kokotg Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 Okay, this thread re-ignited my periodic dog food guilt, so I did some research today...and found out that Taste of the Wild, rated 6 stars on that dog food review site, is sold at the Tractor Supply Company down the street from my house AND isn't much more expensive than the stuff we buy at Petsmart. I picked some up today, so we'll see how they like it and if any miraculous improvements in doggie health and behavior result from the change. It was $42 for a 30 lb bag, btw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paula in PA Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Okay, this thread re-ignited my periodic dog food guilt, so I did some research today...and found out that Taste of the Wild, rated 6 stars on that dog food review site, is sold at the Tractor Supply Company down the street from my house AND isn't much more expensive than the stuff we buy at Petsmart. I picked some up today, so we'll see how they like it and if any miraculous improvements in doggie health and behavior result from the change. It was $42 for a 30 lb bag, btw. Yeah, it got me, too. :tongue_smilie: We have a TSC with the TOTW brand, as well as a pet store with the EVO. We're going to be checking prices at both this weekend. After seeing Carrie's calculations, I'm actually feeling a lot better about making the switch. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 OK - it isn't the premium brands that many of you use, but I did go to Costco today and stocked up again on the Kirkland brand. According to that dog food evaluation site, it gets a good enough grade for me. And I can afford it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 [quote=hornblower;1169847 I'll start listening to vets & their prof associations more on this issue when they drop the funding & corporate ties. :iagree: and ditto for doctors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camibami Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Wait! I forgot to share the biggest health benefit for your dog, one that affects allergies, genetic conditions and the terrible killer so many large dogs are prone to:Cancer. What is it? Doggy spa? Doggy stew airlifted to your house made of kangaroo and wallaby fat? Why, no...it's...wait for it...getting a mutt! Mixed breed dogs have statistically far less health problems than purebred dogs, and the health problems associated with dog farms and commercial puppy mills are staggering. So, I just wanted to put my plug in for the good 'ol mutt, since if you are concerned about pet health, they are healthier! Ok, off my soapbox now. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaNY Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 And yes, many people who homeschool do lack a basic understanding of scientific concepts and I wouldn't be surprised if many didn't vacinate. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saille Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Where did you find how many cups are in a bag? The problem I was having yesterday is that EVO doesn't appear to have a different feeding amount than Hill's. So I'd be paying approximately $20 more a bag (at Pet Supply), thirty if Hill's was on special, for the same amount of food. OTOH, the online EVO calculator *does* recommend a smaller portion. :001_huh: I am so confused. But I will go look at TOTW, as we too have a TSC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 To some extent, this may be a "personal philosophy" choice. At one extreme are the folks who cook up a daily steak (or don't cook it at all, depending on cooking style !) for "Fido". (I knew an older woman who fell into this camp.) At the other end, are people who just need to keep the dog alive, so fare just as well with the comparatively inexpensive foods. From the very little I have picked up over the year, there is much better understanding of domestic animal nutritional needs, and knowledge of how good nutrition throughout the life of a dog/cat often can reduce the health failures once thought inevitable for an aging pet. For our own dog, we purchase what I assume would be a more expensive brand of dry food. I made the personal decision that I will not feed "by-products" to a household pet. This choice raises the price bar, but I'll stay with it so long as we can manage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 While researching recently, I found this site. The person that posted this site said to get foods that rated 5 or 6 and not to even consider those rated 3 and under. http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ What is good is that they tell you WHY each is a good or poor choice. BTW, we chose EVO. I looked at this site. The only top rated dog food I can get locally is Canidae. It is $60/bag!!! When I called our local pet stores (there are 3), the store managers had not even heard of several. The only "upper end" store said they used to carry a couple, Innova and Wellness, but it never sold, so they stopped carrying it. I have been buying Science Diet and supplementing it with a recipe our vet gives me for "crockpot" dog food. I do add glucosomine for our older dog and I am thinking about fish oil for all our dogs. But, I am having trouble finding "fishy" fish oils. The dogs won't eat the lemon or strawberry flavored fish oils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth Conley Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Good pet food is very much worth the money. We currently use Evo. Don't buy Science Diet from the vet unless your animal is actually ill and requires one of their prescription diets. Otherwise, it's a mediocre food. 1. Good pet food means fewer, smaller, more compact bowel movements. 2. Good pet food substantially reduces skin problems, allergy issues and other minor health problems that can cause you to spend a lot more at the vets than you would have on good food. 3. Good pet food doesn't require expensive vitamin supplements. 4. Good pet food means a longer, healthier more active life for your pet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wulfbourne Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 OK - it isn't the premium brands that many of you use, but I did go to Costco today and stocked up again on the Kirkland brand. According to that dog food evaluation site, it gets a good enough grade for me. And I can afford it. That's what we feed our dogs too. We were buying a MUCH more expensive brand, but it was only rated slightly higher, so we decided it wasn't worth that much extra money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etkids Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Is there a way to tell the calories in the dog food? I have one overweight weiner dog that could handle losing about 5-8 pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 But, I am having trouble finding "fishy" fish oils. The dogs won't eat the lemon or strawberry flavored fish oils. Try capsules. I buy pure wild salmon oil capsules in the human pharmacy - everyone in the family takes them, two legged & four legged :001_smile: I have also in the past used Grizzly Brand wild salmon oil & it is good but I think the caps work out cheaper. http://www.grizzlypetproducts.com/ It's available through amazon & other online retailers. I heard costco in the US had a knock off also but the pump dispenser wasn't as good & sometimes leaked apparently.... I buy large amounts of capsules when they're on sale. My dogs like to bite into them - it's like one of those flavour burst candies apparently :D My 75 lb healthy dog gets 3000mg/day (3 caps); my 50lb dog who came to me this spring with some skin issues gets 4000mg/day for another month & then I'll drop him to 3000 & see how his coat & skin manage on a lowered dose. I get this brand: http://www.goldseal.ca/products/salmon_oil.asp Not sure if you have it in the US. Whatever you get make sure it's wild. Farmed salmon has different levels of EFA's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Where did you find how many cups are in a bag? The problem I was having yesterday is that EVO doesn't appear to have a different feeding amount than Hill's. So I'd be paying approximately $20 more a bag (at Pet Supply), thirty if Hill's was on special, for the same amount of food. OTOH, the online EVO calculator *does* recommend a smaller portion. :001_huh: I am so confused. But I will go look at TOTW, as we too have a TSC. Some of the manufacturers list the weight of each cup on their website. I just divided by the total weight of the bags. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet in Toronto Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Is there a way to tell the calories in the dog food? I have one overweight weiner dog that could handle losing about 5-8 pounds. My kibble (Nature's Variety) has it on the bag. My canned (Wellness) has it on the website. Your vet should be able to give you advice regarding optimum calories per day. Then you can do the math to figure out how much to feed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saille Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 OK, now carrie, where are you finding EVO for $43 for the 28 lb. bag? It's 57.98 here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 OK, now carrie, where are you finding EVO for $43 for the 28 lb. bag? It's 57.98 here. We had an independent pet store a few miles away until recently. :glare: I haven't checked to see what it is at our PSP yet. I did find it online for $44 here: http://www.westcoastpetsupply.com/2/Innova-Evo-Large-Bites-Adult-Dog-Food/ , but I have no idea what the shipping cost is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etkids Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 My kibble (Nature's Variety) has it on the bag. My canned (Wellness) has it on the website. Your vet should be able to give you advice regarding optimum calories per day. Then you can do the math to figure out how much to feed. I never noticed calories on the package before I will have to check that out! My vet recently closed due to the economy & I haven't found another yet. :crying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 See if you have a feed store. Petsmart carries 35 pound bags of Royal Canin Golden Retriever for $56. Tomlinson Feed carries the same bag for $45. Tomlinson also has a "club" that costs $5/year, but it gets you 10% off of all the pet food you buy. I'm trying out Taste of the Wild. My dog has about one week's worth of Royal Canin left and then I'll try Taste of the Wild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 My dog may start getting some salmon oil (wild, yes:-) off this thread. Who knew he'd cost more than my children:-) You know...kids get beans and rice.... dog gets the heart and kidneys... sad thing is my husband eyes the dog's food. Sometimes I think he's gonna fight the dog for it's food!! :-) Carrie:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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