Best kind of food?

Hey all,

I own a black lab dog who is about 2 years old. He is an outdoor dog. I feed him Alpo-type hard dog food usually but I am worried about what the best type it to feed him. I do want to budget myself and not spend a whole lot. Its not that I don't care its just a I buy cheap food for myself too, its a bad economy, you have to do what you have to do to keep living good and that means buying cheaper stuff. Any idea on better hard food for my pooch?

 

If you have a Tractor Supply Company near you, they sell a brand of dog food called 4Health. It isn't the absolutely best dog food on the market, but I like it when my budget is tight. If you don't have a TSC near you, then I might suggest Purine O.N.E. It's a bit more expensive than Alpo, but it provides better nutrition and your dogs may be smaller and less smelly.

 

We feed our dogs Kirkland Signature brand adult dog food. It is comparable to the much more expensive Blue brand dog food we were getting from a specialty pet store near our home. The two brands are virtually the same thing, it just so happens that the Kirkland brand is less expensive for more food. You can find it at a Costco's store.

 

When I read this post I just cringed at what you feed. But is your animals health not important to you? Feeding cheaply now may cost you later down the line in vet bills when your dog gets older. Think about it. With that said I would say buy a better quality dog food. Stay away from foods that have any corn in them, by-products, and nasty preservatives such as ethoxyquin, BHA and BHT. Read labels. The last poster before me said they feed Kirkland brand food. That isn't a to bad of a food. Compared to Alpo or any Purina product if I didn't have a choice I would go with the Kirkland brand.

 

Trying to stay away from the big name brands is probably your best bet. Look for foods with the same nutrients that they need, but just are store brand or another generic brand. It's actually amazing how much big named companies will jack up prices whereas offbrand things could have the same ingredients and be cheaper (just like when buying gas, or food for yourself).

 

My dog was pretty picky when I first got him. I experimented with moist dog food and also dry dog food. He seemed to prefer moist, especially Caesar brand. If I gave him dry dog food, he only ate a little the first day and didn't seem to want it thereafter. I came across a dry food I'd never heard of by Rachel Ray called Nutrish. This is the first dry dog food my dog actually likes. I now give him a combination of dry and moist. He is a healthy and energetic dog.

 

We feed our dog wellness and I actually think it saves money. He only gets fed 2 cups per day of it instead of 4 cups of the purina pro plan he was originally on. It also doesn't have any corn on him which is supposedly a good thing. Not sure exactly why.

 

I used to cook for my dogs.

I would buy a couple of kilograms of meat, grind it and cook it with some potatos to make a thick gravy-like mix. Then I will mix it with rice before feeding it to my dogs. I also get bones for them to chew on once in a while. Of course, I have some dry food on standby just in case I am too lazy to cook.

Sometimes I will buy Royal Canine as a treat.

 

We feed our dog, and our cat, Science Diet. We've tried going with less expensive dog foods but we found that they went to the bathroom more and had more problems with loose bowel movements. I have a 4 year old yellow lab and she will eat absolutely anything, I swear that labs are gluttons! I've just found that if we go with something a little more expensive and from the vet we seem to have less bowel problems and they seems to feel better...that could be all in my head though.

 

The bowel problems that my dog has directly relates to what he eats. I think you are correct in going with a slightly more expensive food becaus it is better for your dogs over-all health. When my dog's belly gets upset we stop the food and boil him some rice in chicken broth, then mix it up with canned pumpkin and that's what he gets for his meals until his stools firm up again.

 

I think Pedigree is the best, my dog loves it! They have all differnt types, and flavors of the food.

 

I like to give Candy Royal Canine when I can afford it. It's really expensive here. About 5usd per kilogram. Sometimes I also buy Ceasar's wet pouches. Only problem is Candy can eat a few in one sitting.

 

I agree! My Chao is a Pedigree puppy and he is as jolly as always! I do feed him grilled meat 3-4 times a week specially if it is steak day. He loves it too!