[Goldenlover]

Hey all, got a golden and currently feed Costco’s natures domain grain free salmon and sweet potato-a 3.5 star dog food-cost $ 34.00, he eats it, but only when hungry, i actually feel like he doesnt love it ya know, so i went out and bought rachel rays nutrish beef and brown rice and mixed the two…he devoured it, i was so happy till i found out its a 2.5 star food..Uggh….Sure i would love to go out and buy blue…but lets be real…$55-$60 a bag, YA RIGHT! So i need advice. What can i mix in his current costco food to make it a FIVE STAR kinda food. What is this food missing that i should add, and maybe make it taste better. Or do u know of a 5 star food that is affordable?-THANKS IN ADVANCE for your help…..

[theBCnut]

Kirkland Cuts and Gravy is Costco’s canned food that rates really well. It’s about $0.79 a can and just adding 1/4 a can or less will probably really bring on his appetite.

[Goldenlover]

Hi, i forgot to mention that yes i use that too, again he only eats small portion at a time..when really hungry…

[Hound Dog Mom]

Tinned sardines, eggs, kefir, plain yogurt, cottage cheese, chopped up leftover meat, leftover veggies. Also chicken hearts and gizzards and beef hearts are usually fairly cheap at the grocery store – you could mix them in raw or fry them up in a healthy oil like coconut oil.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Goldenlover,

Patty & HDM offered some great suggestions to make your current food more palatable, but it sounds like you’re also interested in finding a quality food that is still affordable and appeals to your dog.

Have you taken a look at this list of 5 Star Dry Foods: /dog-food-reviews/dry/5-star/?

Or this list of Best Foods (which includes 4 and 5 Star Foods): /best-dog-foods/best-dry-dog-foods/

Yes, Nature’s Domain from Kirkland is inexpensive and many of those on these lists aren’t, but there are still some that are affordable ~ probably many are still more than Kirkland’s ND. Also, ND is grain free and Rachael Ray Nutrish is grain inclusive and both of these lists include both grain free and inclusive formulations. One thing I’m not thrilled with the ND about is that it’s made by Diamond, which if you’re not already aware, has a horrible history of recalls and their handling of same. I don’t do any Diamond products and know there are others who feel the same.

If you like the Rachael Ray Nutrish product, you might also try the RR Zero Grain Nutrish, that’s a four star product, but it’s a bit more expensive than the RR Nutrish. Other more affordable foods you might want to check into are 4Health Grain Free (available at TSC), Victor, NutriSource, Earthborn Holistics, Dr. Tim’s, Fromm, Hi-Tek, Nutrisca, Pro Pac and Whole Earth Farms. Nature’s Logic is a bit more expensive, but a really great product.

Lots of foods have “loyalty” programs, like NutriSource for example, buy 12 and get one free. You can go to the NutriSource website and enter a contest to win a free bag of food and if you don’t win (I’m still trying) you’ll at least get a two dollar coupon emailed to you. Rachael Ray always has coupons available for the Zero Grain Nutrish on the website. Also, some online retails outlets will offer a discount for auto-ship orders, but you still have the ability to change shipping frequency and add or change items.

Five stars are great, so are four stars when your dog loves the food and does great on it!

[Goldenlover]

wow-thanks everyone-especially Betsy–i printed out your reply, I really appreciate your response because ya i saw the big a** list of top dog foods but to find an affordable on on the list is gonna take a long time and alot of homework -something i don’t have…so thank you for affordable choices -and not sacrificing the health of my loved one.-
Thank you also Hound Dog Mom and Patty–I have coconut oil, who knew? LOL- I know we all have a life..thanks for taking the time to respond..ALL 3 of you!!!!!!

[Hound Dog Mom]

I not sure how much you’re willing to spend on kibble but Victor – one of the brands Betsy mentioned – is available from victorpet(dot)com. They have free shipping. The GF formulas are rated 5 stars and range in price from $49.95 to $54.95 for a 30 lb. bag which is very reasonably priced for a 5 star grain-free food. Dr. Tim’s GF which is rated 5 stars is $53.99 on chewy(dot)com (free shipping as well). Chewy(dot)com also sells Earthborn – a 5 star food – for $47.99 per 28 lbs. These foods are probably a bit more expensive than Nature’s Domain but take into consideration the calorie content. Nature’s Domain only contains 336 kcal. per cup – Victor GF Ultra Pro has 453 kcal. per cup, Dr. Tim’s GF has 413 kcal. per cup and Earthborn Primitive Natural has 445 kcal. per cup. Your dog would need to eat about 25% less food if eating Victor, Dr. Tim’s or Earthborn, versus the ND.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Sully’sMom]

I’m glad I starting reading this thread – I’d given up looking for Victor but now thanks to HDM, I know where to find it 🙂

[DogFoodie]

Hi Goldenlover,

Everything I learned about dog food, I learned here from HDM, Patty Vaughan, Shawna, Sandy and a handful of others. Stick around and ask questions! And, welcome!

[Saint Louie]

Agree, Sully’sMom. So grateful to have found this thread as a “short list” while searching for a new food! My 8-year-old black, flat-coated lab/border collie mix has been in great health with an amazing coat until 6 months ago when I let his flea control lapse for about 6 weeks. As a result, he developed dermatitis on his behind for the first time — itchy, scaly skin with occasional hot spots. The vet restarted his Trifexis, gave him a steroid shot and antibiotics and changed him to Science Diet. Since then, his problems have intensified and we need to act quickly. I suspect we need to steer clear of grains for now and possibly chicken to get this under control, but would really appreciate input from you experienced “moms.” I’ve narrowed my search of foods in my price range to the following, but would sincerely appreciate more opinions — trying to choose among Earthborn GF Coastal Catch, Earthborn GF Great Plains Feast, Dr. Tim’s Kinesis GF Formula or Victor GF Select Ocean Blend. Earthborn has fruits included, which appeals to me. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

[Sully’sMom]

Hi Saint Louie, Earthborn, Dr. Tim’s and Victor are exactly the brands I’ve chosen to rotate among, plus Merrick. From all I’ve read and learned here, you don’t need to choose….rotate 🙂 This way, what one may be lacking, the next one will have and vice versa.

[theBCnut]

Sully’s Mom is correct. No food is perfect so rotating helps make sure all your nutritional bases are covered. It also supports a wider variety of probiotics in the gut, which in turn gives a gigantic boost to the immune system.

[Saint Louie]

Thx for the quick replies, Sully’s Mom and Patty. Louie is one lucky boy to have other moms like you watching out for him!! Ordering today and will add Merrick to our rotation. Have a wonderful day!

[Sully’sMom]

🙂

Also, when I was looking into those brands, both Earthborn and Dr Tim’s sent me samples, and Earthborns included coupons. Merrick doesn’t send samples, but they sent me a coupon.

[Author]

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