often than not find great deals on it and other foods. 🙂

[InkedMarie]

Science Diet is not a good food. Some foods I’d look at are Farmina, Annamaet, Natures Logic, Victor. A lot of us here order online. Chewy.com, SportDogFood.com, Wag.com and PetFlow.com are places I order from.

[pugmomsandy]

Pure Balance 3.5 stars is sold at Walmart. It’s an Ol’ Roy brand but better than the original Ol’ Roy. Also, the newer Purina Beyond products like Purina Beyond Adventure 3.5 stars.

If there is a Tractor Supply or other feed store, there’s 4Health (Tractor Supply) and Victor Dog Food. Victor Multi Pro 50 lbs was $33 at my local feed store rated 3.5 stars.

Kroger has a new brand called Abound which is 3.5 stars. I don’t know the price.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[Dori]

Hi Naturella. I just spoke to someone in customer service at Petbrosia. The company is a year old and they only have the two formulas. Chicken and grain free Salmon. I was thinking of ordering the 3 lb. box but decided against it once I realized how young the company is. She told me they are getting great feed back but, what else would she say, she’s in customer service.

As far as the Victor’s I tried it with all three girls and it just was awful. I don’t know why it happened but all three dogs got the worst diarrhea they have ever had. Poops were totally black, gooey (only word I can use to describe it) and stunk to high heaven, I couldn’t pick any of it up so I had to keep the hose out to wash it away. Oh, and they were huge huge poops! If it was only one of the dogs I would think that something didn’t agree with her, especially if it had been Katie, but it was all three dogs. I gave it a fair shot. Needless to say, they are back on their raw and their poops are back to being small and normal. I called Victor’s to speak to them about any issues and they told me I was their only call about this issue. I checked the bag. It didn’t smell bad, food looked fine, wasn’t expired and their were no ingredients that they couldn’t eat. Well Katie is the only one with intolerances. Hannah and Lola have never had an issue with any food in the past. Oh well, 🙁 back to the drawing board. Thanks for asking.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Dori.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Dori.

[Naturella]

The lady I babysit for – I also kind of took over her dog too, and I have successfully switched the dog (Snowy, female, 4 y.o. Shitzu mix) off of Kibbles ‘N’ Crap (sorry, I keep misspelling that – “Bits”). Too bad she already has 3 bumps on her lower ribs, that may be fatty formations, or something else, but I hope for the lesser evil… :/

I weaned her off with the help of Nutro Max, Simply Nourish, Whole Earth Farms, and Earthborn Grain Free in samples over 2 weeks, and I ordered the family 3 LiveFrees and a Wysong and they came in Tuesday. Next week she can start on those (she still has some WEF and Earthborn to finish up over the weekend). I am pumped that I can now take advantage of deals and not break my husband’s ban on dog food for our Bruno, cause we’re stacked full, lol. Snowy is, however, set till the end of the year, so Black Friday sales is when I will shop for her next! 😉

And, I still have some LiveFree Salmon and Wysong for Bruno from the first time they did the deal – the last I sneaked in before I really really stopped! 🙂 I really really like the Wysong and so does Bru Bru (we begged for some samples and graciously got them). 🙂

In fact… Here are the companies that have graciously sent me samples upon request:
Annamaet – GF foods samples and a full-size bag of GF Manitok treats.
Wysong – samples of foods and samples of treats.
Canidae – a whole 4-lb bag of Canidae Pure Sea and a full-size bag of GF Bison treats.
Nature’s Variety Instinct – a one-time voucher for a free product of your choice (includes 4lb bag of dry dog food or 5lb bag of dry cat food, and some canned/raw options).
Nulo – coupons only.

I had also contacted TOTW, Farmina, Fromm, Merrick, Victor – those sent no samples, but rather stressed on their money-back guarantees (Merrick and Fromm), and TOTW said to get samples from local retailers, and Victor said to just buy samples on their website. Farmina never responded. The search continues though! 🙂

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Naturella.

[Mom2Cavs]

Petbrosia is based in Cincy, where I live. It’s founder is a former P&G executive. Anyway, when I first heard about it, I actually met with him to discuss the food and give some input about it. He asked me to come to work for him, which I declined. Up until recently, it was a grain based, chicken based food. They have added salmon as an alternate protein recently, I believe. It is very expensive, and I believe because of that there are promotions that will be sent out occasionally to try small bags at a discount. I have never tried the food for my gang, and most likely never will. I think it has too many ingredients for my taste. Also, with 3 dogs having specialized blends for all would be very, very costly and feeding one dog’s specialized blend to all 3 seems weird, lol…..so, I think we’ll just stick with Wellness and Annamaet, Fromm and possibly Victor.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Jeffrey D-
I’m not sure how you feel about supplements. My dogs have sensitive tummies with intermittent loose stools. I use “Firm Up” when I add canned food to their kibble. It is dehydrated pumpkin and pectin. In my opinion, it is more convenient than adding canned pumpkin and applesauce (pectin) to their food.
I also learned about helpful supplements on http://www.dogaware.com. I have and currently rotate, Gastriplex by Thorne, Vetri-Pro BD by Vetri Science, and Perfect Form by The Honest Kitchen with great success. They all contain enzymes, probiotics and supplements such as slippery elm that help control loose stools.
My dogs have not been diagnosed with anything. But, I suspect leaky gut or IBS due to previous intestinal parasites and over use of antibiotics.
I feed Victor grain free kibble with various toppers. Such as canned, frozen raw nuggets, eggs, sardines and dehydrated.
Good luck to you!

[crazy4cats]

Hi James-
I’m not sure why you are concerned about canned food being her main food. A four or five star canned food is healthier than kibble. I agree with the other two posters. Moist & Meaty and Bil Jac are not quality foods. Also tiny kibble, like Sandy recommended, with canned might work for you as well. I feed my dogs grain free Victor with various add-ins. It is tiny kibble.
Also, there is also the Fresh Pet that can be found in both pet and grocery stores that might work. I bet your pup is very cute with her little under bite! Good luck.

[Naturella]

Holly C,

Thanks for the advice! I would also feed TOTW even to my dog, and yes, I am aware some have an issue with it being made by Diamond, but I would at least try it. My Bruno did fantastic on Blue Buffalo Wilderness and I personally know of 3 other dogs that have also done great on it. But yeah, I doubt the lady would buy that.

As far as Rachael Ray, I haven’t tried it, but I think it also depends on the dog how it would react to it. Earthborn is my go-to food as I can get it for cheap, but I can also get TOTW and even Victor for not much at all.

As for the lady, I already ordered her some food – Dogswell LiveFree (Grain Free) in 3 different flavors – Salmon, Chicken, and Lamb (4 lbs each) and one Wysong Nurture with Quail (5 lbs) – the LiveFree was on sale for $4 each, and the Wysong for $5, so it was legit a steal – 17 lbs for $18 (even with the shipping – I got a $5 discount too). And I have bought bigger bags (14-15 lbs) of food for my small guy (13.5 lbs) with no problems, but I will DEFINITELY only use small bags in my rotation for more variety in brands and flavors. But the lady would rather I get her the same 14-15 lb-bags so that she doesn’t have to worry about getting dog food too often, which I understand… But yeah, if I catch good deals, I will get her smaller bags too. 🙂

[crazy4cats]

Hi Victoria-
You could try this link to officially request a review: /contact-us/suggest-dog-food-review/
Good luck!

[Naturella]

Wow, there are quite a few threads of mostly Shasta220 and I venting about Beneful and the like and Science Diet, lol, so I was not sure where to post, but here it is – I have a success story, y’all!!! (I get Southern-like when excited apparently, lol)

Anywho, I babysit these kids, and the family dog is a shitzu mix, 4 years old, unknown weight, but probably around 15-ish lbs. She is on Kibbles ‘N’ (PUKE)… I mean Bits. Kibbles ‘N’ Bits. She STANK!!! Like, BAD!!!

So I talked to the mom and tossed the idea to her that it may be the food and she was quite open to suggestions on what to feed her! I first warned her to steer clear of Kibbles N Puke, Beneful (Crappyful), Pedigree, Iams, and the like, and she goes “That’s all that we’ve been feeding her!”. And I was like “Well… Don’t anymore, please!”. So I asked where she usually shops for food, and she said Walmart. So I immediately recommended Pure Balance Grain Free and Rachael Ray Zero Grain. Also some other foods like Blue Buffalo Wilderness and some of the ones I’ve fed.

So the lady takes a note, but with a full-time job, 3 kids, a husband, and a household to run, I am sure doggie food is not a top 10 priority, so I look at my stash and see some gifts from a friend, who had given me about a lb or so each of Nutro Max, Simply Nourish, and Whole Earth Farms. So I scoop them up (after keeping a cup of each for Bruno) and pour some of the current Earthborn he is on, and I brought them to the family today, along with a sample pack of THK perfect form, for the puppy’s tummy. I asked for permission to transition the dog (named Snowy) to better food with the ones I have brought. Permission granted. I’m ecstatic! I mixed 1/3 of Nutro Max with 2/3 of Kibbles N Crap (luckily, the last in the bag!) and served her a scoop. Poor pup was picking out the Nutro like crazy! I was so touched for some reason. She has enough Kibbles N Yuck mixed with Nutro to last her the end of the week, maybe more, and once/day, while I’m there, I will be giving her some Perfect Form so that her tummy doesn’t get upset. After that she will be on some Simply Nourish, then Whole Earth Farms will join in, and, finally, Earthborn! 🙂

Also, I told my mom about the good deals I get often, so she said I can get her a big bag of a good food (up to $20) and she would pay me. Oh, will I!? Of course! I am thinking TOTW with alternating Pure Balance Grain Free, Earthborn Holisitic Grain Free, and Rachael Ray Zero Grain (those I can either get for real cheap or with coupons), and if I catch deals on Victor or something from the local pet boutique, I will get her some from there too. I am so excited, so as long as I’m babysitting the kids, I will be able to transition this poor dog to something better. It is so necessary as she has 3 bumps on her smallest ribs and I don’t know what they are… The lady didn’t either, but she said she’ll check them out when she takes her to the vet next. Also, even if I don’t work for her anymore, I have left her a list with foods to use, so I hope she adheres to them. I just can’t wait to see results from the transition – no more stink at least, and hopefully the bumps will just kind of be ok.

But yeah. I’m excited. Success story. Yay! 🙂

P.S. This website was on the top of each page on the list. Hope she looks at it! 🙂

[Naturella]

Liz S, I also think adding canned will do much, much good! When I use canned, I prefer the pate-style ones, and I add a bit of water with the canned and kibble (I mix dry and canned usually), and make it mushy/porridge-like/soupy, and this way I try to counter the dryness of the kibble.

My dog is small too (Jack Russell-mini Rat Terrier mix (we think, as he was found in the bushes), 13.5 lbs), but I never really fed him a small-breed specific food except for his very first one when we adopted him. Foods I have tried that he did good on (and could eat the kibble with no problems) are: Blue Buffalo Wilderness, Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension, Dr. Tim’s (slightly bigger kibble, but oh well, he managed it just fine), Nutrisca, Earthborn Holistic Grain Free, Victor Grain Free (lots of samples), Nature’s Variety Instinct (samples), Now! Fresh (sample), NutriSource Grain Free (samples), Annamaet (samples), Wysong (samples), and I have a lot lined up – Back to Basics, Canidae Pure, Dogswell LiveFree, Wysong, NVI, more Victor Grain Free (which, in my case (heads up to LabsRawesome), told me I could PURCHASE the samples at $0.33/baggie, but wouldn’t send me free ones, AND I had to pay the shipping… But I stocked up at 5 samples/food, lol).

All the kibbles aside from Dr. Tim’s were small enough and just fine to manage. For canned I have fed Wellness Core, Nutro Natural Source and Nutro Ultra, and now I feed The Honest Kitchen (THK) dehydrated with water instead of canned. I also add a raw egg once a week, coconut oil with some lukewarm water every other day, and yoghurt/kefir every other day, as well as a canned sardine and its fish juice from the can once a week too. So you can use some of these for variety and to cut the costs of canned.

[LabsRawesome]

Liz, Here’s my list of 4 & 5 star budget friendly foods. Costco’s Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain Turkey and Pea Stew $19.99 case of 24 cans. Tractor Supply’s 4health .99 cents per can. Walmart’s Pure Balance grain inclusive $1.00 And Pure Balance 95% meat cans $1.25 per can. All cans are 13oz or more. For kibble I recommend Victor grain free. The kibbles are tiny. And if you can buy it local, it’s a steal at under $40 for 30lbs. It comes in smaller bags as well. If you contact the company, they will send you free samples. Most stores have free samples, as well. http://www.victordogfood.com/

[LabsRawesome]

Hi Liz, I have great luck with Victor Grain Free. The pieces are tiny. If you’d like to look into Victor, here’s their site. http://www.victordogfood.com/ They have 4 grain free kibbles. At the top of the page is a store locator. I buy it local and pay just under $40 for 30lbs. If you have a Costco nearby, their canned is a very good option. It’s called Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain Turkey and Pea Stew. A case of 24 cans is $19.99 Both are 5 star foods. 😀