[Angela A]

Now I can’t say that my GSD’s uti’s were caused by her food, but I can say that I switched from Blue Buffalo Basics Grain free to Kirkland (costco) grain free and she had 3 uti’s since the switch. Cranberry is in the Blue Buffalo, and not the Kirkland brand. We are back on Blue Buffalo and I am researching the Budget friendly foods now. Two German Shepherds put away some food! 🙂 Love that I joined! Thanks!

[Sylvia L]

Hi
I have been feeding my doggie Grandma Mae’s Country Naturals Grain Free how would you rate this product you have the dry on your list but you have not included the canned. Is this a good budget product, I would love to hear what you think.

[Bobby dog]

C4c & Anita:
Those amounts that C4c wrote in her post about feeding her cats is almost exactly how I feed my cats and they are mostly outdoor kitties.

My big hyperthyroid kitty gets a little more canned food when he wants it. His weight is good and since he has health issues I figure he needs a little extra nourishment. He eats the best out of all my kitties because he is not finicky. My other kitties are still addicted to fish, dry food, and kitty crack (a.k.a. Purina). lol

Akari:
Pick up some more by Nature since it’s still on sale along with the EVO 95%. IMO that’ll do for a rotation for now and both foods are within your budget.

I quickly looked at PS selections and keeping your budget in mind and ruling out Simmons I believe EVO is your only choice for a balanced 95%; nice choice IMO. I’ll check out the GF selections to see if there is something you might want to consider as a back-up when I have a bit more time.

I don’t blame you for wanting to stick with 95% foods, I am sure this is really helping to heal his skin. I fed (and still do) PB 95% for two months straight, maybe more, without rotating any other canned foods while I was getting Bobby’s yeasty/dermatitis skin healed. That was the only 95% that fit my budget other then when I could find other brands on sale. I think Bentley having two nice brands is pretty good! 🙂

Do you need to stock up on canned food for your guys? Did you see the awesome deal they had on Solid Gold canned food? If there was a PS near me I would be buying out their stock of Solid Gold! 😉
http://www.petsupermarket.com/products/petsupermarket/dog/dog-food/solid-gold-dog-food.aspx

[crazy4cats]

Hi Tara-
Since you said he has bad gut bacteria, I’m assuming that you have had a fecal test done. It is common for a pup to get Coccidia and/or Giardia. Hopefully, those have been ruled out. I had a problem with loose stools with my dogs and feeding grain free Victor and adding probiotics, digestive enzyme and a supplement that contains slippery elm is very helpful. Victor is a budget friendly 5 star grain free food.
I feel like you need to figure out what is causing the diarrhea. Whether it be parasites, food intolerance or IBS, so you can fix the issue.
The dogaware.com website has a lot of great info on their digestive disorders thread. I wish you the best. It’s not a very fun issue!

[Tara M]

My 11 month old GSD mix has been dealing with chronic diarrhea for about 3 months now. My vet first prescribed antibiotics, Pepcid (for constant grass eating) and Proviable-DC with a tentative diagnosis of beginning signs of IBS or IBD due to high level of bad gut bacteria. She was on Authority Large Breed Puppy (chicken formula) when symptoms first started, the we transitioned to the Lamb & Rice with the same results.While on the antibiotics, Shyla’s symptoms were resolved but within 5 days of finishing, she was right back where we started. Our vet refilled the Pepcid and antibiotic with longer dosage time with a recommendation for a prescription diet. I know my vet uses Hill’s ( a brand I do not trust) and I’m not in favor. I am really wanting Shyla to be completly off the antibiotics and know it is time to go grain free and work from there to determine if this is a food intolerance but am lost as to which would be the best for her, especially when I’m on a budget with three rescues in the home. I need a good quality food but affordable as due to her weight class, she requires 4 cups of kibble daily. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated to this novice dog mama.

[Tara M]

Please help. I have a 11 month old GSD mix (resuce) who started showing signs of either food intolerance or beginnings of IBD or IBS (per vet). We have her on Proviable-DC, Pepcid, and an antibiotic (2nd round). My vet is pushing for a prescription diet, which I know them to use Hill’s, a brand I do not trust. I really would like to change her diet to something better in the hopes of eliminating all antibiotic usage, but am on a budget with three rescues in the home. Any advice? She has been on Authority Large Breed puppy (chicken formula) and Lamb and Rice.

[james m]

We have a miniature schnauzer who have itchy skin, and allergies. We were recommended blue buffalo basics salmon and potato. He has been on it for a while and does well with it. Unfortunately it’s a little too much for our current budget. Are there any other less expensive brands I should consider that are close in nutrition and allergy friendly? Thanks in advance.

[Travis A]

Cassandra, sorry to hear about your little one’s issues, I have recently discovered Zach’s Quality Dog Food out of Breckenridge, TX. On this site it is rated 4.5 stars, the cost at the most is $37.50 for a 50lb bag, which you cannot beat anywhere for a good quality food. I had to order mine online and took about 7 days to get here and i paid no shipping cost. My 2 pit/boxer/lab boys- i believe i am not 100% on the boxer/lab part but they are about 5 months and have been on it now for about 3 weeks and they eat all of it everytime, seem to not have any issues, stool is good, coat is good, and they are putting on weight at a healthy rate. I was too looking for a budget quality good and this seems to be the best deal i have came across, they have a direct site under their name so i would check it out along with the review on this site. Hope this helps.

[Jennifer H]

Fromm Family Classics is very affordable, and a good food. I feel it should be added to the budget-friendly list!

[Bobby dog]

Hi Anita:
Thanks for the link!

I get the ACV thing. I am bizarre, love the taste. Anyway, I only posted the information because it’s what helped Bobby through his yeasty skin issues. Every dog is different so what worked for us may or may not work for others. 😉 Did you happen to see the ACV foot bath suggestion for itchy paws? I think it is under the WDJ skin condition link.

For organic coco oil you want unrefined rather than refined. I have seen many descriptions on line, virgin, extra virgin, unrefined, cold pressed. These descriptions are referring to the process used to make the oil that keeps the most healthy benefits.

As far as using a canned topper, your pups would benefit most from a GF or 95% canned food. The most budget friendly 5 star 95% is Pure Balance from Wal-Mart ($1.25/can). I will check out my dog food spread sheet to see what I have used in the past for GF or 95% and I am sure other posters will have some suggestions for you too. Some 95% foods are only for supplemental feeding because they don’t have any added vitamins. I don’t think that it is a worry unless you decide to only feed something like this as a topper, then you would want to make sure you feed enough kibble to ensure they get their vitamins. Wal-Mart’s 95% is a balanced food.

I would also like to mention since Bobby’s skin issues have cleared I have been able to feed him GF and grain inclusive kibble, foods with potatoes, veggies, and fruits. I feed a rotational diet, I buy small bags and switch proteins and carbs with each new bag. I haven’t had any issues with yeast since I have been paying attention to the ingredients they contain. You may find you will not have to completely eliminate certain ingredients when they are healthy again; but then again you may find you might have to avoid certain ingredients, you never know. 🙂

You would refer to your kibble and canned feeding directions for the amounts to add to kibble. I add about 4 T of water to the canned food to make a gravy and extra moisture never hurts. Bobby weighs 44 lbs, on pate’ style foods I usually get four feedings and stew styles about 3-4 feedings. Some other posters will probably have some suggestions for using canned as toppers as well. Most importantly you want to observe your dogs body conditions and adjust accordingly.

[Anita L]

Akari,
At Sam’s it’s BetterBody Foods Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (56 oz) for $14.98.

Bobby’s Mom,
Again…WOW!
I have checked out the links and love them. Can’t wait to get over to the cat site. I read a piece of it the other day and am very excited!

I have the food list (GF Potato Free). Money is an issue. We are a 1 income family (by choice) but I finally decided to suck it up on the dry food and re-arrange a few things to make that work. Now, I’ll be looking for ways to make the canned food fit in that budget. I have your list from earlier.

My other question on the canned food is how much to give them? Is it on the can or are there other suggestions? Considering I’m using it as a topper….

On the ACV…..I have a personal problem with it. A few years ago, I had a major soar throat that wouldn’t go away and felt like it was coated with fuzzy/fluffy stuff. So, in my infinite wisdom, I made this concoction “to help” (I did NOT want to go to the doctor for their steroid and antibiotics that I didn’t think I needed) of ACV, touch of ginger and cayenne, and honey and then I chugged it…..Until the next day, I just wanted to throw up! All I could taste was the ACV. I was so miserable. So I now laugh at myself (especially since I made and drank about 5-6 oz instead of 1-2 oz….more was NOT better! LOLOL)…but I still cringe at drinking ACV. But I will keep it in mind for my pups. 🙂

One last question….just to clarify. I figured out about refined coconut being best and that refined was the same as virgin. So is extra virgin good as well…just extra refined? I’m thinking yes b/c I want to say I remember one of your links to the one you use was extra virgin. But I want to make sure….especially before I buy more today.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Cassandra –

If you’re an Editor’s Choice member I would suggest checking out the list of recommended budget-friendly dog foods.

If not, a few reasonably priced foods that I hear good things about are Pure Balance (available at Walmart), 4Health (available at Tractor Supply) and Victor (available at some feed stores and online).

[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
I love our lady Karma! 😉 Glad your okay because you are making a difference for the little guy!!!! I know budget is always on both of our minds so remember if you need more shampoo and can’t find Malasab in stores, check out the drug store versions of Nolvalsan shampoo or Hibiclens. That will treat the yeast as well. You have a little guy to bath and ordering just shampoo on line isn’t worth the shipping. Hibiclens even offered coupons on their website. 😉

[Bobby dog]

Hi Sue:
I have no experience feeding fresh coconut to dogs, but I have read about it and it sounds interesting, might try it in the future.

Cold pressed is what you are looking for, that is the best process of making the oil so it retains all of the healthy benefits. So you might see, cold pressed, unrefined, or virgin on a label.

As far as brands, I only use organic and I have bounced around many different brands such as Nutiva and Spectrum. I have just settled on the brand sold at BJ’s (my price club) because it is so much cheaper than Wal-Marts price. Basically look for organic and a label stating it is unrefined, virgin, or cold pressed and you should be good to go.

Anita:
A few things about the info I posted. The treat recipes I posted by Dr. Becker are fine except I would only make the whole meat treats, not the recipes with potato flakes, veggies, or fruits. Or you could probably make those recipes minus the potatoes, veggies, or fruits. For now focus on feeding protein not carbs. The same for the ABC diet; If you decide to add healthy foods to the kibble your feeding, I would skip the veggie and fruit additions for now so you don’t keep feeding the yeast.

By the way, Steve Brown, author of the ABC diet, is very popular around DFA and you may want to check out his other books along with his website. I have not fed any of his products or read anything other than info from his website and the ABC download so I cannot recommend anything other than to check him out.

I don’t know what Detol Antiseptic lotion is. If I were in your shoes I would make a pov/io foot bath for them, easy enough since you already have it! Nothing to loose if it doesn’t help.

As far as canned food goes, I highly recommend it over kibble as most do on this site, but it just isn’t in my budget to feed my dog only canned. Canned food is more species appropriate as well as provides extra moisture. If budget isn’t an issue with you I also have many other 5 star brands I have fed if you want to give it a try.

Here is a link to the GF Potato free kibble thread on DFA for some kibble ideas. I believe if you keep reading other posters have mentioned some more brands in addition to the initial list.
/forums/topic/grain-and-potato-free-dog-foods/

I add a 1/4 t of organic ACV with the mother to each meal for Bobby. I did not start this because of his skin issues, but for his acid indigestion issues; it worked wonders for it. I also use it for my acid indigestion. After researching it I also found it has benefits for the skin as well.

I also have used a vinegar rinse on Bobby to help relieve his itchy skin, he seemed fine with it and it helped. I did it once or twice in the beginning and kind of forgot about it because his health improved pretty quickly with the routine I had established.

Here’s some info I saved about ACV:
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/2_6/features/5220-1.html
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_01/features/Pet-Uses-Of-Apple-Cider-Vinegar_20435-1.html
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_01/features/Pet-Uses-Of-Apple-Cider-Vinegar_20435-1.html?pg=2
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_01/features/Pet-Uses-Of-Apple-Cider-Vinegar_20435-1.html?pg=3
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_01/features/Pet-Uses-Of-Apple-Cider-Vinegar_20435-1.html?pg=1

Come on over to the other thread us cat lovers hang out on “cat food recommendations.”
/forums/topic/cat-food-recommendations/page/36/

Akari started the cat thread too! It is a pretty big thread so you may just want to jump in and ask questions. It would take a while to read everything. Also, we all recommend catinfo.org and littlebigcat.com for cat sites. catinfo.org is my bible for cat care. You will learn alot about food on that site.

[Cassandra S]

Hi there! I’m new to the forum, but I follow DFA news as closely as possible.

I own two pitbull mixes. Emma is a 2 year old German Shepherd/Pit Bull mix with back leg/hip problems. She has not be diagnosed with hip displaysia, but I have been told to put her on glucosamine/chondroitin supplements. Zooey is a 1 year old Pit Bull/possible Labrador mix…(not quite sure what she’s mixed with.) Both dogs are rescues.

Emma and Zooey both have gas issues. Lately Emma has been vomiting at least 2 or 3 times a week. Occasionally she vomits up pieces of kibble, other times its just foamy with bits of grass. Both dogs are a little picky. It’s been impossible to find a food that they both like. They are currently on Purina Dog Chow (which I hate, but I had to do it because of budget constraints) but I am looking to switch them over to a better quality food that won’t break my wallet (or my boyfriend’s). In the past, I had Emma on Blue Buffalo Wilderness, but she stopped eating it; I then switched her to Nature’s Variety Duck. She liked it for a while but then she started to only eat the freeze-dried raw kibble and not the rest of her food. Then I switched her to Merrick’s Bison and Sweet Potato recipe, but she began to chew incessantly on her legs to the point where she was going bald. This is about the time I rescued Zooey.

Zooey was on Vet Prescribed Science Diet. She ate it and then Emma started eating it. It concerned me because it was a puppy food and Emma has problems with her legs and I didn’t want her to gain weight and create more issues. I eventually put both of them on Purina True Instinct (the turkey venison one?) and they both liked it and ate it up, but again Emma would begin to vomit occasionally. I then switched them to Taste of the Wild, but neither of them would touch it. I tried Merrick’s Pork and Sweet Potato recipe and Zooey loved it, but Emma once again began itching and chewing and I worried for her health so I switched to Nature’s Variety again, which neither of the ate…

Since I just recently moved and changed jobs, money has been tight, so that is the reason they ended up on Purina Dog Chow…

Any sort of recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Neither dogs have allergy diagnoses, but I believe Emma may be allergic to fish (both Merrick foods had fish in them) since she had the itching and chewing problems.

[crazy4cats]

Hi-
Thanks for the heads up on the coupons! I used the cat litter one. I’ve been experimenting with different litters hoping to find one that isn’t dusty but still budget friendly. We’ll see how World’s Best works out.

[crazy4cats]

Oh BTW, Travis, Nature’s Domain Turkey Stew (Costco), Pure Balance (Walmart) and 4Health (Tractor Supply) are all very budget friendly 5 star canned foods.

[crazy4cats]

I feed mine mostly Victor grain free kibble so far. It is fairly budget friendly depending on whether you have to order it or if you can find it locally. I’m trying to find another kibble to rotate with also. They have had some digestive issues, but are doing much better. I also add canned, eggs, sardines, frozen raw or dehydrated to their kibble every meal.

Yes, separating them as much as possible is a good idea to avoid separation anxiety in the future. One of mine has a lot more trouble being separated from his brother than the other. I actually think he’s glad to “get away” sometimes. LOL!

[arwyru24]

I only very recently started buying canned food online, because I was worried about getting damaged merchandise, but all of the local stores have started to really raise prices so high that I can get a very substantial discount purchasing online and I am on a pretty tight budget and I use a lot of canned cat food so it was worth it to try. So far I have ordered 4 months worth, so 4 orders, 1 from Pet360, and 3 from Chewy and I have been really very pleasantly surprised. Now I did get one case of Wellness canned cat food (the big cans) that had 3 cans that were severely dented, so I contacted Chewy and they sent me a new case for free (all of the cans were 100% perfect in the replacement case) right away, so it arrived 2 days later, and they didnt ask me to send anything back or go through any of that hassle. They just suggested that I consider donating any of the “salvageable” or bonus cans to a shelter. It worked out being like 9 free 12.5oz cans of which I put 6 in my donation box (just being honest), but I do buy a lot to donate, I currently have about 75 cans of various sizes to bring in as well as about 30lbs of dry food. So the long and short is that I have been pleasantly surprised so far.

[T]

When pirates attack your ship, you don’t abandon the ship… you fight the pirates. i.e. when the food source becomes so adulterated that it cannot be used without risking disease, don’t abandon the food source– work to clean it up. Stop buying low grade meat. You vote with your dollars. Organic, range-raised meat is much more expensive than factory-farmed stuff. We all need to stop trying to get 99 cents/lb. meat! We also need to stop trying to feed our pets for 75 cents per day or less! Quality food is worth the extra space in our budgets. Shut off the HBO and buy some grass-fed meat!

I followed a vegetarian diet for a year. Coincidentally or not, my health declined steeply after that year. It wasn’t the only factor, but I believe it didn’t help matters. Ethically, I’m a vegan sympathizer. Nutritionally, I’m an ancestral health sympathizer. For people and animals.

There ya go. That’s my opinion.

Tabitha Thompson DVM
http://naturalalternativesvet.com

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Stephanie S –

Thanks for the suggestion!

Just so there isn’t any confusion – a food doesn’t have to be grain-free to be considered for inclusion on the budget-friendly list, it just has to be rated at least 4 stars.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[theBCnut]

There are quite a few 5 star foods that I wouldn’t ever feed my dogs, and a few 3 star foods that I would be perfectly happy for 2 of the 3 to eat, except that I feel mean when one is eating top of the line and the other 2 have to settle, so they all end up eating top of the line. I had to work hard to figure out what 1 of mine does best on and I prefer to recommend what I think is the best, but most of us understand budget constraints and can unbend enough to recommend some good quality less expensive foods. And I believe that all of us recognize that different dogs need different things out of their food.

[DogFoodie]

Firm Up, huh. I’ll look for it!.

Gail, so sorry to hijack your thread!

A couple of things…, I’m currently feeding my pup with food intolerance issues NVI LID Duck. The variety I’m using contains no peas. And, take a look at Victor Hi Pro 42: http://victordogfood.com/. Several regular posters here having used it with pups with digestive issues and diarrhea, with great success. It’s lower in fiber. The bonus, if you can find out locally, it’s very budget friendly.

One thing I think is confusing is that symptoms of dogs getting too little fiber look an awful lot like dogs being too much fiber.

[Bethany D]

Hi HDM,

Thank you so much for your research and insight regarding large breed dog foods. I have a couple of questions regarding food choices for my golden retriever puppy who will be coming home with me in a little over a week. I currently feed my other two dogs (an adult lab and golden) Taste of the Wild but it appears the TOTW puppy food is too high in calcium. I am investigating other large breed puppy options. I haven’t seen much written on here about Hill’s Science Diet Large Breed Puppy. I don’t necessarily like that chicken meal is the top ingredient but do you have any other thoughts on that option?

Also what do you think would be the most cost effective food that would be appropriate for a large breed puppy? The Fromm Gold LBP is intriguing. I am on a bit of a budget for dog food, but I also don’t want to compromise my puppy’s health with cheap or inappropriate dog food. Thanks for the advice!

[arwyru24]

I REALLY don’t want to spend so much money on flippin cat food, BUT…. I have been so very happy with this purchase that I think I am going to order a couple more. I have loved getting 3 different protein choices in one pack, and I feel that since 1/3 is duck it adds value to the purchase. Plus my cats like them all, and most importantly, seem to do very well with this food. Seems to be really digestible and I like that theres no carrageean (sp?). So much for budgeting.

[crazy4cats]

Well, FWIW, I’m not willing to spend that much money on kibble due to that very reason. And, plus the fact I can’t afford to. LOL! I’d rather get a more basic budget friendly kibble so I can try and add the fresh or less processed ingredients myself. BTW, I’m very proud of this posting because I finally figured out what FWIW means! Woo Hoo! (I had to google it after I saw it used on this site multiple times)

[Vianca V]

I recently changed all my dog from science diet to wellness, my 2 month old peke puppy eats wellness small breed puppy, my 5 year old rescue eats wellness small breed adult with wellness turkey stew as a topper, my 8 year old mini dashhound eats wellness small breed adult too, and my mother 11 year old chihuahua eats wellness turkey stew. I had been struggling with which food to pick and concidered the core fish but opted not to pick that one because of some youtube videos demostrating the bones in the kibble, however I still wanted wellness because it was a very good, its was available to me in comparison to orijen, acana, and other 5 star foods, and it fit into my budget to be honest. The foods that I give my fur babbies do contain salmon but I have not seen any bones in them, and belive me Ive looked, also in comparison to the bones white fish have, salmon bones are much smaller and less harmful so if they were to be present the would most likely not cause any harm.

[crazy4cats]

Aquariangt-
Did you take a look at the Authority link that Sharon posted. That food looks stew like. It might not be as high quality as Wellness, though, you’d have to look at the ingredients. Also Earthborn has some tubs that are popular, but I haven’t tried those either. Somehow, I ended up with too many pets to feed the more expensive food! I have to buy the more budget stuff in the big cans at this point.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Marcus A –

If you’re a Editor’s Choice Member, I’d recommend checking out the list of recommended budget friendly foods.

As for helping your dog to lose weight, there’s only one way to achieve this which is by creating an energy deficit. This means that your dog will need to be burning more calories than he his consuming. Unfortunately, just as with weight loss for us humans, there’s no easy (or fun) way to achieve this.

My recommendation would be to pick a quality food that you can afford and reduce the portion sizes and increase the amount of exercise he’s getting (since he’s older, you may need to opt for short but frequent walks). There’s really no reason to pick a food labeled specifically for weight loss as long as you are controlling the portion size.

Start by feeding him the amount suggested on the bag for what he SHOULD weigh (not what he does weigh) – if it gives you a range go with the lower amount. So, for example, if he weighs 50 lbs. and he should be 40 lbs. look on the bag for how much a 40 lb. dog should eat. If the bag says a 40 lb. dog should eat 1 1/2 – 2 C. per day, start by feeding him 1 1/2 C. per day. Aim for a reduction of about 1% of his body weight per week. If he’s not losing, gradually reduce portion sizes (for a dog his size, 1/4 C. increments would probably be fine) until you see results. If he’s losing too rapidly, gradually increase portion sizes.

Remember – treats have calories too! All treats eaten need to be accounted for in his daily calorie intake. Make others in the household aware of this as well.

Good luck!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[ladyquixote]

Hi all, first want to thank ya’ll for all the great info you supply here. Have been gathering nutrition info for about a year now and have some major budgeting concerns regarding planning cooked meals for my two dogs. Background: Eldest dog, Gracie is 12 y.o./55# (she is much bigger than standard Aussie) and has major yeast and anxiety problems. Found an alt vet last March who prescribed a variety of chinese herb powders which have significantly helped both problems but still a work in progress. Second dog, Tonto is about 3-1/2 (turned up at my front door emaciated last year and ended up part of our family). He weighs about 60 and is experiencing airborne allergies, due for vet check tomorrow for further input. Both are Aussie mixes.

Foodwise, they were on a mix of the 5-star dry no-grain dog foods since beginning of last year, then began adding the usual recommended toppers plus supplements and then transitioned to all-cooked meals over the last three months. It’s quickly begun taking a lot of my time to prepare meals, so this evening I sat down to figure out my monthly cost. Until now I would go out and buy enough food for a week so the cost bite wasn’t so noticeable.

I knew it was getting too costly but the final tally ended up being $15/day for two dogs! Way, way too much. In addition to the food, there are the supplemental herbs and now monthly visits to the alt vet to check progress which should end once both dogs level off with their itchies.

I’ve removed cottage cheese, carrots and rice which make great fillers because both dogs’ itchies worsened. So more meat takes the place.

My question to you is this, if I switch back to at least level 4-star dry dog food and toppers what would you suggest would be the right ratio between the both?

Gracie’s daily calorie target: 1037, Tonto’s daily calorie target: 1280
Here is a sample 1-day meal divided into two meals for Gracie:
— Chicken Liver pate, (chicken liver smothered then pureed): 2 TBSP 47 Cal
— Chicken Hearts, (lightly smothered then chopped fine): 1-1/2C 402 Cal
— Turkey, Ground; 93% Lean: 1-1/4C 425 Cal
— Mixed Veggies, 1 Cup Cooked then pureed: 40 Cal
— Pumpkin, Canned; 2 TBSP: 13 Cal
— Berries, 1/2 C: 36 Cal
— Alternate Every Day: Either 1-Egg or 1/2 tin Sardines in Water: 65-72 Cal
— Supplements include, Probiotics, 1/2 tsp finely ground eggshells, 1-multi, fish oil or coconut oil.

I’d be interested in your input as well as hearing what your average cost per day is for two medium sized dogs! Thanks so much.

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi Bonnie,

Some other foods that are known to be high quality, yet budget friendly are Victor, Dr. Tim’s, and Earthborn Holistic. You can get grain-inclusive Dr. Tim’s on Chewy.com for $1.85/lb (Momentum) and $1.46/lb (Pursuit). The grain-free kinesis is $1.80/lb. Earthborn has 4 grain-free varieties that are $47.99 for a 28lb bag ($1.71/lb), on Chewy.com also. Victor is a little harder to find. Amazon and sportdogfood.com carry it. It’s around $1.80/lb.

I’m not familiar with American Natural. I’m not a big fan of Fromm and the only Wellness formula I would consider feeding is the Core. Compared to what you are currently feeding (a 5 star grain-free food) you’d be downgrading by feeding any of those because none of them are 5 star foods and they are all very carb heavy. All of the Dr. Tim’s varieties I mentioned are 5 stars, as is the Victor Grain-Free. Earthborn is 4.5 stars but the Primitive Natural variety is 5 stars.

That’s my 2 cents. I hope it’s somewhat helpful for you.

[DogFoodie]

Two excellent quality, budget friendly foods you might want to check out are Dr. Tim’s and Victor. If you can find Victor locally, it’s usually priced at about $38.99 for a 30 pound bag of the grain free and the same price for a 40 pound bag of the grain inclusive.

Here’s the Victor product locator: http://www.victordogfood.com/. Click on the “find a dealer” tab.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Paige,

I’m looking for the email, but I asked NV a while back about the source of the rabbit in their kibble and it’s sourced from France. They also source rabbit from China and Italy. Like BCnut said, they’re trying to eliminate all sourcing of rabbit from China, which would be a great move on their part!

Some other “limited ingredient” foods to check into might be Acana, Back to Basics, Simply Nourish and Wysong. Nature’s Recipe (Del Monte) has a new line of limited ingredient foods that haven’t been rated yet, but are probably OK foods that would be very budget friendly.

Edit: Found it!

Here’s the response to my email that I received from them on 10/15/2012:

Dear Betsy,

Thank you for e-mailing!

The rabbit protein we use in our raw diet is from China. The rabbit in our canned is sourced from Italy and China, while the rabbit in our kibble is from France. We employ a U.S. educated food scientist in China to oversee our rabbit sourcing. All rabbit protein is tested before shipment from China and again after it arrives in the U.S. for processing into our raw diet. We are very confident in how we handle our sourcing from China. We source most of our ingredients from the U.S. and turn to other locations only as needed. We are very stringent on our sourcing and have good relationships built with our vendors for quality ingredients.

Thanks for supporting our products!

Sincerely,
Shannon

Consumer Relations
Nature’s Variety
1-888-519-7387
http://www.naturesvariety.com

[Bobby dog]

I didn’t really look at any other flavors Newman’s had because I was looking for a different protein. The only other brands of beef I have fed were Merrick, Wellness, 4Health, and BB. My cats do alright eating beef, but I don’t buy it often.

Mine don’t like duck or lamb and I haven’t really fed rabbit. If you find any budget friendly rabbit I would love to hear about it too; I’ll keep an eye out for it too. My friend in England feeds her cat raw rabbit every morning. She gets it from her corner butcher. I used to think she was crazy feeding her cat raw rabbit.

I have to admit I have never bought an expensive litter. It has always been the cheapest unscented clumping litter. However, I really do like TSC and would not buy anything else now (unless they doubled the price). You know, with my luck, now that I wrote that they will probably discontinue it. lol

[crazy4cats]

Mine don’t seem to do well with beef either and they don’t like lamb. That pretty much leaves chicken, turkey and fish. I try not to feed much fish, though. Any canned food with duck or rabbit is pretty expensive. Do any of you know of any budget type foods with duck or rabbit?

Bobby dog- Catinfo likes Dr. Elsey’s ultra clumping litter the best. The little big cat site likes the world’s best the best. They are both a lot more expensive than I’ve been using. But, I just don’t want all that dust anymore!

[crazy4cats]

Hey Guys-
Does anyone have any suggestions for a good budget friendly cat litter? The one I’m buying now at Costco seems to be just getting dustier and dustier. Maybe it’s also due to the fact that I’ve about tripled the size of their main litter box. Just more litter to fly around! It makes a mess and it can’t be good for them. I think it’s called litter purrfect? I was thinking about the refillable litter at Petco. Has anyone tried it? Also, I see Dr. Elsey’s recommended quite a bit. But, it’s also more expensive. Help!

[Bobby dog]

I could force him to eat it, but I would feel terrible because he is such a good eater. This is the first time he clearly just did not like something. I have fed over 10 different kibble brands to him of various carb and protien sources and countless different samples. Only two disagreed with him, he’s liked everything though. I guess I just don’t want to ruin a good thing. I think I am so lucky to have a dog with an iron gut and will eat everyfood (other than GM’s Farmhouse Blend lol) that I don’t want to ruin a good thing. Not to mention his eating habits are good for the petfood budget, when something goes on sale I don’t have to worry about him liking it or not.

Now the cats are another story, I don’t feel sorry for them, but what are you going to do! lol

Thanks for your updates, I like to hear everyone’s experiences with food. 🙂

[Camilla H]

Hi, I just moved to Black Hawk Colorado and have run out of dog food. I’ve been using Tractor Supply’s 4Health food, but it’s a long drive to a Tractor Supply from where I am in the mountains. Evergreen has a Natural Grocers. I’ve been in there once so far, and I think they had pet food there. Anyone know if any of the recommended Editor’s Choice or Budget Friendly brands are carried there? I’m researching online, but running out of time and patience, and Gaia will need food sometime tomorrow 🙁 She’s a 40 lb Australian Cattle dog, 14 months old. Done with puppy chow and onto adult food now.

thanks for any input,
Camilla

[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
Hopefully getting his thyroid checked will give you some answers either way too. I think the shampoos and quality canned foods are a step in the right direction! 🙂

I only use two different medicated shampoos EQyss Mega Tech and Nolvasan; they are medicated shampoos not prescription. I used both for Bobby when he had skin issues. Mega Tech works great, but if the issues are a little more out of hand Nolvasan is one shampoo that always relieved and cleared up both my horses and Bobby’s skin issues. But, I only had complete success with Bobby’s skin and coat issues when I sorted out his diet.

Here’s some info on Nolvasan shampoo:
http://www.vetstreet.com/nolvasan-shampoo

You might even be able to request a sample from EQyss for the Mega Tech shampoo. Here’s EQyss’s website:
http://www.eqyss.com/index.asp

The other products I use for skin conditions or wounds for all my pets (cats included) with great success are Vetericyn and Banixx. These products are wonderful; I can’t say enough about them and would never be without them:
http://vetericyn.com/benefits/canine.php
http://banixx.com/for-dogs

Try to see if your grandma could get some KC&G or ND turkey stew for you (if they have any in stock). They are definitely the most affordable of the 5 star budget canned foods. Here’s a link to Kirkland pet food:
http://www.great-pet-supplies.com/

Next affordable would be Tractor Supply 4Health (.99) or Wal-Mart’s Pure Balance stews ($1.00). I know TSC is 30 mins in the opposite direction you travel, but if you can find time to get there it would probably be worth the benefits for Bentley. After that it is Pure Balance 95% for $1.25. Unfortunately, these budget foods don’t seem to go on sale or have coupons lol. Of course, you can always use some of those Wellness coupons for Bentley too.

I have checked out commercial raws before and found they are all similarly priced with Nature’s Variety being the average price. Some a little lower, some higher. But, since you are a couponer, probably feeding Nature’s Variety intermittently would be feasible.

[pugmomsandy]

Have you looked into feeding canned food? I would think canned food is cheaper than commercial raw. There are some canned foods with very few ingredients (like Hound & Gatos or Merrick 96%) and can be bought online. And there’s the simple recipes at homemadedogfood.com. Are premixes in your budget?

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Darryl –

Because prices will vary from retailer to retail there is no set guideline as to a price that qualifies a food as budget friendly. I generally just take the prices found on several online retailers into account, prices I see in stores in my area, as well as prices that users report in their areas.

When it comes to online retailers sometimes it pays to take the time to shop around. I’ve noticed times where one brand may be more expensive at one retailer but they may carry another brand for a cheaper price than other retailers. It really just depends. I do think Chewy.com tends to have good deals though – they also have fast/free shipping, a great selection and wonderful customer service.

Not sure about where you could purchase food in bulk.

[Darryl C]

I was just wondering what constitutes to a dog food being considered budget friendly, everywhere I have checked for Pulsar, it seems like it’s around $2 per lb.. Is there some sort of guideline as to $ per lb that allows a brand to be considered budget friendly?
Does anyone have recommendations as to which online retailer would offer the best prices?
I am also looking to buy in large quantities (pallet) since I am going to be shipping overseas.

[Bobby dog]

Hi michele b:
The brands Mom2Cavs recommended are very budget friendly. I feed most of those foods regularly. I have a strict budget for pet food also so I understand your issue. I buy most of my food on sale or with coupons.

Tractor Supply Co.’s 4Health and Wal-Mart’s Pure Balance both make kibble and canned foods that are affordable; my dog loves and does well on both brands. I have not fed any Pure Balance kibbles, but they are well rated here. I use Wal-Mart’s Pure Balance stews ($1/can), Pure Balance 95% canned ($1.25/can), and all recipes of 4Health canned (99 cents/can) weekly. I also feed 4Health grain free Turkey or Beef kibbles in my rotation.

I also feed Rachael Ray zero grain kibbles and wet food tubs which are rated well. Wal-Mart and some grocery stores carry RR. A lot of times there are coupons on her website. There is a $4.00 off coupon posted now for any size Zero Grain kibble and one for B2G1 free of the wet foods. I believe you can print each coupon up to two times. You can also sign up for her pet food e-mail promotions.

Here’s a link to Rachael Ray’s site:
http://nutrish.rachaelray.com/switchto

Here’s a link to Pure Balance products:
http://www.walmart.com/cp/Pure-Balance-Natural-Dog-Food/1097490

And here’s a link to 4Health products:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/content_landing-page_4health

Victor is probably one of the most affordable brands of the DFA 4 and 5 star rated foods. Victor’s grain inclusive kibbles are very budget friendly. If you are able to order Victor on line, the website Mom2Cavs posted in her reply is great to order from. If you can find a Victor dealer in your area it would be much cheaper than buying on-line. Here is a link to Victor’s website, check out the “find a dealer” option to see if there is a store near you:
http://www.midamericapetfood.com/victordogfood/index.html

Other places to find affordable pet food are large animal feed stores, lawn and garden supply stores, and hardware stores. These stores are also likely to have frequent buyer programs you can sign up for. If you buy any pet food from a pet store check to see if they have any frequent buyer programs or e-mail promotions you can sign up for as well. Good luck!

[Mom2Cavs]

If you have a Tractor Supply in your area, they have their brand of food called 4Health. It is very reasonably priced. Look on their website to see what they have. Also, Wal Mart has their brand called Pure Balance that is not bad. I’m sure others will help out on here.
Oh, yeah….one more I like for people on a strict budget is Whole Earth Farms, however you would have to buy a large bag….which would be fine if you stored it properly. Victor dog food is great, too! I have to order my Victor online through http://www.sportdogfood.com, so if you can do that check them out, too. Good luck to you!

[Akari_32]

I’m liking the looks of that site! I found some Valuheart heartworm meds on there and I love the price and dose of ivermectin it gives. It’s cheaper than HeartGuard and you get a higher dose. Living in Florida, and Haley (and Dweezle) being an outdoor dog (not by my choice, btw), I’m not even gunna get near HeartGuard. A lot of people are saying it doesn’t work, and I saw one website that said it’s only 95% effective. What the crap is that?? If I did that for Haley, it’d be $70 for ValuHeart and Little City Dogs for a year vs $300+ for Trifexis for a year, plus I wouldn’t be worrying about her having a reaction to the Trifexis (which so far she hasn’t, but they aren’t looking too good with the trouble they’ve been causing to people’s pets). That’s a lot of money I could be spending on dog food, car payments, bills…. I really like the sounds of that…. I’m still going to look around and see what else I find, but that’s looking pretty good right now. I’d like as high a dose of ivermectin as possible for my budget. I do know it’s pretty cheap, though, and all you’re paying for for most meds is whatever company’s name is slapped on it, so I should be able to find a good generic with a little digging.

An update on the Little City Dogs: The cat, Alec, ate the pill right from his food. I tried to break it open to sprinkle the insides over his food, but I had a headache and didn’t want to deal with it, so I just tossed the pill on top of his food. He avoided it for a while, but slipped up and accidentally got it (he’s an enthusiastic eater, and likes to play the eat-as-much-as-you-can-in-one-bite game lol). Must have tasted ok, because after the initial look of “what just went in my mouth??”, he dug back into his food like it was nothing. They’re supposed to be chicken and beef flavored, depending on which ones you get. Dweezle ate his right out of his food, as well. Being 130 pounds, he’d be hard pressed to actually dig through his food to pick out stuff he doesn’t like anyways lol

[Bobby dog]

Hi camano:
Welcome to Akari’s cat food recommendations thread that we hijacked from her! lol I second everything that Akari and C4c wrote! If you get tired of reading through this thread or just don’t have the time, just post a question, we all pop in at one time or another to comment. I have fed brands from grocery stores, Wal-Mart, pet store chains, feed stores, and specialty stores. I keep a list of them; mostly so I don’t waste money buying something they don’t like again. So if you are thinking about trying out a food and want to know if anyone has used it before, just ask, one of us has probably fed it before.

Here’s some links to the pages I reference mostly on the catinfo.org site that C4c mentioned:
Home page: http://www.catinfo.org/
Commercial Foods: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=cannedfoods
Cat Food Nutritional Composition Charts: http://www.catinfo.org/docs/SortableCatFoodChartCatinfo.org2-22-13.htm

If you have a budget to keep in mind, check out Akari’s “Coupons!” thread under off topic forums. You’ll find info on sales, coupons, and deals on pet foods there. If you have any coupon questions, Akari is the person to talk to. We discuss our pet food scores on this thread too though:

/forums/topic/coupons/

My five cats’ ages are between 6 -15 years; one has a hyperthyroid. I feed grain free kibble and canned food; I also rotate both foods. I feed mostly low carb foods and try to stay away from gravys, sauces, starches, glutens, grains, fish, and artificial ingredients. They are addicted to fish so I feed it a few times a week.

For kibble I feed Wellness Core Turkey & Duck, Innova Nature’s Table, and Merrick Chic. I am currently feeding EVO kitten & cat food that I got a B1G1 free deal on. Looking for something to replace Innova since Mars bought the P & G pet division.

Right now for canned I am feeding Wellness Complete Health Chic or Beef & Chic, Tiki Cat Sardine, Natural Balance Turkey & Giblets, Innova, Triumph Trout or Turkey, Pro Plan Select Chic & Liver, and Sheba pate’s without fish. I always have Friskies Poultry Platter, Fancy Feast Turkey & Giblets, Chic & Liver, Tender Beef Feast, and Fish & Shrimp Feast Flaked on hand and sometimes Purina One Turkey Pate if I have coupons.

I am trying out Grandma Mae’s canned and all my cats like it. It’s GF but there is fish in all the recipes. The flavors all have similar ingredients just switched around. It went over well so I will probably buy it again. I have to rotate the better canned foods because they get tired of them, so next month I will feed other brands; but, they always eat their Purina. lol

If you are comfortable ordering on-line, check out the on-line retailers mentioned on this site and sign up for their e-mail updates. Chewy, Wag, Petflow, Petco, Petsmart, I know I am forgetting some. Those sites sometimes send through sale info and free shipping deals. A lot of them give discounts for first time customers and discounts for auto ship orders. I tend to only order on line when I definitely know it is a food my guys will eat and of course it has to be a better price than what I can get it for at a local pet store. I have ordered from Petco and Petflow without any issues. Petco.com has great deals about every other month. They will do no minimum purchase deals with free shipping and handling. They also sell smaller bags of kibble for half off during these sales. Another deal Petco does sometimes is buy $100 of products and you get $30 off your order with free S & H.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Camano-
Welcome to the cat food thread. Most of us on this thread often mention catinfo.org as one of our favorite sites for cat food information. Lisa Pierson is a vet and author of the site. She highly recommends feeding species appropriate wet food to cats. This tends to help prevent urinary tract problems and blockages especially in male cats. She suggests not using any dry at all. That being said, it is expensive to feed my four cats all canned, dehydrated or raw. So, I feed about 3/4 canned and 1/4 dry. My big male cats are the ones that eat more dry. I tend to believe that most of the high quality dog food makers also make high quality cat food. My cats are indoor only, so I lean to lower calorie kibble. Right now, I am feeding Wellness Core kibble with budget friendly canned such as Authority, Chicken Soup, Nutro Max, Soulistic and even some Friskies and Fancy Feast to keep the costs down. I have also fed Taste of the Wild, Earthborn, and Premium Edge dry foods. I’m sure a couple of the other regulars will pop in and give their recommendations as well. Oh, yes, I try to stay away from fish as my 15 year old cat has hyperthyroidism. Again, welcome!

[Akari_32]

As you guys know, I’m always on the look-out for quality products that are easy on any budget. I’ve been looking for a good flea med for several months now that isn’t topical, and have continually stumbled across one brand that got rave reviews, over and over: Little City Dogs.

With an almost nonexistent budget, I need something that works the first time, keeps working, and is safe for the animal I’m using it on, and the other animals and humans it comes into contact with. Hows that for fun?

I actually found Little City Dogs on Amazon. The only bad reviews were from people who didn’t understand how it worked, which is by killing flea eggs. So after much looking into it, I decided I’d give it a try, and will be starting it tomorrow. Haley is on Trifexis, and probably always will be until I find a cheap source of ivermectin to do the heart worm thing by myself (I may see how this stuff works, and then take her off Trifexis and do this and HeartGuard, though). Bentley is currently on K9 Advantage II. Dweezle and Alec are on nothing. So this Little City Dogs stuff is for them. I figure the combination of the fleas biting Haley and Bentley will kill a good number of them, and then whatever fleas bite Alec and Dweezle will lay eggs that are not viable and can’t hatch, and then they’ll go bite Haley or Bentley and die anyways. Or something like that, at least. I also have Diatomaceous Earth that I’ll treat the yard with if it ever stops raining long enough, and I’ll be doing the house this weekend.

I’ll take a few months to see if this really works, but I’ll keep you all updated. It’s just a generic of Program, which kills the eggs. Keeps new generations from hatching. It doesn’t out right kill the fleas (though they do make a generic of Capstar that can be given daily to kill existing fleas).

Heres the website: http://littlecitydogs.com/
And the Amazon Store: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_pet-supplies?ie=UTF8&field-brandtextbin=Little+City+Dogs&node=2619533011

The website is actually cheaper. They also have other goodies on the website, like ivermectin, wormers, and even reptile and fish meds. I’m considering taking the DIY ivermectin route. I really, really am… lol

[LexiDog]

I can’t say anything about the seizures either.

My personal favorite kibbles are Acana Regionals and Orijen. These are expensive but I feel we’ll worth it. I have an active 38 # dog and she was getting 1 1/4 cups of food a day on these kibbles. These can be found at Pet Supplies Plus stores and local specialty boutiques. I was actually surprised to see how many specialty shops were around when I started looking for them.

Other favorites include Wellness Core (found at Petsmart and Petco) and Fromm Four Star (Pet Supplies Plus and boutiques). A lot of people like Dr. Tim’s and Victor grain free but I can not find these in the local stores, so I haven’t tried them. I would have to order them online. I have had great experiences ordering food and other stuff from Chewy.com.

If I had to pick a kibble on a budget, I would probably try Whole Earth Farms Grain Free. This can be found at Petco and Pet Supplies Plus. I’m not sure if Petsmart carries it or not because I haven’t been there in a while.

Just remember that not all foods are made for all dogs. Just because my dog does great on certain foods doesn’t mean that yours will. You have to find one that works for you and your dog.

You may want to look at feeding a 4 star kibble before jumping right to a 5. Moose will be going from a plant based diet to a meat based diet and that can cause some upsets. Just remember to transition him very slowly. You can also add some pumpkin while switching. If you buy it from the grocery store just make sure that it is pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. Fruitables makes a digestive supplement with pumpkin to help with switching.

As for species appropriate food. Kibble is not one of them because kibble does not contain the amount of moisture needed for a species appropriate diet. The ideal moisture would be a food that containes around 70% moisture. For example canned is better than kibble and frozen raw is better than canned. Google Dr. Karen Becker best to worst foods. There is a video and a list that is super helpful.

Right now I am feeding my girl Primal frozen raw and The Honest Kitchen dehydrated. There are a ton of great foods out there, just need to know where to look. You should keep an open mind about ordering online. I’ve never had a bad experience with Chewy.com.

This is probably way more info than you want but this is only a little bit. Trust me. There is so much info out there it will make your head spin for a while. You can also get into feeding a homemade diet too. Others will have to help with that.

[Naturella]

Also, PetSmart has them for $.50 – don’t know if either is a “good” price but it was the cheapest with no by-products and within my budget so yeah. 🙂