i am going crazy trying to find a healthy affordable way to feed my dogs! Help?

Question

i tried Evo but its too expensive. i really wish i could afford to feed them that but right now we just cant afford it. i switched to canidae and its more affordable but i cant get my dogs to eat it. one of my dogs starved herself for almost 3 days so i had to start mixing it with wet food which got too expensive. i went to a feed store and the guy recomended diamond naturals for small breeds. he gave us some samples and i came home and did some research on it only to find out that its crap. i know some people have said the chicken soup brand food is good but the guy at the feed store said diamond makes it and its really not all that great.
how am i suppose to feed my dogs healthy and still be able to feed myself?

i just found out not too long ago how bad most dog foods are. like many people i thought purina and iams were the best.

Answer 1

Just buy the best food that you can afford that's all anyone can ask. Check this site out http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ find a quality food that you can afford.

Answer 2

I agree that Purina is not the best. However, it is good enough. Just as you don't eat sirloin and organic vegetables all the time, you dog can survive quite happily with the ingredients in most dog foods from the larger vendors.

I fed my last dog straight Purina dog chow and he lived for 17 years.

If you want to improve the number of good ingredients, then you might add some Missing Link.

I don't think that anyone has done a clinical study to show that dogs live longer and are healthier with one specific brand over another.... I think most of the tests are on taste... And that really isn't that big a deal with most dogs.

For you picky eater, try this:
1. Mix a teaspoon of ketchup in a half cup of warm water, and sprinkle over the food... Most dogs will eat cardboard with that mixture.
2. After a few days of doing this, take the half cup water mixture, and only add a tablespoon or two to the dogfood.
3. You should be able to wean the dog to a teaspoon now or then.

Answer 3

Well, you could try a raw prey model diet. Raw food is what is best for your dog anyway. Evo says it is the next best thing to raw, and that is true. I feed a raw prey model diet, and it is much more affordable than the almost $300 a month I was spending on super premium kibble for my dogs. I have 3 dogs... 2 are 55-60 lbs. and 1 is about 38 lbs.

I can feed all of them for about $75 a month when I'm spending less than $1/lb for raw food. When I splurge and get them occassional expensive items like salmon, etc. then I spend almost $100 a month.

Here are some links to learn about raw feeding:

http://www.rawmeatybones.com/

http://www.rawfed.com/myths

http://www.rawlearning.com/

http://www.rawfeddogs.net/

And here is a link to a yahoo group where they can help you get started and provide support and answer any questions:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/

Good luck.

Answer 4

Since you are feeding your dogs dry dog food I recommend Natures Recipe Adult. Then put food in dish put in a little bit of hot water and stir it for about 30 seconds. Put food down for dogs if they do not eat it in 15 minutes pick it up and put it down at a later time. This dog food has no by products and a place to research this dog is called the dogs journal. The dog food runs about $20 for a 20# of food. It is a little pricey but my dog loves and so do my parents dogs. My dog weights 29# he is a Cocker Spaniel Male so eats 2 cups of food a day. I buy the 20# it last me about 2 1/2 months because I split some with my mom. This does come in smaller size but I do not remember what size. You will have to go to a pet store to buy food regular grocery stores do not work.

Answer 5

If they are small breed dogs, how is it too expensive using canidae with their wet food? How many do you have? I use canidae, I have 3 small/medium sized dogs and I often mix it with teh canidae wet food. They go through one small can of wet food (Which is less than $1) every 2 days (a totally of 4 meals for EACH dog). Besides, since Canidae is healthier than other dog foods, you shoudln't be feeding them as much.

Answer 6

I feed California Natural which made by Natura like Evo, after switching from Eukanuba. I found that it did not cost me more, particularly since I fed less of it than the Eukanuba. So I am wondering if you are perhaps overfeeding your dogs somewhat. My dogs initially gained weight on superpremium food until I found this out. Also, I've saved in vet bills because my allergic dog has had fewer problems, but I recognize your situation may be different. Anyway, check your feeding quantities because this was my experience.

Answer 7

Don't take any offense to the trophy wives and stay-at-home-and care for all my 4-legged-babies A88holes who rant on at you for not being able to afford "Canidae". You come on here asking for help and people put you down. Well I wish we all could suck someone else's bank account dry to feed our dogs better quality meals than most of America's children eat every night, but the reality is that most middle class average Americans feed their dogs from the higher end lines availiable at Petsmart or Wal Mart and they do just fine. You could call your vet, tell them you dogs size and your monthly budget and they will point you in the right direction. My persona rec. is Science Diet. It isnt cooked and bagged by a bunch of self righteous rescue fanatics or anything, but it has been proven to be a reliable safe food, Good luck

Answer 8

keep with canidea, its a great food. and you can mix in a little chicken broth or beef broth to make it more appealing. my dog did the same thing, well, she was always on canidea, but we decided to give her a treat and get her the canned stuff. she had that for about 2 weeks, but then she's been sick because of a tape worm so we havent given it to her in about 5 days, and only yesterday did she really start eatting the chow again, she was soooo mad that we werent giving her the canned stuff that she wasnt going to eat it. so she was hungry. it was her own fault. she got food, just refused to eat it. but when she was younger we mixed her food with a little broth and she would eat it no matter what.

even if you dont want to use broth, you can add a little water and microwave it for a few seconds, so its warm. sometimes thats all it takes to make it appealing. dogs arent that smart, and if they think they're getting something good they'll take it. like my old dog, she thinks she's being spoilled if she sees me empty the last of my water bottle into her dog bowl, and she'll sit there and drink it all, even if the bowl was full and i only dumped a little in.

Answer 9

You can try Canidae, Evo's manufacturer Innova has a puppy and regualar dog food that is not Evo, but almost as good. Other wise there is Wellness. Honestly, my dogs were on Innova Evo and caused them excessive diarrhea so I tried switching the to Innova Puppy. I think it was just the Innova brand. So now they are on Purina Puppy Lamb and Rice and they are doing just fine. To be honest, Purina is just fine and my Dr. says if you can't afford the Evo, there is nothing wrong with the Purina.

Answer 10

They are not going to get the trace nutrients they need on a steady diet of beans and rice. It might be OK in a pinch but not over the long haul. Better to feed a quality dog food like Canidae or Wellness. Bet they can empty a room in a nano-second, though! ;)

Answer 11

I would stay with the Canidae myself. My mastiff would live on cheese if I let him, but too bad. Seriously, he is very picky, but I only add a couple spoonfuls of the canned food to his kibble. My mother adds vegetables to her dogs chow ( she just cooks a bunch of green beans, carrots, maybe a couple of potatoes, throws it all in the fridge in a tupperware thing and adds a little to their food daily. ) I will mix things up a bit for my boy- skip the canned food and give him a couple spoonfuls of cottage cheese or plain yogurt, when my son makes his eggs, he often removes some of the yolks, and will cook them seperately and throw it in with the dog food.