What is the best brand of dog food you will find in a grocery store?

Question

All those organic foods are too excpensive.I already have bills to pay and paying tons of money for holistic and organic food is just too much. What are some cheap but good quality and easy to find foods?

Answer 1

Nutro Natural Choice or Pro Plan Selects you can get them at petco, petsmart, and most pet stores.
Whatever food you get make sure they don't use
"BHT/BHA and Ethoxyquin: These are preservatives in some dogs food that have been banned from use in human food because they are linked to many health problems such such as liver/kidney damage, cancerous skin lesions, loss of hair, blindness, leukemia, fetal abnormalities and chronic diarrhea. In animals it has been linked to immune deficiency syndrome, spleen, stomach and liver cancer, as well as the above mentioned diseases.

Propylene Glycol
This potentially harmful chemical is added to many products to maintain the right texture and moisture. Along with the use of Ethoxyquin, these humectants tie up the water content and thus prohibit the growth of bacteria. These preservatives allow dry food to stay on the shaves for up to five years, and canned products indefinitely. As well as inhibiting bacteria growth in the product, they inhibit proper and necessary growth of friendly flora in the digestive tract, which aids in the assimilation of nutrients. They also decrease the amount of moisture in the digestive tract, which has led to intestinal blockage and a host of serious digestive tract problems such as cancerous intestinal lesions.
"
By products (that stuff is discussing)

Also some dogs are sensitive to corn, which appears to be in a lot of lower grade dog foods.

You best bet is to learn how to analyze dog food and read labels . For example this is why Iams is considered a 1 Star dog food

Review of Iams from http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=145&cat=7
The first ingredient on the listed is a named meat product, but since this is chicken inclusive of its water content (about 80%) and this ingredient will weigh only about 20% of its wet weight once water is removed (as it must be to make kibble) it is unlikely that this is the true first ingredient in the food and would be more accurately placed much further down the ingredient list. Fish meal, at 5th on the ingredient list, is a second named meat product in the food, but this is far too low down toelevate the meat content to an acceptable level. We note that the manufacturer does not claim to use ethoxyquin-free sources (ethoxyquin is a chemical preservative commonly added to fish destined for meal, and is believed to be carcinogenic).


The next two ingredients are low quality grains. Corn is a problematic grain that is difficult for dogs to digest and thought to be the cause of a great many allergy and yeast infection problems. We prefer not to see this used in dog food. Sorghum is a carbohydrate source low in digestibility. We consider it primarily filler.


The next ingredient in this food is by-products. It is impossible to ascertain the quality of by-products and these are usually products that are of such low quality as to be rejected for use in the human food chain, or else are those parts that have so little value that they cannot be used elsewhere in either the human or pet food industries. The AAFCO definition of chicken by-product meal is “a meal consisting of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur unavoidable in good processing practice.”


Beet pulp is further filler and a controversial ingredient – it is a by-product, being dried residue from sugar beets which has been cleaned and extracted in the process of manufacturing sugar. It is a controversial ingredient in dog food, claimed by some manufacturers to be a good source of fibre, and derided by others as an ingredient added to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats and causing stress to kidney and liver in the process. We note that beet pulp is an ingredient that commonly causes problems for dogs, including allergies and ear infections, and prefer not to see it used in dog food. There are less controversial products around if additional fiber is required.

Here is the ingredients list of Iams

Ingredients:
Chicken, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken By-Product Meal, Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Corn Grits, Natural Chicken Flavor, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of vitamin E, and Citric Acid), Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Dried Egg Product, Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement, (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), DL-Methionine, Rosemary Extract

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (minimum) 26%
Crude Fat (minimum) 14%
Moisture (maximum) 10%
Crude Fiber (maximum) 5%
Omega-6 Fatty Acids not less than 2.8%

You can read about other foods on the website above.
And just keep in mind, more expensive food maybe only a few dollars more for a 20 pound bag, but the quality and your dogs health is worth it.

Answer 2

Regarding what someone said above about people being food snobs, that is the most ridiculous comment. People don't like paying more for their dogs food just to brag, but they realize it's so much more healthy for their pet. Grocery store brands include fillers and by-products. ..by-products are the diseased part of the animal the part they can't use for human consumption so it makes it's way into your dogs food. Anyways to answer the question...is there a Costco near you? If there is their Kirkland brand is great. If not you could always look up raw feeding or something, you could probably order your dogs food online and have it sent to you. Feeding your dog grocery store brands is not the end of the world, if you have to, then you have to.

Answer 3

There are no "best" brands of grocery store foods. Thinking you are saving money by buying & feeding these foods is false economy. Better quality foods may initially seem more expensive, but in the long run they are actually cheaper..It takes feeding up to 3 times more of the cheap quality grocery store foods then it does a good quality meat based food for a dog to get proper nutrition.
Some good reasonable priced foods...Wellness, Chicken Soup For the Dog Lover's Soul, Canidae..

Answer 4

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend a brand from Walmart because to me- they all pretty much compare the same.

Think of it like this, the premium foods- the dog will eat less of because the food has a better nutritional value. The cheaper foods have a lower nutritional value, which means they eat more (and poo more) and you really do not save any money at all.

There is a brand they carry called Maxximum Nutrition that claims no by- products, no preservatives, no artifical colors or flavors. You might check it out.

Ugh, DO NOT use Iams. It is overpriced crap. Before you use Iams- use Purina One over that...

Answer 5

I understand what you are saying but no one of those foods are good. None of them are good quality best thing I can tell you try to find one that has No by-products has meat as a first ingredient. No BHT BHA or Ethoxyquin. Limit yelllow corn and other fillers like peanut hulls. I can understand about price but really try and stay away from teh no brands or store brands those are even worst than the other commerical foods

Answer 6

It is called a meat counter. Raw meaty bones and raw meat is the best thing to feed a dog. I have seen dogs that are so sick owners were thing of putting them down get healthy and happy in a matter of weeks. They afeter all wolfs and you never see a wolf buying dog food. It takes less food to full them up so in the long run it cost no more. There are many site for the B.A.R.F diet and how to switch

Answer 7

beneful!!!are you kidding me .that is one of the worst ingredients on the market.it uses so many artificial colors,uses corn as the main ingredient instead of meat.even pro plan and iams are bad.purina 1 is bad.iams is cruel to animals and uses poor ingredients.go to iamscruelty.com for more info.all dog food in the grocer store are low quality.if you want to save money use canidae.it is normal priced.yet human grade.it uses antibiotic and hormone free meats.also it is so nutritional that you dont need to feed so much of it and it actually saves you a lot of money.iams and beneful you have to feed a lot of.go to canidae.com and hit store locator to find a store near you.hope i helped.nutro ok but it has menadione and that causes liver,kidney,and cancer problems.plus its expensive.canidae is much cheaper and better.it is a great skin conditioner too.just take a look at the ingredients.Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Brown Rice, White Rice, Lamb Meal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Herring Meal, Flax Seed, Sun Cured Alfalfa Meal, Sunflower Oil, Chicken, Lecithin, Monocalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Linoleic Acid, Rosemary Extract, Sage Extract, Dried Enterococcus Faecium, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Extract, Inulin (from Chicory root), Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Fermentation Solubles, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Mixed Tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (source of B2), Beta Carotene, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, D-Biotin, Sodium Selenite, Papaya, Vitamin B12 Supplement.
Benefits
Four Human Grade Meats – Chicken, Turkey, Lamb and Fish
10 Natural Skin & Coat Conditioners
Balanced Omega 6 & 3 Fatty Acids
Digestive Enzymes, Probiotics and Superior Digestibility
Guaranteed Enzyme Activity
Antioxidant Vitamins & Amino Acid Chelated Minerals
Excellent for Problem Skin & Allergies
Holistic & Herbal Benefits
Formulated for All Life Stages – Puppies, Adults, Seniors & Overweight
Excellent Palatability - Dogs Love CANIDAE®

Answer 8

Try burns dry dogfood, google it and it tells you the nearest store that supplies it, what size dog you got ? ive got 2 border terriers and costs about £ 1 per day to feed both of them, if theres any of our vegetables left i mix them in as well ,it works out cheaper and healthier for the dog in the long run

Answer 9

There aren't any good grocery store brands. Why don't you try Nutro it's not very expensive especially if you have a small dog less then ten dollars a month.

Answer 10

I know what you mean. I can't afford the best of ANYTHING......lol..........

Have you ever seen the dog food that comes in a log like bologna? It is often in the pet food aisle at shops here in Canada. The brand I buy is called RollOver. It's high quality food made from all beef organ meats. It's about $7/ea. I feed my 60lb dog a coffee cup full of Alpo with 1 tablespoon of veggie oil........yes, good old Alpo. It is at best average, but with a 1 inch slice of RollOver as her breakfast she thrives, is healthy, shiny, little dandruff. It's what I can afford to do. i learned to feed dogs on a budget cause thats MY life.....lol........and I can afford to help other dogs out at these prices. Of course, my dog is a mutt (rescued) and so are the dogs I help out. For them, it's the best diet they've ever seen.

And avoid Mainstay.........God, cornmeal briquettes......yer dog will eat mounds of it, and crap mounds of it......lol

Answer 11

Pedigree is one of the better grocery store dog foods. My 9 year old dog eats the lamb and rice formula or the healthy Maurity. and he really thrives on it ! his coat looks better than ever. And it's the only food his belly agrees with. he is energetic too. And it is not a part of the recent recall.