[InkedMarie]

No neighbors to accept a bag of food, maybe leave a cooler out for it?

[RescueDaneMom]

My sister’s dog was just diagnosed with early stage kidney disease. The vet wanted her to feed a prescription diet but the ingredients in it were horrendous. I did a lot of the research for her because she is super busy. I found the best information on dogaware.com. Under the health tab at the top, click on “kidney disease” and you will find a wealth of information. My sister is homecooking for her dog now. She was using The Honest Kitchen pre-mix and adding low phosphorous meats to it but had decided that homecooking is cheaper and she has more control over what she feeds. She is on a tight budget.

Best of luck to you!

[Akari_32]

Most of the week I’m working 9 or 10 hours days. I wouldn’t be home to accept a perishable shipment, and dog food sitting in the 98 degree sun doesn’t sound like a good thing to me.

[InkedMarie]

Why can’t you order? Sandy gave you a very good food for a great price, two foods, in fact.

[Akari_32]

Nutrisource I don’t think is available here (going to check out websites right now). I MAY be able to ask my local pet store to order it, but I’m fairly certain he’d want me to order and pay for a whole case. Also, I’m not home durring the day much, so I don’t think ordering online is an option as of right now.

The grain free 4Health was on my list, so if I’m ever in that direction (it’s almost an hour away) that is an option.

Merrick is available at PetCo, so that could be an option. Does anyone know if Petco or Merrick does the buy 10 get 1 free thing?

Fromm I’ve seen at a not-so-local pet store (up by Costco, an hour away). *Could* be an option. I’m rarely up that way, though, and I’d rather not send my grandparents on a wild goose chase LOL However i put in a lot of interstate driving, and pass the exit several times a week, so maybe 🙂

As for the others, I’ve not seen these around either. And then there’s the not home durring mail and shipping hours thing…

Anyone happen to know how much the grain free Kirkland stuff is? I know its like $27, but never got a weight off it.

Thanks bunches! I dont mean to be a pain. My dog food choices suck just here, in case you haven’t noticed LOL

[pugmomsandy]

Nutrisource grain free chicken and lamb formulas are 1.67/lb on petflow. You can find this at retailers as well. Tractor Supply’s 4Health grain free food (not made by Diamond) is 1.23/lb. Merrick Whole Earth Farms 1.23/lb (not grain free). I’ve also heard Victor is reasonably priced. http://www.victordogfood.com. Dr. Tim’s with grain 1.50/lb. Fromm 4 Star Nutritionals Chicken a la Veg 1.80/lb. And Hit-Tek Naturals grain free.

[Akari_32]

Hey guys! I need your all’s help on prices 🙂

Normally, I coupon for dog food, usually paying no more $1 a per pound for brands like Wellness and Blue Buffalo (but usually its more like pocket change for 4-6 pound bags). However, if you’ve never tried couponing before, it takes tons of time– matching up store, manufacturer and competitor coupons to sales, as well has having to actually have the money to spend on the food when I don’t actually need it in order to take advantage of the sales to save money down the road. I work and go to college full time and with season coming, work is getting more and more busy (dang snow birds), and I’m having less time to keep up with coupons and sales. I have about 2 months of dog food stored away, so I figured while I have the time, I’d do some research and look around for some good food that fits into my limited college budget for when I don’t have the ability to use coupons.

What I’d like in the food is to be grain free (preferably, but no corn at the very least), available at Walmart, Publix, PetSmart, Pet Supermarket, and Petco, no more than $2 a pound (less would be much much better, though), and I’d like varying meat sources, as well as being no less than 3 stars (as I know you do get what you pay for). One thing to keep in mind is that I’m vary rarely near Costco and Tractor Supply, but those don’t have to be completely counted out. My grandparents are near Costco usually once a week, so I could give them money to pick me up something there.

I’m not too adverse to feeding Diamond foods, but I don’t want it to be a regular thing. Once every couple months is fine. So if any of these fall into my range, feel free to list them. And anything that gets manufacturer coupons would be super awesome, but its not necessarily overly important.

Also, Pet Supermarket does buy 10 get 1 free on ALL their foods, except Diamond (the actual labeled Diamond food in the white and orange bag). This is a plus, but doesn’t have to be a driving force.

I know prices vary across the country, so don’t worry too much! Just keep it close according to what’s available around you. Thanks bunches!

[somebodysme]

mam2cavs, what you think it is about the TOTW Pacific Stream that is not affecting your allergy dog like other foods? My dog has been allergic to everything that she’s eaten since Dog Chow which she was NOT allergic to! There is something in the high end foods that she does not tolerate. Her allergies are skin not digestive. So I’m curious, have to figured out what TOTW does not have in it?

Edit to add: I just went and checked the ingredient label and I see that this food is one of the few higher end foods that doesn’t contain even one of the following items: Flax seed, beet pulp, rosemary extract. These are items that I am questioning to be the root cause of my dog’s allergy.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 2 months ago by somebodysme.

[Mo’s Mom]

I have to say, I’m a big fan of Victor dog food. It’s a 4 star rated food, and is available at a decent price (where I work, we sell 40 pound bags of the beef meal and brown rice for $35).

[Mom2Cavs]

I just started using TOTW about a month ago. I have to say, even though it’s Diamond which made me shy away from it for years, the food is working better than anything I’ve ever, ever fed my dogs over the years. I’m feeding the Pacific Stream. I started feeding it because my dog’s breeder/former owner is using a food I can’t readily get but the Pacific Stream has the most similar ingredients of any other food I’ve found. I have an allergy dog, which made me choose a different food than what I was feeding. I have fed many top of the line foods….Orijen, Acana, Wellness, Zignature, Merrick, Nature’s Variety, premade raws, freeze dried, etc. and this food is top notch for my 3 dogs. My daughter and son-in-law have fed TOTW (at my recommendation some years ago) for their animals for years and still love it. Never any problems. I know all about Diamond’s reputation and history, and I will remain aware, but I am going to feed this food as long as it works.

[Akari_32]

I’m not personally a fan on TOTW, though it works for some. The last bag I bought, after having gone through a whole n’other bag of the same flavor, was completely a different color, and one of the dogs wouldn’t touch it. My guess, since it smelled fine and the other dogs liked it and didn’t have any problems, is that I got a got a miss bagged batch of fish based food, which the one dog hates. This, on top of all the other complaints people have about the food, the company, and other foods this company makes makes me a bit leery of it. Costco has a grain free line that is similarly priced, and made by a better company than Diamond (who also makes Costco’s grain-inclusive foods). Can’t think of who right now…

[katj813]

I’m a college student so healthy yet affordable is key for me. I use Taste of the Wild. On amazon a 15lb bag is a little less than $30. Its healthy, though not as good as Blue, but it’s still rate between the 4-5 star range on this website. It also has 5 different flavors so no matter what taste your dogs prefer, you’re sure to find something that pleases them.

[apriliamille]

i hear ya on saving money during a hard time. i had to transition to a cheaper food during a bad time. i had success with earthborn holistic meadowfeast, drtims pursuit, and drtims kinesis als. went from $4.25 a day to $3.75 to $3.00 a day. granted we are feeding 2×60 ish pound dogs.
look at petflow.com and chewy.com it will help with the local tax in reducing costs (unless your in navada for petflow or where ever chewy is located) also try and get the bigger sized bags. the price per pound gets cheaper the larger you go in volume purchase, keep it in a sealable container (like a rubbermaid garbage container) in the bag to help with maintaining freshness. purchases over 50 bucks from them are free ship

[Akari_32]

Wellness always has $5 off any size bag coupons on their website. Just do the “check your bag” select some random stuff, and then at the end you can print your coupon. You can only hit print ONCE a month (maybe twice, just depends on when they reset it), but a window will come up and ask you how many you want to print. I usually tell it 10. In addition to those coupons, Petco puts out $3-5 off Wellness coupons as well, and most PetSmarts will take a store/competitor and a manufacturer coupon on each item, so you can potentially get $10 off a small bag of Wellness, provided you have both Petsmart and PetCo in your area.

With out coupons, Racheal Ray Zero grain is also good. They also put out $3-5 off any size bag coupons, as well. I usually just google “Racheal Ray dog food coupon” as I can never navigate through the website.

[rogerharris]

There are many food brand which offer quality ingredients food for dog in affordable price. But this is on you that which food brand you can afford for your dog. One more thing I would like to tell you that you should mention your budget which will help us to suggest you some good dog food brand.

http://www.compundiapharmacy.com/

[Cynical25]

1 yr old neutered Catahoula weighs in at 68lbs. 5 cups a day (spread over 3 feedings) of Taste of the Wild is just barely maintaining the weight on this extremely active dog. I know he’s lean muscled from constantly going, but just a touch too ribby for me. Increasing the dry food just gives him gas, no more weight. Natural Balance required 6 cups/day to maintain his weight and he had looser stools (used it for 4 months before switching to Taste of Wild, due to cost.) The weight maintanance is a recent issue, presumably because his activity has increased even more after we aquired a 2nd dog.

11 month spayed Catahoula/Aussie weighs in at 38lbs. 2.75 cups a day (spread over 3 feedings) of Taste of the Wild has her at good weight, but she struggles to poop. We’ve had her barely 2 months so haven’t tried any other brands.

Coats are soft, personalities are bright, breath is fine, both drink well. Is it realistic to think I can keep both dogs on the same food? I was contemplating trying Merrick since I have a coupon, but it’s going to be a stretch for the budget with such hearty eaters. I’m not against rotating every few months, but I want to use quality dry foods. Raw isn’t in the budget.

[Duncan2012]

Our 9-month-old Bernese mix has been doing well on Zignature, but we’d like to rotate his food. He seems to have a sensitivity to potatoes. Any suggestions for good potato-free, grain-free dry dog foods from HDM’s list? The top 5 she suggested earlier in this thread all seem to include potatoes. I know Canine Caviar is grain-free and potato-free, but it’s out of our budget.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi-Tek Naturals isn’t made in China – Hi-Tek owns their own manufacturing facility in Georgia. If you’re looking for a new budget friendly option I would suggest Earthborn or Dr. Tim’s – both are around the same price as TOTW but made by reputable companies. You may also want to try supplementing with digestive enzymes and probiotics to help with the gas.

[rogerharris]

Hi, Sprout Ultra Dog Food is a low budget dog food, which contains 30% Protean, Vitamins & Minerals, It also contains Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids for improved skin & coat condition. But still it doesn’t perform well. I will rate it 1 and 1/2 out of 5.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 2 months ago by rogerharris.

[Scyllarus]

Fair enough. Tavish seems to just not be able to tolerate beef well at all. I guess worse come to worst, my boyfriend’s dog will have a high-quality food for a week or so (he gets Kirkland’s, we’re transitioning him onto the grain-free version atm since I noticed he’s getting yeasty. Unfortunately boyfriend is on a budget and can’t afford to buy his dog a big bag of Origen or Wellness, so Kirkland’s for now and we’ll probably try 4Health))

[InkedMarie]

Mfulton: until other new foods come out that are appropriate, this is *the* list to choose from. If you pick other foods, they will be not good foods or not appropriate for large breed puppies. It’s up to you to choose what you want but maybe you need to pull out another $5 or $10 from your budget to feed a correct food for a large breed puppy.

[Mommadog]

I have been feeding Holistic Select Duck and they seem to be doing well on it. But I am thinking of trying them on Merrick due to it having more protein. I have no problem recommending Holistic Select, it is a pretty decent kibble. I have 7 dogs ages 10yrs down to 5 months and they all eat it and like it. Poo is more consistent then what I was feeding before, no gas, no vomiting (which I had issues with when feeding Precise brand sensicare lamb & rice formula). I have 3 cockers that are sensitive to something I haven’t figured out yet. They did eat to much with the precise and prior brand I used, with Holistic Select they are not over eating. We are on our 4th bag of it now. ~Karla

[pugmomsandy]

Agree with Patty. There’s not a perfect kibble since it’s a processed food and not fresh! Just pick a couple foods that they like so you are offering them some variety. Some budget friendly ones are Nutrisource and Victor and they have several flavors to chose from. Offer some poultry, beef and fish foods.

[apriliamille]

lizziegotloew
do you have a costco card?
can you see if you can afford kirkland brands? if budget is a problem then look for a grain food and not focus on grain free types.
but please oh please if you can do not feed him ol’roy
shopping online at petflow or chewys and hitting 49 bucks is free ship
also if they are not in your state that removes taxes. that might help a bit on budget

[lizziegotloew]

Hi, i’ve been trying to do some of my own research but it’s proving rather difficult and frustrating. I have what i thought would be considered a large breed puppy and i’m concerned that i’m not feeding him correctly. I feel like this because he seems to be growing up very quickly but he still seems very skinny to me. I can see his ribs and other bones most of the time. He is a Timberwolf, Redwolf and Labrador mix. He is currently about 6 months pld and is lready huge. I’ve never had a large breed dog before but i fell in love with him and was advised to start him off on Beneful puppy chow when i got him at 7 weeks. My boyfriend recently started him on Ol’ Roy but i heard that he needs to be on puppy chow until hr is a year old. So now i’m trying to decide what would be best to fees him to he grows properly and healthily. However, i am a student so i’m on a budget and i need to be able to get him something that’s also cost effective. Can anybody help me?

[pugmomsandy]

Try mixing in some canned food to make it more interesting. As far as the “aggressively defend anything left in the bowl”, don’t leave his food bowl down. If he doesn’t eat, pick it up and try again later. I was going to suggest feeding him wet food since he is real old but that might no be in your budget. There are some quality wet foods for $1 or less – Costco Kirkland Cuts in Gravy, Pure Balance at Walmart.

[SuZee]

Would you please rate this food? It is available at Fleet Farm stores. After cycling through several of the four- and five- star dog foods found on this website, I was getting pretty frustrated. I didn’t like spending so much money on a food that was supposed to be really good for my puppy, only to find myself “topping” it with grated cheese (more $$!). While shopping at Fleet Farm for her expensive food, I watched several people come into the department and pick up the Sprout brand. So I looked at the label, was impressed by what I saw, and picked up a 5# bag of the Lamb & Rice Formula to see if my 7 month old Golden Doodle would like it. She devoured it. Licked the bowl clean. And the poop was wonderful – like a soft tootsie roll. (We had many issues there for weeks on the expensive foods.) It has been five weeks now, she has just finished her second 40# bag. Today I brought the Chicken & Rice home (again, the 5# bag to see if she likes it) and once again she devoured it. Happily! She has abundant energy (of course, she’s a pup!) her coat is soft and doesn’t shed, her poo is easy to pick up…. all in all, it is a great fit for us. If you analyzed it here, and it is as good as I think it is, it would be very helpful to others who are determined to feed their dogs high-quality food on a budget. Thanks for your consideration!

[BlackandBlue]

Your dogs’ issues sound like what I’ve got with my dog. So, I’d recommend these two foods because it sounds like your dogs do well on fish based kibble:

*Wellness Super5Mix Complete Health Limited Ingredients Whitefish & Sweet Potato dry dog food(not grain free but still this formula is great for dogs with allergies, etc). Protein 22, Fat 12, kcal/cup 400.

*Simply Nourish Limited Ingredient Sweet Potato and Salmon dry dog food (grain free, only available at PetSmart, very reasonably priced). Protein 24, Fat 12, not sure of the kcal/cup but it’s less than the Wellness mentioned above.

I really hope that helps you and your dogs.

[cdubau]

Its out of my price range. I have priced everything on the suggested list and what I have listed above is what I can afford.

[InkedMarie]

What about Wellness Core reduced fat? I had great success with an obese dog we adopted.

[cdubau]

Here is my situation

One large breed dog and one small breed dog. They are both around 7/8 years old and over weight. Recently we changed the older dogs food from Nutro to TOTW due to the interest in the grain free aspect and better quality food as well. We have restricted both food intake and started exercising them. With the food change Emma has stopped rubbing herself all over the house (shes always been itchy but checked out okay per the docs) and her ears are no longer red (they were red but had no infection per the docs). Since reading about all the Diamond food recalls I was hesitant about trying TOTW and still alittle leery about it.

While at the doc we brought up to that Emma, was drinking alot of water. Turns out she had a UTI. He mentioned she might have Cushings due to the protein in her urine and said we need to have her tested for that eventually. After doing some of my own research and reading articles on this site (theres a post about cushings) I am convinced I really need to cut her fat intake back and increase her protein as that is said to help with aspects of Cushings. While she hasn’t been diagnosed she really shows some key signs of it. We are hoping to test her in the next couple months. For any interest she is constantly drinking ALOT of water, constantly hungry (eats poop if we miss a clean up, as well as will tear into anything she can find), easily stressed or aggravated most the time, has a hard time getting up/down the stairs and doesn’t get on the couch as much, pants when the other dogs aren’t panting and the AC doesn’t go higher then 76, her extra weight seems to only be in her chest/abdomen and she has developed a heart murmur that is very LOUD.

I have looked on the suggested low fat list but most the listed dry kibble is NOT grain free, if they were they weren’t in my budget by any means. I couldn’t find anything that was below 13% Fat in a grain free formula on my own that was in my budget. After seeing such an improvement over the grain free I am having a hard time switching her to any of the “low fat list” foods that include grains. So I am looking to other people for their opinions and maybe experience with this. I just feel like I’m at a loss and I’ve spent days in front of the computer trying to figure this out.

Current Food
TOTW Pacific Stream dry dog food 15% Fat 25% Protein

Here is what I found that I can afford FROM the list – Not grain free:
AvoDerm Large Breed Chicken and Rice 11% Fat 29% Protein
Fromm Gold Reduced Activity Senior Dry Dog Food 12% Fat 26% Protein
Wellness Super5 Mix Large Breed Adult 12% Fat 28% Protein

Here is what I found on my own that IS grain free – NOT on the list

GO! Senior 14% Fat 32% Protein
Merrick G/F Texas Beef 15% Fat 38% Protein
Holistic Select 13% Fat 28% Protein

Thank you for any input!

[neezerfan]

Rachel Rays Nutrish Zero Grain (Zero Grain only!) and Whole Earth Farms.

[neezerfan]

How about NutriSource, or Nature’s Domain from Costco or 4Health from Tractor Supply.

[InkedMarie]

Here are some to look at: Fromm, Victor, Earthborn, Dr Tim’s.

[[email protected]]

Loss of income is forcing us to consider a cheaper dog food for our two small dogs. Our dogs have been fed a BLUE”S brand dry dog food for the last year or so. Any suggestions of a brand that is more affordable, but yet healthy for small bread dogs.

[Hound Dog Mom]

What is your budget? Unfortunately – while healthier, as Patty pointed out – most dry food alternatives (dehydrated, freeze-dried, canned and raw) are much more expensive than dry dog food. If it’s not possible to feed an entirely raw, dehydrated, freeze-dried or canned diet you can “top” the kibble with these foods or alternate (i.e. raw for breakfast and dry for dinner). Healthy leftovers like lean meat, steamed veggies, eggs or plain yogurt are also a cheap way to dress up kibble and boost the species-appropriateness – just keep the addition of unbalanced toppers to 20% or less of the meal. Unfortunately dehydrated, freeze-dried and commercial raw foods would probably be off the table for someone on a budget but there are some quality budget friendly canned foods. Walmart sells a food called Pure Balance which is rated 5 stars and costs $1 per can, Tractor Supply sells a food called 4Health which is rated 4.5 stars and costs $0.99 per can and Costco sells a canned food called Kirkland Cuts & Gravy which costs $0.79 per can. Home cooked and homemade raw can be done fairly cheaply – but homemade diets do take some research. I agree with Patty about the lack of dental benefits with dry food as well – it’s just a myth that dry food cleans the teeth. The only way to assure dental health is to brush your dog’s teeth regularly or have regular dental cleanings at your vet. Raw bones can aid in dental health to a certain degree, but they’re no substitution for teeth brushing.

[murphy625]

Hi everyone,
I’ve had dogs all my life and fed nothing but dry dog food. After reading all the posts on this site..my head is swirling around. I am getting a bichon/Shitzu mix, 5 lb puppy, 9 wks old. I always thought wet food was bad for the teeth.. I have budget constraints as well. Can I have your opinions on what is best and what dog food would be good. I just bought nutro ultra dry. Thanks for you input…
Jami

[Mavis]

Oh sorry InkedMarie!!!!! Sorry it took me so long to reply, school has started and I have reached a new school so it has been really stressful!!!! Anyways what INEXPENSIVE, but very healthy foods can I buy?? I am really on a budget here, I can afford Wellness, Merrick, or Blue.

[pugmomsandy]

Start with something like AvoDerm Revolving Menu. It’s single protein and “medium” protein. Other “medium” foods are Nutrisource grain free Heartland Select and Seafood Select or PureVita. If budget is not an issue, check out The Honest Kitchen Zeal. It’s grain free, potato free and single protein (fish) but “high” protein or Sojo’s grain free or Natural Balance LID (both single protein, low protein). I would just recommend a simple ingredient food for a few weeks to see if it helps. If she does ok with that type of food, then slowly add a different food and watch for reactions. Also give probiotics. This will help seed the gut with beneficial organisms for better digestion and less gas. Herbsmith has an herbal allergy formula and quercetin is for allergies too. She can always work her way up to a 5 star food. Some dogs just can’t do it right off the bat.

[DogFoodie]

HDM’s list is really meant for large breed puppies, for whom you need to control the Calcium.

The great thing is, you’ve have lots more options now that your pups are older. : )

A couple of brands I’d suggest you also check into would be NutriSource and Earthborn Holistics. They both go just outside of your price range though. I use and like them both, a lot. A brand I’ve never used, but continue to hear great things about and it’s know to be a very budget friendly food is Victor. Oh, and actually, there’s also Rachael Ray Zero Grain Nutrish that you can pick up at Wal-Mart that’s also a good budget friendly choice along with Wal-Mart’s new Ol’ Roy Pure Balance products.

[Whitney]

Thanks for the info Betsy. I will ask the Vet and then look into it. That was very helpful! And April, I thought about that last night and was gonna look again today. I had looked before but then changed my mind because I thought I could deal with the “inconvenience” of driving 45 min. one way. Well I own a diesel truck and I am a homeschool Mom so we don’t have the extra money in the budget to drive to get dog food. Hence the Tractor Supply 4Health brand.I am trying to get Cal. level info on that. They are doing very well on the grain free as far as tummy goes but I am at Wal Mart more than I am Tractor Supply. That is why I wanted to try Pure Balance. They don’t list the Cal. on the bag either BUT I found a phone number. Oh, and what about the Phosphorus? Someone said that there should be certain levels of that along with Cal.? Just wondering.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I’m not sure if it’d be within your budget but Nature’s Variety Limited Ingredient Turkey could be a good formula to try if you suspect protein sensitivities. Also be aware that, depending on what type of tapeworm he’s infected with, the Panacur may not work.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I personally wouldn’t feed NutriSource or TOTW. I’d go with the Innova Prime or Wellness – they are the two pricier options though. Two other budget friendly 5 star foods I really like that you may want to look into are Dr. Tim’s and Victor.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi dendad –

Pedigree is a extremely poor quality food – one of the worst out there. If you head over to the review section and search for Pedigree you’ll see that all their foods have been reviewed – the dry foods are rated 1 star and the wet foods are rated 1.5 stars (out of 5). Switching foods is very healthy and dogs should get accustomed to switching foods as early as possible – it helps to strengthen the gut by supporting a healthy and diverse population of microflora in the digestive tract. I would recommend switching her off Pedigree as soon as possible (do a gradual switch over the course of a week by starting with predominantly Pedigree and only a small amount of the new food until you are transitioned entirely to the new food). I’d also recommend adding a tsp. of plain canned pumpkin to her meals (the fiber will may help firm things up) and starting her on a high quality, multi-strain probiotic supplement to get get gut stabilized. Are you on a specific budget or are there certain stores you shop at? I could give you some suggestions for foods to check out base on cost and where you’re shopping. If you don’t have a preference, any of the foods on Dr. Mike’s lists of best puppy foods over on the review site would be worth a try. Good luck!

[gmcbogger38]

I think Blue Ridge Beef is pretty decent if you are on a budget, especially if you live in the south where most pet boutiques will sell it, like where I work. I would mix the bone and muscle meat grinds with some sort of fruit/veggie dehydrated mix like Sojos or Honest Kitchen, or you could make your own mix. Most of their grinds, like mentioned above, do not contain organs. I think that is a little silly, but it is what it is.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 3 months ago by gmcbogger38.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi gmcbogger38 –

I completely understand – I’m a full time student as well and I feed my two bloodhounds raw, it does get pricey and also time consuming. If buying in bulk isn’t possible it would be fine to feed half kibble and half raw and no that would not make you a terrible dog owner. Your dogs would still be eating better than most other dogs. I would look into some more budget friendly kibble options, Orijen is great but I don’t think it would be a good way to cut costs – it’s ridiculously priced. I’d recommend checking out Earthborn or Dr. Tim’s – both rated 5 stars and much cheaper than Orijen. If you did kibble in the morning, then in the evening you could do say a turkey neck and some turkey hearts or a chicken back/gizzards/livers/raw egg or some green tripe, etc.

[neezerfan]

Yeah,, that grinder’s not in my budget. The #8 is supposed to grind chicken, duck and rabbit bones but the instructions say specifically not to grind bones with this model. Confusing.

[spencer777]

I’m not saying dogs can’t an intolerance to grains ( gluten) , but the main thing to look at if you don’t have a test is meat protien in a higher quality food. You are right about the word allergy, that is a more serious condition. I have seen a lot of tests and grains aren’t more common than anything else. I have seen dogs that could be only feed chicken and corn.

[theBCnut]

Dogs develop intolerances due to inflamation in the gut wall allowing undigested proteins to get into the bloodstream. Grains have proteins in them, as do a number of other nonmeat foods, and are known to be inflamatory. You don’t have to believe in it for it to be a fact. That being said, if your dog doesn’t have a problem with grains then your dog doesn’t have a problem with grains and you don’t need to avoid them. Mine does, and it isn’t in my head or the fruit of an active imagination. True allergies are very rare and it is not well understood what causes them, but they are not the same thing as intolerance, no matter what your vet calls them.

[spencer777]

Budget is a big concern for me too I don’t like to spend more than $1lb. like the previois poster salid 4 health falls in that range if you have a Tractor supply near you I switch protiens every bag for my vizsla with skin problems between fish lamb turkey and venison from nat choice (a little more expensive) . Not a beliver in grain free food allergies are mostly protien based. A dog can develope allergies (histimines) from eating the same protien. Good luck.