[Mom2Cavs]

There are a few that I would use. Wellness has a Small Breed Healthy Weight and also Core Reduced Fat. The problem with Core RF is that the kibble size is pretty big for some small dogs. I prefer the Small Breed. Annamaet also has a grain free food called Lean that is good. Victor has a food, while not really a weight loss but billed as a senior food, it would still be a good one to feed for weight loss. Fromm has a food in their 4Star line called Whitefish and Potato that has less fat and fewer calories that might work, as well. These are just some suggestions. You could always just feed a lesser portion of her current food and add in some green beans (fresh cooked, frozen or no salt canned) as a filler to make her think she’s fuller. I hope this helps and I’m sure others with more knowledge than me will post later.

[Dori]

Wow Labs. You and I seem to be on the same page of late. Dried jerky meat absolutely cannot cause Pancreatitis. Seriously? As Judge Judy would say……RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!
.
On a completely different subject, the girls had their first meal of Victor’s Grain Free (Yukon–the only one that Katie can eat). Other than Katie having a gurgling stomach all seems well. I’m going to try feeding that in the a.m. and raw for their p.m. meals. It would be so great if they can actually eat a dry food. I haven’t gone anywhere since I put the dogs on raw food 2 1/2 years ago. I’ve become a slave to my girls. Not that I wasn’t before, but at least my husband or dog sitters or kennels would feed kibble, they won’t do raw. Truthfully, I wouldn’t trust them anyway. It would really be nice not to be a slave to their meal times. I’ll let you know how it goes on the Victor site.

[Nancy C]

I have a GSD who had acute diarrhea from eating Origen and Acana. Both have lentils and chick peas so I would NOT recommend that. AFter weeks of working with a vet we finally got him onto a sensitive stomach food which he did well on. That was Purina Pro Plan for Sen Stomachs. Hated the THOUGHT of Purina but it worked well. (I have heard that their boutiquey higher end brands are much better but I do not KNOW that this is true). This food is NOT in the Groc Stores. We fed that for a month. Then the vet said move to a regular kibble. I chose DR TIMS PERSUIT and he has done beautifully on it now for 3 months. It is for an active dog. You might want to move “down” to KINESIS which is what my Golden Retriever eats and likes. But I rotate. Dr Tims has a website. his food is NOT GMO or Organic but it is made in a facility that meets European standards which are higher than the US. Try the website and read about it. I am planning to move him in Sept to RAW, simply because I am convinced it is healthier. Brothers Complete is another excellent brand to consider. Can study that at DFA and their website. And VICTORS. I have no experience with either. Just putting it out there. The best of luck to you.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Debra-
This thread is supposed to be for suggesting budget friendly dog foods for the Editor’s Choice list. Since you are on this forum, I am assuming that you have access to that list as well. Have you checked it out? My dog’s do really well on grain free Victor. You can order through Amazon or Sport Dog if it is not sold in your area. Good luck!

[Bobby dog]

You are welcome and congrats on your good fortune!! At least you have a few places/foods to look at if you are ever in a pinch again!

Victor is recommended often on DFA. I have only fed a few samples of Victor to my dog which he loved. No one sells it by me so if it ever becomes available locally, I will be feeding it as part of my rotation. I feed some commercial raw as toppers and feed the ABC diet weekly and I believe your dogs will enjoy the variety. Good luck with your pups!!

[gmcbogger38]

Thanks again for the tips! I have had my life take a 360 degree change for the better, so I’ll have a little more money at my disposal when choosing a dog food. I’ve heard a lot of great things with Victor Ultra Pro, so I want to try that and possibly also feed raw a few times per week. Still doesn’t hurt to save money, though!

[crazy4cats]

Hi James P.-
Welcome to Dog Food Advisor! I was curious if you supplement the kibble with any toppers? Any fresh or canned food added? Also wondering if when you tried to switch food if did it very slowly? What I have learned coming to this site for the past year or so is that no kibble is really that great. I don’t switch kibble that often but I like to supplement every meal with something more healthy and species appropriate. Every morning, I add some canned. For the afternoon meal, I add fresh ingredients such as eggs, sardines, or raw nuggets.
I feed mostly grain free Victor kibble. I can get it in a 50lb bag for my two lab mix dogs. I have fed Royal Canin before on the advise of a vet. It’s unbelievably expensive for as much Brewers Rice and by-products that it contains.
I’d encourage to at least start supplementing if you are not already.
Good luck to you. I hope you get some helpful advise from this site. I know I have.

[matt n]

Ok so I’ve done a little more research but I’m still not sure about the calcium and it’s relation to medium breed dogs vs large & giant breeds.

Also, what I think I’m going to do is start off with Dr. Tim’s Kinesis then switch to Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch and then Victor Select Lamb Meal & Brown Rice. What I’m thinking is, this should show me which food (grain vs grain free, chicken vs herring vs lamb) my dog does best on. Is this legitimate reasoning? And what amount of time do people suggest keeping the puppy on a particular food before rotating to the next? Thanks

[Bobby dog]

Tindaisy:
You are welcome!

His name really fits him, thanks.

Sorry about the long winded explanation about my avoidance of Diamond when you already were aware; I should have just asked. lol

I am not sure about Missouri, but I think there is a facility there. The South Carolina facility was involved with most if not all of the recalls. That is definitely where the Diamond food sold in my region comes from unfortunately.

I am not sure what kind of dog Bobby is. He came from a shelter in Tennessee. At the time the pets only had three days to be adopted because they were at full capacity. The story goes he was dumped off prior to the shelter opening and waiting by the door when employees arrived for the day. He was too young to be separated from his mom and they were able to find a foster family to take care of him until he was adopted. He was a tiny little guy when I got him. I was looking for a dog that would be the size of a short legged JRT at maturity. They felt he was a terrier mix and wouldn’t weigh more than 20 lbs at maturity. He was full of worms and fleas when I got him. When I finally got rid of the worms he grew like a weed. He is now a little over 40 lbs. lol So much for my small dog. He might be some sort of a cattle dog mix. He has a coat and coloration of a short haired german pointer, has ears that stand up and are a little too big for his head, and his tail is a little short for his body type. He is obsessed with birds and points every now and then. He also likes to herd chickens and cats. Every so often I see pictures of puppies or dogs that look very similar to him and they are either a cattle dog breed or a mixture of one. Funny thing is my friend recently took her son to visit a college in Tennessee and she said every dog she saw looked like Bobby. They even had a picture of a dog that looked very much like him in their brochure. So who knows what he is, but he definitely is a lot of fun!

I forgot about one other budget friendly canned food, sorry C4c (it’s one of her fav’s along with others on DFA). It is by far the most budget friendly of the five star canned foods, Costco’s Nature’s Domain Turkey & Pea Grain Free. I don’t have a Costco membership so I always forget about it. You purchase it by the case and the price might vary a little depending on location, it’s $20.79 for 24 13.2 oz cans. I have a membership to BJ’s and buy their Earth’s Pride canned food for Bobby. It isn’t as budget friendly as the others, $8.99/6 pack, but perfect for my rotation.

That’s ashamed to feel pressured to buy something in a store you frequent. It would also be frustrating if the person selling the food did not understand each of the needs you must address when feeding your pets.

I recently finished a bag of Nutrisource chicken & rice which Bobby loved and did well on. I have the GF Lamb to feed after I finish the kibble I am feeding now. I also plan on trying the cat food kibble you are feeding. I like the company and they must be doing well because my pet store chain is now fully stocked with Nutrisource, Pure Vita, and their Organics line too. Thank goodness they never try to pressure me into buying food. I keep hoping Victor will reach my area, but no one seems interested in carrying it so far.

[LabsRawesome]

Hey Dori, this is the Diamond V that Barbara is talking about. Here’s a video. 🙂 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV76LfT6hC4 This stuff is in Victor dog food. They have a link to it on their site.

[LabsRawesome]

Victor’s Ultra Pro 42, and Yukon River formulas are gluten, grain, and GMO free. Both are 5 star foods. If you look at the PDF for both foods, there is a circular emblem, with the words going around the “stamp”. http://www.victordogfood.com/

[crazy4cats]

Yes, I did try the Victor dry cat food, but my cats didn’t like it much. It is really the first dry food that they haven’t cared much for. I have been feeding a bunch of different kibbles. Right now I’m finishing up Merrick grain free weight control and transitioning to a Nutro indoor variety that was a free sample at a vendor show. I forget exactly which one it is. But, the ingredients and analysis really didn’t look too bad. I was pleasantly surprised! I have fed Earthborn, Wellness Core, Taste of the Wild, and Premium Edge kibbles in the last year. My dogs’, on the other hand, really like the grain free Victor.

[LabsRawesome]

Victor Yukon River. Grain/GMO free. Around $40 for 30lbs if you can get it locally. http://www.midamericapetfood.com/victordogfood/pdf/Brochure-GF-Yukon%20River%20Canine.pdf Check Victor’s site for stores in your area. victordogfood.com

[Barbara]

Thank you pugmomsandy for the reply and the informative link… I saw that Snopes stated it was “undetermned”. I don’t plan on using any flea and tick killer that is ingested ever… I have used Frontline plus (seasonally and now only every 45 days) and heartgard plus without any issues for over 20+ years. My golden retriever Maya passed away from stomach cancer at almost 16 yrs of age 7 years ago I still miss her :(… My border collie mix is 13 1/2 and in better shape than most dogs that are less than 1/2 his age. Thanks to this site over the years I have improved my dog food options and went from the middle of the road now to Victor’s grain free and Kirkland Cuts in Gravy (being replaced by ND Turkey and pea stew). They are all doing well especially the older ones…!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Barbara.

[Naturella]

And Victor Yukon Salmon has no flax seed either. http://www.victordogfood.com/

[USA]

Hi MastiffMomma

I know you are worried about calories but I feel that calories can always be adjusted by the AMOUNT of food you feed. For me it’s all about the carbs for a dog with Diabetes. Diabetes can be a devastating disease in people and dogs so my top priority would be to cut carbohydrates to below 15%. Commercial dog food companies have taken a different approach. Because starch is cheaper than protein they will try to use low glycemic starches and fibers to slow down the absorption of the carbs and avoid a spike in blood sugar (glucose). That would be fine if dogs needed a lot of carbs to survive. Since they don’t it makes much more sense to cut the ingredient that ALL diabetics have a problem with, SUGAR in any shape or form!

There are only 3 basic nutrient groups, Protein, Fat and Carbohydrate so a food that is low in carbs will be high in protein and fat. This is okay for MOST dogs. Some dogs will have a problem with high fats and some dogs will have a problem with high protein.

I would always unless there is a medical issue with fat or protein try a ultra-low carbohydrate food first. Without a doubt carbohydrates are the enemy to a dog with diabetes and cutting carbs can increase both the quality of life and the length of life for a diabetic dog.

Dry food kibbles need starch to hold them together so the lowest you can go in carbs is about 15% and most kibbles are MUCH higher. I estimate that the dry food he is eating now is 50% carbs. Dry foods can also tax the kidneys because they are so concentrated and low in moisture. Kidneys are one of the first things to be affected by diabetes so dry foods are not my first choice. I have listed a couple of dry foods because whatever food you choose to feed has to fit your lifestyle as well as your mom’s.

/dog-food-reviews/evo-dog-food-dry/
http://www.midamericapetfood.com/victordogfood/pdf/Brochure-GF-Ultra%20Pro.pdf

Canned foods do not need starches to hold them together so they can go all the way down to 1% carbohydrates on a caloric basis. They can also be of a higher quality due to less processing and and a more natural moisture content. The canned foods I have listed below are all below 10% carbs but their fat content is high.

/dog-food-reviews/evo-dog-food-canned/
/dog-food-reviews/wellness-dog-food-core-canned/
/dog-food-reviews/tripett-dog-food/
/dog-food-reviews/by-nature-95-percent-meat/
/dog-food-reviews/castor-pollux-ultramix-grain-free-canned/

Remember that any changes in diet will require a change in the amount of insulin your Mom’s dog will receive. Lowering Carbs will require you to lower the amount of insulin your mom’s dog gets on a daily basis. Changes should be made slowly and gradually and with the help of a VET. Home monitoring of the dog’s blood sugar will greatly help you to manage the dog’s diabetes.

It’s nice that you are looking out for your mom and her dog!!!

[LabsRawesome]

Okay. Here’s a food with 15% fat. It’s grain free, GMO free, and right around $40 for 30lbs, if you can get it local. It’s Victor Yukon River. Here’s the PDF http://www.midamericapetfood.com/victordogfood/pdf/Brochure-GF-Yukon%20River%20Canine.pdf And here’s victor’s site in case you want to look at some of their other grain frees. victordogfood.com 😀

[Naturella]

It may not be exactly what you want, but I want to “third” the opinion on Victor Ultra Pro – great food, great price, my Bruno loves it, the kibble is small so smaller-ish (and all, really) dogs can eat it – it is a great food! Especially for racing dogs. And, for the chubby girl, just try to feed her in a crate or somewhere separately, and give her a slightly reduced amount – lesser calories + more exercise = weight loss.

[LabsRawesome]

High protein 42% 22% fat and low carbs 17% total carbs. 479 kcals per cup. Victor Ultra Professional formula. I buy it local for $40 a 30lb bag. I don’t think a food with your exact specs exists. I haven’t looked at them all tho. ;P http://www.midamericapetfood.com/victordogfood/pdf/Brochure-GF-Ultra%20Pro.pdf

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by LabsRawesome.

[LabsRawesome]

Victor Yukon River. Grain & GMO free. I buy it local at 30lbs $42. Here’s the PDF. http://www.midamericapetfood.com/victordogfood/pdf/Brochure-GF-Yukon%20River%20Canine.pdf

[Barbara]

I want to nominate Victor dog food especially grain free! I see that others have asked for it to be nominated as well and don’t understand why it is not on the Editors Choice list?? There are no recalls and Victor Grain Free has 5 stars which is more than some other brands on the list? Also the regular Victor still has 4 stars. I have been using Victor Grain Free Joint Health. My dogs had been on TOTW Wetlands. They are doing great on Victor the 2 that I feed it to are over 75lbs. I am glad that it has the added Glucosamine and Chondroitin! It is hard to find on-line except at Sportdogfood and Amazon but you can check the Victor website to fine a local feed store for even better prices…. I would like to see it on the list! Thanks

[DogFoodie]

The pumpkin should help and you could also try adding some digestive enzymes to see if that helps a bit.

One of my dogs does not do well at all on foods with chickpeas and lentils. Lots of gas. Lots! I know I have to avoid foods that use them as binders and it’s get harder because so many brands are now adding them to their foods.

I agree with Marie that NutriSource is generally well tolerated. I made a quick switch once to Adult Chicken & Rice when I needed to get my pup off of something and he did great on it. I also think Wellness foods are great and have had much success with them in the past. I’ll continue to use them in my rotation.

If you plan to look for a different brand, some I find to be high quality from reputable manufacturers that might be close in price to what you were feeding are Victor, Dr. Tim’s, Horizon Legacy and Earthborn Holistics.

[DogFoodie]

I’ve used Orijen and Acana and most of the formulas didn’t work for my dogs. A food is only great if it’s great for your dog.

I still have my fingers crossed that you might take a look at Victor, Travis.

I saw quite a few local dealers in Central Oklahoma. ; )

Victordogfood.com

[DogFoodie]

Hi Jonathan,

Again, I second Aquariangt’s statements! : )

Also take a look at this website for Victor: http://victordogfood.com/

Click on the “Find a Dealer” tab in the black bar near the top of the page. You just might have some luck in finding Victor near you.

[Jonathan W]

Did some research just looking at fat/protein % as well as overall calories. Here’s the info on the current food, chicken soup:

Crude Protein 26.0% minimum
Crude Fat 14.0% minimum
Crude Fiber 4.0% maximum
335 cal/cup

Victor high-pro:
Crude Protein 30.0% minimum
Crude Fat 20.0% minimum
Crude Fiber 3.8% maximum
429 cal/cup

Victor Select Chicken Meal Brown Rice with Lamb Meal:
Crude Protein 24.0% minimum
Crude Fat 12.0% minimum
Crude Fiber 3.8% maximum
391 cal/cup

The high-pro is clearly the best food, I’m just concerned with it being too many calories- that would be a significant bump from what she currently eats, and she’s an ideal weight right now. I’m still considering the high-pro and maybe even the chicken recipe as that is closer in line with what she currently east (even though it is likely only ~3.5 stars), but really could use more info. Biggest concern is the extra calories and if those are a cause for concern – looks like for a ~48lb dog all recommend around 2.5 cups so there isn’t any evening out due to serving sizes.

[Jonathan W]

First of all, thanks for the feedback, it’s greatly appreciated.

What’s the deal with Diamond brands? I know they had a recall last year, but do they have a long history of recalls or other bad practices?

Either way, I found the Victor hi-pro on amazon, and if you calculate it compared to a 30 lb bag, it actually comes out to a tad bit cheaper than TOTW. I see that it’s also a 5 star food, but there isn’t a detailed review on the site for that particular variety. I notice it’s for active dogs, mine isn’t overly active, but is fairly active. Will this potentially cause her to gain weight? I’m all for switching her to something better, just don’t want it to cause other issues!

Thanks again,
Jon

[Dori]

Try Victors Grain Free and stay away from any and all poultry including poultry (fowl) ingredients listed in the lower portion of ingredient list on the food. They always sneak in chicken fat or turkey meal, stuff like that. You should also try to eliminate white potato and tomatoes as they add to inflammation. Dogs with allergies and arthritic problems need to avoid foods that will add to inflammation.

I don’t feed kibble myself but I have read from a lot of the knowledgeable posters that they feed and recommend the Victor’s Grain Free. I would suggest that you go to Victor’s review here on dfa and read some of the posts.

[pugmomsandy]

You might check out Victor Dog Food, Nutrisource, Simply Nourish, and 4Health.

[Naturella]

Hey, all!

Well, Photobucket seems to hate me tonight so I will have to just write out the picture of Bruno’s 2014-2015 Menu, all gotten through coupons!

Starting Point – Mid-July, 2014.

1. Earthborn Holistic (EBH) Primitive Natural (Grain-Free, Chicken) – 14 lbs – 3 mths – till mid-Oct, 2014 – got for $20 with Petland coupon for $10 off $25+.
2. Back to Basics (B2B) Open Range (Grain-Free, Red Meat) + 3 samples of Victor Joint Health (Grain-Free, Beef) + 3 samples of Victor High Pro (Grain Free, Beef) – 5 lbs – 1.5 mths – till end of Nov, 2014 – got for $13 with manufacturer coupon for $7 off.
3. Holistic Health Extension (HHE) Lamb and Brown Rice (Grain-Inclusive, Lamb) – 4 lbs – 1 mth – till end of Dec, 2014 – got for FREE with Petland coupon for a free small bag of that brand.
4. Dogswell LiveFree Salmon (Grain-Free, Salmon/Fish) – 4 lbs – 1 mth – till end of Jan, 2015 – got for $4 on Petflow sale.
5. HHE Allergix (Grain-Free, Chicken) – 4 lbs – 1 mth – till end of Feb, 2015 – got for FREE with Petland coupon for a free small bag of that brand.
6. EBH Great Plains Feast (Grain-Free, Buffalo+Lamb) – 14 lbs – 3 mths – till end of May, 2015 – got for $20 with Petland coupon for $10 off $25+.
7. Wysong Nurture with Quail (Grain-Free, Quail) – 5 lbs – 1 mth – till end of June, 2015 – got for $5 on Petflow sale.
8. Nature’s Variety Instinct (NVI) Rabbit+Raw Bites (Grain-Free, Rabbit) + 1.5 lbs of Victor Ultra Pro (Grain-Free, Chicken) – 6.5 lbs – 1.5 mths – till mid-July, 2015 – NVI for FREE with manufacturer one-time coupon; Victor Ultra Pro is from samples and 1lb from a friend – all FREE.

PLUS: The Honest Kitchen (THK) Force (Grain-Free, Chicken); Keen (Grain-Inclusive, Turkey), Love (Grain-Free, Beef), and Embark (Grain-Free, Turkey) as toppers – 2-lb boxes of each for $4 each on sale from Petflow – should last till mid-July, 2015 too BECAUSE one box makes 6-8 lbs of wet food and dilute it lots so I will say that THK’s 8 lbs of dehydrated food will make 32 lbs of wet food. That’s $16 ($20 with shipping) for 32 lbs of food!

Total food weight: Kibble – 56.5 lbs. THK – 32 lbs. Total – 88.5lbs.
Total spending (with $5 shipping from Petflow for the THK): $82.00.

This makes all the foods an average of $0.93/lb. I’m quite happy with it cause for less than $100, it is all pretty good foods, and Bruno is set for a YEAR. 🙂

Not to mention the multitude of free samples he has that we use as treats and the $60 box from Best Bully Sticks that is full of dehydrated goods that should last him quite a while too, maybe a year if I’m lucky. So yeah. $142. Great local stores that give coupons and free samples. Great friends and good manufacturer deals – I think $142 for a year’s worth of food, chews, and treats for a small dog is pretty good. 🙂

Good luck to all with your couponing endeavors! 🙂

[Marcus P]

Hey All,

Wondering if anyone can help out. I am looking at getting a new Mastiff puppy and dont know what the best food choices are for a giant breed. I do know that the breeder has been feeding him Victor Super Premium since 7 weeks. He is now around 8 weeks. From my research on the Forums so far I have found that the calcium levels in this food may be to high? I was looking at Earthborn Holistics (meadow feast and/or costal catch). Is that a good substitute for the Victor, or am I way off base? Is it necessary to add anything to the dry food like some kind of wet food? Also, I had always believed that big dogs should be fed from elevated bowls, but I have found that this may also not be the case as it may increase the chance of bloat? Due to the need to regulate a giant breed dogs calcium intake what type of treats and bones can they have? Is there anything I am missing that I also need to know about feeding a giant breed? Sorry about all the questions, I just want to make sure I do right by the little guy and he is with us for as long as possible. Thanks for any help.

[Naturella]

Victor has teeny kibbles, Holistic Health Extension Small/Toy Breed has teeny kibbles too. My dog was 5lbs or so when we adopted him, he was very small, but was able to eat Blue Buffalo Wilderness with no problem. I haven’t ever fed him small breed anything since the first food he was on – Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy. Since then he’s been on:
Blue Buffalo Wilderness
Nutrisca
Dr. Tim’s (largest kibble he’s ever had)
Holistic Health Extension
Earthborn Holistic
Now! Fresh
Victor (smallest kibble he’s ever had)
Nature’s Variety Instinct
Annamaet samples (good size, close to Victor)
NutriSource samples (close to HHE)
TOTW samples (close to HHE/BBW)
Nulo sample (a bit bigger than BBW)

Overall Bruno has managed to deal with all kibble sizes just fine. But you can check out Victor and other small breed varieties of good 5-star foods. 🙂

[crazy4cats]

Hi Dawn-
I feed my dogs Victor grain free with joint mantenance. It is basically the same as the all life stages grain free except it has added glucosamine and chondroitin. The one I feed has tiny kibble so I’m assuming the all life stages one would be small as well. I think it is one of the most affordable 5 star grain free foods you can buy. Have fun at the pet supply!

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi Kelly,

The only good food I know of for joint care is Victor GF Joint Health / Adult Canine Formula
with Glucosamine. Here is the website: http://www.victordogfood.com/

However, the amounts of glucosamine and chondroitin in dog food are usually not enough to be therapeutic. There is 750mg/kg of glucosamine and 250mg/kg of chondroitin in this food. I have a senior Great Dane (8 yrs old) that needs joint support. I am giving him glucosamine and chondroitin from Springtime Inc. I use their equine line because my dog is so large but they have a canine line as well. I would check out the Supplement forum and look for threads on joint health. I know there are a few of them. It would probably be most beneficial to get your dog on a high quality joint supplement in addition to a high quality food.

Best of luck!

[InkedMarie]

There are many dog foods out there. If price is an issue, look at Victor, Dr Tim’s, Hi Tek. I would never feed an inferior food as Beneful. If your dog is healthy, practice tough love. Put the food down, leave for 15 min then pick up. He gets no food or treats until the next meal. Pick a quality food, add something healthy such as canned, little yogurt etc.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Texasniteowl-
I have endured some frustrating digestive disorders with my dogs as well due to parasites and many doses of antibiotics and dewormers. I don’t know if they ended up with leaky guts, IBS, IBD, or what, but it was down right frustrating! I read every article I could find on the above conditions. Some of the best information, I found on dogaware.com.
The best results that I have had so far is when I feed them Victor grain free food with a few Northwest Naturals frozen raw nuggets. I also have tried several supplements that are helpful. I use probiotics and/or digestive enzymes that contain slippery elm, l-glutamine and NAG. The Victor contains a clay that helps with loose stools as well. Another kibble that has the clay is Nature’s Variety Prairie and Instinct. Interestingly, sauerkraut and shredded carrots are also helpful for some reason. LOL! I wish you a lot of luck!

[aquariangt]

another point to keep in mind when comparing dog food prices for your budget is how much you feed. I took the food you linked (and I wholeheartedly agree with everyone else to get off that food) and for my dogs, it’s recommending up to 2 cups a day-that’s double what I feed them on pretty much anything that they are on at the time (I rotate brands-I also use toppers and do a fair amount of training so they don’t get quite as much as recommended) whereas the victor grain free has them on 1.5 cups-this adds up a lot over a year for food cost. Victor is certainly a good option it seems-I haven’t used it, can’t get it locally and online victor is a bit pricy for something that I can’t test-but a lot of people swear by it. Betsy linked some good options as well. Hard to say what would be best because your budget is your budget, but there are certainly options within every price range that would be sufficient

Good luck

[LabsRawesome]

Hi Jonathan , I agree with Betsy. I use Victor dog food, the grain free formulas. I get 30lbs for around 40 dollars. I need big bags because I have 3 dogs. Since you only have 1 dog, and are on a tight budget, you could go for the grain inclusive. Those are around $20 for 20lbs. If you follow the link Betsy left, you can email the company and ask for a free sample. Or call a store in your area, and ask if they have free samples. My 3 love Victor foods.

[DogFoodie]

We live and learn. Maybe it was the food, maybe not. I’m so sorry for the loss of your pup. It’s very painful when we have to say good bye.

First, check this: http://victordogfood.com/

In the black bar near the top of the page, it says something like find a dealer. I put in Los Angeles and found several local retailers. Victor makes some great foods and locally for me, the grain inclusive varieties run about $40 for 40 pounds and the same for 30 pounds of grain free. Very quality products, reputable manufacturer, good customer service from the company.

If you can’t buy it locally, check out Dr. Tim’s, Eagle Pack, Horizon Legacy, Earthborn, Infinia and NutriSource. Pure Balance from Wal-Mart is also a good choice.

The only thing that bothers me about Kirkland and Natures Domain dry dog foods, is that they’re made by Diamond. However, on the West Coast, your food “should” come from the Diamond plant with a much better reputation than that in the Southern US.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Travis,

I couldn’t tell if you had already looked for a local retailer of Victor products or not. I live in the Chicago area, but my friend is in Texas and when I was looking for a local retailer for her I was shocked to see there were lots of them. Lots. Not to pester you, but do check and see if you might have a retailer near you. Click on the tab in the black bar at the top of this page that says, “find a dealer.” http://victordogfood.com/

Also, something you could consider would be supplementing your dog’s diet with raw, meaty bones as an introduction to raw food. Something as simple as a turkey neck in place of a meal of kibble. And, if you keep the extras to no more than 20% of your dog’s diet, you don’t have to worry about throwing off the nutritional balance of the kibble. I don’t feed raw full-time because of my schedule and it worries me far less when I know I’m feeding it less than 20% of the time. Here are the forum search results for “raw, meaty bones” or RMB’s as they’re called: /forums/search/raw+meaty+bones/

[Travis A]

Thank you all very much for the suggestions, and I understand affordable is relative to my means, so that 50 lb bag lasted right at a month for my 2 boys so all i spent was the $33 for that month on food which is pretty good for a decent food, i’m having a friend pick up another bag of the Zach’s in Lubbock,TX so that will save me on the shipping but it’s also not grain free and while my dogs seem to be ok with it, i’d prefer to use grainless food to prevent any issues. I will look into the victor brand though along with the other suggestions, thanks again for the assistance. I know it’s the wrong forum but i was also looking into some sort of Raw diet that won’t break the bank either, any starting place suggestions on that? And is it ok to start my 5 month old’s on it?

[gmcbogger38]

Yeah Ol’ Blue. Just wanted to help support a local company lol. I may end up using that food choice as a last resort only for an emergency financial situation. I currently feed Victor and my dogs are doing well on it. I just want to find other affordable foods to be able to rotate with. I looked into 4health, but I’m not exactly keen on Diamond foods. My tractor supply sells a food called Sportmix Wholesomes that looks really decent for the price. It’s on sale $29.99 for a 40lb bag and contains no corn, wheat or soy. I’ll definitely do some searching on the posts here and find those threads. Thanks guys!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Travis-
Have you checked out Victor’s retail locater? If you can buy it locally, I don’t think you can find a better price for a five star grain free food. Otherwise, Amazon, Sport Dog, or RocketPetz sells it online at a higher price. I can’t get it as cheap as others as we have only one dealer in our area. I have to drive a ways, but I can get a 50lb bag of the grain free joint formula for $74. Not near as good as the Zach’s that you are currently feeding. Also Earthborn, Nutrisource and By Nature have decent prices. Good luck!

[pugmomsandy]

Check out Victor dog food. Comes in 40-50 lb bags. I saw a large bag of regular food for $33 at the feed store a couple weeks ago. They also have grain free food and you can buy this online. victordogfood.com

[Dfwgolden]

*facepalm*
Okay…
Let me clear something’s up.
First off I will NOT stand for anyone bashing my vet who has
Been nothing but PERFECT.
Secondly- Danes differ largely from a terrier.
Therefor saying it is VERY common for Great Danes to have a large Ammount of food allergies.

Third- I was trying to say that this is what she slid could be the culprits.
Meaning all the foods he has tried have contained these commonly allergic ingredients. Therefor we need to eliminate on by one to see.

Also if you don’t live in America it makes it very difficult for you to recommend any good dog foods.
All you listed are low grade except for victor which is NOT budget friendly in my opinion.

I’m not trying to sound rude, I am just VERY picky and protective of my dogs. And will not take anything regarding them lightly.

[Susan]

Hi Dfwgolden, Ive just started the Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal.. as my boy has IBD & we think that the chicken was causing his tummy problems & the hive like lumps on his head & body, so I’ve started the Simple Duck & Oatmeal cause it has the lowest fat %.. Im not happy about the low Protein but Patch seems to do better when the protein is under 24%.. Im pretty sure that the Simple Duck & Oatmeal does not have chicken fat, as I made sure that there was no chicken in the Duck & Oatmeal, I just went on the Wellness Simple site to double check & there’s no chicken fat, it has natural duck flavours, I even looked at the Lamb & Oatmeal & there’s no chicken fat either, the best way to know if ur dog is intolarent to chicken is to start a elimination diet…when you start with say lamb or Rabbit for 1 month,then slowley add some chicken & see if he has his diarrhea again, he’s had alot of things done in the last 3-4weeks so its very hard to say what did cause his diarrhea, I know antibiotics can cause diarrhea, Ive written down what antibiotics causes Patch to have diarrhea & make sure next time Patch is not put on them..
I read that Victor is a budget friendly & has 5 stars also 4 health sold at Tractor Supply, Pure Balance grainfree Rachel Ray sold at Walmart, Earth Farms sold at Petco & Eagle Pack & Authority sold at Petsmart are suppost to be budget friendly aswell…also keep up with the probiotics, my boy has been on dog probiotics now for 10 months..especially when trying a new foods..

[LabsRawesome]

Hi Melinda, I feed Victor Ultra Professional 42 formula. It has 22% fat. I thought I’d post some info for you since you’re looking for a higher fat food. Here’s Victor’s site. http://www.victordogfood.com/ And here’s the PDF for Ultrapro42 formula. http://www.midamericapetfood.com/victordogfood/pdf/Brochure-GF-Ultra%20Pro.pdf

• This reply was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by LabsRawesome.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by LabsRawesome.

[Gail W]

I have a rescue organization and just took in 4 pups that were abandoned on a railroad track. I have been feeding my adult dogs Victor Professional and have been extremely happy with the product. I purchased Victor’s puppy blend for these guys. Their stool is always soft bordering on diarrhea. We have had two sets of fecals done, three rounds of Panacur and a 5-day flagyl round. Today my vet suggested that the food simply may not agree with the pups. Too rich. I have talked with several vets over the past 2 years saying that they are seeing a lot of problems with diarrhea with Blue. Just too rich for many stomachs.
Does anyone have any recommendations for me to try with these pups? I am wondering if the Victor Professional that I feed my adults might work. The info on the bag says it is good for all life stages, but can I depend on that? Thanks.

[Dori]

Hi Cyndi. Yes it was Labs. Lots of foods contain the montmorillonite clay, even some raw foods but it didn’t work for Hannah. I also tried Victors Yukon, the one Labs feeds (first kibble I fed her in over a year) but it never changed anything for Hannah. I know it did work for one of Labs’ dogs, lucky her.
Anyway it’s always worth a shot. I don’t recall how old her dog was, could have been that her dog was much younger than my Hannah. Don’t know? I was so excited when she told me about it and then so disappointed.

[Cyndi]

I believe that’s the problem LabsRawesome had with her dog. I remember reading in the reviews that once she switched her dog to Victor it cleared up. The Victor dog food contains montmorillonite and I think that’s the ingredient that she said cleared up her dog’s eyes. I am not positive if that was the problem her dog was having, but I do remember it was something with the eyes and it cleared up after switching foods.

So, maybe go to the review side, find a recent comment from LabsRawesome and ask her.

Good Luck!!

[Mom2Cavs]

It just goes to show that not every food works for all dogs. Mine eat Wellness Small Breed (Simple, Senior and White fish and I’m going to use Healthy Weight soon) and love it and are doing great on it. I’m sure you can find another food that works for your crew. Some I like are Dr. Tim’s, Victors and Annamaet. Holistic Select is fine, too.