[alaskayorkie]

I sympathize because it gets confusing for the average pet owner to wade through. Kibble isn't good enough for canned feeders, canned isn't good enough for home-cooked feeders, home-cooked isn't good enough for raw feeders, and raw feeding is discouraged by the government. I think you just have to do what research you have time for and make the best choice for you.

Growing up, all our dogs at the cheap stuff and all lived to "ripe old ages" of 15 and 16, but every single one of them that I remember got a strange lump on them late in life and died of cancer. Did food play a role?

I've been feeding Canidae all life stages kibble for a while because it usually shows up on the list of approved dog foods by publications I respect, including The Whole Dog Journal. I had the same concern about mine just picking at it, so I found a high-quality canned food (Merrick's) to add to it. I give a quarter cup of kibble and a teaspoon of Merrick's twice a day, and they wolf it down.

Expensive? They eat a half a cup a day. How expensive can that be?

Good luck, but I would definitely recommend staying away from the grocery store foods for the same arguments others have had here.