# What to buy and what to add



## Mms (Dec 13, 2009)

I know there are many threads concerning this but I'd like to share my personal situation. First off I'd like to note that although I would like to feed Gracie top brand premium puppy food (Note: she is about 6 months old) but I am only 15 and my dad will not pay $30+ for a 20lb. bag of dog food, and I simply cannot afford to pay the extra expenses myself. She is currently on Iams (I know, I know commercial brand = byproducts, fillers, all kinds of bad stuff, etc.). She has not had any problems with it besides horrible, awful, room-clearing gas. I am thinking about switching to Diamond since the price is so reasonable and the formula looks very good to me, but I am alittle worried about its bad rep with recalls. What are your opinions on this and are there any other reasonable foods with good nutrition?
Second of all, I have been wanting to start adding some things to her meals, just recently I started giving her 1 Tbsp. of cottage cheese with 1 cup of dog food 3 times a day (by the way does cottage cheese help gas like yogurt does?) I'd like to try adding pumpkin, yogurt, sweet potatoes, scrambled eggs, raw meat, etc. If you have any reccomendations or advice on this please share.
Thankyou, Marissa


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Cool it with the Cottage Cheese for a growing puppy. 

Which Iams formula are you feeding?


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## Mms (Dec 13, 2009)

proactive health largebreed smartpuppy, i figure its better than some of the other cheap commercial brands because the first ingredient is chicken and in others its corn


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Many of us add human food to our puppers food. All of the mentioned foods should be tolerated well. If adding pumpkin, just make sure you use the 100% pumpkin, not the pie filling. Eggs can be either raw of cooked. Most dinners, ours will get a little bit of our meat and veggies added to their bowl.

Personally, I would stay away from Diamond products because of their history. Is Pro-Plan in your price range??? Many have very good luck with it and many breeders recommend it. You may find with a higher end food, you'll feed less so the bag will last longer. Check calorie content along with ingredients.


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

Do you have a Costco? I have heard people say the Kirkland food is a good one (and very reasonably priced). I don't have a Costco, so I don't know anything more about it. Maybe someone who does know will chime in.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

You should be able to find a kibble that your dog does well on and doesn't constantly have gas.

*Healthwise* by Natura (also makes EVO, Innova, California Natural) has very simple formulas and is made by a company with a good track record. Healthwise is their most reasonably priced line of dog food and sells for $36.50 for a $35 lb. bag or about $21 for a 17 lb. bag around here.

Healthwise Chicken Meal and Brown Rice Puppy could be a good one to try. Any store that carries any of the Natura products could get it for you if they don't already carry it. Here's a link to see where Natura products are sold in your area:

http://www.naturapet.com/where-to-buy/

As someone else mentioned, feeding kibble formulas that are more dense and have more calories per cup makes the bag last longer. So, price isn't the only determining factor.

Also, if you transition to a new kibble, I'd hold off on adding extras until you see how the new formula is working. Otherwise, if there were problems, you wouldn't know if it was the new kibble or some other food you added in.


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## Mms (Dec 13, 2009)

I did look at pro-plan but around here its the same as all the high-end brands, I suggested the thing you said about the bag lasting longer with high-end brands to my dad but he just figured "then isn't it the same to feed more of the commercial brand" and isn't a strong believer that the brand of food you feed a dog makes a very big difference in their health. I don't believe we have a Costco (our pet supply options are pretty limited, we only have a petsmart, one or two small family stores, and a tractor supply store that has a good variety of both high-end and commercial) but I think I've seen Kirkland before, I've never considered it but I'll look into it. As for Natura Healthwise I have look at Natura in general and considered it out of our price range but not particularly Healthwise.
Thanks


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## Mms (Dec 13, 2009)

Oh wait nevermind, I have been recently informed "THAT IS NOT TRUE!!! I do not think that the brand of food you feed a dog doesn't make a big difference in their health! Did you mention how much your old cheapo dad plays with this dog?" *to Gracie"Who fed you a piece of turkey earlier today? Old no-good dad that feeds you the cheapo food that's who."


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Diamond is not a bad brand-a lot of people are feeding their high end food, Taste of the Wild. I fed the performance Diamond for years and had good luck with it. I feed Canidae now and it works very well for my dogs.

I have a friend who competes in agility who swears by Exceed, and a lot of people who feed ProPlan.

What about Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover food, as I recall that used to be a reasonably priced option.


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## Mms (Dec 13, 2009)

What do you think about Nutro Ultra? On the Petsmart website they have the puppy foormula for $13 for a 15 lb. bag


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

I don't have a food suggestion because I feed Wellness, which is beyond your budget but I want to commend you on taking the time to do research to get the most for your dollars. What a responsible 15 year old...that's a complement to you!


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Mms said:


> What do you think about Nutro Ultra? On the Petsmart website they have the puppy foormula for $13 for a 15 lb. bag


Well, keep in mind you do have a Golden Retriever! A 15lb bag of food is not going to last very long with a growing puppy. :doh: Your Dad has to drive to the retailer to pick up food, so small bags requiring frequent trips isn't the best idea these days considering the cost of gas. 

Iams (Yellow bag) isn't a bad food for a growing puppy. Purina One Large Breed Puppy is in the same category pricewise. Both products are widely available at most Grocery Stores. 

A step up would be something like Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy or Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy. These foods sell for around a dollar a pound in most areas. They are slightly more expensive than the grocery store foods, but they are much better and go further in the food dish. You can find these at the Petfood store, although they will probably be less expensive at your local Feed Mill, Tractor Supply, or Fleet Farm if you have one of those near by.


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

I would second looking at feed stores, you may be able to get the food for a bit less. And the better digestable stuff will save your dad more money in the long run, if you don't have to feed so much.

A friend of mine switched from pedigree puppy to orijen a few months ago and thanked me, she said even though it was more per bag, the bag was lasting a bit more than twice as long and they went from feeding 8 cups a day to 3 cups a day...

Good for you for doing your homework! I would say a bit of this and that for extras with the kibble won't hurt, if it's less than 1/5 of the overall diet, and healthy stuff.

Lana


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

I've heard Chicken Soup For the Pet Lover's Soul Dog Food is a good food and inexpensive. My daughter's fiance feeds Iams to his dogs and they seem to do well.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Bender said:


> I would second looking at feed stores, you may be able to get the food for a bit less. And the better digestable stuff will save your dad more money in the long run, if you don't have to feed so much.
> 
> A friend of mine switched from pedigree puppy to orijen a few months ago and thanked me, she said even though it was more per bag, the bag was lasting a bit more than twice as long and they went from feeding 8 cups a day to 3 cups a day...
> 
> ...


And don't forget that the 8 cups of food per day translates into a lot more dog poop than 3 cups per day!


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## Traz (Jan 19, 2009)

One food I found that has good ingredients, but is reasonably priced is "Chicken Soup for Dog Lovers" You can find it at Petsmart & often will even have a coupon. In My Opinion, it is a better quality food than what you are using for probably the same price or maybe even better price. I have a excel spreadsheet that compare a bunch of foods I did when I was deciding on a food for my dogs. I am not using the food myself, I am basing my opinion on listed ingredients & nutritional analysis.


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## Taz Monkey (Feb 25, 2007)

buying a larger bag is economically smarter. The larger bags are usually less $ per lb than smaller bags. I know your puppy is only 6 months old, but my 65 lb 4 year old golden only eats 2 cups a day, and a 30 lb bag lasts both the golden and my same sized lab mix a whole month. I buy Taste Of the Wild at Tractor Supply for $41.99 for a 30lb bag which is not much more per lb than grocery store brands. Merrick has also come out with a new economy priced line of food, which looks alright. Canidae is good too, as far as price goes.


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## Mms (Dec 13, 2009)

Once again,thanks for all of the advice. I'm still thinking about going with Diamond (Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy Lamb and Rice Formula). Our TSC doesn't have "Chicken Soup For the Dog Lovers Soul" but since they sell most other brands produced by Diamond I could probably have them order it. As for the 2006 recalls, couldn't it happen to any company? I mean to ensure no contamination they'd have to inspect EVERY CRUMB of food put into their dog food, that's virtually impossible. Plus this was 4 years ago. I do know that regular Diamond has corn and by-products but I'm looking at Diamond Naturals which doesn't. As of now I'm planning on asking if TSC can order CSFTDLS (man that's long) and the price,and if that won't work I'll just get Diamond Naturals.


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## 2Retrievers222 (Sep 5, 2007)

Mms said:


> Once again,thanks for all of the advice. I'm still thinking about going with Diamond (Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy Lamb and Rice Formula). Our TSC doesn't have "Chicken Soup For the Dog Lovers Soul" but since they sell most other brands produced by Diamond I could probably have them order it. As for the 2006 recalls, couldn't it happen to any company? I mean to ensure no contamination they'd have to inspect EVERY CRUMB of food put into their dog food, that's virtually impossible. Plus this was 4 years ago. I do know that regular Diamond has corn and by-products but I'm looking at Diamond Naturals which doesn't. As of now I'm planning on asking if TSC can order CSFTDLS (man that's long) and the price,and if that won't work I'll just get Diamond Naturals.


 
Costco Kirkland is made by Diamond

http://dogfoodchat.com/kirkland-dog-food/


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