Best *cheap* dog food?
 

Hey, everyone, long time no speak. I was recently let go from my job, and in the mean time while I look for a new job my relatives are going to buy the dog food. I feed my dogs Natures Variety, which costs me about $65-$80 on a large bag. It does last my dogs a few months. My relatives will not spend that much money on dog food. What are some decent brands of dog food that don't costs too much?

What if you got the smaller bag? Changing there food to fast can cause diarrhea and GI upset. I would not go with anything Purina, I do not trust them because they are the makers of the chicken jerky that made dogs very sick and killed so many but wouldn't pull it for years.

In no way would I feed my dogs Purina, or Iams, or Eukanuba. I would prefer to buy them a large bag because it lasts them a few months.

I like Fromm a lot...their Four Star line can be expensive at some stores but their Classics line is affordable. If your relatives are willing to go to an independent pet store or order online from Chewy, you can get a 33 lb bag of the Fromm Family Classics for about $38. Also maybe look into Earthborn's grain-inclusive varieties.

You might also check out Nature's Recipe if your relatives prefer to buy in a store like Petsmart. You can get a 30 lb bag for $36... My friend with a lab mix highly recommends that brand of kibble...she buys a ton of food (compared to what I buy for my little pups) for her large dog and it's one of the more affordable options that she's mentioned to me.

I feed mine 4Health. It's only sold at Tractor Supply though. I have 7 dogs, 2 of which are Standard Poodles so I go through quite a bit of food so I need to keep it a little cheaper. I've spent hours online and standing in dog food aisles comparing ingredients and prices and this seems to be the one that has the better ingredients in my price range. I pay about $33 for a 35 pound bag. They do have a grain free food also that is slightly more expensive, only by a few dollars though and different meat based foods also.You can go to the Tractor Supply website and look at the ingredients. I'll be interested to see what other people have to say. Sorry about the job and I hope you find another one soon.

Ah, I didn't think about Fromm. I do shop at a local "mom and pop" shop to get my bully sticks, and rabbit hay. They sell Fromm, and a few other brands that Petco doesn't sell. I'll check it out tomorrow! :D

I've never seen the Classics formulas in stock at any of my local stores that sell Fromm so you might have to request that they special order it...smaller independent shops are so great about things like that!

:thumbup: I've heard a lot of good things about 4Health and keep meaning to pick up a bag or two of the grain-free formulas for Teddy. Have you fed the grain-free kinds?

I haven't tried the grain free. I feed the Yorkies and my Lhasa the small bites formula and my Standard Poodles the large breed. I did recently switch my one Poodle over to the Salmon based food because of some allergy issues he's having. If that doesn't help, I'm going to try the grain free next. I've been feeding it for a couple of years with no issues and the dogs all love it, even my picky 15 year old Yorkie.

Check out Fromm Classics or Gold. Maybe Earthborn.

Honestly, I like Purina Beyond. Jackson does very well on it in a pinch when I don't feel like going to the pet store or ordering online and just want to run into a grocery store or Target, etc.

How long can you use a bag of kibble once it is open? I have read that you should throw away any unused food after it has been opened 6 weeks. Thank you.

I have heard that Kirkland brand (costco) is good inexpensive dog food. The shelf life of a huge bag of dry food for a little Yorkie is a good question?

Huge bags can go stale.

http://www.petmd.com/blogs/nutritionnuggets/jcoates/2012/apr/how_to_keep_dog_food_fresh-13975

Ideally, dry food should be consumed within six weeks of opening the bag, so pick your bag sizes appropriately

I always buy the smallest bag. Teddy probably goes through a pound of kibble a week...so the 4 to 5 lb bag sizes are just about right for us to use up in a month or so. Especially with the 5 lb bags, I might end up throwing out a small amount of kibble at the end if it's been a little over a month since opening just to be safe. I wouldn't mind the savings of a larger sized bag but we just don't go through it quickly enough...wish I had a food saver!

One of the vets I work with told me you can freeze dry food to keep it fresh longer.

I hear ya! I feel like so much food has gone to waste! Or maybe more covered with tuna juice and fed to the barn cats....the five pound bags we just couldn't keep fresh. I have heard of some people using different methods to keep a large bag fresh- like the freeze drying mentioned above. My girl is super picky and I am just grateful I have found a food my skinny little thing will eat these days, I am pleased to be able to finish a 2.5 pound bag within a normal range of time and have her lap it up!

Op, Make sure you pick a palatable economic one, it would be such a shame if you found one you like and your dog didnt. maybe your local mom and pop or feed store will have some samples to try? Or if you find a company you are considering you could write and request a sample or find out if they will have an area representative that will be coming near you and see if they will meet you at a store and sample you out. The sales reps whole goal is to get more people to like and want to buy their food so they are usually more than happy to accommodate- and if they can meet you at a store they are already trying to promote their product at and show off that pet food buyer how interested the community is in their food it's just more bonus points for them so I bet they would be happy to help. Good luck on the job hunt'

canidae isn't to bad, much better than purina, iams etc

I was feeding my boys Premium Edge by Diamond for about a dollar a pound at 35lb for $34.99 (+tax) but we just moved and I haven't been able to find it so I switched them to Diamond Naturals which also has a four star rating (all the 5 star food gave my big boy soupy poopy) and it's a 40lb bag for $30 at Menards. So far so good!

Be careful with diamond they had a massive recall a while back and they seem to have some serious quality control issues.

Diamond does have a tendency to deal with a lot of recall issues but I think it is more specifically one particular plant of theirs on the east coast side. It is also important to note when one company umbrellas many others - for example Taste of the Wild is a Diamond brand food and therefore made in the same plants and subject to many of the same concerns. A recall can happen for many reasons so I think it is important to research recall frequency and the stated cause - a poor mix resulting in lower vitamin contents for example vs salmonella contamination both of course which are not acceptable but there is a whole lot to navigate in the flood of dog food world!

Oh I was not aware of that. Unfortunately my relative already bought a large bag of dog food. Hmm, maybe I can buy some type of container to put the food in, to keep it fresh longer. I will mention to my relatives to buy a smaller bag next time. Thanks :)

I actually read good reviews on canidae, and that's what m relatives bought my dogs. I'm kind of ticked because I thought we would talk about food options, and I guess my relatives didn't realize you have to slowly introduce new dog foods. Now I have to buy a small bag of their original dog food so they don't get upset tummies

Exactly.
When I first got my GSP, Buddy, almost 10 years ago I swore I'd NEVER feed Diamond foods because of the recalls. Then I found just how many "brands" are Diamond products and had to try some just to find a food Buddy's system could handle.
Pretty much every brand has had a recall at some point and every feeding style has pros and cons.

I would just use some ziplock bags. Inexpensive and easy to use/store.

Remy is on Fromm. I love that brand.

It's advised to keep the food in the original bag it came in. It's designed to keep the food fresh for longer. Make sure the air is rolled out of the bag, If it doesn't have a zip lock closure, tape it up. Make sure no air or bugs can get in there & store in a cool dry place. So it would be ideal to get a storage container just for dog food.

Oh yeah the recalls is not what bothers me it's there quality control and things I heard about there plants.

It's also good to keep the original bag incase there are recalls of issues.

:thumbup: Yes, very good point!

I was referring to freezing the food in small batches. I agree about keeping the food in original packaging and storing it in a cool dry place when you are not planning to divide and freeze the food. I love bags that have the ziplock top so that I can push the excess air out of the bag and zip it closed. It is always a good idea to keep the original bag until all the food is gone, in case of recall or any other issues with the food too. Personally, I don't buy more food than my dogs will eat within about a 2-3 week period.