Best low cost dog food

[rebelcowboysnb]

While doing research to find a good dog food years ago, I found more than one source that stated that Ol Roy, adjectives Kibbles n Bits products, and all Nutro dog foods were found to enjoy traces of pentabarbitol in them. This is the drug that is used to euthanize dogs, accordingly, these companies are using deceased animals in the production of their dog food. For that source, I would never touch a bag of any of these brands. I was horrified at the time, and I own informed everyone of these findings. It is said there are other companies that do this, the list I found be only partial.

Ive seen where people say that one ingredient could possibly contain pentabarbitol because of a possible source. Haven't seen anywhere that said pentabarbitol was actually in them.​

 

[brownlikewoah]

the ingredients on ol' roy are a joke! Ground Yellow Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, Soybean Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Wheat Middlings, Animal Fat (Preserved With Bha and Citric Acid), Natural Flavor, Brewers Rice, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Color Added (Titanium Dioxide, Yellow #5, Yellow #6, Red #40, Blue #2), Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Riboflavin Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Cobalt Carbonate.

the lowest quality food I would ever consider feeding is kirkland signature lamb and rice: Lamb,lamb meal, whole grain brown rice, rice flour, white rice, egg product, cracked pearl barley, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and Vitamin E), beet pulp, potatoes, fish meal, flaxseed, natural flavor, brewers dried yeast, carrots, peas, kelp, apples, dried skim milk, cranberry powder,potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, rosemary extract, parsley flake, dried chicory root, glucosamine hydrochloride, taurine, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, chondroitin sulphate, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite (source of vitamin k activity), riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

 

[mommyofthree]

I feed my dog EVO brand food. It's top of the line and expensive, but she eats sooo much less that it really doesn't cost much more in the long run to feed her. Do the math....
She used to eat Purina and would eat 4+ cups a day, the 40lb bag cost me $20. A 40lb bag of EVO costs me $55 but she eats less than 2 cups a day.
It's worth it to me to pay a little more for a high quality food to keep my pet healthy. My husband didn't know I had switched her brand of food and after a few weeks he commented on how great her coat looked and felt, and that she looked like a puppy again, LOL.

One ingredient you always want to avoid in cat/dog food is corn. It's just a "filler" and is not digested by cats or dogs. EVO cat food costs too much for me since I have 5 cats and feed some strays, so I buy them veterinarian formulated brand which is a bit more expensive than the "cheap" food but they eat less and are noticeably much healthier since I made the switch. Their coats are so soft and shiny and they have put on a bit of weight.

 

[TLWR]

People feed what they can afford and what works. I'm not going to bad mouth any foods, even if I'd not consider them at all.

But do you have a costco near you? If so, their food is usually less then $30 for a 40 pound bag and it is a good quality food so you in turn feed less of it.
We currently are feeding 4Health here - available at tractor supply. $30 or $35 for a 35 pound bag. The high activity/energy one is a bit more expensive, but has more calories, so again, can feed a bit less than the other.

My 80 pound dobe is eating 2.5-3 cups a day
My 47 pound greyhound is eating ~2 cups a day



My greyhounds were on evo red meat for a while. Both were still eating 3-4 cups of food a day. For us, it didn't work and in the end, neither of mine greys could do that high of a protein diet.
Dog food is difficult - what works for one may not work for another and what one is comfortable feeding another may not touch with a 10 foot pole.

 

[mhwc56]

Quote:
i've been very involved with dogs for alot of years,having worked for a groomer for 17 years where we dealt with food related illness issues far too often. i have also been involved with dog rescue for over 40 years .That said...
Okay...cheap dog food...problems with that are you get what you pay for ...really.
We used to feed all out dogs Pedigree until last year. Our dogs and my sisters' dogs down in Ga.(combined total of dogs -7) were all being fed the same small bite Pedigree . Every single one of them started throwing up.Also 1 started having seizures, 4 were pooping blood and 3 ended up throwing up bloody vomit.All of them began itching and 2 had the reddest skin color i've ever seen. Needless to say, we don't feed this brand any more.

Old Roy is probably one of the worst dog foods there are
and dogs frequently end up with malnourishment issues. I've seen some of the problems this food can cause..

LOOK AT the INGREDIENT LIST.... you don't want to feed your dog anything that the 1st ingredient is corn ...corn has little nutritional value and is really only a filler so it LOOKS like you 're getting alot. Whatever is first in the ingredient list is what there is most of in the bag you are spending your hard earned $ on.And the quantity decreases as you get further from the beginning of the list.
Also , any time you see animal "DIGEST" know that THIS is MANURE. yep. critter poop..basically it's cooked poop. whether it's chicken or beef or lamb or a mixture ...
Also, the cheap dog foods have meats from animals that die of illnesses ( dead cows and chickens and such) and animals that were put down at animal control facilities( as in dogs and cats )
Like i said...you get what you pay for......
There's also other stuff to be aware of as well these are just a couple things about the dog foods you mentioned.

 

[Hound]

Quote:

This is just not true. The pentabarbitol came from the beef and beef tallow used to manufacture the food, and the levels found were so miniscule that they didn't pose a health risk anyway. Not to mention the study was 12 years ago.

 

[4 the Birds]

You pretty much get what you pay for. The brands that have alot of corn and grain will run around 20 bucks for a 40 lb. bag (read the first few ingredients to find out the bulk of what you are buying). We feed Blue Buffalo Salmon Wilderness and it runs around $50 for a 24 lb. bag. The great thing about this food is that it has no grains, no preservatives, no artificial coloring. We also feed all dogs (we have 16 on the property right now) RAW meat every other day. I can find 10 lbs of chicken for around 5 dollars. Take a look at this site: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/ You will get good info/ratings on the various dog kibble.

Update: I just wanted to add that we often get mid range kibble donated that we mix with the higher end Blue Bufalo. Dogs eat less kibble when the kibble is higher quality. There is also less poo. Even less poo with RAW!

 

[wood&feathers]

My favorite was always Diamond brand, usually only available at feed stores. good high quality product for decent price, usually competitive with most stores' generic, if not Ol' Roy.

If I feed Ol' Roy to my dogs the entire area around our houses (on 108 acres!) seems to fill with poo.

 

[Hound]

There are apparently many misconceptions and myths about dog food. I wouldn't feed mine 'cheap' food anyway (all 6 of them), I figure if I can't afford to feed them properly i'd rather not have them. But setting that aside, no brand contains euthanized pets. NOT ONE. Animal digest is not manure, it is basically rendered meat left on the bones when the usual cuts have been removed. Not something i'd choose to feed my dogs, but it's not literally ****.

The most reasonable widely-available compromise between budget and nutrition is Nature's Recipe. It's nothing to write home about but a lot better quality than most budget brands. It is typically $30-35 for 35lbs.

 

[Heartlandrabbitry]

Quote:
I agree! We feed our dogs EVO and they do so well on it! Love that food!