C4c:
I feel bad for you and your pups. Maybe Costco will hear from many, many customers why they shouldn’t discontinue the food.
I have never tried to feed Bobby dry kibble other than for a reward, I bet he wouldn’t like it much either. Tell your husband to stop picking on the dogs! lol
Do you have a Del’s Feed & Supply near you? They sell 4Health pet food. They are affiliated with TSC somehow. Maybe they are TSC’s wild, wild west chain? IDK
http://www.delsfarmsupply.com/store_locator.php
Looks like TSC moved the Whitefish GF from Ainsworth to Diamond. Reportedly the Beef & Turkey GF are still made by Ainsworth; don’t know about the cat food. That was one of my budget kibbles. It was also helpful for when I couldn’t find anything on sale, the ol’ stand-by.
I have been eyeing Infinia at a pet boutique by my house. It is about $1.00 more per bag. That might end up being my stand-by brand if TSC phases out Ainsworth. This boutiqe is normally a few dollars more on most things, but I guess since their business consists of a lumber supply/feed store, two other large animal feed stores, and this boutique they must order PMI products in bulk passing the savings on to their customers. Betsy Greer suggested this food a while ago in one of her posts to someone so I started looking into PMI. I like the recipes & ingredients so I need to pick up a bag sometime in the next couple of months to see if Bobby likes it. If you read this, thanks Betsy!!!!! 🙂
Bobby dog-
I went and bought 4 cases today of the KCIG since it is being deleted. When that is gone, I’ll have to get some more budget friendly canned dog food advice from you. I didn’t think my dogs were picky about their food. But, I found out different yesterday. We went to the ocean and I just took some dry food to feed them their dinner on the road. They haven’t had just plain dry for a long time. One of my dogs just looked at me like, “this is it?” He actually wouldn’t eat it until I picked some up and he ate it out of my hand. But, very hesitantly. My husband, of course thinks that they are spoiled. I’m sure after he was hungry enough, he’d eat it. Of course, he will eat poop, wood and cardboard though. So, anyway, I guess I’m stuck using toppers for them.
I understand where you are coming from, after all that’s why I have my grocery store pet food list; sometimes the budget makes the decisions. And I absolutely agree with adding moisture to kibble. I can’t help it, just trying to nudge you away from the 1.5 to the 3 star food, so pay me no mind! lol
I do feed some Purina in my rotation for both my dog and cats. I agree some Pro Plan canned doesn’t look much better than Pedigree. I will only and have fed these Pro Plan Select recipes when I find them on sale, Beef & Brown Rice, Chic & Brown Rice, and Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon & Rice. And I would feed the Purina One canned dog recipes that I have on my “grocery store list.”
I guess I will still call him Kitty until you tell me not to! 😉
I have a feeling only one of my cat’s would eat it anyway so I am just sticking to finding canned foods that will keep their interest and are hopefully budget friendly (yeah right). Lucky Jake…lol
Hi Nicole,
I can understand your wanting to look for an alternate low residue food.
What is the fiber in the Royal Canin?
Have you ever tried adding digestive enzymes? Swanson has good human ones that are very budget friendly. I’ve used BioCore Optimum Complete Ultimate Full Spectrum Enzymes, Soil-Based Organisms, and Mercola Digestive Enzymes for pets.
I was looking to see if I could find some grain free, low fat foods that also had lower fiber. Annamaet GF Lean is listed as having 9% fat maximum and 3.5% fiber maximum. Nature’s Logic Sardine has 10% fat and 5% fiber. The Honest Kitchen Zeal has 8.5% fat and 5.8% fiber. Wysong Fundamentals and Wysong Epigen both have 15% fat and 4% fiber. Farmina’s GF Wild Herring has 18% fat minimum, which is likely higher than you want, with 2.6% fiber maximum. Nature’s Variety Instinct Healthy Weight Chicken has 12% fat and 5.5% fiber.
Do any of those foods sound like possibilities?
I used Wellness a Core reduced fat food to help a dog we adopted lose weight. While I haven’t used it, others have had good luck with Annamaet lean. These aren’t budget friendly however. I have no idea who makes a budget friendly low fat food.
I am looking for a budget friendly low fat dog food for my 11 yr. old Corgi and Schnoodle. They tend to be a little overweight. They love Merricks Turducken but it’s a little expensive for me. I’m also using Taste Of The Wild Prairie dry dog food to mix it with. What are the best budget low fat dog foods?
I have been feeding my cats and dog this brand for almost a year and have been very satisfied until the other day. I keep my pet foods in airtight Rubbermaid containers and I always use up the bag and then clean the container before I add a new bag, I live in Phoenix so I keep my pet food in a controlled temp environment . I went to feed my dog and found small worms in the food !!!! I freaked and a bit grossed out, I stopped feeding him that food and am going to take it back to the store. What I need to know is this normal? And should u have my dog checked at the vet? Should I stop buying this food? Do far I haven’t noticed anything different in the cat food , but I have a bag I haven’t opened yet. Can someone maybe give me some info on this? It’s not a cheap food, I work construction so to me the price u pay for this food is a Bug part of my budget and my pets mean the world to me so u dint want to be poisoning them!!!!
I’ve been feeding him Mulligan Stew Chicken kibble but they are discontinuing it. I’m back to ground zero in finding a dog food. I am not looking for budget friendly–I’m looking for something that is a superior quality and prefer it to have no barley in it. Any input would be appreciated. My dog is a chihuahua, approx. 9 lbs and is going to be 10 years old in October. Thanks.
Naturella:
I was on Steve Brown’s website to look at dinner mixes and check out his books. I am in college full/part time, whatever I can swing, and I was going to look on websites that I buy used textbooks from to see if they had any deals on his books.
On his website I found this PDF download you pay $2.95 for listed with his books and thought I would give it a try; it was certainly within my budget. lol
It is wonderful and well worth the price. It is a basic summary of some info found in his other books, but it is about how to enhance kibble with fresh foods. He gives you two recipes to enhance anything from a one star to a five star kibble. The ingredients are items you will find in your pantry or grocery store.
Here’s the link:
http://www.seespotlivelonger.com/home/sll/smartlist_9/books.html
Jakes mom:
You know I Googled HK cat trials just to see if there were any deals for HK cat food, couldn’t find any. lol I did check out the HK site before I ordered the trials to see if they were old or new recipes. Not that it mattered just wanted more info on the trials recipes. I agree if you were buying HK regularily it would probably benefit the budget to buy directly from HK.
I would only buy this again if I ran into a sale. My preference is fresh or canned over HK at this time. But, I feel it is fine as a topper on a rotational basis for Bobby. He didn’t seem to be too excited to eat it after the third day.
I tried for a few weeks to get my cats to eat the Primal Chic & Salmon, only Archie liked it. Only three of my cats like NV medallions, but won’t eat them regularily. They were pretty much equivalent cost wise to premium canned foods. Those darned kitties just don’t seem to be open to anything new to eat. 🙁
I have read mixed reviews about Petflows customer service, but I am definately keeping an eye on their sales. They have great prices and I cannot complain about the customer service I received!
Bobbydog, I’ve considered that but it’s pretty expensive to “use up” on Jake. Maybe there will be a 3.99 cat food sale one of these days! I’m guessing it’s a lot more expensive than cans anyway. I’d pay a little more for the convenience (and better for the cats) but the budget can’t change too much. BTW have you been on the HK site? If you decide to keep buying it may be better to buy from them rather than petflow. You can earn points toward free food and treats.
Have you checked out Nature’s Logic? They use millet as their binder. I think it is a little cheaper, but still wouldn’t consider it as budget friendly.
Naturella:
Awwww! That would be terrible to know your package is so close, but you can’t open it.
🙁
Now even though I broke my budget by ordering the second time, I have to figure out how to justify shopping at my pet store on Sunday. They are having an anniversary sale; everything is 25% off. I stopped by today to take a look at their inventory. As I was leaving a delivery truck was pulling up to drop off more items for the sale.
Marie: For ticks you use it like a flea powder
Akari:
I used to buy Shoo Flea by the Natural Vet, really liked it but just didn’t fit into the budget anymore. The main ingredient in Shoo Flea is food grade DE and it is scented with a capsule of herbs and essential oils. I began using plain food grade DE several years ago as a flea powder and for treating pet beds, floors etc with good results. Keep in mind it does not kill them immediately.
I have seen warnings about DE clogging vacuums, it has never happened to me. I just make sure I take their bedding outside to shake them out then throw them in the washer. I have only had to use DE on the floors in my basement so I swept the floor well before vacuuming.
Be careful not to inhale the dust or let your pets inhale the dust.
I have never fed it to my cats or dogs.
The one drawback I found using it as a flea powder is that it can dry their skin. I always use organic unrefined coco oil as a food supplement when using it. Fish oil would probably be a good choice also. I use CVS 1000 mg fish oil capsules for Bobby and the cats. The good thing about coco oil is it can be applied externally. As a flea deterrent I had the best luck using coco oil applied directly to the skin, but it can be messy for your furniture. Coco oil does very well at soothing skin irritations like flea bites. I apply DE first, then coco oil if needed in certain areas. I used coco oil daily on Bobby last summer. Hopefully I won’t have to treat flea bites this year because his yeasty smell is gone and his skin is healthy since I have improved his diet. So far so good!
Good thing I checked the links I saved on DE, some of them no longer existed.
http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/degen.html
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/benefits-diatomaceous-earth/
http://www.vetinfo.com/using-diatomaceous-earth-to-worm-pets.html
http://www.diatomaceousearth.com/?gclid=CJ2Dt8S5p74CFaQF7Aod5g4AcA
http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/parasites/a/Diatomaceous-Earth-For-Flea-Control.htm
https://www.google.com/url?q=http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/defaq.html&sa=U&ei=9l5xU7PaKPLHsATEvYCQCA&ved=0CB0QFjAA&sig2=DCYxeQKLHzMoXm6BYZtcxw&usg=AFQjCNHLDmVU6sLMs22UbzqWxC0OnCzAVw
Depending on budget, brand rating, & if there are other sensitivities : Natures Logic, Natural Balance, Nutro Natural Choice, California Natural, Addiction, & Natures Recipe all have a venison formula. There’s a few more – I did a quick search on Chewy.com 🙂
Hey Naturella:
I was just going to suggest what Akari suggested, freeze them or some of it, if you are able to. I know not everyone has freezer space. I have some freezer space, not much, and when I began rotating I didn’t take the large bag-lack of variety-thing into consideration for a medium sized dog. So I did buy some large bags at first because of course it is more economical. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a big bag if my budget called for it now either, but with sales/coupons I have been doing pretty well. I do have part of a large bag of food in the freezer now that I will finish soon.
I am on a very tight budget too so I know how it is. With Akari’s tips on sales/couponing I have been able to buy small bags at just a little more per pound than I would pay for large bags.
Eventually when I settle into more of a steady rotation, depending on how my finances are, I will probably buy a few large bags of food (more economical) he does well on and then throw in some small bags of other brands for a rotation. Who knows, it all depends on what Bobby needs and does well on.
Not that I am encouraging you to buy more food or anything….lol Anyway, Bruno looks great from the photos you share! His dark fur looks nice & shiny and he looks like he is a perfect weight.
Hi-
Shouldn’t the Fromm’s Family Classics be listed on the budget friendly list?
Hi 3dognight,
I’d highly recommend Wholesome Blend or Horizon Legacy and / or Horizon Pulsar.
I know your prices are higher than prices in the US, but both are excellent quality; and here, budget-friendly foods. Both are made in Canada.
I have used both and think highly of them.
Hi Ray C –
I think most of us here would agree that when it comes to feeding dogs the most important thing is feeding a wide variety of species-appropriate foods. Species-appropriate foods will be high in animal-derived protein, high in moisture and minimally processed. For this reason the best option is a balanced raw diet (home prepared or commercially prepared), the next best option is a fresh cooked diet (home prepared or commercially prepared), followed by dehydrated and freeze-dried foods (many commercial raw products – such as Stella & Chewy’s, Primal, etc. – are available in both frozen form as well as freeze-dried form and there are dehydrated products such as The Honest Kitchen and NRG that are great), canned would be the next best option and kibble would come in last as the worst thing to feed. If you do have to feed some kibble for budget or time related reasons don’t fret – there are some decent kibbles one the market and you can always “top” the kibble with a more species-appropriate food form to increase the overall quality of the meal. For a puppy you will want to make sure the food that you feed is either approved for “growth” or for “all life stages” (may also read approved for “growth and maintenance”). Head over to the review section of the site and look through the 4 and 5 star foods to find some you want to try. And remember – don’t pick just one food! Rotating is very important, feeding just one food over time will lead to a weak gut (these are the dogs you hear about that get diarrhea/upset stomachs when their owners try to switch their food – don’t let that be your dog!).
Good luck and congrats on the new puppies! 🙂
Hound Dog Mom: I am a new member to the forum and clearly your experience, knowledge base is impressive. My adult Daughter picked up her 8wk old female black labrador this morning. She emailed me that the puppy was being fed a Purina product and she would like to upgrade. She needs to be a little careful within her budget. The Dam is rather small for the breed and this puppy seems light for her age 13 -14 lbs. I have researched your recommendations of 4/5 star food – but don’t see many specifically for puppies. Should I extrapolate that to imply that all are suitable (calcium levels noted). She asked me if the puppy would do well on the Kirkland Salmon Nature’s Domain food, or should she try the Wellness Core series or perhaps Fromm Gold Holistic LB puppy. I advised her to stay with the current food for a few days to a week so puppy can acclimate to it’s new home without a new diet thrown in as well. Your thoughts are welcome. Thank you.
Jakes mom:
Glad everything is okay, sulking is good! Jake is a chicken back eating machine!! 😉 Bobby didn’t want to go outside today for a walk because it is cold, rainy, and windy. He said he is much too delicate for this weather! lol
Akari:
I think you have a tall order to fill. I was just tooling around the Internet to check out GF, no fish, low carb dry cat food and I don’t think there are any; well there are a few. The few I found with the lowest carbs are California Nat’l, EVO, Solid Gold (forget which one), and some Vet formulas.
They aren’t the most budget friendly, but they might not break the bank either with a reduced feeding schedule.
What carb % are you looking for? You might have to change your criteria a little bit in regards to fish and carb %’s.
Akari:
Yes, the DFA carb formula is the same as the carb calc, I just like double checking.
Contact Simply Nourish and get exact amounts though, because it really could make a difference; especially with how you intend to feed dry. And if it ends up meeting your criteria, it is one more budget friendly dry food to add to your list.
Remember, this is a list I started and never completed (as with so many things I start haha) so I don’t know the carbs & prices. So basically it is a list of dry GF cat food without fish and %’s of protein, fat & fiber. Here it is:
Dry Food:
Wellness Core GF Turkey & Duck 38, 18, 6
Merrick Purrfect Bistro GF Chicken 40, 14, 5
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Healthy GF Chic 38.5, 11, 7
Nature’s Variety Instinct GF LID Turkey 35, 18, 3.5
Precise Holistic Complete GF – Turkey & Chicken 38, 20, 3
Precise Holistic Naturals GF – Chicken 38, 20, 3
Simply Nourish (Petsmart) GF Chicken 36, 16, 5.5
Sold to Mars end of 2014:
California Natural GF Chicken Cat & Kitten 42, 16, 3
Innova Nat Table GF Chic & Turkey 42, 20, 3.5
Fromm Gold is more highly rated, however the Fromm Classics are more reasonably priced – so it depends on your budget. Neither are bad foods. If you have the money, I’d say go for the Gold (or even the Four Star) but if you’re on a budget you’d probably be better off with the Classics.
Hey Akari:
I have Wellness Core, Merrick GF chicken, and Innova Nature’s Table in my rotation. As I wrote earlier I am going to look into something to replace Innova since Mar’s will be buying them out, I think at the end of the year. I know recalls will happen and no company is immediately out of consideration because of them, but how they handle them is important.
Merrick and Innova go on sale here and there (nothing spectacular) and of course I use coupons for Wellness. If I fed a large amount of kibble to my cats I could not feed these brands due to the prices. For budget purposes maybe you need to tweek your criteria regarding kibble for now (as long as Kitty does well) and if a food is in your price range that has some fish in the recipe and meets all of your other criterias, consider it for your rotation. Then, keep looking for other options without fish.
Wellness Turkey & Duck does not have fish meal and I believe (not positive) that the indoor chicken formula does not, the kitten has it and I am not sure about the regular chicken.
I do have a list of several dry foods that don’t have fish meal but I have not looked into them as far as carbs, price etc. If you would like me to share them with you I will post them; it’s a starting point if nothing else.
Here’s the DFA link to the carb formula. It is just a subtraction formula, pretty simple. To be accurate you would have to call a company and ask for “as fed” % and also the true ash %. You might want to try contacting Simply Nourish and ask for as fed %’s & ash %’s for their recipes before you rule them out.
/choosing-dog-food/dog-food-carbohydrate-content/
C4c:
Now I know how it feels, walk a mile in someone’s shoes isn’t that how the saying goes? I guess I’ll be jealous of your TJ’s and you can be jealous of my TSC and we can call it even. lol 😉
Sharon:
You never know, the new food might have upset his tummy. He is so lucky to be adopted by you at 10 years old!!!!
I agree the dyes and artificial flavorings are terrible in Purina canned cat foods. Fancy Feast Classic Turkey varieties & Kitten Whitefish, Pro Plan Finesse Chic & Liver & Friskies Poultry Platter don’t contain added color. Purina One and Sheba do, but I still include it in their rotation to keep them eating. I only have a few “grocery store” flavors to choose from once you limit it to low carbs, meat as the 1st ingredient, no starches, glutens, wheat, corn, or soy, and little to no fish. I wish they never got addicted to Purina, oh well. They have a much better diet now that I have more knowledge about pet food quality.
Trader Joe’s is on my list to try. The only TJ’s near me is about 20 miles away and right now I don’t travel in that direction. More than likely I will be this summer so I am going to try it out. If nothing else, I can mix it with better food to help with the budget if they aren’t too keen on it; and I can’t wait to shop there anyway!! I also want to try their dog food, Bench & Field I think is the name. 🙂
It also depends on how you feel about Diamond products due to many recalls (includes Diamond, Kirkland, Chicken Soup, taste of the wild, and others)…. That being said, Kirkland Signature (sold at Costco) has palats of 5 star canned for about $18. Seems like after doing the math, that’s only about .70$ per can. A steal, really. Sorry, I can’t remember if the cans are 13oz or 6oz, but I thiiiiiink they’re 13.
Since I’m on such a tight budget, I don’t mind taking the “risk”, as my dogs have been on Diamond a while now and have done just fine.
Hey all, I am new here, have been lurking around this site for a little while for dog food because my parents just added a new puppy, but feeding cats on a budget happens to be my specialty. I have 2 pretty big guys (12 and almost 14lbs) The 12lb guy has a really sensitive system, but his body condition is ideal, and the 14lber tends towards the tubby side and so I have to really pay attention to his weight (they are both indoor only). I have tried most of the higher end foods on the market at one time or another. I subscribe to the idea that cats need the moisture in their diet and ideally should be on all wet food, however I supplement with dry to help meet my budget.
I primarily feed wellness grain free canned food, the 12.5oz cans are really cost effective, I primarily feed the turkey and salmon (purple can) it seems to be their favorite and the one they eat the most consistently without turning their noses up to it. I also rotate in the chicken (orange can), turkey (green), and chicken and herring (royal blue) and the minced turkey, chicken, and turkey salmon. I like wellness for a number of reasons and they have done really well on it. I rotate in a number of other brands: Evo (again those big cans save money), california’s natural salmon and sweet pea, (I am a little wary of Natura but I havent had any bad experiences) natural balance LID can’s, HALO pate, Instinct all work and are tolerated well.
The cat that loves crunchies isn’t picky at all really. He never met a kibble he didn’t like….. that is until I bought a 6lb bag of what I am feeding now: Wellness Core Indoor formula. I just bought a trial size bag of Orijen yesterday for $3.99 and am mixing it in with the Wellness. Its the first I have tried Orijen, because it is so expensive, but with the Orijen mixed in I am feeding less than 1/2 a cup of kibble a day total so it is affordable. Dry food lasts me forever it is the canned that really breaks the bank.
Sorry to chime in uninvited to this forum but am glad to have a place to share my experience 🙂
Have you tried the Nature’s Domain at Costco? You could try any of the flavors as they all have different protein and binders such as turkey and sweet potato. It’s best to rotate their diets occasionally to avoid them building an intolerance to an ingredient. I feed Victor’s Grain Free with beef and sweet potato which also might be a good option for you. There are many budget friendly foods listed on the editor’s choice list that might work or you. Just choose something that is not lamb and rice to see if it makes a difference. Good luck!
True. But I have a strict $40 a month budget to feed 2 large dogs, a cat that eats anything that he can get his paws on, 370 gallons worth of ponds and aquariums, 3 leopard geckos, and a Mali Uromastyx, and I’m not going to feed them low quality food, so I take what I can get where I can get it from. That said, I typically avoid PetLand like the plague. I’ve been in there like 4 times in the last several years, and only walked out with something one or two times.
My dog loves the Nutro Max ground beef and rice food mixed with his dry and he’s old so we indulge his obsession with wet food. The only issue is any of the other flavors give him the runs and I haven’t a clue why. Does anyone else know of some reasonably priced ground wet foods that are soft, even after refrigerating? Soft foods mix well and if a piece of kibble isn’t covered in wet food, he won’t eat it. The Nutro Max is about $1.60 and being on a college budget I can’t afford more than that. If you know of any good brands that are of equal or lesser value, I’d love to hear it. Nutrition isn’t an issue because the wet food is merely a topper to his dry which is much healthier.
You’re welcome C4c!!! 🙂
I hope more people check it out. I understand tight/limited budgets and have to follow one myself. There are many books on my list to read, but buying textbooks, living expenses, my family, and providing care for my zoo are more of a priority right now. But, a download for $2.95, can’t beat it!
The download is so helpful since I cannot go raw at this time (cost and no space in the freezer) not sure if I ever will go completely raw, but I definately want to feed Bobby as well as I can. The download certainly helped me do that. I think anyone will agree $2.95 for the information inside is more than worth it. The best part is the whole foods are really things you can buy at any grocery store, nothing exotic, you can make it really affordable by looking for sales, it is explained well, and is easy to follow. You don’t even have to make a whole meal of it, you can add extras to each meal through the week. It’s one of the best buys I have made recently!! lol
It seems like PetWay would be listed as Budget-Friendly and it is delivered to your door.
It has a very good rating and the price isn’t bad. I’ve been using it for my 2 German Shepherds and one cat for five years now and they all love it. My Vet highly recommended it and said that he feeds it to his two Labs. Joe Everett South Mills, NC.
So, I have two dogs. My female is a 12 year old Old English Sheepdog and my male is a 4 year old Dachshund/Terrier mix. I have noticed that my OES has been pretty picky with what she eats lately. She was normally on anything with Lamb and I wasn’t really paying too much attention to whether or not her food was grain free despite her constant itching and chewing of her paws throughout the years. She was constantly getting yeast infections in her ears but my vet never told me to change her diet. I recently decided to switch up her diet on my own to various reactions. I tried Zignature’s Lamb formula and she seemed to like it but wouldn’t touch it after a month of eating it. Then I moved her onto Earthborne Holistic Meadow Feast, which she had a HORRIBLE allergic reaction to. I am not sure what in that mix caused the reaction (eye swelling, lethargy, fever, vomiting, etc) but I wondered if it might have been the Tapioca? I am not sure though. Since that experience I put her on California Natural’s Kangaroo formula but she would only eat it if I put about 1/4th cup of warm water in it…this is something I had never done before but thought I would try after reading that someone else did that with their dog’s food…this caused ANOTHER problem with my dog…she didn’t chew the food with it being watered down but instead decided to just slurp it up and then wound up with food stuck in her esophagus. This ended my watering down of the food.
Since THAT I have put her on Acana Duck & Bartlett Pear and at first she seemed to go CRAZY for it but her love for it has cooled and now I have started mixing canned food with her dry food which she goes nuts for. However, I am not sure how much to give her? I normally let my dogs have a full bowl every day since I have grazers but the canned food has become scheduled at night. Before that, she will not touch the dry food. Should I be concerned about this? She has the dry food out to eat but she isn’t eating it unless the canned is mixed it. Buying both grain free canned and such an expensive grain free dry for her is a little much for my budget. Should I try a new less expensive grain-free? I was thinking of moving over to Fromm’s to see if she would like their Beef recipe or maybe the pork? I don’t know if those are ok for senior dogs though? Someone I know mentioned that I should watch the form of protein she is getting since she is older now but they didn’t say WHAT protein to go for. Is there truth in that??
Of course, my main concern is that she is getting enough food. Is it ok that she is just eating one big meal a day but not touching her dry food the rest of the day??
I did, and I really like the sounds of it! I think it actually does more than Trifexis. We have no problems with Trifexis, either. Bentley does get tired and lethargic after taking it, but bounces back and is just as annoying as ever in a few hours. Haley has no reactions to it at all. There are risks with any meds (and even natural remedies), human or animal. You’re not gunna know until you try, but don’t go try something you aren’t comfortable with.
I actually just found a 12 month box of Capstar for the cat on https://www.budgetpetcare.com/ for less than $40 after a coupon code. Whoo! I’ve never used this site before, but for $36 I guess I’ll give it a try lol (its also good for dogs, but only kills fleas).
Hi Jakes mom:
Yes, I agree we are doing better! 🙂
I love the kids pool idea!!! You were a crazier cat person. lol
I don’t mind cheating once in a while. I am always thinking of what to give them for a meal a few times a week, other then cat food, that is good for them for budget reasons of course. Only a few of them will eat boiled chicken.
My hypo cat (11 yrs) is doing well also, has energy, seems happy, always loveable, but I have been battling dry skin. Fish & coco oil has helped a great deal and it is much better now that winter is over. Fingers crossed, Kefir will help also.
Did you give them the livers raw? I am so jealous, my cats walked away from the gizzards and hearts, Bobby just played with his. Maybe livers will be next to try, I am not going to give up. lol Let us know how the chicken back went.
BobbyDog-
My hyper kitty does not, thankfully have dry skin. Her main issue is occasional vomiting. Which gets a little old cleaning up. But the meds have definitely helped. Also Nutro Max is another canned food I use for cats that is on the budget friendly list. It usually runs about $1 for the 6 oz can. I wish I could find as great of a deal on cat food as the Pure Balance or Cuts in Gravy dog food though.
Hi Bobby dog-
Thanks for the list. I have to stay away from fish as my senior kitty has hyperthyroidism. She was not shown in either picture, but shes 15 and looks like a kitten still! I’ll try printing out some coupons and give the Purina without fish a try. For some reason, I think that the Chicken Soup is canned by Simmons. I was glad to see it on the budget friendly list. I haven’t fed either of the other two. They are out of my network (budget). Lol! Thanks, again.
Actually, Horizon is listed under the Editor’s choice budget friendly foods. The budget friendly page is divided in two separate lists.
Hi Crazy4Cats –
Yes – certain criteria were considered when creating the “Non-Editor’s Choice” Budget Friendly list. The criteria just wasn’t as stringent as that of the Editor’s Choice list. Several of the companies featured on the Non-Editor’s Choice Budget were actually very close to making the Editor’s Choice list and some, perhaps, may even be included as Editor’s Choice selections in the future. In short, while we may not have found the Non-EC Budget Friendly foods worthy of EC status at this point in time, they are formulas we feel comfortable recommending to our readers that are looking for a quality food at a reasonable price. Hope that answers your question!
Budget-friendly dog foods are special. They can indeed be Editor’s Choice companies. However, they may also have a few minor flaws that may prevent them from qualifying for the EC list. Yet still allow them to be considered above average quality and good value. That’s why we divided the list into two sections.
The fact a company has recalls does not ever preclude them from any list of quality products. We avoid companies that hide recall-like events from consumers or have a history of making recalls recalls a habit.
Example: Natura, the makers of Innova, California Natural, EVO and others is still a great pet food company. Until last year, they had a history of zero recalls. The fact they’re owned by a larger company can be a good thing. Larger companies typically maintain better quality control, on premises labs, access to pretested raw materials, etc. They are still under consideration for Editor’s Choice.
By the way, 3 star products are still recommended dog foods. Another example, when it comes to feeding large breed puppies, some of the most scientifically based and tested products are only rated 3-stars and come from very large producers.
Hope this makes sense.
HDM-I’m assuming that the foods on the non editor’s choice budget friendly list still had to meet a certain criteria, didn’t they? Thank you.
Just to clear up some confusion –
The Editor’s Choice list is comprised of companies, not of foods. We chose to take a holistic view of the companies themselves when determining who made the list and who didn’t – obviously the quality of their products factors in. It’s very possible that a company could have a few formulas that have received slightly lower ratings – such as 3 or 3.5 stars – and still make the list. In fact, there are very few companies out there they don’t have a least a formula or two that have received lower ratings. If you take any 5 star food from the review section and look at all of the formulas the company produces, 9 times out of 10 there will be at least one or two that have received less than 4 stars. Concerning FreshPet specifically – the vast majority of FreshPet’s formulas have received very high ratings and we found them to be a great company, the fact that they have a couple formulas rated 3 or 3.5 stars shouldn’t eliminate them from the running.
Authority and Nutromax are not on the Editor’s Choice list. On the budget friendly list, the foods that are both budget friendly and on the Editor’s Choice list are clearly labeled. The list at the top says “Budget-Friendly Dog Foods That Are Also Editor’s Choice Brands” and the list at the bottom says “Other Budget Friendly Dog Foods.”
If you would like more information on how the companies were selected, visit this article:
/choosing-dog-food/brand-guidelines/
I was confused too. I was thinking that the Budget Friendly and non-GMO foods were subsets of the Editor’s Choice selections, as opposed as being from the entire list of reviewed foods.
All the freshpets are highly rated, haven’t had recalls, and are widely available, which is why they made it on the editor’s choice list.
I believe that the budget friendly is just a list of 4-5 stars that are less expensive than the usual 4-5 stars, as a helpful tool. If they were the best of the best, they’d be under the editor’s choice review section. That’s my take on it at least
Ah ha. They’re on the budget friendly list of foods, not the editors choice.
I love Wellness, Annamaet and Dr. Tim’s and Fromm. I’m very glad to see that they’re on the Editor’s Choice list, as well as on the GMO free list. I also love Victor dog food. It is only on the budget friendly list, which is great. It does have some GMO free formulas, as stated on their website. I’m not sure if all their foods are GMO free, though, so I guess that may be why they’re not included. I just feel they should be at least on the GMO free list, my opinion of course.
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This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by
Mom2Cavs.
Thanks for the replies. So many angles to think of.
Not too many feed 100% canned I am gathering. The beauty of the Kirkland, I thought, was that it was 5-star and still within the budget even at 100%. But the point about food rotation is a good one. I could likely never feed another 5-star canned to work in the rotation and meet the budget, as the BCnut points out. I am trying to find out if I can get Whole Earth Farms canned here in SW Ontario (if it is truly a budget-friendly option).
By combining with kibble, however, I can accomplish food rotation easier. Most 5-star kibbles would fit the budget. So I like that.
Giddyupb, I just discovered Pulsar yesterday! I was at our local Pet Planet and the manager suggested Pulsar as a great food, even at least as a transition to Acana from the junk our guy is on now. I like the price!
I appreciate the responses.
I’m a bit surprised to read Horizon’s review and yet there is no mention of the budget friendly line.
Complete starts at $39.99 for 11.4 kg and it’s rated 4.5 stars
Amicus starts at $22.99 for 2.5 kg – 5 stars
Pulsar starts at $19.99 for 4 kg and at $46.99 for 11.4 kg – 4.5 stars
Legacy stars at $24.99 for 4 kg and at $66.99 for 11.4kg
I was also comparing that review against champion pet food review, and it seems that there is a lot more enthusiasm in the writing than Horizon… is there a particular reason for the difference in reviews?
Lastly, what’s the difference between 80% meat inclusion and 80% animal protein?
Hi Carl-
Welcome to the forum! I have two 2 1/2 year old lab mix dogs that are about 80 pounds each. I love, love, love Kirkland cuts in Gravy! It is a great value. And I don’t only say that because I work at Costco. LOL! I have learned from “hanging out” on this site for about a year now that it is best to feed a variety of food. I wish I had a bigger budget so I could get a little more variety in their diet, but I do the best that I can. So, whether you decide to go with kibble or canned, it is best to feed a variety of kibble or canned or a combination of both. There is an article about diet rotation on the review side of this site in the FAQ tab. Now, that being said, I will tell you that I have chosen to go with a combination of the two. I feed about 75% to 25% kibble to canned. Currently I am feeding Victor grain free kibble with either Kirkland cuts in gravy canned, Pure Balance canned, or whole earth farms canned. In the evening a couple times a week, I add eggs or sardines to their kibble instead of canned. These are all considered budget 5 star foods. Don’t be afraid to try something and change it up if it doesn’t work. Good luck!
