A new question about dog food selection

[lockedhearts]

I totally understand your situation, I recently went back to work after being unemployed for 3 years, with 5 dogs, it was a challenge to feed them. I usually fed Purina Little Bites (can be found at Wal Mart) yes it has fillers, but my dogs did well on it and I supplemented with cooked chicken and eggs. I would find chicken thighs or pieces on sale and boil them. One of my dogs is 110lbs and he only eats about 2 1/2 cups of Taste Of The Wild food a day. I can finally feed them good stuff again

 

[pinkfoxfarm]

step 1: ditch the purina, your payig alot of money for a so=so food, and your dogs are showing you that by eating so much...
if you have a costco id suggest kirkland...if you have a tsc, diamond naturals or 4 health. better food and youll feed less of it overall, i think its also cheaper than purina for a bigger bag.

step 2, do NOT bulk it out with "cheap food" youll simply find yourself burried in poop and upset tummies...
instead if you find you need to bulk up the food, buy ground hamburger or chicken (big packs are often chepaer per lb, and look for meats on or very close to expirey (they typiclaly have addiotnal off) and a bag of whole grain rice (white will do if money is realy tight.
(now i would personally skip the rice and feed the meat raw but if your using it to supliment kibble...cook it as raw digests quickler than kibble and it can upset the system) cook the meat (boil, broil or brown and drain in a pan, no addes seasonings) boil up the rice and tada, a much healthier (and beliv eit or not cheaper) way to bulk out your dogs food.
eggs and cottage cheese are also goo high protine ways to supliment.

belive me i know what its like when money gets tight...and making your own meat and rice to add a little bulk should save you a bit of money if your willing to shop sales, also place adds for freezer burnt meats on your loacal craigslist and free cycles, dogs dnt mind freezer burnt!

i do think though that 7 cups a day of food is a little much, and you wont be feeding 1/2 that if you could get them on a better food with less fillers...

 

[annaraven]

Go talk to a decent pet food store. Find out what they recommend as the best value. My store does a buy 3 bags get 1 free special (so I buy small bags...). You may find you can get by with less food and less money.

Otherwise, I agree with trying the Kirkland food.

 

[Windrider]

Here's another vote for Kirkland's, if you've got a CostCo within a reasonable distance and have a membership. If you are paying $30 for Purina One, well, that is what Kirkland's is here (don't know if it varies around the country). Now, I don't consider Kirkland's to be a premium dog food, but it is certainly a cut above Purina - no corn or soy, although it is not grain free (it has brown rice). Better food at an equal price means you will be saving money by feeding less.

 

[pinkfoxfarm]

here in ct kirkland chicken and rice is $28 for a 40lb bag.
and the diamond naturals is the exactsame formular as kirkland...i havent priced up diamond at TSC, but diamond naturals is usually about the same price and i belive comes in the 40lb bag too!

 

[Miyashi]

I used to feed my dogs Canidae. It got to be too expensive feeding four dogs. I was spending 60 a week on dog food.
I looked at the ingredients and now they get Diamond dog food. Not all of Diamonds foods have no corn, but they have three varieties that are very good and reasonably priced. I would look into it for sure!

 

[ThornyRidge]

Just a thought.. but maybe you are over feeding... I personally use Taste of the Wild High Prairie and a 40 lb bag is around 50 bucks and that 40 lb bag feeds my Lab who weighs nearly 80 lbs for well over a month..pushing nearly two. Because of the quality and high protein no grain formula she gets only one cup in morning and one cup in evening.. maybe consider getting the high quality food and look at how much they really need and I think you will find you can/will cut back and save in the long run.. also my dog gets no other supplemented food other than a can of moist food mixed with dry once in a while.. also to slow her down eating I soak the food in a little warm water and give it to her that way...I understand you have 2 large dogs..but I can't imagine going through 3 large bags of dog food per month!!!

 

[suebee]

Haven't read all the posts but my 95 pound Golden Retriever gets only 2 cups of dog food split between morning and evening. I use Diamond now, used to buy Natural Balance...50 bucks for a 30 lb. bag....Ugh. Changed to the Diamond for half the price and she's doing great.

 

[dainerra]

I'll second, third and fourth the idea that the dogs are eating too much, esp the lab! You should be able to easily feel their ribs when you run your hand down their sides. The beagle looks to be in decent shape, but not a perfect angle of the picture to tell. A higher quality food is going to be more expensive per bag, but cheaper to feed. The only dog I ever had that eats close to the amounts your dogs are getting is Singe. He gets 5 cups per day of NutriSource grainfree. BUT!! he is a growing teenage boy who is run run run go go play play all day long. I expect him to cut way back on the food intake in the next couple of months when his growth rate slows down.

 

[carolinagirl58]

My 70 pound pit bull is getting right at 2 cups a day (split into 2 feedings) of 4-Health from Tractor Supply. The only animals I have that eat a LOT are the two Anatolian Shepherd pups who are 5 months old and weigh over 60 pounds each. They each get 8 cups per day and are still lean. Your dogs could do with WAY less than they are getting if you fed them a higher quality food.