I had to change dog food - $42 a bag is over the top

[seminolewind]

I used Purina 1 for a long time. But my dogs had a puking problem with it. So, I switched to Buffalo Blue salmon and sweet potato. They did really well, and it had great ingredients. But it went up to 42 bucks a bag. So I went to the supermarket and read labels. I ended up with Purina Sensitive, first ingredient is salmon, and I think it has brown rice. They love it, and I have not had a problem, it's been a few weeks. So, we'll see.

 

[DuckyBoys]

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Good to know and glad to know that I wasn't the ony one faced with a $42 bag of dog food!

 

[Robin'sBrood]

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You must have been using Nutro Ultra - ? If so, did you look at the Natural Choice or Max lines? They're still premium food without by-products or ground yellow corn, they just don't have all the "bells and whistles" that the Ultra line has.

What did you switch to?

 

[DuckyBoys]

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You must have been using Nutro Ultra - ? If so, did you look at the Natural Choice or Max lines? They're still premium food without by-products or ground yellow corn, they just don't have all the "bells and whistles" that the Ultra line has.

What did you switch to?

That was the Natural Choice!! I bought Iams because I was already at PetCo and that was the cheapest brand they had - but I found out that Big R hasn't changed their price - well they have it at 34 which is where its been for a few months now. So I dunno - I'm up in the air. I'm gonna look around the store next time (Got 2 bags of that Iams so I'm good for at least another week) and see what they have.

 

[Robin'sBrood]

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I adopted an older Pomeranian from a shelter last year. It took me a while to figure out that she was vomiting because she is allergic to chicken, but once I put her on Nutro Natural Choice Senior Whole Brown Rice & Lamb (dark pink bag), she stopped vomiting and is doing great. You might want to experiment with the meat protein your little dog is eating. Dogs can develop allergies at any time in their life. Best wishes to you with that, it sure can be frustrating!

 

[Robin'sBrood]

Two of my four dogs eat Ultra Weight Management. One old girl eats the Natural Choice Senior Whole Brown Rice & Lamb, and the other old girl eats Natural Choice Small Bites Senior. I mix a couple of tablespoonfuls of Natural Choice canned in for them too. My dogs are spoiled rotten. :|

 

[Javamama]

Thanks, HenMama2. Don't ya wish they could talk sometimes? I don't think he's allergic to chicken. We give him cooked chicken with no problem. It's something else in the food - I also buy a different flavor every time so they have some variety and it never bothered him until the last 2 bags. I even got the sensitive tummy kind and he just tosses it right back up sometimes. 3 days ago I got some Nutro Ultra for seniors and thought because it has smaller pieces that he would do better but he won't have anything to do with it. He doesn't seem sick at all - he cleans up after the kids just fine LOL. On to a different brand I guess. My other dog can finish the other bags I have left.
So it seems we either shell out for the right food or we shell out for the vet care, huh?

I hope we all can find a suitable food for our pets AND our budgets.

 

[Robin'sBrood]

I'm a pet nutrition specialist (a fancy name for a demonstrator) for Nutro so I'm in the stores and hear all kinds of stories about dogs and their problems with foods. Some dogs have developed allergies to EVERY meat protein on the market. I can't imagine how hard that must be on the owners! Some dogs are very sensitive to corn. And some dogs are just sensitive to change, even some that used to be able to eat anything. If you're switching foods/flavors a lot, I would try picking one food and gradually switching to it (we recommend 75% old food 25% new food for 2 days, then 50/50 for 2 days, then 75/25 for 2 days, then 100% of the new food on day 7.) Stick with it for a month or so. If your dog does well on it, stick with it without switching to something else suddenly. If not, pick something else and gradually switch to it and repeat.

Best wishes!

 

[Redfeathers]

We just switched from Purina salmon for sensitive systems to Blue Diamond lamb and rice. I was worried that my dogs would not do as well on a less expensive brand, but after two weeks, they are doing just fine, skin and coat look good although I supliment with Show Stopper. I have to say the Blue Diamond brand is a very reasonable price and the main ingredients don't make me cringe. I hate to see beet pulp added though.

 

[glowworm]

I switched from Nutro Natural Choice to Purina Pro Plan last year. Many aussie show owners swear by it...It has given my girls wonderful coats, they like the taste, and their stool is solid. I HATE soft stool! LOL I do not like Science Diet. I was working at a vet recently that I could get the big bags for $10, but for many reasons I didn't purchase it for very long.