Diet Makeover Suggestions-Pookins Edition

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Kaydee

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#1
I just finished looking at the food ratings recently posted...and now must flog myself...bad owner, bad bad owner...Beneful and Alpo are basically a ChefBoyRDee of dogfood I guess...edible yet as nutritious as kitty litter.

Can someone suggest a moderately priced brand-that is not in danger of recall- that dogs like but it's healthy too. Sophie walks a few miles daily and runs like a deer. I know she's going to still snack on people and cat food but I'd like to make her meals more nutritionally correct.
 

ACooper

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#2
Moderately priced AND not in danger of recall is a very hard thing to come by in the dog food world :( You can find one or the other, but finding both together is nearly impossible IMO.

That being said, Orson is currently eating Taste of the Wild -High Prairie. It is packaged at Diamond, and was subject to recall just last month, but that was for salmonella.......something I do not concern myself with in dog food. It is grain free....no corn, no rice, no oats, no by products, and the list of ingredients are very nice IMO. It is priced at 46.00 per 30lbs, so around 1.50 a pound, available online or at the tractor supply store which is convenient for me. I currently have a 15% off coupon for TCS, so that's going to bring the price down to just under 40.00 for our next bag...........I find that acceptable :)

For the record, Orson does not eat kibble alone, he also eats home cooked food............but kibble makes up about 1/2 of his diet each day so I try to be selective.
 

Beanie

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#4
Anything manufactured in a plant is in danger of a recall, honestly.

Mine are on TOTW also. I pay less than $40 for the 30 pound bag. I think prices can vary on TOTW though... several years ago, it was REALLY expensive here, but the price has come way down - maybe because it's more popular now? Not sure and I'm not complaining!
 

JessLough

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#6
I feed Fromm, and spend like $52 on 15lbs or something like that.

I also feed Acana, Orijin, natures variety and Go! Grainfree in the cat varieties
 

JacksonsMom

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MrChewy.com has Fromm Classic for around $35 for 33lbs. I assume it may be similar in-store. I've only seen Fromm Gold and Four-Star in store tho. But, really great company IMO and a great bargain. But I know it does depend on your area and how much pricing is. The Fromm grain-frees are a lot cheaper here than most other grain-frees.

As said above also, Earthborn. Look into Nutrisource or Precise too.
 
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#9
I feed a diamond brand, but it can only be fond at costco as far as I know called natures domain. great price (35 bucks for 40lbs) pretty decent food
 

Emily

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#10
I just finished looking at the food ratings recently posted...and now must flog myself...bad owner, bad bad owner...Beneful and Alpo are basically a ChefBoyRDee of dogfood I guess...edible yet as nutritious as kitty litter.
No flogging yourself! You should pat yourself on the back for doing research instead... those companies make themselves seem great. The average person can hardly be expected to know better.

Anyway, echoing the Taste of the Wild if you want to go grain free. They have had recalls though, but I really don't know if you'll find something that affordable that hasn't... Their last recall was entirely voluntary, however. If you set affordability aside, Fromm is a fantastic food from a small company that's never had a recall in 40 yrs. It's kind of a trade-off.
 

RD

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#11
Cost is a bit of an issue for me too, I am feeding TOTW bison/venison formula and having good results with it. My dog also eats a lot of raw food.
 

JacksonsMom

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No flogging yourself! You should pat yourself on the back for doing research instead... those companies make themselves seem great. The average person can hardly be expected to know better.

Anyway, echoing the Taste of the Wild if you want to go grain free. They have had recalls though, but I really don't know if you'll find something that affordable that hasn't... Their last recall was entirely voluntary, however. If you set affordability aside, Fromm is a fantastic food from a small company that's never had a recall in 40 yrs. It's kind of a trade-off.
Here, Fromm is actually cheaper than TOTW or more or the less the same price. I know I briefly fed TOTW and paid $10.99 for a 5lb bag and with the Fromm Four-Star, I also paid $10.99 (one of the formulas was $1 or $2 more, and one was a bit less). But the Fromm Gold line is much cheaper, and the Classic line even cheaper (granted, it's not grain-free, but still a decent food, IMO) I've noticed price tends to vary a lot by area though.
 
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#13
I would suggest Fromm, Earthborn, or NutriSource for a reasonably-priced food. Around here, NutriSource Adult is about $40 for a 30lb bag, and Fromm and Earthborn are about $45 for a $30. All three are smaller, reputable companies that I like alot. Plus, most local retailers will do a Buy 10, Get 1 Free program which cuts the cost down a bit.
 

ihartgonzo

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#14
Nature's Variety Instinct is my favorite kibble... they also make Prairie, which does have grains, but it's less expensive and also has tons of meat and good ingredients. Both rate very high! :) I rotate between turkey/duck, rabbit, salmon and beef formulas.

WOW, almost anything will be far better than Beneful and Alpo. You're going to notice unbelievable differences in health, muscle tone, odor, coat condition, poop quality and content, and general energy of your dogs. I recommend taking before and after pictures!
 

Maxy24

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#15
Earthborn grain frees might be worth a try, some places it's cheaper than TOTW, some places it's not, you'll have to check it out.
 

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