Dog Food Diet?

[chickens really]

Maybe so. I'm a nutrition nut, I know. I will try to cool it a little haha...

You won't know till you actually have the puppy/Dog..They all are different.

 

[Aquatic_blue]

You'll be fine (and since I didn't answer directly earlier, I spend around $110-120 on dog food a month, that doesn't include treats - but again, that's for 3 dogs). Some research isn't a bad idea, of course... you'll probably see reviews are all over the place though, no matter what the brand. Consider talking to your vet or the shelter/rescue for their suggestions, the dog you plan on adopting may be used to and doing well on a certain food, or may have allergies or other issues that would require you to steer clear of certain ingredients.

That's true, too - that a dog may do best on it's current food and we plan to adopt. Thanks for giving me an idea on price range. Doesn't sound too bad for one dog for food.

Yes, I will probably browse online and the local pet store to see what they have. I just remember we had cats years back that didn't seem to do well with grains or a certain other ingredient. We switched their food gradually many times. Eventually, we did a grain free formula, Nutro Max Cat and they stopped throwing up. It was a lengthy, not so fun process so I am afraid of it happening again to a dog when we get one.

Thanks to you all, I have good suggestions to check out!

 

[Aquatic_blue]

You won't know till you actually have the puppy/Dog..They all are different.

That is true, I guess a price range and the health of other dogs on certain foods is good to know.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I also have 3 dogs. One is 60# and the other 2 closer to 90#.

I spend about 100 a month on feed and 20 on treats. Mine get bites of human food too so about another 20 worth of that.

So for me 140 divided by 3 dogs rounded to the nearest is $47 per dog.

We must not forget other costs like vet and collars, beds, leashes, toys etc. Those will vary wildly based on the dog and then the humans choices.

I recently had a medical emergency with one of our dogs that cost a solid $6,000 to get her through. Yes we choked that cost down and carry on. That is not something very many people can do.

One thing to know with grain free foods is that they can be incredibly high in protein. Not every dog can handle that.

 

[Aquatic_blue]

I also have 3 dogs. One is 60# and the other 2 closer to 90#.

I spend about 100 a month on feed and 20 on treats. Mine get bites of human food too so about another 20 worth of that.

So for me 140 divided by 3 dogs is rounded to the nearest is $47 per dog.

We must not forget other costs like vet and collars, beds, leashes, toys etc. Those will vary wildly based on the dog and then the humans choices.

I recently had a medical emergency with one of our dogs that cost a solid $6,000 to get her through. Yes we choked that cost down and carry on. That is not something very many people can do.

One thing to know with grain free foods is that they can be incredibly high in protein. Not every dog can handle that.

Yes, we have also planned for those other expenses and it was easier to get a more solid price range. It feels fairly simple to find the right collar, toy(s), vet routine check ups, etc, but with foods it seems like a million and one options and standing in the pet store looking at the ingredients of every single one isn't a favorite pastime so I would rather have a price range and a few food names that may work if we had to pick a different/new food. =)

Wow, $6,000 - I hope your dog is doing a lot better now!

The price for emergency vet bills isn't exactly shocking. It can get expensive, and $6k is pretty significant. It isn't pocket change. I am glad you could afford your furry friend's needs as some cannot and they end up abandoned many times =(

 

[rosemarythyme]

One thing to know with grain free foods is that they can be incredibly high in protein. Not every dog can handle that.

Another thing to consider is grain free food MAY cause canine heart disease, which is why my sis-in-law and my vet's office suggested we add some food with grain to their diet. There is not currently proof of a link, but it may be a possibility.

I went with a rice formula as we used to have a dog that was allergic to wheat.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Yes, we have also planned for those other expenses and it was easier to get a more solid price range. It feels fairly simple to find the right collar, toy(s), vet routine check ups, etc, but with foods it seems like a million and one options and standing in the pet store looking at the ingredients of every single one isn't a favorite pastime so I would rather have a price range and a few food names that may work if we had to pick a different/new food. =)

Wow, $6,000 - I hope your dog is doing a lot better now!

The price for emergency vet bills isn't exactly shocking. It can get expensive, and $6k is pretty significant. It isn't pocket change. I am glad you could afford your furry friend's needs as some cannot and they end up abandoned many times =(

Yes it was a huge unexpected expense. Yes she is much much better. She had swallowed a rock that they dug up and went from kinda looking a bit off to almost dead in 12 hours.

For food my adults are on kirkland chicken and rice at $30 per 50# bag. I use kirkland dog treats at $10 for 15#. The puppy is on Authiority which is a Pet Smart store brand at roughly $40 for 34#.
I was feeding Taste Of The Wild for a while to my (now passed due to age) dogs when they were puppies. The protein was to high for such large dogs and caused severe leg pain.

 

[JaeG]

Our dog is on raw food but that's because there's a chain of stores in NZ specifically set up by a vet to provide a huge range of raw foods from human grade sources. Green tripe is an essential element as well as variety being the key to ensuring your dog receives a balanced diet. Our dog lives for her food and she's so healthy and happy.

I too read about 'grain-free' kibble potentially causing heart disease in dogs. It's to do with the ingredients used as an alternative to grains - peas, lentils, legumes and potatoes/sweet potato and their high levels of starch. Nothing is conclusive yet but it's something to keep in mind.

 

[Aquatic_blue]

Another thing to consider is grain free food MAY cause canine heart disease, which is why my sis-in-law and my vet's office suggested we add some food with grain to their diet. There is not currently proof of a link, but it may be a possibility.

I went with a rice formula as we used to have a dog that was allergic to wheat.

This is interesting. I have never heard of this. Even without a proven connection, it never hurts to look into the possibility and suspected findings. Thanks for bringing it up!

 

[Aquatic_blue]

Yes it was a huge unexpected expense. Yes she is much much better. She had swallowed a rock that they dug up and went from kinda looking a bit off to almost dead in 12 hours.

For food my adults are on kirkland chicken and rice at $30 per 50# bag. I use kirkland dog treats at $10 for 15#. The puppy is on Authiority which is a Pet Smart store brand at roughly $40 for 34#.
I was feeding Taste Of The Wild for a while to my (now passed due to age) dogs when they were puppies. The protein was to high for such large dogs and caused severe leg pain.

We don't live near a Costco anymore, but I do remember they had decent prices on dog food when we used to and had a membership.

Taste of the Wild came up as one of those "best" feeds, but I am glad to know it may not be great because of protein content. I didn't think it could be too high. I suppose too much of anything isn't good.

It is scary something as simple as a rock could cause so much harm. I am glad they could save your dog!