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

[Javamama]

Sorry for answering multiple people in one post - kids are splitting my attention

I did not know that Nutro was bought out - I will be checking into that!

CityGirlintheCountry- I really don't think it's a coincidence either. My dogs are very healthy otherwise and can -and do- eat just about anything without vomiting usually. Thanks for telling me about your experience. I think I am just going to listen to my gut and play it safe.

s6bee- thanks for the tips! I went to PetSmart last night and was so confused by all the brands, so I may try the Avoderm. It was on e that I considered and then I got confused and ended up with Nutri ultra.

My best friend used to work for Nutro- that's how I started buying it. She told me it would cut down on poop because there wasn't the amount of filler that other dog foods use. But that was a long time ago and I'm sure she now has no idea that it has changed.

I'll come back to this topic later - it's very interesting to me. My kids are bouncing off the walls at the moment and I can't concentrate.

 

[GAhen]

I feed my 13 dogs Nutro......Right now it is $30.00 for 30-35 pound bag.
But I love the results it gives my dogs so I pay the price. I especially love the Glucosamine and Chondroitin it has in it and I do not have to buy that separately. I have giant breeds as well as dachshunds and everyone does great on this food....good weight and good mobility.
You could mix your Nutro with another good but less expensive brand.
I get my Nutro at Tractor Supply here in GA and they have the best price.

 

[texasreb]

This website was my lifeline during the pet food recalls last year. It's still a resource that I reference weekly:

http://www.thepetfoodlist.com/

If you're wondering who manufacturers what food, be sure to check out this section of the above referenced webby:

http://www.thepetfoodlist.com/manufacturers.htm

 

[augiedranch]

i am a die hard purina and science diet fan!

i work at a vet clinic and thats what vets reccomend.

one of my dogs gets purina healthy morsals

the other two are on science diet. i feed 1 x per day
(for dogs over two yrs old 1x a day is fine.)

inless its riding season, then ill but them on purina high pro


(they run the trails with me)

 

[sundance]

I buy kibbles & Bits for the big dogs and predigree and Alpo for the little dogs. I usually go thu 100 lbs a month for the big dogs and over a case a month for the little ones plus the treats they want. I spend more on dog food than i do for me and DH. and when i got Dry this month i noticed it was $3.00 more than it was 2 weeks ago.

marrie

 

[gamebirdsonly]

i just use o'roy my dogs are just fine.

 

[FutureChickenMan]

We use to buy the blue buffalo brand, but yeah economics called for a change. Now we're getting the Maximum? (black bag) brand from walmart. $10/cheaper a bag.

The main thing is this, don't get corn based feeds. Dogs are just like humans. Corn doesn't digest well. So get the chicken or lamb based feed and feed them less. The bag says our dogs should get 3 cups a day of feed. With that much feed the dogs gain weight. So we cut back, they get 2 cups a day. So keep that in mind when looking at the feed chart on the bag. You can probably feed them less than the bag recommends.

 

[MoonbeamQueen]

Now that we're up to 6 dogs we just can not afford the Science Diet small bites they were getting. I usually get whatever is on sale at the grocery. Fortunately they all tolerate change with no symptoms of allergies or GI upset. We give them plenty of exercise and no one has to go to the vet except for routine vaccinations and such. Vet is always impressed with how healthy our furkids are. When my chickens start laying I plan on giving the dogs an egg treat now and then. I'd be curious to know if raw or cooked is the way to go?

 

[warcard]

Vets recommend Science Diet because they are paid to recommend Science Diet. There are better foods out there for cheaper, even if your dog has allergy or digestive issue.

Some good websites for Dog Food Comparisons:
http://www.doberdogs.com/menu.html
http://animalark.eapps.com/animal/PetFoods.nsf/$$PetFoodsByManu?

A subscription to the Whole Dog Journal isn't that much and has lots of holistic/natural ideas for your dog. Plus they have an issue each year about good dog foods.

I'm all for feeding what you can afford, and what works for your dog but if you are having problems consider the 'junk' they put in cheap food as a possible culprit. Also 'cheap' food often has a lot of fillers that just pass through the dog undigested.

Check the recommended feeding amount on 'expensive' versus 'cheap' you can probably feed less of the expensive. It's not just a price per pound thing, you need to figure how long the bag lasts into the cost. And how much you like cleaning up fillers aka poop

 

[Cara]

We have 5 large dogs, and feed Nutro Ultra with Nupro Supplement. They had Natural Choice for a long time, but they all refused to eat it out of the blue. I think there must have been something wrong with that particular bag.

I'm wary of Nutro, but they offer the best breeder program for us. The dogs do look great, and since I lost a dog to bloat I will not feed them anything cheap in huge quantities. It is so important to split their food into two smaller portions each day, and not serve it completely dry.

I don't know how some people are going through so much food, especially the high quality brands. We have three adult dogs that are 75lbs, 60lbs and 55lbs, a 90lb puppy and a 20lb puppy. We go through approx. 100lbs a month for the adults, and 50 - 60lbs for the puppies. They are all working dogs, but only need 4-6 cups a day to stay in good condition.