Good Food for a Good Price

[PanzerGirl]

Hello all,

My Presa pups are getting bigger, thus eating more... we've been feeding them Blue Buffalo Wilderness Large Breed Puppy formula and it seems to be great. Only problem, we're getting a 24lb bag for $52.99. I know it's a decent deal for that brand, and I'm willing to stick with it if it's the best out there but I'm wondering if it's really necessary for me to be feeding them a grain free diet? I read that it was the best so that's what we went with (only the best for my pups, lol). Well, we're going through almost 2 bags a month and it's getting a little pricey. Don't get me wrong, I knew they'd be eating a lot but...

SO, I'm wondering if anyone can give me some advice? I've found some good reviews on Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy Lamb and Rice, but if I shouldn't feed them grain then I don't want to move to that.

Guess my questions are 1. Is it best for them to be on a grain free diet?
2. If so, does anyone know of an affordable but good brand out there?

Thanks in advance for your time.

(Post update: just read that Diamond has a lot of recalls... should I maybe not go to this brand? Any recommendations would be great. I don't want to feed them crap. I'm starting to think maybe I'll just stick with Blue Buffalo, have considered Taste of the Wild but they don't have a large breed puppy formula...)

 

[Rugers-Kris]

I am no food pro but I have kept mine on a grain free food from the day they came home. I feed taste of the wild and it is a 4 star food at a more reasonable price. Ruger ate Blue Wilderness for the first year or so of his life but decided he didn't like and I changed to TOTW and now all three of mine are on it. It isn't cheap but it is a better price.

 

[juliantrost]

We are actually using the same brand of food as you, Blue Buffalo. However, we pay $51.99 for a 30lb bag and ended up finding a small mom and pop shop in the neighborhood, which actually offers few things:

1. They deliver at no fee, so can drop bag or bags off at my wife's office without issues.

2. They buy in mess, which works best since some times, from what I gather, the ingredients change, and you may end up getting different consistencies in the new batch. According to the owner, he buys pallets and stores and when close to expiry date, he just puts it on sale or donates to shelters.

3. He offers a cool deal to ensure that the clients come back: every 13th bag you buy, is on the house. Works out to be a good deal.

We never bothered researching food and always kept our previous dogs on low end brands. Somehow with Brooklyn, that didn't work. She was picky from the start and hated Pedegree brand we fed the other dogs. Someone from my wife's office recommended BB and we have been on it for almost a month. So far, she loves it.

 

[Smokeycat]

Some dogs are alright with grains. I feed grain-free but that is just incidental as the poultry free foods typically are. Some of Kryten's favorite treats are compeltely made of grains. There is only one way to find out if your guys can handle a grain-inclusive food and that is to try it. I can understand the cost problem. When I was feeding Orijen i was going through a $90 (25lbs) bag every week. I switched back to Go! and a $65 (30lbs) bag is lasting 8-9 days because I can actually feed them less due to caloric density.

 

[PanzerGirl]

We are actually using the same brand of food as you, Blue Buffalo. However, we pay $51.99 for a 30lb bag and ended up finding a small mom and pop shop in the neighborhood, which actually offers few things:

1. They deliver at no fee, so can drop bag or bags off at my wife's office without issues.

2. They buy in mess, which works best since some times, from what I gather, the ingredients change, and you may end up getting different consistencies in the new batch. According to the owner, he buys pallets and stores and when close to expiry date, he just puts it on sale or donates to shelters.

3. He offers a cool deal to ensure that the clients come back: every 13th bag you buy, is on the house. Works out to be a good deal.

We never bothered researching food and always kept our previous dogs on low end brands. Somehow with Brooklyn, that didn't work. She was picky from the start and hated Pedegree brand we fed the other dogs. Someone from my wife's office recommended BB and we have been on it for almost a month. So far, she loves it.

I haven't found any bigger of a bag of the large breed puppy formula, which kinda stinks but I know we'll be able to switch to non puppy formula (which I believe comes in bigger bags) eventually as they won't be puppies forever. I absolutely LOVE the blue buffalo brand, these little guys have been doing SO well on it. However, it's a bit pricey. I'm just starting to question if they really need to be on a grain free diet. I'm thinking about slowly switching them over to a decent brand, non grain free, and see how it goes. If they don't show any negative reactions to it I think we might be okay. If it doesn't seem to work for them, then I"ll switch them back. In the end of all of this, I'm always willing to pay more if it means they'll be in better shape.

 

[PanzerGirl]

Some dogs are alright with grains. I feed grain-free but that is just incidental as the poultry free foods typically are. Some of Kryten's favorite treats are compeltely made of grains. There is only one way to find out if your guys can handle a grain-inclusive food and that is to try it. I can understand the cost problem. When I was feeding Orijen i was going through a $90 (25lbs) bag every week. I switched back to Go! and a $65 (30lbs) bag is lasting 8-9 days because I can actually feed them less due to caloric density.

Thanks for the reassurance that it's okay to try a non-grain free. I can't believe how attached I am to these little guys to worry this much about what they eat. And yeah, I wanted to go to Orijen because I've heard such great things but WOW is that some pricey stuff.

 

[bigcarlbaby]

try petsmart authority grain free puppy, gets high rankings and the price cant be beat.

 

[PanzerGirl]

So here's another question... with these Puppy foods, do I NEED to have a large breed puppy formula? I would think it would be better for these pups, in hopes to give them proper bone development to prevent any future health issues...

If I were to go with Taste of the Wild, would it be okay to use the puppy formula even though it isn't specific for large breed pups?

 

[Smokeycat]

I have fed an all life stages food since Kryten was 4 months old and I realized he couldn't eat poultry. You are going to get people who say feed puppy food and others that say don't feed puppy food.

 

[Rugers-Kris]

I have never fed a puppy food. Always all stages/adult food. Blue Wilderness Duck, which Ruger was started on at 6 weeks, is a grain free adult food and TOTW Sierra Mountain (Lamb) which he is on now and Magnum was started on as a baby is also an all stages food and it is grain free and poultry free.

 

[Rugers-Kris]

Also, I pay 46.00 for 30 pounds of TOTW versus 58.00 for 24 pounds of Blue Wilderness. I had to find something for Magnum who doesn't tolerate poultry OR grains. Now all three of mine are on it and I am very happy with it.

 

[gamestaff]

great results = great food. instead of looking for a good food, look around at people's dogs that you are impressed with and find out what they are eating. if you know of a friend or someone in your area feeding a brand you are cost comfortable with and you are happy with the condition of their dogs, give that food a try. the value of a food is evident in the condition of the dog, not on the label.

 

[Mamacast]

Nature's Domaine at Costco http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/natures-domain-dog-food/

 

[cowleyms]

have you tried feeding a Prey Model Raw diet? Dogs are carnivores and you can feed them Raw Meaty Bones and Muscle Meat and organs. Its really healthy for them and would probably be cheaper. If you shop smart that is and buy from a Co-Op or a wholesaler