Best low cost dog food

[Hound]

Quote:
28 year old Beagle? A typo surely?!

 

[Beekissed]

Take into account vet bills and the wellbeing of the animal and it's a no-brainer.

While we are comparing bank balances, we could compare vet bills. None. Nada. I only take my animals to the vet if they are ailing....and they've never been. So, I guess the cheaper dog food isn't always the horrible thing everyone makes it out to be. I'd be willing to bet there are far more dogs out there living a full and happy life on cheaper brand dog foods than there are on the expensive ones. At least in my neck of the woods.....

I agree that dog food~any dog food, let alone the cheaper~ isn't the best nutrition for a dog....but its nutrition that is affordable. Priorities in this family run towards the best food for the humans and the best we can afford for the animals. My priorities will always be with the humans.

My dogs dine daily on chicken poop....I really don't think they measures happiness in this life as having dog foods that have the very best of ingredients.

 

[WriterofWords]

Quote:
28 year old Beagle? A typo surely?!

No not a typo. Sir Elliott Beagle will be 28 on his next birthday.

 

[Beekissed]

WOW! Way to go Ol' Roy.....

 

[Hound]

Quote:
While we are comparing bank balances, we could compare vet bills. None. Nada. I only take my animals to the vet if they are ailing....and they've never been. So, I guess the cheaper dog food isn't always the horrible thing everyone makes it out to be. I'd be willing to bet there are far more dogs out there living a full and happy life on cheaper brand dog foods than there are on the expensive ones. At least in my neck of the woods.....

I agree that dog food~any dog food, let alone the cheaper~ isn't the best nutrition for a dog....but its nutrition that is affordable. Priorities in this family run towards the best food for the humans and the best we can afford for the animals. My priorities will always be with the humans.

My dogs dine daily on chicken poop....I really don't think they measures happiness in this life as having dog foods that have the very best of ingredients.

Some kids would live happily on hot dogs. It's up to those responsible for them to make the sensible decision. Good food IS affordable, it's just a case of taking the time and effort to find it rather than whatever can be piled into the cart at Walmart.

 

[Beekissed]

But....we're not talking about kids, are we? We are talking about dogs. While they may seem human to you and you may treat them like they are, to some of us they are dogs and we treat them like dogs. In today's economy, its tough just to feed a family, let alone afford special foods at a really not-so-special-price for dogs.

I tend to take my extra money~on the rare occasions that I have any~ and give it to those trying to feed children instead of using it on my dogs. This doesn't mean that I just don't want to go the extra mile to feed my dogs that blue ribbon food...it merely means that I have different priorities in my life than others.

I think everyone would love to feed their dogs raw steak and tartar if they could afford it and I could very well spend more of my paycheck on indulging in a so-called better food for my dogs....but my heart just won't let me spend that money when I know there are others struggling to just feed their families. I'd rather spend it where it will do the most good to some child or elderly person having a hard time.

It really is a matter of priorities and some folks just have different ones.

 

[Hound]

As we've already shown, it is possible to feed dogs better for LESS. It's just a case of wanting to.

 

[BlacksheepCardigans]

TOTW is Diamond. Chicken Soup is Diamond. Costco (Kirkland) is Diamond. The reservations people have about Diamond (sourcing of iffy ingredients, not the best quality control) are legit, I think, but they are the reason Diamond can market stuff so cheaply. Chicken Soup and Kirkland are decentish foods at their prices because Diamond can get stuff so cheap. It's the walmart effect--buy massive amounts and insist on a low price from your supplier. As long as you are aware that you are buying from a low end company who brought out a product because of demand, rather than a company who is convinced about a certain way to feed (Natura used to be this way; Orijen seems to be), they are acceptable foods. I don't personally like TOTW because the protein levels show that it's a whole heck of a lot of potato and peas. If I'm going to feed grain free I use orijen.

The cheapest by FAR for us is raw. We get chicken backs for $.25 a pound and the rest is human leftovers. It's always a little ticklish to define "better health" as a result of food because it's all anecdotal, but I can sure say that raw does an amazing job reducing allergies and eliminating the need for dentals.

 

[TLWR]

It's nice to see that the food debate is pretty much the same regardless of board I'm reading it on LOL

 

[redhen]

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How does the protein level say alot of potato and peas? The protein is 32%..I'd say thats pretty good... maybe even too high for my giant breed dogs.