[C4D]

Hi Debbie H,

Here’s a link to an older thread on this forum listing several budget friendly foods. They might be a bit more than $1/lb, but you feed less of the better food and will have a generally healthier dog.

since it’s an older list, I’m not sure if Pure Balance, Victor or Pro Pac Ultimates is on it. These are budget friendly too.

Here’s the link:

/forums/topic/good-food-and-budgets/

[Pitlove]

Hi Debbie- When I first started researching nutrition for my dog, I felt the same way as you did. I thought grains were bad and all dogs were automatically prone to reacting to them, I had to feed a 5 star food or my dog would be unhealthy etc. After taking a deep breath, I realized that while this site is a good jumping off point, you have to find a food that works for you, your budget, and your dog and his/her needs. That may or may not include a 5 star food. I have fed a lot of 5 star foods starting with Blue Wilderness and ending with Orijen. My dog did ok on these 5 star grain free foods, but still had skin issues that I couldn’t seem to resolve. Now, my boy is eating a food that this site gives only 3.5 stars to, but for us its a 10 star food. His hair has grown back, his poop is the best its been and best of all he loves the food (hes picky as can be). It’s grain based and doesn’t have the meat content that some of the 5 star foods have, but it’s working great for us and I couldn’t be happier with the food.

The brand I use is Fromm and they make a great budget friendly Adult food in their Fromm Family Classics line.
http://www.chewy.com/dog/fromm-family-classics-adult-formula/dp/32646

[Debbie H]

We are preparing to switch our year old puppy to adult food. Though this site has been helpful, I’m still confused. Our goal, like most people, is to get the best food we can for our dog on our small budget. I researched the 5 to 4 rated foods on both the editor’s choice list and the budget list. I don’t understand the criteria. At first I thought it was meat content that separated the 5s from the 4s, but then found some grain based rated high. Please help me make more sense of this.
We’d like to stay around a $1 per pound or less.

[crazy4cats]

Hi JM-

The vet was a little concerned about my hyper-t kitty’s weight loss when she was in last week. Of course, she is not one of the piggies who jumped up on the counter to steal the freeze dried treats from their canine brothers. She is extremely shy.

I’m going to try and sneak her some though. That might be a healthy way of bumping up her calories a bit!

Hi PL- Ziwipeak sounds like a great food for your cat. Unfortunately, I’m not sure it would fit in my budget. I remember you saying something about her having surgery a while back. Did everything go OK?

[C4D]

Hi Bethany C,

Wonderful luck for your pup to find a caring owner like you!

The others have given you some very good information. I do foster very underweight dogs and dogs with various parasites as they come from very rural areas. The giardia or coccidia that Bobby dog could be a very real possibility. I’ve had foster dogs that tested negative the first time and it was found on a more thorough or subsequent testing.

The best way to see if the dog has an issue of parasites is to put it on a very simple boiled chicken or boiled hamburger (strain the grease) and plain white rice diet for a few days. This should get the tummy back on track as it is a very bland diet. You could add a spoon of pure pumpkin to the mix also. If you don’t see an improvement on the diarrhea within a few days on this diet, you should have the dog’s stool tested again for parasites, including hookworm, giardia and coccidia. I’ve found hese particular parasites seem to cause the most problems with weight loss and loose stools. Tapeworm is also a very real possibility that isn’t caught in a normal stool sample, almost a guarantee if the dog had fleas, but it doesn’t usually cause diarrhea. The tests are not very expensive. Unfortunately, if it’s a parasite issue, no amount of dog food, no matter what the quality, will help until the parasites are gone.

If the dog does well on the bland diet, you can slowly introduce a nutritious food. We all want our really thin dogs to gain some weight, but you have to do it slowly as their system isn’t used to being well fed. I find that by slowly increasing my foster’s portion, they will put the weight on, but it takes time. Too much food too fast just overwhelms their system and cause more diarrhea. Many rescues advise adding a bit of extra carbohydrates like rice, oatmeal and/or sweet potatoes, along with their regular dog food, to help increase weight. Canned food also can help, but again, it must be added slowly to prevent GI upset. Satin Balls are another rescue trick that might work, once you have the diarrhea under control.

Here’s a link to the recipe:

http://www.gpalouisville.org/Recipes.htm

Some other budget friendly dog foods are Pure Balance (Walmart, made by Ainsworth pet food company), Sportmix Wholesomes or ProPac Ultimates (Midwestern pet food company). These foods aren’t as cheap as Puppy Chow, but their are so much healthier. You feed less of these formulas, so they aren’t as expensive as they seem. C4C and BD are correct. Bad breath is a symptom of poor dental health or some other issue.

Good luck with your rescue and keep us posted!

[Bobby dog]

What a terrible story, but a happy ending! That is a great budget for kibble IMO.

The protein & fat %’s in Puppy Chow are average, the fiber might be just a little more than other kibbles depending on what recipe you’re feeding. It averages 27% protein, 10-12% min. fat, and 4-5% fiber. Sometimes changes in any of these percentages can cause digestive upset. Something to keep in mind when deciding on a new food. Kibble in higher price ranges usually have a higher meat content so protein and fat percentages will go up along with calories per cup. One other thing to keep in mind is overfeeding can also cause digestive upset. If he is skin and bones I would work with my Vet to figure out the calories he needs to add healthy weight in a reasonable amount of time.

Check out Victor you should find several formulas to fit your needs within your budget; maybe the Chicken Meal w/Brown Rice. Looking at the Mitchell’s site I see they sell Purina Mills, Inc. They may sell their dog food lines, PMI Nutrition. I feed some recipes from their Infinia and Exclusive lines, these would be in your price range.

I also feed Nutrisource, Fromm, Precise, some Pro Plan recipes, Annamaet, Wellness Core, Nature’s Variety, and Rawz.

If you decide to buy on-line I regularly order from Chewy, Petflow, PetSmart, and Petco. They all have great customer service and prices.

I don’t feed Diamond products at this time due to their recall history; they make Taste of the Wild and manufacture some Solid Gold recipes along with some other brands. They have allot of affordable foods, if you decide to feed one of their products or anything they manufacture I suggest signing up for recall alerts:
/dog-food-recall-alerts/

I recommend adding moisture to kibble even if it’s just water. Adding fresh or canned foods could help with his weight. Some budget friendly canned foods are Wal-Mart’s Pure Balance Stews ($1/can), Tractor Supply Company 4Health Stews (.99/can), and if you have a Costco membership Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain (.80/can) you have to buy it by the case. Each are 4-5 star DFA rated. I don’t recommend Pure Balance 95% or 4Health Grain free canned foods due to the high fat content.

This is a download I use as a guide for adding fresh foods to a kibble diet:
https://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DN330EBK

[Bethany C]

Our budget is to hopefully stay in the $40-$50 range for 30-40 lbs of dog food.
No our vet did not check specifically for those parasites and we will probably switch dog food first then get the dog checked for any other parasites if the switch of food does not work. And we have a place called Mitchells pet supply here in Wichita, KS which sells Taste of the Wild and Victor, but I can shop online as well if I need too.
The back story to Buddy was he was thrown out of a truck with another Yellow lab while going down a major highway a month before we found him. So he is literally skin and bones but the vet checked him all out and said he was good to go other than the severe malnourishment.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Bethany:
What a lucky puppy!!!!

What is your budget? Where will you be shopping, brick and mortar, on-line?

If there are no underlying health issues fresh dog appropriate foods and/or canned foods can help with weight gain.

Did the Vet specifically check for giardia and coccidia? These are sometimes hard to detect and the tests might need to be repeated to be certain they are not the issue. Here’s some info:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=2386
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=680

I would be more inclined to think a dog with bad breath has stomach or dental health issues. Tarter can build up and create quite an odor if an owner is not brushing their dogs teeth regularly.

[Bethany C]

So a little over 2 weeks ago I found a 2 year old black lab while camping. He eats fine and he drinks fine, we have had no issues trying to get him to ingest anything. But he has had diarrhea since switching him to puppy food which is what everyone told us to do because of the high fat and protein content. But his poop is liquid now. There is no scooping it up possible. We have him on Purina Puppy Chow (Yes I know Purina just awful, even though we have two 13 year old dogs that have never had a health issue, no weight problem, and run miles every day on their own freewill). From the day we got him his poop has been soft but at least looked like poop. Now it is just liquid. He has been to the vet and everything checked out fine so now I’m just looking for a good DOG food, not puppy. The fat in the puppy food I think is doing more harm than good for he poops huge piles multiple times a day yet we are feed him the correct amount. I know a family that uses victor dog food, but all three of the dogs have the worst breath you could imagine. I can not even stand to be near them if their face is not turned away from me. I am not saying it is the dog food and I would actually love to know if anyone uses Victor and their dog’s breath does not stink. Also the dog food I am looking at is Taste of the Wild. If anyone has any idea of a good weight gaining food that would be awesome! (preferably one that doesn’t make their breath stink lol) Also my boyfriend and I are still in school so we need to stay in budget and not get a food ridiculously expensive. The 40lbs bag of Purina was $22.

• This topic was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by Bethany C.

[Pitlove]

Hi Becky- I’m on a tight budget as well and feed Fromm Gold Large Breed Adult to my pitbull along with Grizzly Salmon Oil for each meal. The bottle will actually tell you how many pumps to give depending on weight.

My dogs hair was falling out and he had oily flakey patches of skin and after one month of the Salmon Oil, his hair has grown back and he does not have any more flakey patches of skin. The Grizzly brand was recommended to my boyfriend by someone who had a rescue pitbull with even worse skin than my boy and he healed amazingly as well. Definitely worth it!

[Anonymous]

I know this doesn’t answer your question, however, I thought it might help, as coconut oil is expensive. And you did mention you are on a budget. I have been using less and less supplements for my pets and myself, however I still use fish oil, and put a capsule in my dogs meals once per day.

Coconut Oil for Pets?

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=fish+oil
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/

Hope this helps.

[crazy4cats]

Hi David M-

Where do you shop for your dog’s food? As Marie stated there are several good canned foods on the review side of this site. You could print the list and take it with you to the store to see if any fit your needs: /best-dog-foods/best-wet-dog-foods/

My favorite budget friendly canned foods that I mix in with my two large dogs’ kibble are:
4 Health (Tractor Supply or Del’s), Kirkland’s Nature’s Domain Turkey & Pea Stew (Costco), Pure Balance (Walmart) and Variety Stews (grocery stores).

Hope this helps!

[Pitlove]

“She’s a Saint Bernard, English Mastiff, and Presa Canario ” Wow, sounds like a beautiful combo. I love Presa’s and Cane Corso’s in particular for the Mastiff breeds. Its great that you are doing puppy classes since these are some pretty powerful dogs mixed all in one. Excellent family dogs, but need a strong leader.

Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy is a excellent choice for your XL pup. It is always the first food I recommend as I feed Fromm and love the food and the company.

For your other 2- I think an all life stages food within your budget that is good quality could do the trick. Feed the overweight one for her activity level and target weight (not current weight) and feed the active one for how active she is and make sure she is consuming enough calories to make up for what she burns so she is not loosing weight.

[Krystal H]

I actually prefer to shop online as long as shipping doesn’t make the price ridiculous! I have checked out Chewy and I love the idea of autoship! I can’t always get out to the stores, and my local stores sell out of quality foods really fast, so online is really my best option. I’ll check out that thread when I get the chance, but I am assuming it’s just a lot of options like the editors choice lists, which leaves me scrambling to check the quality, cost, and availability of each one and weigh the options for each dog and I start losing track of where I started and getting all mixed up! LOL I need a chart for this! LOL
I would like to get Roxie and Kovu on the same food if possible, but I know with her being mature and chubby and him being young and active, that might not be the best idea. I know Dessa needs to be on her own since she’s a puppy and a XL breed mix. I’m leaning towards the Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy Food, but that’s just based on what I’ve been able to find that’s of acceptable quality and I can find easliy from sellers I trust. I’m more than open to other brands though as I really have never used any Fromm products before.
I don’t have a set budget for pet food, I’ll work a bit extra if I need to, but I definitely can’t afford to feed Orijen and the like. I’ve been feeding Kirkland lately because it’s the only acceptable food that I can find reliably locally besides junk. I used to feed Taste of the Wild when Kovu was a pup, but it’s so hard to find locally I couldn’t keep up with hunting it down.

[Krystal H]

OK, so there are a lot of options for every dog out there, and I have 3 with very different needs! I’m hoping I can get some suggestions for food brands for all 3 of them that I can hopefully find from the same (reliable) source. I am on a budget, but I do want quality. No known allergies/sensitivities with any of them.

Roxie:
Medium size
Mature/Senior
Overweight

Kovu:
Medium size
Young Adult
Active

Dessa:
Extra Large size
Puppy

[crazy4cats]

Hi Sabrina-
I will be rotating my dogs to Victor’s Healthy Weight/Senior Formula this week. I haven’t fed it yet, but the analysis looks good to me. It still has 27% protein, only 11.5% fat and 4.5% fiber: http://www.victordogfood.com/pdf/Brochure-Senior.pdf

I have two neutered male labs that got a little “thick” this summer because it was too hot to get much exercise in. I have fed Victor grain free with success. So, I’m hoping they will do well on this food as well. It has less fat and calories in it. However, it is not grain free. It does have some brown rice and millet in it. I’ll check back in and let you know how they do on it. Just thought it might be a budget friendly food that would fit your needs. Good luck!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by crazy4cats.

[Pitlove]

Nature’s Variety actually now makes the raw boost that they sell by itself so you can mix it in. I imagine its expensive to buy that + the food, but if your budget allows for it, you could certainly try that. Should be avaliable at Petco.

My dog is very picky and his favorite food by far is Fromm. And it’s also my favorite brand of food. If you can find a retailer (its going to be a small independantly owned shop) or buy online, I think Fromm is worth looking into. They don’t offer the raw boost however. Other brands that are now doing the whole raw boost thing are Natural Balance Wild Pursuit and Merrick Back Country.

[C4D]

You might take a look at Victor, Pro Pac Ultimates, 4Health, Pure Balance, to name a few. They get good ratings and are budget friendly.

[thomas h]

I have 6 dogs ranging in size from a 82 lb. shepherd mix to a shih Tzu and Chihuahua. Looking to see if anyone has any suggestions for a high quality budget food. I have the 14.5 year old shih Tzu on Nutro and am putting the Chihuahua on that also. Currently have 3 dogs (82 lb. shepherd mix, 59 lb. huskie/timber wolf mix and a 56 lb. hound mix) that I am transitting to Authority dog food but not the grain free. I am on fixed income and retired and had them on rachael ray nutrish but looking for better quality. Anyone have any recommendations? Oh, the 6th dog is an applehead Chihuahua mix that someone had thrown out at a dumpster and my granddaughter brought it home. currently have it on Authority wet puppy chow (chicken formula)

[Pitlove]

I second everything C4C said. Also welcome fellow cat owner/lover.

I do canned in the morning (Whole Earth Farms) and dry at night to help my budget. Shes eating Taste of the Wild dry right now, but I’m going to switch it as I’m too worried about Diamond. Definitely don’t give up on canned even though shes drinking a lot of water.

[David C]

Hi fellow dog parents,

I currently have both of my dogs (5 month husky/pyrenees and 15 month lab/border collie) on Horizon Legacy after reading great reviews on here. Before that, I had them both on Blue Buffalo (the youngster only for a month and my older one from 3 months through 14 months). I switched them to Horizon Legacy from BB due to the controversy surrounding Blue’s ingredients and my older one having plenty of lose stools on BB.

Having two rather large dogs (lab mix is 80 lbs, pup could get up to 100 – 130) I wanted to go to a more budget-friendly food. So I got a bad of Horizon Complete. After a day I felt uneasy knowing there was a better food out there so I bought Horizon Legacy and put the Complete away. I am down to my last 2 servings of Horizon Legacy. Their stools are hit or miss, though they are semi-soft or very messy (not full-blown diarrhea) about 50-60% of the time. I’m beginning to wonder if BB and Legacy are too high in protein or the grain free is upsetting their stomachs.

After more research I have decided to try Fromm Gold Dog Food. The local store that carries it is closed on Mondays, so I’m going to buy it tomorrow. My question is, with transitioning them, since I’m just about completely out of Legacy, would it be ok to use some of the Horizon Complete that I have to transition them to Fromm? Or do I have to buy a small bad of Legacy since it’s a different food than Complete? Only pain about that is the closest store that carries Legacy is 40 minutes away.

On a side question – how long would you keep a pup on puppy food? I gave my 5 month old puppy BB, then Legacy all-life stages (they were out of the puppy food and all-life stages met the guidelines on this site for puppy foods), but I will probably buy a bag of Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy for him. I have read that it’s actually not good to keep dogs on puppy food for too long, due to them causing growth at a much faster than normal rate which can lead to hip and other health problems. But opinion seems to be all over the board on this one.

[chris]

I can concur that a higher grade kibble you would feed less. I had my dog sparks on a low budget food for 2 years and when he started forming issues is when I switched to a higher grade. When he was on the lower budget I was giving him a whole bowl full and just leaving it sit and he ate whenever he wanted. Now I give him 1 cup of the higher grade kibble, with toppings and he’s kept the same weight the past year with no changes except positive changes. His skin and coat are very smooth and he isn’t shedding as much as he once was.

I suggest going with a higher grade kibble as those that are being recommended and feeding them at a measurement that should be right for your dogs weight. I believe it would help more then you think for there coat and skin issues.

[C4D]

Hi Chris,

I totally understand. I’m not saying just up and change, but be wary. Having a couple of foods in a rotation make it easier to switch and cause less issues if there is a formula change in a brand. I see you’ve tried some of the budget friendly and not so budget friendly foods. I agree with Pitlove. Fromm is a good company and I’ve had good luck with their foods. Another one I use is Earthborn, also a family company. I know several on this site like Victor, but I’m not familiar with it.

[Pitlove]

Lazaro- Fromm has a wide range of formulas, some budget friendly, some not. However, I am a picky person about what I feed my dog, especially because of the issues he’s had with his skin and I would feed literally any single product Fromm has put out. Including their budget friendly Family Classics line. He’s currently eating the Fromm Gold Large Breed Adult and doing quite well. Definitely something to look into. They make a weight management formula, which is the Gold Coast formula. It’s fish based.

Chris- Have you used Fromm’s store locator function to see if they have a retailer near you? Chewy.com, like Lazaro mentioned, is very easy to order from and they even offer autoshipping. idk I love this food and its doing wonders for my pitbull and his skin and his pickiness. I recommend it all the time at work as well.

[Lazaro B]

I also looked in FROMM pitlove. We shall see later on down the line. Hopefully its budget friendly.

[chris]

C4D- That might be true, but i’m not just going to up and switch and not give them a chance to hold there word. Especially since it’s a food my dog has been doing great on the past 5-6 months now. Also, it being one that I can afford monthly.

If perhaps something does change, I’m not sure what I would switch too as i’ve tried multiple foods that fit my budget and he did not care for them. I’ve tried, Natures balance, Blue, wellness core, and a few others. I think the only ones I have not really tried are ones that I can’t really afford monthly. Like Orijen, Acana, etc…

I’ve always wondered as I rarely hear much about Natures variety and I know there a top star food. Are they a good company or?

[Lazaro B]

Finding a food your pet loves and a food that fits into your budget are important. I do the same.

[Pitlove]

Because sourcing from the USA doesn’t mean they will choose quality ingredients and leave out the junk. However, if they leave Merrick and WEF the same and continue sourcing from the US like Merrick Pet Care did, there is no cause for concern about the quality being lowered.

Main point is, there are a lot of choices of food out there. If you don’t feel comfortable feeding Merrick or WEF because of the chance that Purina might mess with the recipe or the sourcing, it’s easy to find something the mimics those brands.

It’s of my own accord that I will continue to use WEF for my cat. It’s working well for her and I don’t feel like changing til I have to. It also works well for my budget.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Pitlove.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Ashley:
My dog is six, can eat anything, and has no health issues other than a tendency to gain weight during hot weather months. For canned foods I only take brands, ingredients, calories, proteins, and GA’s into consideration. I feed whatever recipe fits the bill regardless of what is on the label, puppy, small/large breed, Sr., etc. I try to feed foods with a fat to protein ratio of 50% or less; equal calories coming from fat and protein or more from protein than fat. For example, a recipe that is 4% fat and 8% protein would be ideal for him, 7% fat – 8% protein not so much. Some of the f-p ratios I feed can be up to 70% which is okay at this time since I rotate foods.

My budget foods are Tractor Supply Company 4Health – Turkey & Sweet Potato, Beef & Veg stews, or Sr. Chicken & Rice recipes, Triumph Puppy or Turkey recipes, BJ’s Earth’s Pride Chicken & Rice, and Wal-Mart Pure Balance Stews.

Here are some brands to check out that I currently feed or have fed:
Blue Buffalo Home-style, by Nature (no 95% recipes), California Natural, Canidae Pure Sky or Foundations, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Eagle Pack, Halo Spot’s Stew or Spot’s Choice recipes, Holistic Select, Hill’s Ideal Balance stews, Lotus, Nature’s Recipe canned or tubs, Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed recipes, Precise, Purina Pro Plan Natural recipes, Purina Beyond, Red Barn stews, Tiki Dog, Wellness – Core, Simple, Complete Health, or Stew recipes, and Weruva Human Style or Dogs in the Kitchen recipes only (Kobe/Kurobuta recipes are canned by Evanger’s).

Low fat recipes; most are available at my local stores. I order Life’s Abundance from their website. Generally I find stews to be higher in protein and lower in fat, but not always. These are between 12-20% fat and below 25% carbs on a dry matter basis using their label info:
Fromm’s Shredded Beef
I and Love and You Stews
Life’s Abundance Turkey & Shrimp or Chic & Crab stews
Nature’s Recipe Pure Essentials LID GF Chic/Broth or GF Lamb/Broth
Nature’s Recipe Pure Essentials tubs LID Duck or LID Venison
Nature’s Recipe tubs GF Chic & Duck in broth or GF Chic & Venison in broth
Nature’s Recipe tubs Chicken in broth or Chic & Turkey in broth
Nature’s Recipe GF Chic & Turkey stew or Chic & Venison Stew
Purina Beyond GF stews
Red Barn Beef Stew
Tiki Dog – Kauai Luau, Lahaina Luau, Maui Luau, or Tonga Luau recipes
Weruva – Marbella Paella, Bed & Breakfast, or Paw Lickin’ Chicken recipes
Wellness Core Weight Management

These are 22-25% fat and below 25% carbs DMB:
Halo Sr. Beef
Merrick Golden Years Medley
Nutro Natural Choice LID Sr.
Precise Holistic Pork w/veg in gravy
Red Barn Chic, Turkey, or Steak & Egg stews
Wal-Mart Pure Balance stews
Wellness Stews

Here are some freeze dried/frozen commercial raw and dehydrated foods I feed. I use the same guidelines for these foods:
I and Love and You dehydrated Turkey (I also want to try the Beef and Chicken)
Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen Beef, Lamb, and Venison
Primal FD Turkey & Sardine, Frozen Venison, and frozen Turkey & Sardine
Stella & Chewy’s FD Chicken

Here is some info you might find helpful:
/choosing-dog-food/canned-or-dry-dog-food/
/dog-feeding-tips/how-much-dog-food/
/canine-nutrition/low-fat-dog-food/
/choosing-dog-food/dry-matter-basis/
/choosing-dog-food/raw-dog-food-fat/
http://www.dogaware.com/diet/freshfoods.html
Carb calculator:
http://www.scheyderweb.com/cats/catfood.html

[Angel76736]

I have an American Bulldog who has skin issues and I am on a very limited budget. I need help finding a good dry dog food that will help with sensitive skin but can stay within my budget. Right now I have two dogs, both are a bit older. My Bulldog is 7 and my Pitbull is 10. My Pitbull has no issues other then age related such as her arthritis. I am currently getting a 50lb bag of dry dog food for about $25 and would like to stick in that range as I am disabled with no other income. They are currently eating Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition Chicken Flavored dry food. Any information is helpful. Thank you for your time. ~Angel

[Ashley W]

The budget isn’t really a concern. I wish I had the time to do the raw food but I don’t even cook for myself anymore. I’ve just been doing research on dry food and what I’ve found makes me sick. I want something that is going to be good for them. I’ve had dogs my entire life and I’ve always fed them pedigree. I know… I know… I’m just looking for the best option.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Ashley W:
What’s your budget? I feed canned foods in a price range from 99 cents to $4.50/can; grain free and grain inclusive. I also have to watch my dog’s weight during hotter months so I might be able to give you some foods to check out.

[Pitlove]

Alright so after hearing that he is 9 months old and I assume is going to be over 50 lbs at mature weight, it’s most important as you might know, that he really needs to have been eating a large breed puppy food. More importantly one that is actually correctly formulated for a large breed. If he wasn’t fed correctly it might be too late at this point since he is almost at the mark where his body can absorb calcium correctly. However, he still can’t be fed as an adult UNLESS the adult food doesn’t exceed the 1.5:1 calcium to phophorus ratio, not yet at least. If they can swing it I would highly recommend the Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy. When I got my pitbull I didn’t know anything about LBP nutrition, thankfully he grew well. I still think it’s important to not take the chance though, as I met a lady who had a 5 mo old lab with pano. Really horrible for the dog. I believe he weighed almost 90lbs at 5 months old. At least thats what she told me.

Also, more importantly too, make sure they are not overfeeding him. Taking in too many calories can contribute to over growth.

Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy is actually 4 stars on here and might be more readily available. Not sure if it’s within their budget. I really don’t know of a quality food thats cheaper than what I’ve mentioned.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Pitlove.

[chris]

Susan- As Pitlove said, I did not mean it as he is old nor was he rescued. His breed type is an Old English Bulldog, and he was adopted new born and is now 9 months old. I should of been more clear on that sorry for the confusion and thanks though for the tips!

Pitlove- That’s exactly what I tried making them understand. There is no brand of dog food out on the market specifically for any type of breed of dog. I actually never thought about Fromm as I had completely forgotten about them. I’ll have to mention that to them for sure! However, there budget is really low, they’re both retired moreless and do not have such a great income. I think that’s why they veered towards Diamond as well since it’s so cheep and sold locally as well.

I’ll mention Fromm, and I’ll also have to check where that can be purchased around here as I never seen it at any of our pet stores. Buying offline would be difficult for them as well since there not tech savvy nor know how to do so.

Thanks Pitlove and also great to hear form you again! I’ve been throwing Naturella emails once in a while since you guys last helped me. We’ve recently discussed about organic home grown pumpkins and pumpkin seeds ground up for my sparky. I’ve been giving him a teaspoon daily now and it’s been doing great.

[Pitlove]

Susan, I’m not sure Chris means he’s old. Old English Bulldogs are a breed of bulldog, and he didn’t mention an age.

Chris- Nice to see you on the forums again. Sorry you’re having a tough time getting your family to understand your points. It can be hard to break people of their opinions especially if they are the type of people that only need to be validated by one or two other perspectives. One thing you can let them know is that there is no one particular food that is “meant” for Old English Bulldogs. And if there were, those brands were certainly not be Blue or Diamond. Perhaps some people who have OEB’s have had success with those brands, but obviously as you know, it is not designed for them specifically. “Breed Specific” foods are nothing more than marketing.

What is their budget range, if you know? They might want to take a look into Fromm, since they offer a wide range of foods at different price points. Fromm Family Classics could be a good option if they are on a tight budget.
http://www.chewy.com/dog/fromm-family-classics-adult-formula/dp/32646

[Bobby dog]

Hi t.n:
Sounds like there are allot of empty bellies at the shelter and eating a food with corn would be the least of their problems IMO. Since you are not in the states the foods you mentioned likely have different ingredients than they do here anyway. A food like Acana might cause digestive upset for some depending on the food they currently feed, but it does sound like any food is better than nothing.

If the shelter is in extreme distress as you have written, I personally would want to donate more of a volume in hopes it would feed more. I would try to find something within your budget that does not have chemical preservatives (bha, propylene glycol) dyes (added colors, iron oxide, titanium dioxide), or meat and bone meal if possible. Visiting clinics to see what your options are is a good idea. Check out prices and read the labels to see what brand has the least DFA “red flagged” ingredients.

I have several Pro Plan formulas (wet and dry) in my dog’s rotation, he does very well on them, and I have had great results in the past feeding PP to my JRT.

I am sure whatever you are able to donate will be greatly appreciated by the shelter and the dogs. They are lucky to have you thinking of their well being!

[Steve M]

Trying Wellness Simple now for my two greyhounds. So far so good. One definitely has a touchy stomach (9 yrs. old). The other (6 yrs. old) is a very finicky eater. Consider reading “Canine Nutrigenomics” (free sample in Kindle). Brand new book and excellent. Among other issues, discusses food depending on your time and budget. Highly recommended.

[tnesla]

Hello All 🙂

Just registered to ask for your advice about how to pick the right kibble for shelter donations. I’ve never had a dog but having lost my feline-friend about year ago after 18 years of great memories together, I’d like to make the time and the budget for stray animals around- particularly shelter dogs.

Acana was a rather late yet very fortunate discovery when my cat was still with me but it is pricey, especially if you need to buy in large quantities to feed multiple animals. I’m aware that corn is a filler-ingredient not dog or cat friendly but do you think kibble with corn should really, really be avoided at all times, under all circumstances? I’m torn between my budget, dogs’ health and poor conditions of the shelter here (read: little to no food at all). I certainly don’t want to donate just anything that would fill their stomach but I can’t afford more than an 11 lbs-donation at a time- which I fear, would be a minuscule amount considering the shelter population. Do you think there’s a middle ground I can find? I don’t live in the States and we don’t have much options here: most popular/ easy-to-find kibble is Hills, Pedigree and Proplan. And I haven’t read any glowing reviews about either one of them. I’d love to hear your suggestions. Thank you for reading.

[Laura]

I have a Plott Hound/ Lab and a Cattle Dog/Border Collie, They are both 3 and have been on Merrick Whole Earth most of their lives. My girls are healthy, have wonderful coats, active, and happy. However Merrick was recently sold and as a result I am in the market for a new food that is good for them and affordable. I have researched Champion(A bit too expensive for my budget), Horizon, and Fromm, I like all three companies. But have decided on Horizon and Fromm for now.

I had not heard of the rotation diet before and would like to know more about it. I understand the switch SLOWLY concept from past experience with previous dogs. I was wondering if I switched proteins, for example a chicken formula, then fish,… would this cause problems? Any other advice you can give to a “Rotation Newbe?”
Thanks

[Kat]

Fromm is budget friendly and has no affiliations with Purina products, in fact, it has been a family owned business for five generations.

[Kerrin E]

I have been using Kirkland dog food for years and never have an issue with it. I just got a new puppy and was doing research again. I am a bit confused because the Kirkland brand get a 4.5 stars but is not en editors choice and is not even listed as a budget friendly one. Why is that? Isn’t 4.5 stars good?

[zcRiley]

ZiwiPeak dehydrated raw, lamb formula. Best price and ingredients listed on Chewy.com. If not within your budget, just go through one 11 lb bag before you decide on the right kibble (I use Zignature Zssentials). Your current food should be stopped immediately so your pup can start healing right away. That’s what I did!

[Pitlove]

“I didn’t know there were dermatologists for dogs. I wonder if I can just go see one instead of a vet? They might know more than a vet would maybe?”

Yes! They have a lot of different specialists for dogs as they do for humans. My vet gave me a reference to this dermatologist I’m going to be seeing, however I’m not 100% sure if you need one. I know typically with humans they want you to have a referal from a general practioner. Perhaps call your normal vet and see if she can give you a phone # to a dermatologist. And yes, they do have more knowledge than the vet. Thats exactly what mine told me. She even told me to talk to her about food choices for my boy as well. My vet really only knows about Science Diet and Primal Raw. When I asked her for suggestions for other foods she said “I don’t know really”.

As for the recommendation from Red to essentially continue feeding Purina Dog Chow- That is on you. If you feel Dog Chow is a low quality food (most of us here except for a few would agree) then switch. If you can find a retailer for Fromm near you or order online “Fromm Family Classics Adult” is a huge step up from Purina Dog Chow and it’s 35.64$ for a 33lb bag on chewy.com. I recommend this food a lot at my work to people looking to switch from Purina, Iams, Science Diet, etc who are on a tight budget.

[aquariangt]

Some of those issues could be resolved with a simple food upgrade even with kibble away from Dog Chow. Depending on what your budget is perhaps people could help you, but if it’s an environmental issue and you can’t let your dogs inside, even though you absolutely should upgrade from dog chow, you aren’t going to get very far.

[InkedMarie]

you really need to do alot of research here because what you’re feeding is a very low quality food..Also, I sit here debating saying anything but I am: please look for a new place to live. Dogs should not live outside unless they are livestock guardians or you’ve spent alot of money to properly house them and I’m pretty sure you haven’t. You mentioned a limited budget; having a dog with issues isn’t cheap. I’m not trying to get on your case; you’re here looking for help but issues such as your dog has does cost money to diagnose & treat.

[Melissa S]

My pitbull, Ktulu, is having really bad skin problems. Just recently her right ear also became crusty and irritated on the inside. This has happened before to both of her ears, once. We cleaned them out with Keto (we have a prescription from the vet) and it never returned. Until now. She’s also always had skin issues on her stomach and flanks.

It’s gotten incredibly worse and her skin has become darkly pigmented, has lost hair, and I know she’s miserable. She smells like dog. Not like yeast or cheese or stinky feet. Another thing to keep in mind is that because of our living situation, the dogs must stay outside at all times. (Yeah, I know. I hate it, but this isn’t my house and we can’t afford to move to our own)

We haven’t taken her to the vet for this, because I’m afraid they’re going to try and do all kinds of unnecessary tests and give us drugs that won’t work or try to get us to buy Hills Science Diet (which I’m not a fan of at all). Although, I’m thinking that I will, just to see if they’ll take cultures and help us determine if this is a yeast issue (I think it is, along with allergies).

Now, that’s not really my issue. My issue is my partner thinks what we feed our dogs is just fine (Purina Dog Chow-please don’t judge us!). I’ve never liked it, but with our limited budget and our dogs liking it, I thought that it was okay for the time being. Well, the time being has passed and I can’t take it anymore. I’m even considering giving the dogs to people who can properly take care of them (ie. have more money).

If I were to start with a homemade diet, where do I actually start? How expensive is it really going to be? How do I make sure my dogs are getting all the required nutrients? Do you think this is the best route to go considering her skin issues?

I was looking into already prepared raw and freeze-dried, but with how large both of my dogs are, it’s out of the question regarding costs. Also, I want to make sure that I can pinpoint any food allergies as well, and so many of these commercially prepared foods have tons of ingredients.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Pitlove]

I don’t think ToTW is on the budget friendly side. Fairly high price tag where I work and we don’t mark-up much on the dog food.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Kristen-
I second Dogfoodie’s Victor recommendation! They have several different recipes, including with and without grains. I frequently feed my two labs the grain free joint health formula with really good results. My dogs also do well on grain free Merrick and their Whole Earth Farms budget brand. I plan to continue with them in my rotation unless something changes with their ingredients after the transition to Purina.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Kristen,

You might also take a look at Victor. It’s a quality product, trustworthy manufacturer and is very budget friendly when you’re able to buy it locally.

I use lots of different foods in my rotation, and when my Cavalier ate the Yukon River formula, she did great on it! Probably better than anything else she eats.

Here’s a link to their site: http://victordogfood.com/

There’s a “Find a Store” tab in the middle of the upper part of the page.

[Pitlove]

Maria- My dog is not very active because of the summer heat down here in the south and he maintains an ideal weight with foods high in protein (above 30%),moderate to low in fat(low being under 10%, moderate probably being 10-20% just in my opinion) and low in carbs (something 30% or under on a dry matter basis). Also, your dogs will not loose weight without cutting back on how much they are eating as well. You need to feed them based on the weight you want to see them at, not the weight they are. Also, they can not be free-fed.

Leora- Same info applies to you as well. Not sure exactly what your budget is because everyone’s is different.