What brand of dog food do you buy?

[TupperMom7]

We have two Golden Retrievers and we currently use dry Canidae. We used to use Eukanuba until all that trouble with the pet food being tainted, so we switched to Canidae. Both dogs seem to like it, but my husband does not. Not that he has tried eating it !! He doesn't like the cost of it.

I have thought about buying another brand of dog food, something found in Walmart or the grocery store, and mixing it half and half with the Canidae.

If you could not afford to buy the expensive dog food, what is the next best brand to buy? I have taken care of other people's dogs, and believe me - not everybody buys the expensive brands, even if they can afford it! Science diet seems to be the popular choice in some homes - is that dog food okay?

With the cost of everything going up, I don't want to tell my kids that they can't have a second glass of milk and then turn around and go buy the primo dog food brand for our pets.

 

[bucket o' butter]

I have always used Kibbles and Bits. I have small dogs, but they are like it and they have all remained healthy. I even tried to go a little cheaper and get the generic brand the last time. My dog snubbed his nose big time though so it is back to Kibbles and Bits. He is a happy camper now!

 

[Mickeyherewecome123]

We use to buy our dog food from the vet (sorry cant remember the brand) but it go to pricey. Now, we feed our dog Purina Beneful, she loves it and she is very picky.
I would recommend mixingthe new food with the old food over a weeks time, so changing the dogs food doesnt upset his stomach. We learn that the hard way. When we switched to Beneful, we just gave our dog a full bowl of the new food and she had diarrhea all over the house.....yuk!!

 

[sameyeyam]

I buy Nutra Nuggets lamb & rice dry food, about $20 for a 40 pound bag from Costco or a Kroger store. My dogs like it and I think it is a fairly good food, yet at a good cost.

We have a 16yo basset hound and a 4yo American Bulldog (big dog that eats a lot). The American Bulldog has gas problems that are common with his breed. Our vet recommended a lamb & rice food and this one seems to do the trick at a reasonable price.

 

[E-I-E-I-O]

We feed our dog Wellness CORE, which is grain free. The dog has skin problems and this one seems to keep the itching at bay. It's pretty expensive, but he's a little dog and doesn't eat a lot.

Here is a link to a comparison of quality, etc. http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ I do think it's important to keep in mind that if you feed a cheaper, lesser quality food, you may not necessarily have the extra savings by way of additional vet trips, etc for problems associated with said foods. JM.02

 

[fran99999]

I do not currently have a dog. However I have had several in the past. I now have 2 cats. I have fed both my cats and dogs Science diet. The way to tell if the dog/cat food is a good fit for you pet is in the waste. If you notice that the waste is larger or much more aromatic, that tells you that it is not a good food for you pet. I have tried to feed my pets brands that I was told was good and WOW what a difference in the waste. It was either so aromatic it made me sick to smell or was in a much larger quantity than I was used to.

I found out the hard way animals systems work much like humans if we eat something that doesn't agree with us, we get the same issues. Our bodies get rid of (waste) what does not give us nutrition and the aroma is much stronger when we do get rid of it. Also our skin, hair looks better, and we have more energy,when we eat foods that are more healthful than junk food.

 

[melcan]

Have always used Eukanuba and never had any problems with it.

 

[heartsy77]

We use to buy our dog food from the vet (sorry cant remember the brand) but it go to pricey. Now, we feed our dog Purina Beneful, she loves it and she is very picky.
I would recommended mixing the new food with the old food over a weeks time, so changing the dogs food doesn't upset his stomach. We learn that the hard way. When we switched to Beneful, we just gave our dog a full bowl of the new food and she had diarrhea all over the house.....yuk!!

My two Dalmatians have been on Bentiful since it came out! Dalmatian's need a lower protein food this works fine. Although it is getting pricey ( but what isn't?!) My DH just 27.98 for the largest bag of Bentiful lean @ Walmart; it seems like it was just $21.98 for the same bag!

 

[Kate and Pete]

We feed our two boxers Canidae. Even though it seems expensive (we pay $38/40lbs, and they go through a bit more than a bag/month), because the food is such high quality (no fillers), they actually eat less of it than they would some of the cheaper brands. That said, however, we do feed the cat Purina, not Felidae (don't tell the cat, he doesn't know!)

 

[NikiM20]

We feed Dog Chow....Our dogs do well on it. Our vet uses dog chow, the vet techs use dog chow. I know alot of people dont like it, but if its good enough for our vet to feed, its good enough for me to feed

It is also cheaper , and since I do animal rescue, I have dogs in and out all the time, and honestly, could not afford a $40-$50 a bag dog food. (I have 8 of my own)

 

[Daisy&Donald]

We feed our Maltese, Artemis and Orijen.

 

[iluvwesties]

I feed my westie Orijen and also alternate it with Urban Wolf.

She is doing great and hasn't had any skin conditions that are common with the breed.

 

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

We feed our dog Wellness CORE, which is grain free. The dog has skin problems and this one seems to keep the itching at bay. It's pretty expensive, but he's a little dog and doesn't eat a lot.

Here is a link to a comparison of quality, etc. http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ I do think it's important to keep in mind that if you feed a cheaper, lesser quality food, you may not necessarily have the extra savings by way of additional vet trips, etc for problems associated with said foods. JM.02

After reading through the dogfoodanalysis website last year, I switched my two away from the Nutro that they had been eating their whole lives. Jack russell eats wellness weight formula, and golden retriever gets Canidae. (I started both on Wellness, but golden hated it) but he loves his Canidae! Both are sooooo much healthier in the past year...no more allergies, itchy skin or tummy upsets, and their weights are perfect, as are their coats. It may seem expensive, but these two are my "fur kids" and I won't feed them doggy junk food.

 

[tammy1210]

When we bought our Yellow Lab, the breeder had started him on Purina ProPlan - bought either at a Pet Store or the Vet's office - we fed him that for the first two years, and then I switched to Purina One - bought at the grocery store, and a bit cheaper.

 

[Timon-n-Pumbaa Fan]

http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/product_detail.asp?pf_id=201107404&dept_id=1&brand_id=1074&Page=

Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Canine Formula with Smoked Salmon is the stuff that we buy for our allergic boy. He hasn't been bald in over two years now!

 

[tinkercat]

My best friend is a vet and also an owner of 4 Goldens. According to her, unless your dog has a specific dietary need, such as an allergy, regular Purina Dog Chow gives the dog the nutrition that it needs and its really affordable. I thought for sure she'd tell us to get an expensive brand when we got our dog, but she uses the Purina for her dogs (all but one who has allergies anyways) and that was what she recommended.

It has worked out fine for us and our dog loves the stuff.

 

[StillPinballFamily]

We feed our dog Wellness CORE, which is grain free. The dog has skin problems and this one seems to keep the itching at bay. It's pretty expensive, but he's a little dog and doesn't eat a lot.

Here is a link to a comparison of quality, etc. http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ I do think it's important to keep in mind that if you feed a cheaper, lesser quality food, you may not necessarily have the extra savings by way of additional vet trips, etc for problems associated with said foods. JM.02

Thanks for posting this link! There was a similar dog food thread months ago and someone (you?) posted this link then and I checked it out. We were using Science Diet and Nutro - boy, did we switch to Canadae in a hurry! Our puppy was scratching up a storm and it turns out he was allergic to the wheat in the SD & Nutro. Poor guy. He's small and doesn't eat much, so we're lucky that the cost isn't too bad. We also get him the Canadae wheat-free cookies - scratching now MUCH, MUCH less. (Think he's also allergic to peanut butter, so we've more recently removed that from his diet too.) I may check out your Wellness CORE food, too.

It is very tempting to try and cut spending in all household budget areas (we know!), but be careful in a dog food change. If you can switch to a cheaper brand or blend and the dog still seems healthy and happy, good for you!

 

[eatatmidnight]

We use Purina Little Bites Indoor formula for our Aussie Mix.

 

[Kate and Pete]

I love my vet, and trust him with absolutely everything, except for dog food recs. Did you know that many vets are not trained in pet nutrition? You need to do the research and decide what's best for your dog and budget (my vote's still for Canidae, though!)

 

[SunKat]

My yellow lab loves Purina Beneful. Right now I have the 40 lb bag and I bought it at the grocery store as their price beat Costco's.