# what food considering the criteria



## jp11us (Jun 24, 2009)

well, I'm getting a gsd pup soon. right now I have iams large breed puppy food which I can take back, its not opened or anything. I'm wondering what should I give her, I live in texas and my budget is around $1 per pound of food, preferably not higher, so a 40 lbs bag of food for $40 basically is the max I can spend right now. She will be 9 weeks when I pick her up this upcoming Friday. Any suggestions would be nice.

Also, what treats should I get her considering the budget?

thanks,
John


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

It's hard to find really good foods under $1 a pound but here are some options in that range that are better than Iams:

Canidae
Diamond Naturals
Chicken Soup Large Breed Puppy
Natural Balance

Keep in mind the larger bags are usually less per pound. Also keep in mind that you might actually end up paying more for a cheaper food because a lot of times the cheaper the food, the more food a dog must eat to get the required nutrients so you might end up buying more food each month.


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## jp11us (Jun 24, 2009)

well if i went with the more expensive food, how much do i feed them as opposed to oh say canidae


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally Posted By: ChicagocanineAlso keep in mind that you might actually end up paying more for a cheaper food because a lot of times the cheaper the food, the more food a dog must eat to get the required nutrients so you might end up buying more food each month.


That's something you should definitely take into consideration. Calories vary quite a bit between foods, from as low as 300 or so per cup to over 600 per cup, so obviously, even if you're paying more for the higher quality food your cost may be comparable or only slightly higher, plus your dog is getting better nutrition. Most companies have this information on their websites, or you can get it off the back of the bag - all you have to do is compare the recommend feeding quantities or the kcals per cup of the various foods you're considering.

Wellness also makes a large breed puppy formula, but I don't remember what it costs.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally Posted By: jp11uswell if i went with the more expensive food, how much do i feed them as opposed to oh say canidae


Go to each company's website and then compare the data. You can also find out how much each food costs by checking online sources.


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## jp11us (Jun 24, 2009)

i guess what the minimum calories per feeding for a pup? and how many feedings? Ive been told 3


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

For a 9 week old puppy three meals a day is fine. I've actually fed two meals a day starting at 9 weeks before, and that was fine too, but I was coming home mid-day for the first few weeks and using lots of training treats so they weren't really going all day without food. 

Rather than getting too complicated and trying to figure out how many calories a growing puppy needs, I start with the feeding guide on the bag. If my puppy is looking pudgy, I cut back a bit from there. If my puppy seems too skinny, I add a bit more. And if I switch from one food to another and my dog is doing well on a particular quantity of the old food, I calculate how much of the new food will deliver the same number of calories. For example, if the old food is 400 kcals per cup and the new food is 600 kcals per cup, and I'm currently feeding 3 cups a day, that's 1200 kcals. So, I would only need to feed 2 cups per day of the new food to equal that same 1200 calories. You have to do some math, but it's pretty simple. 

How many cups does the Iams suggest for a 2 month old puppy of her weight? And how many kcals per cup?


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## Stephanie17s (Jun 16, 2009)

I'm feeding Wellness "Just for Puppy" and that food is 450 cal/cup. I got a 15 pound bag of it for $25, which is more than $1/pound, but I'm only feeding about 1 1/2 cups a day (I mix some raw in as well). At the rate we're going, it's going to last me a little over a month while she's at this age (9 weeks). 

Plus, from what I hear Wellness will send you coupons and let you know when they are having a sale if you sign yourself up on their website. http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/jointheclub


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## triordan (Dec 5, 2008)

I feed Natural Balance and the price continues to climb, went up $4 in the last couple months...$45 for a 30 lb bag..I do get coupons though online, last one was for $5


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## jp11us (Jun 24, 2009)

Authority® Puppy with Real Chicken, has anyone heard of this? and thanks for the info, im researching things pretty thoroughly right now.


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

What Cassidy's Mom says is key
Here's a quick example
Wellness Core was $2.19 a pound and $1.78 a day
Nature's Logic is $2.64 a pound and $1.62 a day

So even though NL is more expensive, because I need to feed Dante less of the Nature's Logic than I did Wellness Core it's cheaper to feed!!!!!

Sadly I didn't start the food per day cost spreadsheet from day one so I don't have cost per day for any other foods I fed.


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## jp11us (Jun 24, 2009)

Puppy Feeding Guidelines: 6 - 11 Weeks
3 - 5 lb. puppy: 1 1/4 - 1 2/3 cups per day
5 - 10 lb. puppy: 1 2/3 - 2 1/2 cups per day
10 - 20 lb. puppy: 2 1/2 - 4 cups per day
20 - 30 lb. puppy: 4 - 5 1/4 cups per day
30 - 40 lb. puppy: 5 1/4 - 6 1/3 cups per day

thats for iams large breed puppy

and this is for solid gold wolf cub puppy bison

Weight 6-11 weeks 3-4 months 5-7 months 8-12 months
3-5 1 – 1 ½ 1 – 1 1/3 2/3 – 1 ½ - ¾
5-10 1 1/3 -2 1/3 1 1/3 - 2 1 – 1 1/2 ¾ - 1 ¼
10-20 2 1/3 – 3 ¾ 2 – 3 1/3 1 ½ - 2 1/3 1 ¼ - 2
20-30 3 ¾ -5 3 1/3 – 4 1/3 2 1/3 – 3 ¼ 2 – 2 ½
30-40 5 - 6 4 1/3 – 5 1/3 3 ¼ - 3 ¾ 2 ½ - 3
40-60 - 5 1/3 – 7 3 ¾ - 5 3 – 4
60-80 - 7 – 8 ½ 5 – 6 4 – 4 ¾
80-100 - - 6 – 7 4 ¾ - 5 ⅔


so I'm guessing here but for iams I would feed 5 1/4-6 1/3 cups a day and for solid gold wolf I would feed 6-7 cups a day?

if thats right then the solid gold would cost a good bit more than iams seeing as solid gold costs 55.99 for a 33 lbs bag.

or am I reading the recommendations wrong?


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## jp11us (Jun 24, 2009)

lol yea i think im reading it wrong and after reading through the forum more im pretty sure i am.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

I don't think your 9 week old puppy is going to weigh 80-100 pounds, lol!







Actually, it looks like there is no recommendation listed for the 6-11 week range in the 80-100 pound category, the 6-7 cups would be for a puppy of that weight who is 3-4 months or 5-7 months old, it's kind of hard to tell. 

At 9 weeks she'll probably be somewhere in the 10-20 pounds range, so that's 2-1/2 to 4 cups per day of the Iams, and 2-1/3 to 3-3/4 cups per day of the Solid Gold. That isn't a huge difference, but the food is much better quality, and there are some other choices that would be less expensive than the Solid Gold. 

Do you have the Iams guidelines for older puppies or just the 6-11 week range? As you can see in the Solid Gold feeding guidelines as the puppy gets older and bigger, the quantity drops because the growth slows down. A young puppy will need approximately twice as many calories as an adult dog of the same weight. It would be interesting to do a comparison across the full range of ages, not just 6-11 weeks.


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## jp11us (Jun 24, 2009)

Puppy Feeding Guidelines: 3 - 4 Months
10 - 20 lb. puppy: 2 1/4 - 3 1/2 cups per day
20 - 30 lb. puppy: 3 1/2 - 4 2/3 cups per day
30 - 40 lb. puppy: 4 2/3 - 5 2/3 cups per day
40 - 60 lb. puppy: 5 2/3 - 7 1/2 cups per day
60 - 80 lb. puppy: 7 1/2 - 9 cups per day
80 - 100 lb. puppy: 9 - 10 1/4 cups per day

Puppy Feeding Guidelines: 5 - 7 Months
20 - 30 lb. puppy: 2 1/3 - 3 cups per day
30 - 40 lb. puppy: 3 - 3 3/4 cups per day
40 - 60 lb. puppy: 3 3/4 - 5 cups per day
60 - 80 lb. puppy: 5 - 6 cups per day
80 - 100 lb. puppy: 6 - 7 cups per day
100 - 120 lb. puppy: 7 - 7 3/4 cups per day

Puppy Feeding Guidelines: 8 - 12 Months
40 - 60 lb. puppy: 3 - 4 cups per day
60 - 80 lb. puppy: 4 - 4 3/4 cups per day
80 - 100 lb. puppy: 4 3/4 - 5 1/2 cups per day
100 - 120 lb. puppy: 5 1/2 - 6 1/3 cups per day

Puppy Feeding Guidelines: 12 - 24 Months
40 - 60 lb. puppy: 2 3/4 - 3 2/3 cups per day
60 - 80 lb. puppy: 3 2/3 - 4 1/3 cups per day
80 - 100 lb. puppy: 4 1/3 - 5 cups per day
100 - 120 lb. puppy: 5 - 5 3/4 cups per day


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: jp11uswell if i went with the more expensive food, how much do i feed them as opposed to oh say canidae


i feel canidae is still one of the better foods in that price range. its pretty calorie dense at almost 500 calories/cup and ive found i never had to feed too much of it.


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## jp11us (Jun 24, 2009)

ok well I was looking into getting chicken soup for the pet lovers soul large breed puppy food. took a while but yea found a place here in town that has it for $40 for a 35lbs bag. is this a good brand, ive only heard good things about it and its close enough into my price range plus it recommends feeding less than the iams recommends so im sure the cheaper per day applies in this case.


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## jp11us (Jun 24, 2009)

ok so im going to get the chicken soup but only after feeding her iams for a short while since thats what the breeder has her on and she'll need as lil change as possible when I get her, especially food, right? Is this a decent idea?


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