[Naturella]

Akari,

You are my couponing guru!!! 🙂

Thanks so much for the info! I will certainly get on this, as I plan to obtain some Wellness Core, Victor GF (they have awesome cheap samples on their website http://www.victorpet.com/ ), and maybe some Back to Basics for Bruno’s after-next batch of mixed food (the upcoming batch will consist of Dr. Tim’s Kinesis GF, Nutrisca, and Vets Choice GF, total of 23 lbs of food, should last him a good 4-ish months).

But yes, thanks so much for the info again, and hope Petland does the trick for you to get bunches of cheap, good dog food! 🙂

[Akari_32]

I’ll have to go up there and do that. Free and cheap dog food sounds good to me!

I get emails from PetSmart, Petco and Pet Supermarket, who send me various coupons and deal alerts. I’m always on the look out, even when I don’t need any dog food lol

The key to couponing is to match up sales with coupons, and buy as cheaply as possible. Like you just learned, buy small bags. It’s cheaper to buy crap-tons of small bags with multiple coupons than it is to buy a large bag with one coupon. Usually, anyways. Sometimes it comes out the same (in which case, mix and match flavors :p) and rarely will it come out to be more expensive. I tend to use dollars off an order, as well as manufacturer coupons and competitor coupons on each item. Petsmart is the easiest place to do this, IME.

For instance:

Petsmart has their 4 pound bags of Wellness Core on sale for $13.99
Wellness ALWAYS has $5 off coupons on their website, reset monthly so you can print them out every time you need pet food. These are good on any size bag of dog or cat food.
PetCo usually had wellness coupons out as well, we’ll say its $3, since they don’t have at the moment. Usually it’s $5 off any bag of Core, though.
Pet Supermarket has monthly $4 off $20 orders.

Buy two bags of the wellness. Total with tax before coupons is $29.94. Apply the $4 off $20, and it’s $25.94. Apply the two $5 off any bag of wellness, and it’s $15.94. Then the two petco $3 off, and the total comes out to $9.94 for what was originally two $18 bags of dog food. There are some weird taxes applied and not applied to certain coupons, so this is an estimate, but it gives you the general idea 🙂

This all mainly depends on the store and the cashiers working at the time. I’ve Learned who I can and can’t get away with certain things with. Some stores have a strict coupon policy. Your best bet is to go in there like you own the place and know exactly what you’re doing, and do a test run. And always have a couple back up plans. I tend to have 2-3 couponing scenarios when I go out. It takes time to plan, but it’s worth it!

[Naturella]

Akari,

Sigh, I wish there was one closer to you (not for anything but the great deals I saw on both Vets Choice and Earthborn)… And yes, yuck to selling puppies… =/

But anywho, I think I signed up in the store, I may have bought a tiny little something, and you know, at the register they usually ask you if you want to sign up for their “whatever-named” reward/point/something program, so you give them name, phone number, probably address, and voila! Let the free food flow! LoL!

But really, I would say, ask your close friends to go there and sign up too, even if (ESPECIALLY when) they don’t have dogs, so they can get the coupons and get you the food.

I only bought the small bag, which in all varieties but the Grain Free would have been absolutely free, but a larger bag will be more than $1.64 after coupon, but STILL way less than if ordered online or bought at other places.

Your local stores may have other comparable deals on good food, so don’t discount that opportunity! But I think Petland overall has a deal or something with Vets Choice so they promote their products a lot, good thing the food is 4/4.5-star rated! 🙂

But yeah, happy hunting, let me know if you have any questions, and if the coupons work out!

P.S. Teach ME how to coupon for dog food, please! I don’t even know where to start! =/

[Akari_32]

That’s awesome! Good job 🙂

The closest PetLand is about 45-60 minutes away. Not the best shop around, either. Grimy and dirty, and they sell puppies. Yuck… But for 1.64 a bag of food, I could make a trip up there and get a few lol

How does one sign up for their emails? I went all over the petland website and found nowhere to sign up.

[Naturella]

Akari,

Today I received another coupon in the mail for Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension from Petland for $11.99 off amy bag of dog food of that brand. Naturally, I rushed to the store and snatched up a 4-lb bag of their grain free food for $1.64 of my own cash! Now, idk if it is just my local Petland or if all of their prices are comparable, but I would suggest that you sign up for their rewards points thing or whatever it is they use for coupons and discounts sending. I noticed Vets Choice are foods you would feed, and they have some super neat deals in store, the small bags run around $11.99-$13.99, and the big bags are pretty afforfable too! Same with their Earthborn Holistic! Great deals!

And I know you mentioned you live in FL, and that you’d rather shop in store vs. have something delivered, so here is a link to the Petland locations in FL. Hope at least one is close enough to you and that they have similar deals! Good luck!

http://stores.petland.com/FindPetlandStores/Florida.htm

[InkedMarie]

I’ll suggest some more budget friendly foods, better than what you’ve mentioned: dr Tim’s (some of his, if you order online) come in larger bags, Fromm, NutriSource.

[Eldee]

I am so pleased with both the price of merricks whole earth farms food and the quality. The senior canned food is gobbled up by my two in no time, and the finicky chow who won’t touch a hot dog wiener, loves it. The cans up until last week were $1.99 in Canada, but now are $2.39 per tin. I guess I should have bought a couple of cases last week when I was shopping.

[theBCnut]

I don’t want to imply that I won’t suggest foods, but my dogs are doing best on foods that are in no way budget friendly, so I don’t have a lot of budget friendly foods that I am good with.

That being said, yes, feeding different kinds of food is better than feeding one kind. The more different variety, the better. Raw is best, but your dogs can get some of the benefits of raw by getting a little raw in their diets, a turkey, duck, or chicken neck each week or a can of sardines. Dehydrated foods are great but very expensive. I use them and freeze dried foods as treats. Homemade is great too, but you have to do it right or your dog will end up sick from not getting certain nutrients. Kibbles are actually the most processed dog food, but there are some great kibbles at a good price. I don’t think they are as inexpensive as Pure Balance, but they are better quality. I like NutriSource and Earthborn.

I hope someone else will post some more ideas for you. What I usually tell people is to print up the list of 4 and 5 star foods and take it with them to all the different place around that have dog food. Take notes about where you find what and for how much. When you are on a budget, but want better for your dog, you can try adding some of a better quality food to whatever your base kibble is, or adding fresh foods like eggs, yogurt, lean meats, etc.

[RescueDaneMom]

Ok, so you are looking for a food that is free of fish, peas, and potatoes that is acceptable for a large breed puppy, right?

You could try the Earthborn Holistic Meadow Feast. There is no fish or potatoes (white or sweet) in it. If there is no improvement, then it could be the peas.

If you don’t mind grains, Nature’s Variety Large Breed Puppy has no peas or potatoes but it does have salmon oil. Pinnacle Chicken & Oatmeal has no fish or peas but does have potatoes. The Victor Select Chicken Meal or Lamb Meal are both free of peas, fish, and potatoes. They are budget-friendly too. On Amazon the 40lb bag of Chicken Meal & Rice formula is $55.

You might have to go through the list of appropriate foods for large breed puppies and look at the ingredients in each one. Then you can determine if the price is right and if you can get your hands on it. I wish you the best of luck!

[mfulton7]

So I’m back again with more questions, haha! Those of you that remember me I have the Doberman whos is 14 wks, shihpoo that is 9mths, and a 2yr old chi.
The shihpoo had a lot of skin issues and we found out she has pemphigus so we have already tried a few different types of dog with her. When we brought the dobie home we had the dogs on signature trout & salmon. The dobie had way to many poos a day so we switched to Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch. They’ve been on that for 4-5 wks now. The dobie and shihpoo have horrible gas and the dobie also has loose stools off and on. She also itches a lot and has scabbing under her armpit areas. A food intolerance had been suggested to me from the large breed thread and Im thinking that is correct.
Since then I’ve been researching the ingredients and have found the signature and the earthborn holistic both fish have very similar ingredients. Quite a few different types of peas. Potatoes and sweet potatoes are listed as well but are further down the list.
All this being said would you think that the problem is peas, fish or potatoes? Also what other budget friendly dogs food should we try?

[mfulton7]

Vahl- we actually went with Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch because it was better for our budget. She seemed to be okay with it until 2 weeks ago and she started having bad gas and loose stools again. Now I’m not sure what we will try. I ordered the big bag of earthborn holistic through wag.com and got a really good deal. Maybe try that if you haven’t found a food yet.

[DogManDan]

oh nice some recipes. guys im in need of advice here, as i have started feeding raw since i read on this. I have 2 roughly 15lb or 6.5kg westies and i need some menus for them as i have limited supplies here and on a budget. the ingredients i have here and are very common to us are chicken, pork and fish. which part of the chicken should i feed and on the fish that would give them a good diet and also how do i mix this up for the next 7 days.

[Akari_32]

Thankfully I ruled out all food allergies with Bentley (thought it was chicken, then grain, and now we are certain it’s grass or something else growing in the yard), so I’m open to just about anything food wise. He likes red meats best, but eats anything other than fish no problem (and he’ll eat the fish, he just ain’t happy about it LOL). He esspetially seems to love the chewy bits of lamb in the Purina One… Yuck! The other dogs don’t care what it is, if it’s even slightly etable, they’ll eat it (this also includes the occational dead animal in the yard, and plants the little brats unpot if I don’t keep an eye on them -_-). My nonpicky dogs make choosing a food easy :3

[theBCnut]

Akari
I envy you your long list. I have one dog that, so far, can have 2 brands. Fortunately, I have 2 dogs that can eat all his rejects, so far.

[Akari_32]

It’s up to you, Aleksandra. It’s just like some people continue to use Diamond. Personal preference, really. That’s a great deal on Nutrisca, though! Wholly cow. I think it’s right up there with Blue Buffalo and Innova in cost here, and no coupons (except for some $3 ones once). And no sales. Never seen it seen on sale in stores.

It saddens me that your 11 pound dogs eats as much as my 8 pound dog >.< Bentley can’t help he’s a hyper active lunatic D: lol

That’s probably it, Sandy. Too many china things to remember! Dogswell brand food is sold in Publix, and it looks good on paper, but I beleive I read somewhere about it being basically like an other Diamond product, with iffy ingredients and I think improper labeling or something? And it sports a little Made in the USA flag, while some of ingredients are not sourced in the states at all. Oh, marketing, you so silly.

Thanks Marie 🙂 Those were at the top of my list, the bottom being I think Natures Recipe and Canidae. I plan on trying everything at least once, and see how it goes. I may go back through and take out any fish ones, as Bentley doesn’t like fish. Or I may just say sucks to be him and he can eat it anyways LOL

[InkedMarie]

I’d feed Dr Tim’s, Eagle, EArthborn, Holistic Select, Natures Variety, NutriSource and Acana

[pugmomsandy]

Nutrisca is made by Dogswell who continues to use Chinese chicken in it’s jerky. I’m not sure if it’s in their kibble so I don’t buy any chicken from them. I was ordering just the lamb kibble and canned but I’ve marked them off my list totally recently.

[Naturella]

Oh, wow, I didn’t know that about Innova and EVO, thanks for the info! I may need to take them off my list too…

As for Nutrisca, PetFlow had a great deal on a 4-lb bag, for $5.00 a few weeks ago! So that will be my Dr. Tim’s Kinesis GF ALS 15-lb bag “mixer”. Also, I do recall you have 3 dogs of various sizes, and I only have one 11-pounder who eats about 3/4-1 cup food max per day, so 19 lbs or so would last him a good while (my guess is 3ish months). So I understamd the budgeting restrictions. But deal scoping on Petflow, Chewy, Wag, PetFoodDirect, and Amazon does help! I think the list you have compiled has great, affordable foods in there, so it would be a win-win for you and your pups! 🙂

[Akari_32]

I’ve given up on Innova and it’s side buddies. As soon as P&G’s contract to keep the formula the same was up earlier this year, Innova, Prime, Evo, and a few of their other brands had a huge, continuous recall for several months, in both the dog and cat foods. I was not happy with the whole situation at all. It started in March, and the foods are just now back on the shelves in sustainable numbers, after having been off and on in varying amounts for the last couple months. I’ll be giving them a while to figure themselves out, personally. I don’t understand why such a good company with no recalls would sell out stupid P&G!

Wellness Core is just too much. Its quite possibly my favorite grain free food, but I’m just a poor college student LOL I do have one Wellness formula on my list, it’s not a grain free though. I do intend to keep an eye out for it to go on sale on PetFlow, though. There are plenty of foods that are on my mental sale watch list :p

I’m not a fan of Nutrisca. Can’t say why. Maybe it’s the price lol It’s expensive in stores here.

[Naturella]

Akari,

I also have a similar food list myself, although a lot shorter (for now).
Of your foods, I would feed the grain-free versions of:
Dr. Tim’s, Acana, Wysong, Wellness, Earthborn Holistic and Canidae.

On my list I also have Back to Basics (not the GF versions), and the GF versions of Victor, Orijen, EVO, Innova Prime, amd Timberwolf. Some of those are quite pricy so I would use them as “mixers” to a bigger bag of more affordable food, for example mix a small bag (4-6 lbs) of Back to Basics in a big bag (12-18 lbs) of Wellness Core Wild Game, etc. I would also use Wysong Epigen as a mixer food, the prices I found were … mixer-food-like, lol.

My “maybe” list consists of GF versions of all Dogswell Live Free, Nutrisca, Taste of the Wild, and Blue Buffalo Wilderness (although Bruno is on it right now and seems to be doing great).

But your list looks great too, I may be snatching ideas from it myself! 🙂

[Akari_32]

Revised list. Not too different. Took some off, and added markers at the beginning of each different food.

-Dr Tims’s Pursuit Active
-Dr Tim’s Kinesis ALS
-Avoderm Natural Chicken and Brown Rice
-By Nature Active
-By Nature Pork
-California Natural Chicken Meal and Rice Puppy
-California Natural Low Fat Chicken Meal
-Canidae Life Stages ALS
-Canidae Beef and Ocean FIsh Meal
-Castor and Pollux Ultramix Beef and Barley
-Castor and Pollux Large Breed
-Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul ALL
-Eagle Pack (all but reduced fat and senior)
-Earthborn Puppy Vangate
-Earthborn Small Breed
-Earthborn Primitive Naturals
-Fromm Gold ALL
-Holistic Select Vital Senior
-Holistic Select Radiant Adult Chicken
-Holistic Select Radiant Adult Lamb
-Holistic Select Large and Giant Breed
-Holistic Select Anchovy
-Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Chicken
-Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Fish
-Merrick Whole Earth Farms Adult
-Merrick Whole Earth Farms Puppy
-Merrick Classic Beef
-Merrick Classic Lamb
-Merrick Classic Chicken
-Merrick Classic Adult Large Breed Chicken
-Healthwise Chicken Meal and Oatmeal
-Nature’s Recipe Adult Lamb and Rice
-Nature’s Recipe ETD Chicken Meal and Barley
-Nature’s Recipe Venison
-Nature’s Recipe Large Breed
-Nature’s Recipe ETD Fish Meal
-Nature’s Recipe Healthy Weight
-Nature’s Variety Lamb and Oatmeal
-Nature’s Variety Chicken Meal and Brown Rice Puppy
-Nutrisource Lamb Meal and Rice
-PetGuard LifeSpan
-Precise Naturals Grain Free Chicken
-Premium Edge Healthy Weight 1 Weight Reduction
-Solid Gold Wolf Cub
-Vet’s Choice ALL
-Wellness Complete Health Chicken
-Wysong Adult
-Wysong Growth Puppy
-Acana Chicken and Burbank Potato

[Akari_32]

Ha, I just realized my reply to your question “1 pound of food for such a small dog sounds a bit ridiculous, doesn’t it?” was “No, it doesn’t” Whoops! LOL Yes, I mean! Yes it does XD

Anyways! Anything else off my list? (I’m going to revise it here in a second, too, and take off the no-no’s).

[theBCnut]

That’s how I feel about them, if they will stoop that low, there is no telling what they are capable of.

[Akari_32]

It’s not so much the quality control (I mean, that’s bad yes, but we all already know the government really doesn’t care about that) as it is the fact they basically were allowed to steal all that oil and electricity! IMO, they should have been shut down right then, not gotten a slap on the wrist. If they had the guts to do that, what else will they think up??

NutriSource, yes 🙂 That’s been checked a few pages ago :p

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by Akari_32.

[InkedMarie]

Oh, I forgot to say, I’d use a NutriSource as well.

[theBCnut]

Avacado is not actually toxic to dogs, or at least not the large majority of them. There have been individual reports of dogs getting sick, but no more than any other ingredient that some dogs are intolerant of. Birds and horses have toxicity problems with avacado and for some reason, that info has been applied to dogs as well, to the point that the DVM that runs the pet poison control has put out a statement about it, and he is the guy that ought to know. Of course, the pit is a choking hazard.

As to why Evangers is still in business, all I can imagine is because our laws protect business, not people and pets.

[Akari_32]

Why would they still even be allowed to stay in buisness after all that??

Anything else on that list I should steer away from? And any others that are good, or suitable for every now and then to help lower the over all cost?

Also, what are your thoughts on Avoderm? It’s sort of intriguing– avacodo is toxic, is it not? Yet this food seems to sell so well, and I see a few people on here using it. And are either of my Canidae choices Diamond?

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by Akari_32.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by Akari_32.

[InkedMarie]

Pretty bad, eh? Its not like it was 10yrs ago when a lot of the foods we have now weren’t even around; there are so many others to choose from.

[Akari_32]

Oh how nice. It’s like another Diamond! Although I think they take it just a little further than Diamond does o.O Alrightly then! Scratch that off the list!

[InkedMarie]

http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2008/ucm116886.htm

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm166265.htm

Busted! Owner of Evanger’s arrested on felony charges

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/25/evangers-dog-and-cat-food_n_512873.html

Just not a reputable company

[theBCnut]

Evangers is totally gross. They have gotten in trouble in the past for extreme unsanitary conditions. But in addition to that they stole electricity to the tune of a couple million dollars, and they forced their employees to work unpaid overtime, and they got in trouble for selling a duck canned food that didn’t actually contain any duck. VERY SKETCHY!!

[Akari_32]

The Natural Balance I could understand (what they are vs what they claim to be and charge) but why not Evangers?

[InkedMarie]

The foods from your list that I would buy are Dr Tim’s, Earthborn, Eagle, Fromm, Grandma Lucy’s, Nature’s Variety and Acana.

The foods I wouldn’t feed from your list are Natural Balance and Evangers.

[Akari_32]

Would a few of you guys care to make a top 10 (or however many) list for me from my 4 mile long thing here? I think I’m over the Grandma Lucy’s (btw, they told me I could BUY samples from them. What the crap good does BUYING samples do for me?? I don’t have the money for that crap, that’s why I asked for some! ‘Tards…).

Small to medium kibbles would be best (for Bentley– Haley and Dweezle do fine on the smaller piece), a few adult-appropriate puppy foods perhaps, and different meats. And please don’t give me all the more expensive ones.

Dr Tims’s Pursuit Active
Dr Tim’s Kinesis ALS
Avoderm Natural Chicken and Brown Rice
By Nature Active
By Nature Pork
California Natural Chicken Meal and Rice Puppy
California Natural Low Fat Chicken Meal
Canidae Life Stages ALS
Canidae Beef and Ocean FIsh Meal
Castor and Pollux Ultramix Beef and Barley
Castor and Pollux Large Breed
Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul ALL
Eagle Pack (all but reduced fat and senior)
Earthborn Puppy Vangate
Earthborn Small Breed
Earthborn Primitive Naturals
Evanger’s Chicken and Brown Rice
Fromm Gold ALL
Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Grain Free Pork
Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Grain Free Chicken
Grandma Lucy’s PureFormance Chicken
Holistic Select Vital Senior
Holistic Select Radiant Adult Chicken
Holistic Select Radiant Adult Lamb
Holistic Select Large and Giant Breed
Holistic Select Anchovy
Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Chicken
Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Fish
Merrick Whole Earth Farms Adult
Merrick Whole Earth Farms Puppy
Merrick Classic Beef
Merrick Classic Lamb
Merrick Classic Chicken
Merrick Classic Adult Large Breed Chicken
Healthwise Chicken Meal and Oatmeal
Natural Balance Ultra
Natural Balance Fat Dogs
Nature’s Recipe Adult Lamb and Rice
Nature’s Recipe ETD Chicken Meal and Barley
Nature’s Recipe Venison
Nature’s Recipe Large Breed
Nature’s Recipe ETD Fish Meal
Nature’s Recipe Healthy Weight
Nature’s Variety Lamb and Oatmeal
Nature’s Variety Chicken Meal and Brown Rice Puppy
Nutrisource Lamb Meal and Rice
PetGuard LifeSpan
Precise Naturals Grain Free Chicken
Premium Edge Healthy Weight 1 Weight Reduction
Solid Gold Wolf Cub
Vet’s Choice ALL
Wellness Complete Health Chicken
Wysong Adult
Wysong Growth Puppy
Acana Chicken and Burbank Potato

[DogFoodie]

Hi guys,

I’m a fellow Golden owner and my pup, Sam, is almost 18 months old.

First of all, I have to say that Goldens are a large breed puppy and they have special dietary needs as a result.

I strongly suggest that you visit this thread in the DFA forum area as it has lots of great information about the special needs of a large breed puppy: /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

Here’s a great list of foods recommended for growing large breed pups, like both of yours:https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFQXNYZW01VzRVV00/edit?usp=sharing&pli=1

NutriSource makes a LBP formula with an appropriate Calcium level ,that is grain inclusive, that’s very well-tolerated by pups with sensitive stomachs. NutriSource is a good quality, budget friendly food that’s generally easy to find in the stores and online. You won’t see it in the list that I gave you because it’s grain inclusive though and the list consists entirely of grain free foods. You can, and should, offer fresh additional sources of protein, such as tinned sardines.

You must carefully choose a food with an appropriate Calcium level to avoid excess bone growth while yours is a fast growing puppy. Excessive bone growth contributes to skeletal disorders including hip dysplasia. In addition to controlling Calcium, keep your pup lean and avoid overfeeding and over-exercising.

Once your pup reaches at least 80% of his adult size, Calcium isn’t nearly the concern it is when he’s a puppy.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by DogFoodie.

[Akari_32]

No, it doesn’t. Thats why I wanted to know if it was measured wet or dry (and why I should apparently learn how to read :p ). Wet would be fine, but dry not so much.

I measured Bentleys food dry (I mix kibble, canned and eggs) and even a whole cup of dry food weighed just above 4 oz (I imagine with the liquids added it would weigh a bit more, but I didn’t prepare their food as normal tonight). He eats a lot for his small size (curse that terrier activity!), but I can’t imagine him eating 4 times as much as he currently eats. Even the one cup is a bit much for him and he lounges around afterwards, but he works off quickly onces it digested….

Hmmmm…..

[theBCnut]

1 pound of food for such a small dog sounds a bit ridiculous, doesn’t it.

[Akari_32]

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/B5FFDB48-76A2-44FE-A357-A840540C5E4E-2800-0000068E8A917F27_zps1e25165d.jpg

It does say at the bottom there that it’s measured dry. Missed that the first time! Derp…

So that would mean my 8 pound dog would be eating almost a whole pound of food?? That seems like a whole lotta food for such a small dog! I’ll have to weigh how much he’s getting now, to compare. That’ll give me an idea for the other dogs, as well.

[theBCnut]

How much does it say to feed a 40 pound dog?

[Akari_32]

It says 1 cup makes a pound, more or less. But again, I wouldn’t really be able to determine that with out knowing if the recommendations on the bag are based off if it being dry or rehydrated.

[Molzy]

You should calculate out based on feeding recommendations, not how much food it’ll make. A box of Honest Kitchen makes like 40lbs of food, but only lasts my dog 20 days. When he i on dry kibble, a 30lb bag lasts about 6 weeks. When I was researching foods, I made an excel file with the cost per bag, and then calculated how long a bag would last. This way you can compare daily costs.

Good luck!

[Akari_32]

So I think I’ve settled on Grandma Lucy’s for my first go around. I’m still several months off from ordering, but I’ve emailed them asked for some samples, so we’ll see how that goes. This is the cheapest, and over all best, healthiest option, at 50-51 pounds for $60-70. Petflow has also sent me various coupons codes in just the last week, so I don’t think it’ll be too hard to buy it even cheaper.

I’d love to hear your all’s opinions on the food, over all ease of use, etc. Oh, and are the measurements provided on the website for feeding before of after water has been added?

[crazy mom]

ok I know that price is different everywhere but I cant afford the NV LID food. Its like 67.98 for 25lbs….. That is not in our budget. 🙁 is there is something that is not so much $$ for such a small bag? I know that most top rated food is very $$ but that is still not in our price range. I just wanted to see if there was something else that I might be able to try.

[lizbethc41]

ok that was weird, I was typing a post when poof ! So if this ends up being a double post, sorry!
Let’s try again…..Against my advice, my part time employee got a lab puppy over the weekend. She absolutely cannot afford a dog, so I am really sorry she did this. However, now that it’s done, I am trying to find the cheapest of the best food. I think Fromm sounds promising as the least expensive 4 star food I’ve found (though I don’t like rice in a food & it has tomato pomace, it’s better than the Beneful she is feeding :/ ) & so far I’ve found it for $51.49 for a 33 lb bag.
Having never fed a lab puppy, I have no idea how long a 33 lb bag will last. If someone could give me a ballpark on this I’d appreciate it. It’s been a while since I fed Muggsy dry food & he’s a smaller dog than a lab puppy will end up. I think his 5 lb Castor & Pollux Organix lasted about a week.
I really hope to not have to go lower than 4 stars, but she really is on a limited budget <sigh> I’m really open to any suggestions as to a good yet cheap food!

[Tom]

That’s the best description I can come up with at the moment for your site! My first visit in anticipation of picking up our German Shephard puppy. A suggestion that would really help those of us who are not mega-researchers (and if this is already available here it simply proves my skill level) is: Could a spreadsheet be compiled that would show retail price (ranked high to low or vice-versa), retail, and online sale availability? As much as we all love our pets there are always budgetary constraints that must be considered. There are so many names here (124 five star puppy recommendations) that I have never heard of, and I would have to research each name to find if it is available in my part of US, or where to buy online. This would be a great help!

[Jamie08]

When I first got my heeler (as an adult), he was thin and would not put weight on- he did turn out to have a pretty big load of worms, so I would start there! I have to worm him fairly regularly because he eats squirrels & rabbits that he catches, so I’m guessing ends up with tapeworms from their fleas (because HE doesn’t have fleas).

I’m on a budget but my dogs are on Merrick’s Whole Earth Farms, which I have found to be a great deal for a brand that’s rated 4 stars on here (was on sale at PetCo when I bought it last, 35lbs for $35). My dog is actually a heeler cross and is a little bigger, probably ~50lbs and eats 4 cups/day and looks great! Everybody here has lots of great suggestions, but I would definitely check about worms if he’s eating that much and still thin.

[Molzy]

When we adopted our second dog, we budgeted for using the same food as our other one (he has been on various high quality, grain free foods since we adopted him). Surprise surprise, the new dog needs canned food, which tripled my monthly dog food budget!

Luckily I’ve been able to redo my budget, and its still easier and cheaper than being at the vet every week with a vomiting dog! But it does make things harder, having to store more food in addition to preparing canned food (switching to dehydrated and raw soon). I am guessing it may have been why he was given to the shelter, though we were told they just didn’t have time for him.

[DogManDan]

hello all,

i’ve been reading and following on this thread since the first post, i find this thread very informative. I’m glad i stopped over and read 🙂

[Naturella]

Akari,

I see, interesting @ the “exotic meats”, lol! And the international markets you mentioned sound neat! Check them out sometime! They are fun places (to me at least). 🙂

And also, I meant to ask you (and everyone) – what is the stance on natural chews, such as bully sticks, dehydrated meaty bits (gullet strips, tripe and tendon pieces, etc.), antlers, Himalayan Dog Chews, and so on, versus RMBs? Which is better? I know which is less messy, but still, I want to know which is better for a dog, and the one that is worse, how much worse it is? Or (ideally), are they sort of close/equal in the purposes they server (chewing entertainment and nutritional value)?

[Akari_32]

The closest thing we have to butchers are meat markets that sell “exotic” meats. I’m not sure if they get the whole animals (already slaughtered) and then butcher them up, or if they buy the meat fresh at wholesale prices. One has awesome hot dogs and sausages! *drool* Then we’ve got Ukrainian, Middle Eastern and Asian markets. And obviously grocery stores. Lol When I’m feeling adventurous, I’ll have to check out the markets and such.