[Sheltie_Pom]

I can’t spend over $1.05 per pound. I am looking for a good quality dog food to put my new Pomeranian on once he comes home. So far the one that I like best is Pure Balance, I was considering Iams but I’m not so sure after reading the ratings on it. Right now the puppy is on Purina Pro Plan but I don’t like that it contains menadione sodium bisulfite complex. SO what si your advice suggestions? Science Diet and Blue Buffalo are WAY out of my price range. I can’t afford $52+ dollars a bag.

[Naturella]

This company has some good deals: http://www.victorpet.com/#!sport-dog-food-store/ci6h especially if you choose the 40+20lbs, this brings it down to $0.95/pound.

[Dori]

Science Diet and Blue Buffalo are two foods that have terrible reviews so you wouldn’t want to feed them anyway. Jams is another food you wouldn’t want to feed. I agree with Aleksandra check out Victorpet.com. You may want to keep the puppy on the food that he’s eating at the breeder for the first couple of weeks and then do a slow transition with whatever good food you decide on. Leaving the breeder and going to a new home with strangers is always very stressful for the pup so it’s always best to give him a little time to adjust before switching his food. Too much stress all at once. Otherwise you may not know whether it’s the stress or the food if he comes down with diarrhea or vomiting.

[Shasta220]

I will deeeefinitely say a HUGE no no to Science Diet. It is not much better than Purina dog chow, despite the high price. Blue Buffalo is alright, but it’s more expensive than the quality is worth. The link given for Victor foods was good, too. I’m on a big-time budget with my 3 pigs (oops! I meant dogs!) I buy 40lb bags of Diamond Naturals (some dogs do great on it, others do terrible…luckily my dogs are fine) for about $35

That being said, I’d imagine it’ll be harder to find something around $1/lb for a small dog, as small bags tend to be more expensive per pound, and I honestly don’t know how well a large bag of kibble would last. Possibly going for a 12-15lb bag? Really though, the bigger the bag, the cheaper the food will be per pound.

Hopefully you can find something that works! Oh, and try to make sure it’s a 4-5 star food on this site 🙂

[Naturella]

I second both Shasta and dchassett. I have fed Blue Buffalo Wilderness with no problems and really good results, but it is a bit pricy. I do recommend stocking up on food, but watching the “Best by:” dates. The bigger the bag, the less per pound it is, as Shasta noted.

Here is another link for Victor foods that should be right on the money: http://www.victorpet.com/#!buy-organic-dog-treats-online/c13qg

Make sure you do some research as well, visit local feed or pet stores, shop online:
http://www.chewy.com
http://www.petflow.com
http://www.wag.com

Have good deals and sales often.

And do try to get a 4-5-star-rated food. It IS possible, even on a tight budget, we promise! 🙂

[InkedMarie]

If you’re feeding only a Pomeranian, I wouldn’t buy a large bag. By the time you finish it, it’ll probably have gone bad. The smaller bags will stay much fresher; you may be able to buy the mid size bags.

[Sheltie_Pom]

Hello, thanks everyone. I’ll check out those sights. I don’t plan on switching him right away, because the lady I am getting him from has some $5 dollars off coupons, so I’ll probably use those for the Purina Pro Plan and then slowly switch him over. I have other dogs so if the bag doesn’t get finished up as fast as I want I can feed them some of the food, it’s just Poms are so small that I want to get him on a good brand that gives him all the stuff he needs since he is so little and won’t eat much. My other dogs are pigs and will gobble up anything that tastes good.

Does anyone like Purina Pro Plan?

[Sheltie_Pom]

Okay,
so I think I may have narrowed it down tom these brands, Pure Balance, Iams (Because they have a kind specialized for toy breeds) and Purina Pro Plan (Because that’s what he’s on now). The reason I pick these is because Walmart carries Iams and Pure Balance and the puppy is on Purina Pro Plan. I live over an hour from the nearest pet store and don’t go to the city very often so I can’t just get in the car and run and get a bag of food for it once I run out.

[Naturella]

Sheltie_Pom,

Considering you have other dogs too, I think you can do much better with the food choices. I don’t know if you can have food delivered if ordered online, but as noted, Victor is a MUCH better brand than those you listed, and you can get it for around $1/pound.

I understand the coupons thing, I use coupons too, but once those are used up, I would look for better options.

[Shasta220]

I honestly don’t see why it’s so nessicary to get a small-breed food, other than the fact that the Kibbles will be smaller. I don’t really think breed-specific food really changes the formula much. I really would try to avoid Purina, even the best-rated “Pro Plan” is mainly fillers, which your little doggie definitely doesn’t need! Iams food is alright, but still not as good as the commercials make it seem.

If none of your dogs have super special needs, then you could possibly switch them all over to one specific food. I have an old lab, a young herder, and a middle aged mutt (happy birthday, Shasta!). They are all on the same food. I admit, I do add different supplements to suit their needs.

[Dori]

My three dogs are toy breeds. I have a Yorkipoo, Maltipoo and a Maltese. I have never fed, nor would I a specialized food for toy dogs. My Maltese is 14 years old she averages between 7.6 and 8 lbs., My 4 1/2 year old Maltipoo averages 7 – 7.3 lbs, and my 4 1/2 year old Yorkipoo is 5 lbs. I do not have large dogs nor have I ever. Toy breeds do NOT need a special dog formula. Pet Food manufacturers just market it that way to get the toy breed market. It is typically more expensive and there is no need for it. Science Diet, Iams, Purina and Pedigree are some of the worst worst foods you can feed your toys. I don’t believe you will find to many people disagree with me. Yes, are there people feeding there dogs these foods? Absolutely. But in the long run (sometimes not so long), their nutrition will pay the price. If finances warrant that you don’t buy some foods because of the price than you look for a quality grain, rice, white potato, soy free food food. There are so many out there and there are also sites that are always having sales. I would encourage you to never buy the large bags. Toy breeds do not eat a lot and the oils in the large bags will go rancid before the bag is finished. 60 lb. bags are a helluva lot of food. The money you will save, and you will, by not having to spend your time and money at the vet because of many issues that can be attributed to nutrition will allow you to have your dogs on a better food. I’m sorry if I sound like I’m dictating what you should feed your dogs but I guess I am. I can say all this through trial, error and many many years of experience. I am 65 years old and have had dogs (all toys) since I was quite young. Just trying to help. I have no stock or relatives working for any dogs foods I’m just an obsessed dog lover and want the very best for all of them not just mine. We’re a group on dogfoodadvisor that believe that our dogs are our family members.

[Sheltie_Pom]

Thanks everyone. I checked into Victor, but they charge to much to ship to my area, so it makes the price at more like $1.75 – $2.00 a pound. I am ready to start pulling my hair. Iams is cost more than it’s worth, Purina Pro Plan is a joke and Pure Balance isn’t as good as it sounds from some of the reviews I have read.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Sheltie_Pom.

[Sheltie_Pom]

Thanks for the advice. I am considering just going all natural and making the food for him, but I guess my thinking is what if I get hurt or we go on a trip and he can’t come? I doubt my family would want to go through all that trouble just for him. Especially since none of the are big cooks, in fact they hate to cook.

I don’t want to sound like I’m making excuses (I know I sound like it), but I need to do what is best for my dog and budget. Money is kind of tight especially since my last $500+ dog bill.

[Sheltie_Pom]

Hey guys,
I found a brand I like Diamond Naturals, on here it is rated at 4 stars and is about $0.75 cents a pound. They also have a good kind of puppy food. We raise Shelties on a small scale (No we are not a puppy mill, we care about where our puppies go and how they are treated), so the 40 ib of puppy food would be fine, because it would be used up within a month on average.

[Mom2Cavs]

Yes, that’s a good food for the price. Remember to just be vigilant with your dogs as Diamond has had some recalls in the past. Also, if you have a Tractor Supply near you they have a house brand called 4Health that is reasonably priced. The grain inclusive, which is the better price, is also made by Diamond. Their grain free is made by Ainsworth.

[Mom2Cavs]

I haven’t figured it up for price per pound, but I do know that Chewy.com and Wag.com have some good prices and free shipping (if you spend so much) on Dr. Tim’s and Annamaet. I have found both to be rated very highly. I am feeding Annamaet right now, and plan on trying Dr. Tim’s soon.

[InkedMarie]

Sheltie-Pom, the first foods you mentioned are not good foods. Since you live so far away from stores, you’ll be best to order online. Chewy.com is awesome and my first choice. Other places are Petflow.com, wag.com and petfooddirect.com

[Shasta220]

I feed my dogs Diamond Naturals, solely because it’s the most affordable 4-star food we have around here. I really hope your dogs do well on it. My younger ones are doing great on it, the older lab is starting to get a bit of extra grease again. She did better on other foods, but we just can’t afford them anymore.

If you have a Costco nearby (assuming you’re able to get the bigger bags), and your dogs do well on Diamond Naturals, then try looking into their Kirkland food. It’s made by Diamond, and the ingredients are very similar. About 25-30$ for a 40lb bag, and DN for me is about 33-40$ for a 40lb bag – very affordable 🙂

Ah good, I’m glad dchassett agrees with me that toy breeds do NOT need the breed specific food.

Come to think of it, DN foods are 4-star, then Extreme Athlete and Small Breed Puppy were 5-star (I haven’t looked at the ingredients to compare with other varieties yet). I wouldn’t see what would be wrong with feeding the puppy formula to other dogs, even larger adult dogs – if all the ingredients are quality and the nutrition is balanced.

[Author]

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