I can't afford premium dog food. What's the best brand I can get at the grocery store?

Answer 1

I understand that the "premium" dog food seems more expensive than the grocery store stuff, but actually, it saves you money. You are probably reading this and saying, "Is this woman on drugs!" Let me explain.....

If you buy a 15 pound bag of a premium dog food, for example, Wellness, it will last you longer, because you will be feeding your dog less, than a grocery store bought food.

For example let's say that you have a 22 lbs, 6 month old beagle. If you were feeding him pedigree, you would have to feed him between 2 3/4 to 5 1/2 cups of food per day. (Per label feeding instructions. If you were feeding the same puppy Wellness puppy food, you would only be feeding him 2 - 3 cups a day. It may not seem like much of a difference, but 1 to 2 1/2 cups of food a day adds up. I use to use Pedigree for my dogs. They loved it, but I went through one 8lb bag every 4 days, if I was lucky. One 15 pound bag of Wellness usually lasts about 21 days.

So, although you will be spending more money to buy the bag, it will last you longer because it doesn't have the fillers in it that the others do, and your dogs won't eat as much, because they won't need to. (Another benefit is, if they don't eat as much, they don't "potty" as much either!)

I know that I didn't answer your question, but I hope I gave you some "food for thought!"

Answer 2

Try "President's Choice, Nutrition 1st" available in grocery stores wherever their products are sold depending on your City.
It's #1 ingredient is chicken. It also come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. It's the best I've found but I've had pets that ate nothing but Purina Cat/Dog Chow. The dog lived to a ripe old age of 17, the cats were 19 and 23 when I had them put down (due to their health).
A quality pet food produces less waste, so you get more in the long run for your money.
I wonder if "Dave" would send me a free bag if I advertised for them?
You might want to check your local Co-Op (a store that carries food for farm animals, their pricing is usually better than a grocery store.) Check the ingredients, "Nutrition 1st" lists chicken as the first ingredient. Here the ingredients must be listed according to %, so the main ingredient is chicken. Remember dogs are carnivores (meat eaters).
Good luck, I hope this helps.

Answer 3

Nothing you can get at the grocery store is going to be all that great (Purina, Pedigree, Iams, all are rubbish). Mostly corn and by-products which are just fillers. Some grocery stores do sell Castor and Pollux which is a good brand, probably the best you'll find in a grocery store.

The higher quality foods aren't really that much more expensive than the crap foods. The Petcos in my area sell a 30 lb bag of Purina Beneful for about 23 dollars and a 30 lb bag of Natuaral Balance (one of the best foods you can buy) is only 41 dollars. Plus you can feed your dog less of the NB because it is less fillers, so you'll end up breaking even, really. Not to mention less vet visits as your dog will be eating healthier and getting more nutrients.

Answer 4

I feed Diamond to all my dogs here. You can't buy it in a grocery store. You have to get it at a feed dealer. It is fairly affordable compaired to some of the premium foods. Diamond also makes the food "chicken soup for the dog lover's soul" or "chicken soup for the puppy lover's soul"

Answer 5

I feed all of my dogs purina dog chow from the grocery store.
I have shown them for 30+ years & I get compliments all the time on their excellent condidition!
It's not the price of the dog food, it's how well your dogs do on it. Anyone who thinks that all dog foods are bad should take into consideration all the YEARS & DOLLARS that have gone into researching making these foods the best balanced nutrition for dogs.
Also, my dogs generally live to be 12 - 15 yrs old - which is a LONG time for a large breed.

Answer 6

Iams is now sold at grocery stores.

Also, Costco (if you have one) has a Kirkland brand of food that is actually quite excellent and has an excellent price too.

You should read all the labels and compare-- dog food should have meat as it's No.1 and No. 2 (at least) ingredient with minimal indigestible fillers (corn, brown rice, etc.)

Answer 7

Purina ONE is the best. Its main ingredient is a meat and it has rice and oatmeal as the carbohydrates. All of my dogs are on it and I have had excellent luck with it (but I do use the higher quality Natural Blends that is only available at some grocery stores). I that is not available, just be sure to stay away from any of the foods that first ingredient is corn. I do not recommend Iams, because I have never had a dog do well on it and because there has been a lot of questions lately about how they treat the dogs at their laboratories.

Answer 8

I have started feeding my dogs half RAW diet, and half Purina One. I can't afford to switch to the RAW diet completely, but I figure giving them some is better than none. I did feed Iams for a while, but it is no better than regular Purina, and my picky Shepherds didn't like the taste of it. My dogs like Purina One better than anything else cheap I have found, and it keeps weight on my younger German Shepherd better than Iams ever did. (She is difficult to keep weight on).

Answer 9

Quite a number of owners in my area have had good luck with Maximum nutrition - the walmark premium brand (NOT Ole Roy)
Include some of the top running whippets in the breed...

Answer 10

Look at the ingredients. If the first ingredient is meat or lamb (not by-products) then it's usually a good brand.