# Has dog food prices gone to far??



## 3ToesTonyismydog (Dec 27, 2009)

I have been feeding the new Adult formula for over a week and everything is fine. Tonight I added the 6 fish, Tony did great on their last 6 fish, so I am thinking the same goes here. Lucky for me/Tony I found some super meaty chicken hindquarters at our butcher shop, so he'll be getting some of that added. Funny I got those for 1.29 a pound and Orijen 6 fish, is a tad over 2.90 a pound and the adult about 2.45. Has dog food prices just gotten totally out of control. Orijen isn't the only manufacture that has or is getting out of hand. But when I can get burger for 2.05 pound, pollack clean fillets for 1.98 a pound, it's time to rethink how a guy feeds his dog. Now, it is certainly easier to pour the kibble into a bowl, then to have to repack and freeze some of the meat products, along with heating it up. I guess there is some trade off, but for me Tony is about 1/4 fresh meat and the rest Orijen. LOL, it won't be lond before it is 50-50.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

They keep raising the prices and making the bags smaller, they are going to push me right out of the decent stuff and back to the pedigree.


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## arby665 (Nov 21, 2012)

I think the right way to figure that would be to determine the amount of meals you can get per bag -vs- how many pounds of raw and the cost per pound of that. Unless you are feeding your dog 2lbs of kibble you can't really compare that to 2lbs of raw. Hope that makes sense.


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## 3ToesTonyismydog (Dec 27, 2009)

shepherdmom said:


> They keep raising the prices and making the bags smaller, they are going to push me right out of the decent stuff and back to the pedigree.


Don't do that, that cheap crap killed one of my dogs. Just keep your eyes open for different ways to feed your dog. Asian and mexican markets, usually have some cheaper cuts of meat. Check out your local butcher shop's, some carry frozen pet food which they make out of older meat that gets close to going bad. Just don't go and feed cheap dog food, don't give up, you could be sorry.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

You also have to look at the source quality of the meat. I would rather feed dry food with antibiotic free chicken and grass fed beef than raw food with hormone infused antibiotic laden beef - grain fed (or hamburger from dairy cattle who have been pumped full of the same garbage all their short productive life) or antibiotic laden chicken leg quarters that may or may not have been irradiated because they don't "have" to tell us.

To me, the ideal is scrap from the folks who process quality local meats fed naturally; that is my goal.


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## DTS (Oct 19, 2010)

I found acana online for $62.99. The store I usually get it from upped the price for the Pacifica from $63.99 to $74. If the prices go up online as well I'm going to have to find something else. If I had a freezer I'd feed raw.

ETA: just checked the place I ordered food from, the upped the price to $77.99 a bag.. Looks like I will be in the market for a new kibble. And I hope when the food gets here it isn't bad because they sent me a 29.7 lb bag and the new bags are 28.7lb. No wonder it was the normal price. Ugh.. I'm not sure where to go from here


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

3ToesTonyismydog said:


> Don't do that, that cheap crap killed one of my dogs. Just keep your eyes open for different ways to feed your dog. Asian and mexican markets, usually have some cheaper cuts of meat. Check out your local butcher shop's, some carry frozen pet food which they make out of older meat that gets close to going bad. Just don't go and feed cheap dog food, don't give up, you could be sorry.



Everyone's hours got cut again at work today I'm not going to have much of a choice if I want to keep everyone fed. The food I've been feeding went from 34.99 a bag to 39.99 a bag and was up to $44.99 a bag this last time. While my hours have gone down to only 10 a week. That barely covers my gas to get there.


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## Shaolin (Jun 16, 2012)

Hubby and I were just talking about this while shopping for dog food. I paid 30$ for an 8lb bag of BB. We could buy a 30lb+ bag of Kibbles and Bits, plus a case of Alpo and still have some change left over for a bag of treats for what I paid for that food. I refuse to go back to that type of food, but it does make RAW feeding, or at least 50/50 look much better.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I don't buy kibble for the dogs but do for my cats. For 1 bag of Origen it's almost $90 and that will last my 2 cats about a month (they also get wet food). 

For Acana, it's about $70 for a bag and lasts the same amount of time.

It's insane.. add in the cost of the wet food that they get once per day (1 can each) at $2.29 a can (remember x's 2! per day) and the amount I spend in cat food is probably more than I spend on myself!

The dogs are cheaper because I do raw and buy from butchers and farmers but still does add up when feeding 2 large and very active dogs!


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## mego (Jan 27, 2013)

DTS said:


> I found acana online for $62.99. The store I usually get it from upped the price for the Pacifica from $63.99 to $74. If the prices go up online as well I'm going to have to find something else. If I had a freezer I'd feed raw.
> 
> ETA: just checked the place I ordered food from, the upped the price to $77.99 a bag.. Looks like I will be in the market for a new kibble. And I hope when the food gets here it isn't bad because they sent me a 29.7 lb bag and the new bags are 28.7lb. No wonder it was the normal price. Ugh.. I'm not sure where to go from here


chewy has acana for 67 with free ship.  Maybe you can try there?


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## volcano (Jan 14, 2013)

1.29 is alot for raw dog food. Find your local ethnic market, theyll have it for less. Plus they have the stuff dogs love like feet, backs, necks, organs.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

You can't compare raw and kibble lb per lb, raw has high mositure content and kibble doesn't. So kibble is much more concentrated, you're not going to feed the same amount daily in lbs of kibble to a dog that you would lbs of raw. 

That said, feeding raw for me has been much cheaper than when I was feeding Natures Variety kibble.


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## Rallhaus (May 17, 2011)

Costco
Natures Domain - Salmon & Sweet Potato
35lb bag under $45

Fair price, quality ingredients, dogs love it and do well on it.


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## SS-GSD (Dec 10, 2012)

Tbh, I think $1.29/lb for chicken quarters is ridiculous! :shocked: I just stocked up on a couple months worth that were on sale for 69c/lb. Regular price is 79 cents. That adds up to a big price difference pretty quick!


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## Thesilentone (Jan 5, 2013)

shepherdmom said:


> They keep raising the prices and making the bags smaller, they are going to push me right out of the decent stuff and back to the pedigree.


Exactly. They do that with everything nowadays; the whole less is more aspect. I've had to settle with the cheap dog food lately because of this and not having a paying job myself, no unemployment.. no choice. The last decent brand I had was a 5 lb bag of Nutro Natural Choice that was $15.99 and didn't last long at all. But the least I can do in the time being is get samples as I can. I really wish low quality/grocery store brands of dog food were banned from being sold to the public and higher quality/premium dog food was replaced and at lower prices. It's so cruel and the mass majority of shoppers don't realize how unhealthy it is.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

elisabeth_00117 said:


> I don't buy kibble for the dogs but do for my cats. For 1 bag of Origen it's almost $90 and that will last my 2 cats about a month (they also get wet food).
> 
> For Acana, it's about $70 for a bag and lasts the same amount of time.
> 
> ...


:wild: NO way! Holy cow. That kibble price is outrageous. I think 1.5-2x more than here maybe? That's too bad. 

I wish my cats liked the Primal raw for all the time, but they just want 1 every other day. I've been using Wild Kitty mix too to make my own - I cook the meat but it's for raw food. There are a couple of other mixes like that - one is made in Canada. I have websites if you want them.


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## 3ToesTonyismydog (Dec 27, 2009)

Shaolin said:


> Hubby and I were just talking about this while shopping for dog food. I paid 30$ for an 8lb bag of BB. We could buy a 30lb+ bag of Kibbles and Bits, plus a case of Alpo and still have some change left over for a bag of treats for what I paid for that food. I refuse to go back to that type of food, but it does make RAW feeding, or at least 50/50 look much better.


Oh my gosh don't feed that crap to your dogs. I'll try in the future to make up a list of good food's for a decent price. Pulsar is only 40 bucks for a big bag and in my opinion is way better than BB. Whole Earth Farms and Kirkland are also decent dog food's for a decent price, Costco also carries another brand for a decent price which the name I can't remember.


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## Thesilentone (Jan 5, 2013)

3ToesTonyismydog said:


> Oh my gosh don't feed that crap to your dogs. I'll try in the future to make up a list of good food's for a decent price. Pulsar is only 40 bucks for a big bag and in my opinion is way better than BB. Whole Earth Farms and Kirkland are also decent dog food's for a decent price, Costco also carries another brand for a decent price which the name I can't remember.


I've been doing some researching myself to figure out better brands at really low prices so my dogs don't have to suffer. So far the brands I have come down to is either Diamond Naturals or Kirkland, both around the same prices for the same amount in 40 lb bags. 

The other brand sold at Costco is called Nature's Domain? Never heard of it until you mentioned it. Is it any better or as good as Kirkland?


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Kirkland is made by Diamond and very similar. Diamond Naturals is 29$ for a 40# bag, 38$ for a 40 pound bag of the Extreme Athlete. These have good ingredients at a decent price.


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## Shaolin (Jun 16, 2012)

3ToesTonyismydog said:


> Oh my gosh don't feed that crap to your dogs. I'll try in the future to make up a list of good food's for a decent price. Pulsar is only 40 bucks for a big bag and in my opinion is way better than BB. Whole Earth Farms and Kirkland are also decent dog food's for a decent price, Costco also carries another brand for a decent price which the name I can't remember.


I don't see anything wrong with BB, IMHO. The shedding is down to a bare minimum, smallish (for him) poops, and he filled out quite nicely. I also don't have a Sam's Club or Costco...just a place called BJs that has all name brand products except for the house brand. They have a dog food, but the animals won't touch it and the smell was way off...kind of like an ammonia-ish smell.

I like the BB Wilderness formula better than their other stuff.

Also, what's the definition of a big bag? Over 30lbs? If I can get a really good, high protein food for cheaper than BB...I'd be ALL over it. I wish I remembered what the breeder fed Finn...it was great food, but we had to get it at a specialty store and the store closed about 4 months after Finn came home.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

4health is another Diamond brand privately labeled for Tractor Supply Co. They have some grain-free foods that have some less than desirable ingredients, like Turkey, Turkey meal Potatoes, Poultry Meal, and then Poultry Fat. I guess you have to cut corners somewhere. But that stuff is about $38 for 35 pounds.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I pay $43 dollars for the big bag of Fromm for the dogs, which I think is reasonable and it lasts about a month. The cats are on the basic Blue Buffalo with limited ingredients, 11 pound bag is $36.00. I buy two and it lasts about 2-3 months for 5 cats. No more vomiting, hairballs, and poop is good..so its worth the price to me


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

3ToesTonyismydog said:


> Oh my gosh don't feed that crap to your dogs. I'll try in the future to make up a list of good food's for a decent price. Pulsar is only 40 bucks for a big bag and in my opinion is way better than BB. Whole Earth Farms and Kirkland are also decent dog food's for a decent price, Costco also carries another brand for a decent price which the name I can't remember.


A list of the less expensive but still good foods would be very very helpful!


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## Pooky44 (Feb 10, 2013)

shepherdmom said:


> A list of the less expensive but still good foods would be very very helpful!


Amen


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

The top ones I recommend for money savings were mentioned. Its the Diamond/Kirkland/4Health ones. They're all made by diamond, 4Health is exclusive to tractor supply co and kirkland exclusive to costco. I think they're high up there in quality per cost. Lower quality foods than the likes of Blue Buffalo, but much better than Purina/Iams/etc.


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## Ken Clean-Air System (Feb 27, 2012)

Victor, and Dr. Tim's both come to mind as less expensive but still very good foods. Dr. Tim's is one that I would very much consider if I was to switch to a less expensive food. It's made by an excellent manufacturer, and Dr. Tim's has some of, if not the best customer service I have seen. Many of the questions I've posed to them were answered by Dr. Tim himself.


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## barnyard (Jun 21, 2012)

I just started switching the puppy over to Dr. Tim's Kinesis grain inclusive for the pup who decided she didn't want Fromm anymore. I paid $53 (with a $10 coupon) at Petflow for 44 pounds. If you want the grain free Chewy has a good deal on that.
Hi-Tek recently changed their grain free chicken formula and I like the way it looks. I think it's around $47 for 30 lbs.


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## Zookeep (May 17, 2012)

selzer said:


> 4health is another Diamond brand privately labeled for Tractor Supply Co. They have some grain-free foods that have some less than desirable ingredients, like Turkey, Turkey meal Potatoes, Poultry Meal, and then Poultry Fat. I guess you have to cut corners somewhere. But that stuff is about $38 for 35 pounds.


The grain-free versions of 4Health are not made by Diamond. They are made by Ainsworth. Only the 4Health foods with grain are made by Diamond.


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## Zookeep (May 17, 2012)

Ken Clean-Air System said:


> Victor, and Dr. Tim's both come to mind as less expensive but still very good foods. Dr. Tim's is one that I would very much consider if I was to switch to a less expensive food. It's made by an excellent manufacturer, and Dr. Tim's has some of, if not the best customer service I have seen. Many of the questions I've posed to them were answered by Dr. Tim himself.


Are Victor and Dr. Tim's available in NY? I haven't seen them anywhere.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

I thank you for trying to help, but if $44.99 for a 30 # bag of Natures Recipe is already pushing the limits the $47 and $53 dollar bags are just out of the question. I need to know which is the best of the cheap dog foods. 

Science Diet
Purina
Authority
Iams 
Eukanuba 
Pedigree 
Loyall
Ranchers Choice
Diamond - can't put Buddy on this one makes him sick. I am thinking about keeping him on the good stuff and switching everyone else to this. He also used to do really well on he Science Diet Large Breed so I may put him back on that one as he has been losing weight with the Natures Recipe. Even with putting raw egg and other good stuff suggested here. 

and there are a couple of other high pro big bags that say lots of protein for working dogs at Big R but I can't remember the names I will check it out and post them as well. 

I live in the middle of nowhere Nevada so my choices are limited. My options for getting food are Petsmart, Big R, or Cal-Ranch. Ordering online is not an option as delivery out here is spotty at best.


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## Ken Clean-Air System (Feb 27, 2012)

Zookeep said:


> Are Victor and Dr. Tim's available in NY? I haven't seen them anywhere.


Well, Dr. Tim's is available at Pet Flow, which may or may not have a retail store in NYC ... not sure if they are just online or if there's a brick and mortar store, I'm on the other side of the state so can't really say.

Victor just recently became available here in Rochester. Only one place that sells it, which is actually fairly close to me. I have not been there yet, but at the moment I'm not looking to switch foods.


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## Ken Clean-Air System (Feb 27, 2012)

shepherdmom said:


> I thank you for trying to help, but if $44.99 for a 30 # bag of Natures Recipe is already pushing the limits the $47 and $53 dollar bags are just out of the question. I need to know which is the best of the cheap dog foods.
> 
> Science Diet
> Purina
> ...


The thing that you should keep in mind, is that with the cheaper foods you are going to be feeding more. A higher calorie and higher quality food like Dr. Tim's may be more expensive per bag, but you feed less so the bag goes farther. In the end you may end up paying less per day of feeding with something like that than with any of the foods you mentioned.


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## Zookeep (May 17, 2012)

shepherdmom said:


> I thank you for trying to help, but if $44.99 for a 30 # bag of Natures Recipe is already pushing the limits the $47 and $53 dollar bags are just out of the question. I need to know which is the best of the cheap dog foods.
> 
> Science Diet
> Purina
> ...


There are many, many dogs doing fine on all of the foods you have listed. They are all AAFCO certified, meaning they have all been determined to meet a dog's nutritional requirements. 

My preference would be for Diamond. The Diamond Naturals is better than the regular Diamond. 4Health and Premium Edge, also made by Diamond are good choices and are not much more expensive than some of the ones you have listed. I pay $38 for a 35 pound bag of 4Health Salmon and Potato at Tractor Supply. The Premium Edge version is about the same price.


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## Zookeep (May 17, 2012)

Ken Clean-Air System said:


> Well, Dr. Tim's is available at Pet Flow, which may or may not have a retail store in NYC ... not sure if they are just online or if there's a brick and mortar store, I'm on the other side of the state so can't really say.
> 
> Victor just recently became available here in Rochester. Only one place that sells it, which is actually fairly close to me. I have not been there yet, but at the moment I'm not looking to switch foods.



I guess I should have been more clear. I am in Rochester. Where in Rochester can you buy Victor.


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## Ken Clean-Air System (Feb 27, 2012)

Zookeep said:


> I guess I should have been more clear. I am in Rochester. Where in Rochester can you buy Victor.


I don't see it listed on their website, but according to the 'Find a Dealer' link on Victor's webpage it is sold here: Barks and Recreation Inc. - Where its ALL about the dogs! which is in (ironically enough) Victor, NY.


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## Zookeep (May 17, 2012)

shepherdmom said:


> I thank you for trying to help, but if $44.99 for a 30 # bag of Natures Recipe is already pushing the limits the $47 and $53 dollar bags are just out of the question. I need to know which is the best of the cheap dog foods.
> 
> Science Diet
> Purina
> ...


Let me take back something I said in an earlier post. I just looked up Rancher's Choice. I think it has possibly the worst ingredients list I have ever seen. 



> Ingredients: Ground yellow corn, distillers dried grain with solubles, porcine meal, wheat middlings, poultry fat (preserved with BHA), poultry liver flavors, salt, potassium chloride, brewers yeast, vitamins and minerals


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Zookeep said:


> There are many, many dogs doing fine on all of the foods you have listed. They are all AAFCO certified, meaning they have all been determined to meet a dog's nutritional requirements.
> 
> My preference would be for Diamond. The Diamond Naturals is better than the regular Diamond. 4Health and Premium Edge, also made by Diamond are good choices and are not much more expensive than some of the ones you have listed. I pay $38 for a 35 pound bag of 4Health Salmon and Potato at Tractor Supply. The Premium Edge version is about the same price.


Thank you! I will see if the Big R has Diamond Naturals.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Zookeep said:


> Let me take back something I said in an earlier post. I just looked up Rancher's Choice. I think it has possibly the worst ingredients list I have ever seen.


Thank you this is the kind of feedback I need. No Ranchers Choice. So Diamond is the best of the worst bunch...


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## barnyard (Jun 21, 2012)

Pro-pac is another one that is reasonable cost wise. It does have corn but seems to have a decent amount of meat. It rates a 4 star on dog food advisor. Here's a link to one online retailer. They are made by the same company as Earthborn. 
Fromm classic might be another one to look at. I'm not sure of prices. 
Since you are i NY do you have a Wegmans around you? Here they just started selling Evolve Maintenance chicken, which looks like an ok food. Here it is $28.99 for a 30 lb bag.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Ken Clean-Air System said:


> The thing that you should keep in mind, is that with the cheaper foods you are going to be feeding more. A higher calorie and higher quality food like Dr. Tim's may be more expensive per bag, but you feed less so the bag goes farther. In the end you may end up paying less per day of feeding with something like that than with any of the foods you mentioned.


I left you a snarky reply then deleted it. I'm sorry. But when your hours are cut in half like mine just were higher quality foods are not an option at all. You just have to pick the best of the bad. A list rating the bad foods would be very helpful.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Well I think the dog food analysis sites do a fairly good job - this one is pretty good and kept up to date (some other sites have not been updated for years)
Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor

Even if you are cutting corners, look at the calories per kg and how many kg in a bag to get the calories per bag. That helps you compare better. 

It's not just calories either it is how much is actually digested - how much do you have to feed..how much is lost in stool because it is NOT digested?. My kids give their dog Beneful. I opened the bag and the rancid smell about knocked me over. Their 40lb beagle mix gets about 6 cups a day and is not as active as my 75lb GSDs who got 3 or 4 cups a day of a higher quality food. 

I really think that is what Ken is saying is there is a balance point where a mid quality food may come in cheaper in the long run.........like 4health, victor, blackwood (non corn varieties) etc.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

shepherdmom said:


> I left you a snarky reply then deleted it. I'm sorry. But when your hours are cut in half like mine just were higher quality foods are not an option at all. You just have to pick the best of the bad. A list rating the bad foods would be very helpful.


They are trying to say that sometimes going a little higher in quality is actually CHEAPER in the long run due to feeding less. And its true. In a more nutritionally dense food you feed less cups per day so the cost per month is frequently cheaper than feeding a crap food. Most of the bargain foods are NOT bargains. If you're feeding 8 cups a day of something that costs half the price per bag than something you feed 4 cups a day, you're paying the same amount and not getting the benefits. You can't go by strictly price per lb of food.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

I'm switching the boys off Victor back to Precise. Victor looks good on paper but I can't ignore Rocky's foot-licking thing and the 10 pounds Kopper has lost. I found a place where I can get 44lb of the Precise foundation and 40lb of the 30/20 Endurance shipped to my door for $100.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

I understand you can't go entirely by price however I could double the amount I'm feeding now and still save $$ there was a high pro dog food that was $30 for a 50 # bag. 

I went with a 40 # bag of Diamond Naturals extreme athlete for about $40. I will start mixing it in tonight and see how that goes. I want to feed my dogs the best I can but I also have to take into consideration basics like mortgage, electric and food for us.


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## 3ToesTonyismydog (Dec 27, 2009)

shepherdmom said:


> I thank you for trying to help, but if $44.99 for a 30 # bag of Natures Recipe is already pushing the limits the $47 and $53 dollar bags are just out of the question. I need to know which is the best of the cheap dog foods.
> 
> Science Diet
> Purina
> ...


I guess if you can't get Pulsar, Kirkand, Fromm or Whole Earth farms and those were my only choice's, I would lean towards Authority. I noticed awhile back when I was in Petsmart the food had improved. Like one poster said you well have to feed more. I would certainly add fresh meat if I were you.... Busy watching Pac12 wrestling!!!!!


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## 3ToesTonyismydog (Dec 27, 2009)

jocoyn said:


> Well I think the dog food analysis sites do a fairly good job - this one is pretty good and kept up to date (some other sites have not been updated for years)
> Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor
> 
> 
> I really think that is what Ken is saying is there is a balance point where a mid quality food may come in cheaper in the long run.........like 4health, victor, blackwood (non corn varieties) etc.


I agree adviser is the best out there, dogfoodchat isn't as good but they are dedicated. Dogfoodproject offers another way to rate dog food, but I'll be the first to admit that I don't agree with her 100%.

The Dog Food Project - Grading kibble - easily?


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## Zookeep (May 17, 2012)

shepherdmom said:


> I went with a 40 # bag of Diamond Naturals extreme athlete for about $40. I will start mixing it in tonight and see how that goes. I want to feed my dogs the best I can but I also have to take into consideration basics like mortgage, electric and food for us.


Great choice. Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete is rated 5 stars on the Dog Food Advisor site.


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## vicky2200 (Oct 29, 2010)

Please don't tell me the prices went up! I am almost out of food, for all the dogs, and the prices were already ridiculous. When I think about it in terms of how much it costs for a human to eat, they are cheap. It costs us about $110 for about a month and a week of food for all four of them. It could be worse, but if it went up, I'm not sure how we will do it. If you think about it though, the price of EVERYTHING keeps going up.


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## Shaolin (Jun 16, 2012)

Lin said:


> They are trying to say that sometimes going a little higher in quality is actually CHEAPER in the long run due to feeding less. And its true. In a more nutritionally dense food you feed less cups per day so the cost per month is frequently cheaper than feeding a crap food. Most of the bargain foods are NOT bargains. If you're feeding 8 cups a day of something that costs half the price per bag than something you feed 4 cups a day, you're paying the same amount and not getting the benefits. You can't go by strictly price per lb of food.


 
I never thought of it this way. Brilliant post! :thumbup:

I sat and did the math real quick. A 40# bag of Kibbles and Bits lasted approximately 3 1/2 weeks and cost about 35$. We were feeding approximately 6-8 cups of food a day for an 80# very active GSD and a 50# very senior Collie. We also supplemented with a can a day of Alpo split between the two through the day. We bought a case of 28 cans for 15$. The Alpo would also only make it for the same amount of time as the dry food.

Their poops were INSANE. We're talking not being able to use a little poop bag on walks. They would also get sick if they ate anything close to the recommended amount, which resulted in a vet trip for each of them due to the vomiting/diarrhea to the tune of 400$+

When Chey was alive, we bought 1, 24# bag of BB Wilderness at between 50-60$ The food lasted for the entire month, maybe a day or two off. Both dogs ate very well without getting ill and their poops shrank almost overnight. Coat condition improved dramatically and their general look improved as well. Neither of them had any gastro issues and they really enjoy it.

I guess, in the end, the more expensive food wins out, but we are hoping to add another GSD soon, so at first, we'll be buying another 55$ bag of puppy food, but once we switch to adult, a 24# bag will not make the entire month trying to feed 8-10 cups of food a day. I have no issue spending over 100$ a month on a premium food that I've had succeess with, but if I could find a food that is just as good in quality or better, but at a lower price...


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

vicky2200 said:


> Please don't tell me the prices went up! I am almost out of food, for all the dogs, and the prices were already ridiculous. When I think about it in terms of how much it costs for a human to eat, they are cheap. It costs us about $110 for about a month and a week of food for all four of them. It could be worse, but if it went up, I'm not sure how we will do it. If you think about it though, the price of EVERYTHING keeps going up.


Prices went up here.


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## irickchad (Feb 6, 2013)

If you all are looking for a good dry kibble that's well made and of good quality, I think you should look into Canidae. It hasn't been mentioned a lot on this board, I'm not sure why, but here's a link to amazon. $46 for a 35lb bag... 

Amazon.com: Canidae Dry Dog Food for All Life Stages, Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, and Fish, 35-Pound: Pet Supplies


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

irickchad said:


> If you all are looking for a good dry kibble that's well made and of good quality, I think you should look into Canidae. It hasn't been mentioned a lot on this board, I'm not sure why, but here's a link to amazon. $46 for a 35lb bag...
> 
> Amazon.com: Canidae Dry Dog Food for All Life Stages, Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, and Fish, 35-Pound: Pet Supplies



I have used it and had some really bad luck with it, before and after the formula changed. One of the people that I talked to there, said she didn't know why but Great Danes and German Shepherds seem to have the most trouble with the food. Lots of nasty colitis and weight loss. Switched foods and colitis stopped completely -- no more bouts of colitis and slowly I got the weight back on.


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## irickchad (Feb 6, 2013)

selzer said:


> I have used it and had some really bad luck with it, before and after the formula changed. One of the people that I talked to there, said she didn't know why but Great Danes and German Shepherds seem to have the most trouble with the food. Lots of nasty colitis and weight loss. Switched foods and colitis stopped completely -- no more bouts of colitis and slowly I got the weight back on.


That's odd. Maybe a GSD thing. I've never fed it to a GSD so I can't speak from experience. But I have a Sib. Husky with a very sensitive stomach, and Canidae Chicken Formula has been his food since we finally found that it worked for him at around 5 months old. They have a number of different formulas, so if they have issues with one, someone could always try the other. I think it's in the same "realm" as the Kirkland foods. high quality, but cheap.. because they don't spend on their money on advertisement and packaging.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

$46 for a 35 pound bag really isn't all that cheap for the ingredients listed. The ingredients look pretty good, chicken meal, brown rice, white rice, rice bran, rice flour, brewers rice, rice something or other -- why do they break their rice down into 4 or 5 parts, when brown rice has the most nutrients? 

Diamond Naturals is $29 for a 40 pound bag for adult chicken and rice, and $38 for a 40 pound bag for the extreme athlete. I feed 50/50 of these two, and am having excellent results. It is similar to kirkland but I am not sure how much that stuff costs. 

My problem with Canidae was a nightmare because it was a 5 star food and I couldn't believe it was the problem. I tested for everything on the dog that was effected the worst. Finally the vet threw up his hands and said it has to be the food, we've tried everything else. So I switched. I am talking colitis bouts once or even twice a week. It was awful. Sometimes it was one dog, sometime three or four dogs. But the one dog it was all the time with her. I fed the food about a year before the change and a year after -- then all my dogs lost 5-7 pounds all at once. I figured it out that every other bag was giving me issues.


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## 3weims (Mar 6, 2013)

we live in NY. we get victor from sportdogfood.com. We have our guys on Grain-Free $38/30lbs. and Hi Engery $32/40lbs. sometimes they have coupons. good luck.


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## GusGus (Oct 24, 2012)

shepherdmom said:


> Everyone's hours got cut again at work today I'm not going to have much of a choice if I want to keep everyone fed. The food I've been feeding went from 34.99 a bag to 39.99 a bag and was up to $44.99 a bag this last time. While my hours have gone down to only 10 a week. That barely covers my gas to get there.


I'm sorry that happened to you. If you have to switch, just try to research Ingredients and prices!


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

GusGus said:


> I'm sorry that happened to you. If you have to switch, just try to research Ingredients and prices!


Thanks we did switch to Diamond Naturals. So far so good. We are mixing in a little more every day. Took Buddy to the vet Monday to get weight. He has put on a few pounds which is good since he lost so much so rapidly when he was sick. Now we just have to figure out the right amount to give him to maintain and not gain.


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

Thanks to the advise from Emoore, I put Sib on Precise Foundation..They are running a free extra 4 lbs bag right now, so I am paying 48$ for 44lbs....She only eats 3 1/2 cups a day..Kinda big poops, but maybe I am feeding her too much...


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## 3ToesTonyismydog (Dec 27, 2009)

OH,no I was just in Petsmart and I was wrong about Authority. 2 types of corn, right off the bat. So it is very corn heavy and heavy in low grade corn. But they did have a couple in the 50 dollar range that were, OK.


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## SlavenK (Mar 7, 2013)

Wow,I envy you guys in USA for your broad choice of food. Where I live,best you can buy is Orjen (70-90 euros for 30 pound bag) and TOTW (70 euros for 30 pound,55 E/bag if you buy 2 or more bags).


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## gmcenroe (Oct 23, 2007)

*Dog food costs*

I've been feeding Orijen adult for 4 years to my 92lb Juli. The cost has gone up but at least now there are 2 stores within reasonable distance that sell it. Unfortunately they are not so great in stocking inventory. I have also mixed Orijen 6 fish with Orijen adult about 1:5 6 fish: adult on weight ratio. Today I could not find any Orijen adult so I thought I would try Acana Pacifica. I always buy 30lb bags, I thought Pacifica would be cheaper than Orijen. Price for Acana Pacifica 30lb bag including California tax was $82, so I thought well if it is that much what is Orijen 6 fish from same store, it was $85/30lb bag. Six fish is a little too rich for my dog, protein content of Orijen adult vs. Acana Pacifica is 38% vs. 34% so almost identical. My dog is a ravenous eater and will eat anything. I wanted to switch her from chicken/turkey protein source back to fish. It will be interesting to see how she does on Acana. Either way I might be buying food online, it could be cheaper including shipping!


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## NormanF (Apr 14, 2013)

irickchad said:


> If you all are looking for a good dry kibble that's well made and of good quality, I think you should look into Canidae. It hasn't been mentioned a lot on this board, I'm not sure why, but here's a link to amazon. $46 for a 35lb bag...
> 
> Amazon.com: Canidae Dry Dog Food for All Life Stages, Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, and Fish, 35-Pound: Pet Supplies


If they produced a 40 lb bag for $38, I'd be sold. As it is, I'm probably going to Diamond Naturals. 

The 15 lb bag I bought was good but didn't last my GSD the entire month. High quality food should last longer!


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## NormanF (Apr 14, 2013)

jang said:


> Thanks to the advise from Emoore, I put Sib on Precise Foundation..They are running a free extra 4 lbs bag right now, so I am paying 48$ for 44lbs....She only eats 3 1/2 cups a day..Kinda big poops, but maybe I am feeding her too much...



How active is your dog? 2 to 3 cups a day should be sufficient, unless your GSD has special needs.


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## NormanF (Apr 14, 2013)

selzer said:


> $46 for a 35 pound bag really isn't all that cheap for the ingredients listed. The ingredients look pretty good, chicken meal, brown rice, white rice, rice bran, rice flour, brewers rice, rice something or other -- why do they break their rice down into 4 or 5 parts, when brown rice has the most nutrients?
> 
> Diamond Naturals is $29 for a 40 pound bag for adult chicken and rice, and $38 for a 40 pound bag for the extreme athlete. I feed 50/50 of these two, and am having excellent results. It is similar to kirkland but I am not sure how much that stuff costs.
> 
> My problem with Canidae was a nightmare because it was a 5 star food and I couldn't believe it was the problem. I tested for everything on the dog that was effected the worst. Finally the vet threw up his hands and said it has to be the food, we've tried everything else. So I switched. I am talking colitis bouts once or even twice a week. It was awful. Sometimes it was one dog, sometime three or four dogs. But the one dog it was all the time with her. I fed the food about a year before the change and a year after -- then all my dogs lost 5-7 pounds all at once. I figured it out that every other bag was giving me issues.


Canidae Grain Free is a 5 star food. The rest of the line - in particular ALS is 4 star. Quality control can be an issue with some pet food manufacturers. Ask to speak with their customer service department. Your dog's health shouldn't be affected by the food he eats.


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## NormanF (Apr 14, 2013)

3weims said:


> we live in NY. we get victor from sportdogfood.com. We have our guys on Grain-Free $38/30lbs. and Hi Engery $32/40lbs. sometimes they have coupons. good luck.


The shipping charge is high for what you get! Look for an online pet food store that offers free shipping when you buy big bags. And with some of them autoship option can save you money over time.


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## NormanF (Apr 14, 2013)

selzer said:


> I have used it and had some really bad luck with it, before and after the formula changed. One of the people that I talked to there, said she didn't know why but Great Danes and German Shepherds seem to have the most trouble with the food. Lots of nasty colitis and weight loss. Switched foods and colitis stopped completely -- no more bouts of colitis and slowly I got the weight back on.


My GSD gets soft stools with chicken and lamb. I'm going to try beef and then perhaps a fish formula. GSDs have sensitive stomachs and its not easy finding a food that sits well with them.


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## Muneraven (Sep 4, 2012)

*Petflow*

I honestly don't work for the company: Petflow ships my dog food right to my door for free and the price is a bit cheaper than at local chains. They have LOTS of brands. 

We really like not having to worry about getting low at an inopportune time. Plus less wrestling in of large bags!


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## Jordan1017 (May 9, 2013)

I pay $22 for 15lbs of Avoderm. My Kitty gets Wellness weight control and for a large bag I pay I think $26 and last over 2 months free feeding. It's working great for us and I get it through Amazon prime subscribe. Free shipping and there are other affordable higher end foods much cheaper then in store. Now, if money is tight I would go to Kirkland large breed never pedigree or any other food I could get at my grocery store. It's grain free and is made by Diamond. Actually for your average premium dog food, Kirkland beats them imo, especially in price. A couple years back we had a rescue that had stool issues. Nothing worked to make them solid and we tried several. bought Kirkland and no more issues. I think it was a 40lb bag for about $25.


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## Jordan1017 (May 9, 2013)

Btw, it's been awhile since I've really had to pay attention, but just because meat is listed first does not mean it is the higher ingredient. Some companies will separate ingredients to make it appear meat is the dominate ingredient. It's a loop whole to regulations of ingredient listing.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

NormanF said:


> Canidae Grain Free is a 5 star food. The rest of the line - in particular ALS is 4 star. Quality control can be an issue with some pet food manufacturers. Ask to speak with their customer service department. Your dog's health shouldn't be affected by the food he eats.


When I was feeding it, it was 5 stars. The six star foods were wellness core, and some of the other stuff -- all grain free. 

My dogs get a mushy stool if I feed them too much. But they can have a good solid stool with chicken if I back it down a little. 

The problem I had with Canidae was pools of blood. I swear I rushed the first dog to the ER there was so much blood and it totally freaked me out. It is really not good when you are accustomed to having your dogs spew bloody yuck. Since I got off Canidae, I have NEVER had another bout of colitis. I did lose the girl that was effected worse then the others. I figure her system was just too damaged. She did not bloat. Her death was sudden. But the others that had also suffered from colitis and significant weight loss with Canidae, Tori, Milla, Heidi, and Joy are all doing very well now. I think Jenna and Babs were not as affected by the food as the others, but they haven't had any problems with the new food either. And it was like night and day. After the switch, there were no more colitis attacks, none. And then I had to work slowly to put the weight back on. I won't ever go back to that food.


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## gmcenroe (Oct 23, 2007)

*Correction on protein content Orijen adult vs. Acana Pacifica*



gmcenroe said:


> I've been feeding Orijen adult for 4 years to my 92lb Juli. The cost has gone up but at least now there are 2 stores within reasonable distance that sell it. Unfortunately they are not so great in stocking inventory. I have also mixed Orijen 6 fish with Orijen adult about 1:5 6 fish: adult on weight ratio. Today I could not find any Orijen adult so I thought I would try Acana Pacifica. I always buy 30lb bags, I thought Pacifica would be cheaper than Orijen. Price for Acana Pacifica 30lb bag including California tax was $82, so I thought well if it is that much what is Orijen 6 fish from same store, it was $85/30lb bag. Six fish is a little too rich for my dog, protein content of Orijen adult vs. Acana Pacifica is 38% vs. 34% so almost identical. My dog is a ravenous eater and will eat anything. I wanted to switch her from chicken/turkey protein source back to fish. It will be interesting to see how she does on Acana. Either way I might be buying food online, it could be cheaper including shipping!


Orijen adult is actually 36% protein vs. Acana Pacifica 34% so that is even closer. Callories Orijen Adult 450kcal/250ml cup Acana Pacifica 421kcal/250ml cup, so I can probably feed the same quantity.


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