Why doesn't "big" pet stores such as petsmart sell high quality dog food?

Answer 1

It's expensive.

People go to those big stores for bargain basement prices, and premium foods aren't cheap.

The profit margin just wouldn't be big enough, if they made any profit at all.

While it's true, "you get what you pay for" with pet foods, they are at the upper range of what people are willing to spend on their dogs. As a retail store, they "tack on" a few dollars which makes expensive food even more so.

Answer 2

The honest answer is that it is probably very expensive to buy those foods in bulk and so they purchase the lower quality foods because it is cheaper and will make them more profit. Blue Buffalo is pretty good as well as Nature's Recipe and a few others. PetsMart usually sells them all in the same aisle. I would check a smaller more natural dog food store for some better ones. Personally I feed my dog Wellness, which has been great for him, but there are plenty on the market that are just as great!

Answer 3

That's not necessarily true. Petsmart carries a pretty good variety of better foods. You just have to know what a quality food really is I personally feed raw and homemade which I will occasionally supplement with Canidea for all life stages, which they don't carry. But do some research and check out what they have available that meets your standards. I recommend reading the Whole Dog Journal for some valuable information about dog foods and the recent rash of recalls.

Answer 4

ascloud, since you are feeding Nutro, check out the Diamond brand of dog food. You will find it at the animal supply stores, dog specialty stores or check out the diamond website for a retailer near you.
I was feeding the Nutro Lamb and Rice. It was 29.99 a bag for 40 lbs. The Diamond Lamb & Rice has the same basic ingredients and is $10 a bag less. Diamond doesn't advertise so they pass the savings on to the customer.
Diamond also single sources their ingredients. The lamb comes from New Zealand and is range fed, and antibiotic free.

Answer 5

because it costs more to ship, the better quality foods don't advertise like Iams and purina do. the more you advertise the more people buy, because people see it on tv so it must be good. but smaller pet stores believe in the brands they sell that is why they only sell a couple brands, Petsmart and Petco could honestly careless, they just buy what sells. I feed my dog Natures Variety which is a high quality brand and i was surprised to see that Pet Supplies Plus in my area sells it. i probably won't get it there, but its good to know that it sells there. I'm a hair stylist and i think of it like this; the high quality hair products are great for your hair, but you don't see commercials for them do you? nope, its because they actually work. The good stuff speaks for it self. The stuff that needs the advertising isn't as good.

Answer 6

To me, it doesn't really matter much. The Petco is only about five minutes closer than the specialty pet store that carries the Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul that I use. So, I spend the extra five minutes and get the food I want.

Answer 7

big pet stores petsmart sell high quality dog food

Answer 8

First define what you mean by high quality dog food? I have two dogs with health problems and can no longer use commercial food for them. I home cook due to their health conditions and to avoid issues of recalled food that might make their situation worse.

Answer 9

They sell decent food. I only use the nutro stuff. It is the best i can get for my money and it is the only thing they have not reacted bad to. i also like hte results i get. I feed wet dry combo as well. I add one cup of rice and some rolled oats and small pile of green beans on top. But i mix the wet and dry throughly with the rice and Oats.

Answer 10

Some diets can only be purchased through a vet. Some of the hills diets are now being sold through petsmart, but you must have a prescription to get them and the reason is that certain diets are meant to treat certain conditions.. Example would be I/D is for intestinal issues, K/D is for kidney issues and so on. Hope this helps you.