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Shipping might be prohibitive for canned food in any sort of large quantities.

 

FWIW, I rotate, sometimes more often than others. But I certainly don't change brands daily or even weekly. When I do switch, I just switch, and I've never had any problems with gastric distress in my dogs when doing so. I suppose much depends on the individual dog.

 

I also have a lot of dogs so can't afford to feed super premium foods. You aren't likely to find premium foods at either of the stores you listed, so online may be your best choice. But if you have either Tractor Supply or Southern States in your area you might be able to find greater variety. If there's a farming community around you, then one or the other is likely to be there. Not all SS carry premium foods, but some do. For example, my local SS in Oxford doesn't, but the one in Creedmoor, about 15 miles away does. There's a Tractor Supply in Henderson, which is about 20 miles away, and I do have to go there (or SS in Creedmoor) to get the food that one of my dogs eats (Wellness or Taste of the Wild).

 

Anyway, I think you can help a decent (but not super premium) kibble by adding good stuff in. I have laying hens, so my dogs get fresh eggs. They also get all the organs, etc., from anything raised and butchered here (chicken or lamb), and I have a standing order with my hay guy for a doe each year, so venison is also on the menu. They also get canned fish (salmon, mackeral, sardines, tuna) and sometimes fresh, cottage cheese, yogurt, leftover meats I cook, including stews, and so on. They get raw meaty bones once every week or two to help keep their teeth clean.

 

In other words, I don't rotate kibble so much as others might, but my dogs get a large variety of toppers to go with their kibble. I knd of look at kibble as the base, which meets the basic AAFCO requirements (and I look for a protein:fat ratio of 3:2 or as close as I can get to that), and then it's up to me to add things in that help fill in any holes and add "spice" to their diets. I also use canned dog food.

 

My dogs also get coconut oil or fish oil daily. This diet works well for my working border collies and my livestock guard dogs.

 

J.

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Does the "TOW" stand for "Taste of the Wild" ?

The only reason I started doing it was because by buying premium food when it is on sale, I can either upgrade my food or maybe save a little money. I fed TOW for years, but then there was the recalls so I began looking for alternatives and began buying what doggiefood.com had on sale if it was a good quality food. ( Some foods on sale are still well outside the budget :) )

I have found food he loves and some he hates....

 

Thanks for the ideas, there is a Tractor Supply about 20 miles away so we would not get out there that often, but perhaps we could often enough if we got a good price on a supply that would last a while without going bad fast.

 

If the other poster's TOW stands for "Taste of the Wild" it seems there might be reason for concern as far as that brand, but I guess Tractor Supply should have several other healthy selections to choose from.

 

Would a Walmart or regular grocery supermarket have any brands that are considered fairly healthy even though they may not be consdiered as "premimum" ?

Shipping might be prohibitive for canned food in any sort of large quantities.

 

FWIW, I rotate, sometimes more often than others. But I certainly don't change brands daily or even weekly. When I do switch, I just switch, and I've never had any problems with gastric distress in my dogs when doing so. I suppose much depends on the individual dog.

 

I also have a lot of dogs so can't afford to feed super premium foods. You aren't likely to find premium foods at either of the stores you listed, so online may be your best choice. But if you have either Tractor Supply or Southern States in your area you might be able to find greater variety. If there's a farming community around you, then one or the other is likely to be there. Not all SS carry premium foods, but some do. For example, my local SS in Oxford doesn't, but the one in Creedmoor, about 15 miles away does. There's a Tractor Supply in Henderson, which is about 20 miles away, and I do have to go there (or SS in Creedmoor) to get the food that one of my dogs eats (Wellness or Taste of the Wild).

 

Anyway, I think you can help a decent (but not super premium) kibble by adding good stuff in. I have laying hens, so my dogs get fresh eggs. They also get all the organs, etc., from anything raised and butchered here (chicken or lamb), and I have a standing order with my hay guy for a doe each year, so venison is also on the menu. They also get canned fish (salmon, mackeral, sardines, tuna) and sometimes fresh, cottage cheese, yogurt, leftover meats I cook, including stews, and so on. They get raw meaty bones once every week or two to help keep their teeth clean.

 

In other words, I don't rotate kibble so much as others might, but my dogs get a large variety of toppers to go with their kibble. I knd of look at kibble as the base, which meets the basic AAFCO requirements (and I look for a protein:fat ratio of 3:2 or as close as I can get to that), and then it's up to me to add things in that help fill in any holes and add "spice" to their diets. I also use canned dog food.

 

My dogs also get coconut oil or fish oil daily. This diet works well for my working border collies and my livestock guard dogs.

 

J.

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I have never seen any brand at Walmart or any local grocery that I would consider spending my money on. If you have a Tractor Supply near you and money isn't growing on trees for you, then buy their 4 Health brand (TS own food). For the price it is a good buy and a very decent dry food. 20 miles isn't far (to me anyways) and one bag should last your little dog well over 2 months. TS has a website and you can look at the ingredient list on the 4 Health food and compare it to the stuff you find at Walmart. TS around me also sells other higher end brands that you may like and want to rotate with.

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4Health also has a good canned food line that is at a good price. If you're like me and live in the Southeast and avoid Diamond made products because our food comes from the plant that has had all the recalls, then you don't want the grain inclusive 4Health kibble, however the grain free comes from Ainsworth, not Diamond, and is still a good price.

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The Diamond recall for Salmonella didn't really worry me; my dogs eat all varieties of poo here on the farm, so I don't think a little Salmonella is going to kill them, lol! Seriously, though, we only hear about some of the problems that occur (the ones someone notices and reports on). If you want truly safe food, I think you'd have to raise it yourself and then turn it into homemade food yourself, which is more than most folks want to do. I think if anyone ever watched processed food being made they'd stop eating the stuff altogether, and that goes for humans and dogs!

 

Gary,

I actually feed Purina ONE to one of my dogs, not because I think it's a great food, but because it's what she will eat. I'm sure there will be those who make comments like "well, your kids would eat candy if that's all you let them eat, but if you insisted on broccoli, they'd learn to like it. This particular dog will turn 16 on Friday and I figure at her age, she can eat what she wants. If Purina ONE is what she wants, then that's what she'll get. Last year at the Bluegrass the only thing she would eat was the plain hamburgers one of the volunteers brought from a food vendor when they brought us (set out crew) our lunch each day. Not a well-rounded diet, but it was what she was willing to eat.... Sometimes she goes on strike and won't eat unless I cook some venison. While I wouldn't tolerate that from one of the younger dogs, I will do whatever it takes to keep her happy and eating. At her age, I doubt it's our food choice that's going to bring about her demise. I'm not advocating caving in to a dog's predilictions/pickiness when it comes to what they eat, but Willow has earned it, IMO.

 

As for what TSC carries, my local TSC carries Taste of the Wild (TOTW), Wellness, Blue (Blue Buffalo), some Merricks I think, Eukanuba (which I am not a big fan of, but know lots of folks who like it and feed it to their working dogs), 4 Health, regular Diamond foods, Purina Pro Plan, and some of the cheaper brands as well. To feed one dog, you shouldn't have to make the trip very often.

 

J.

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Thanks, I'll check the 4 Health ingredients as well as other possibilities at Tractor Supply.

I have never seen any brand at Walmart or any local grocery that I would consider spending my money on. If you have a Tractor Supply near you and money isn't growing on trees for you, then buy their 4 Health brand (TS own food). For the price it is a good buy and a very decent dry food. 20 miles isn't far (to me anyways) and one bag should last your little dog well over 2 months. TS has a website and you can look at the ingredient list on the 4 Health food and compare it to the stuff you find at Walmart. TS around me also sells other higher end brands that you may like and want to rotate with.

 

I was hoping there was a decent canned food as an option for variety, and thanks for the warning reguarding the grain inclusive 4Health kibble as we live in South Carolina, and from what I read elsewhere grain free is supposed to be preferrable anyhow.

4Health also has a good canned food line that is at a good price. If you're like me and live in the Southeast and avoid Diamond made products because our food comes from the plant that has had all the recalls, then you don't want the grain inclusive 4Health kibble, however the grain free comes from Ainsworth, not Diamond, and is still a good price.

 

I read that people might stop eating hot dogs if they saw what was put into them. And I understand what you are saying as far as your soon to be 16 year old dog, good for her that she can enjoy her preferences at her age and be happy !

 

I remember reading good stuff about Blue Buffalo, so that might be a consideration as one of the foods to rotate along with 4Health grain free dry, and 4Health canned. The others I'm not quite as familiar with, just somewhat.

The Diamond recall for Salmonella didn't really worry me; my dogs eat all varieties of poo here on the farm, so I don't think a little Salmonella is going to kill them, lol! Seriously, though, we only hear about some of the problems that occur (the ones someone notices and reports on). If you want truly safe food, I think you'd have to raise it yourself and then turn it into homemade food yourself, which is more than most folks want to do. I think if anyone ever watched processed food being made they'd stop eating the stuff altogether, and that goes for humans and dogs!

 

Gary,

I actually feed Purina ONE to one of my dogs, not because I think it's a great food, but because it's what she will eat. I'm sure there will be those who make comments like "well, your kids would eat candy if that's all you let them eat, but if you insisted on broccoli, they'd learn to like it. This particular dog will turn 16 on Friday and I figure at her age, she can eat what she wants. If Purina ONE is what she wants, then that's what she'll get. Last year at the Bluegrass the only thing she would eat was the plain hamburgers one of the volunteers brought from a food vendor when they brought us (set out crew) our lunch each day. Not a well-rounded diet, but it was what she was willing to eat.... Sometimes she goes on strike and won't eat unless I cook some venison. While I wouldn't tolerate that from one of the younger dogs, I will do whatever it takes to keep her happy and eating. At her age, I doubt it's our food choice that's going to bring about her demise. I'm not advocating caving in to a dog's predilictions/pickiness when it comes to what they eat, but Willow has earned it, IMO.

 

As for what TSC carries, my local TSC carries Taste of the Wild (TOTW), Wellness, Blue (Blue Buffalo), some Merricks I think, Eukanuba (which I am not a big fan of, but know lots of folks who like it and feed it to their working dogs), 4 Health, regular Diamond foods, Purina Pro Plan, and some of the cheaper brands as well. To feed one dog, you shouldn't have to make the trip very often.

 

J.

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Think of it this way. If you ate a dinner roll, an apple, a small piece of ham, a green salad, and a glass of milk for dinner, you would have eaten a nice square meal. But if you ate that same thing for every meal for a year, that's not so good. If at the end of that year, you all of a sudden decided that ham, apple, green salad, and milk were not your thing, cheeseburger and watermelon were, you would probably have explosive diarrhea, gas, and some gastric distress. But since you eat different foods every meal, it causes you no problem to switch from ham the cheeseburger, though you may still have issues if you go from low fat to high fat.

 

But I'm not a dog and most dogs have a digestive system way more accommodating than that of the average human.

Beware of anthropomorphic comparisons.

 

And anyway, how many dogs only ever get to eat what is put in their bowl?

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Thanks, I'll have to keep researching to make sure I find the lowest prices for food that is healthy as we are on a tight budget because from those places it would cost us from about 2 1/2 to almost 3 times the cost per pound from what we are getting now.

 

Wag.com - $37.99 for an 11 LB of grain free Blue Buffalo chicken = $3.45 per LB

 

Doggiefood.com - $32.49 for 11 LBs of Blue Buffalo Freedom grain free chicken = $2.95 per LB

(but must have over $49 order to get free shipping from them)

 

Compare to the Purina One Smartblend puppy chow we get from Walmart for about $20.00 for a 16 1/2 LB bag = about $1.20 per LB

 

I still need to check prices from Tractor Supply to see how they compare.

 

Check out wag.com and doggiefood.com for prices. Both do free shipping for all food, including cans. I have found buying dog food online really easy, and oddly I am less likely to run out as I don't keep putting it off like I do when I go to the store.

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.....not to mention the stuff they manage to eat outside like grass and deer poop (I try to keep her away from the deer poop but sometimes she finds some before I can direct her elsewhere)

But I'm not a dog and most dogs have a digestive system way more accommodating than that of the average human.

Beware of anthropomorphic comparisons.

 

And anyway, how many dogs only ever get to eat what is put in their bowl?

 

Thanks, I'll have to check those out also !

 

Other sites that have free shipping on orders $50 are:

 

www.mrchewy.com

 

www.k9cuisine.com

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I am a proponent of feeding the best quality you think you can afford as I firmly believe that a better quality food (most often) will prevent future vet visits. It's my own belief and not supported by any scientific data. It is also a long-term outlook which is even harder to support with concrete data (i.e. one would need a huge sample size and 10+ years of study to try to determine if a better quality food reduces future cancers, diabetes, kidney disease, etc.).

 

So if you consider that just to walk in the examining room at the vet can cost from $35 - $50 (or whatever) and then add any treatments and medicine, you have a decent chunk of change. If that money was put towards quality dog food, the costs might equal out. At least that is how I rationalize spending the extra bucks for quality dog food. But there are also concrete benefits I see in my own dogs with the quality diet - better coats, excellent energy. smaller and less smelly output - to mention a few.

 

YMMV.

 

Also, you may want to calculate how much you feed of each type of diet. A kibble that costs only $1.50 per lb may require 2 lbs of food per day ($3.00) whereas a kibble priced at $2.50 per lb may be fed at 1.5 lbs per day ($3.75). What I am trying to say is that you should not assume you will be feeding the same amount of quality kibble (in fact, you will feed less) and should factor that into the cost equation. [Note: these are just numbers for the sake of argument, but in general, one can feed less of a quality kibble than a grocery-store brand.)

 

Jovi

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Very good point, and while I may not be able to afford the very top foods (can't do that for people food either :) I still want to research and get the healthiest food I can within my budget, that's one reason I use the Purina one puppy chow for now as it lists chicken as the first ingredient. I might not be able to afford the best, but I won't feed her anything that is unhealthy either.

I am a proponent of feeding the best quality you think you can afford as I firmly believe that a better quality food (most often) will prevent future vet visits. It's my own belief and not supported by any scientific data. It is also a long-term outlook which is even harder to support with concrete data (i.e. one would need a huge sample size and 10+ years of study to try to determine if a better quality food reduces future cancers, diabetes, kidney disease, etc.).

 

So if you consider that just to walk in the examining room at the vet can cost from $35 - $50 (or whatever) and then add any treatments and medicine, you have a decent chunk of change. If that money was put towards quality dog food, the costs might equal out. At least that is how I rationalize spending the extra bucks for quality dog food. But there are also concrete benefits I see in my own dogs with the quality diet - better coats, excellent energy. smaller and less smelly output - to mention a few.

 

YMMV.

 

Also, you may want to calculate how much you feed of each type of diet. A kibble that costs only $1.50 per lb may require 2 lbs of food per day ($3.00) whereas a kibble priced at $2.50 per lb may be fed at 1.5 lbs per day ($3.75). What I am trying to say is that you should not assume you will be feeding the same amount of quality kibble (in fact, you will feed less) and should factor that into the cost equation. [Note: these are just numbers for the sake of argument, but in general, one can feed less of a quality kibble than a grocery-store brand.)

 

Jovi

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But I'm not a dog and most dogs have a digestive system way more accommodating than that of the average human.

Beware of anthropomorphic comparisons.

 

And anyway, how many dogs only ever get to eat what is put in their bowl?

A dog's digestive system is more accomodating than a human's when it is used to eating a variety. The most common ailment seen at my vet is dietary indiscretion because the dog could not accomodate a strange food. Country dogs have plenty of opportunity to supplement their diet. Here in the US, that is by no means the majority of dogs. As for anthropomorphic comparisons, it is a known fact that the bacteria populations in the gut, both dog and human, as well as any other animal, change according to diet. If you always feed the same thing, you are supporting a specific population, to the detriment of populations that require a different set of nutrients. These bacterial colonies aid in digestion as well as support, and even act as a major part of, the immune system. So I stand by my comparison, it is apt.

 

The Diamond recall for Salmonella didn't really worry me; my dogs eat all varieties of poo here on the farm, so I don't think a little Salmonella is going to kill them, lol! Seriously, though, we only hear about some of the problems that occur (the ones someone notices and reports on). If you want truly safe food, I think you'd have to raise it yourself and then turn it into homemade food yourself, which is more than most folks want to do. I think if anyone ever watched processed food being made they'd stop eating the stuff altogether, and that goes for humans and dogs!

Recalls for salmonella don't bother me either, it's the pattern of repeated recalls that bothers me, and the things I read in the FDA report about what was going on at that plant, and the fact that they have already had another recall since the one you reference, this time for cat food. They are doing very little besides talk to improve their performance and I won't give my money to a dog food company I know I can't trust. I already give enough to Walmart.

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Searching the web I came across this site where a lot of people complained about their dogs getting sick from Purina products.

 

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/ralston.html

 

I don't know what to think, we have been feeding our dog Purina One Smartblend from some time now and she has not gotten sick, (she does like to pick out the chicken nuggets first) should I continue with Purina till I switch her to adult food since she has not gotten sick ?

 

I would imagine you could find some complaints against most all dog foods so how do you decide ?

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A good site to check out is dogfoodadvisor.com It's third party that rates different food. It goes through each ingredient in a certain food and explains why they think it's good or they don't and they give each food a rating with 5 being the highest. Purina definitely wouldn't be considered a premium food but if your dog is healthy, is at a good weight, has good stool, good teeth, and a good coat then you might not want to change. It's whatever you think works best for you dog. If you're concerned it's not the best food you could maybe ask your vet what type of food they would recommend or maybe ask what should be included in a food that you feed your dog.

 

Thank you everyone for the feedback and the different dog food sites. I'll be living in an apartment complex so I'm not sure how practical having food delivered would be but I'll definitely try it out a couple of times and see. I'll all about a bargain.

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I've done those calculations many times (especially when comparing kibble to raw) and haven't noticed a tremendous difference. Most of my dogs eat around 1.5-2 cups of food a day, no matter what food they're being fed. For example, Kat eats 1.5 cups of Wellness and Willow gets 2 cups of Purina ONE. I'm pretty confident I pay less to feed Willow than I do to feed Kat.

 

But again, it makes a difference if you're feeding one or two dogs vs. 8 or 10 dogs. I alwys advocate that people feed the best that they can afford. Beyond that, trying to convince people that it really is cheaper to feed the more expensive foods just hasn't proven out in my experience.

 

J.

Also, you may want to calculate how much you feed of each type of diet. A kibble that costs only $1.50 per lb may require 2 lbs of food per day ($3.00) whereas a kibble priced at $2.50 per lb may be fed at 1.5 lbs per day ($3.75). What I am trying to say is that you should not assume you will be feeding the same amount of quality kibble (in fact, you will feed less) and should factor that into the cost equation. [Note: these are just numbers for the sake of argument, but in general, one can feed less of a quality kibble than a grocery-store brand.)

 

Jovi

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But again, it makes a difference if you're feeding one or two dogs vs. 8 or 10 dogs. I alwys advocate that people feed the best that they can afford. Beyond that, trying to convince people that it really is cheaper to feed the more expensive foods just hasn't proven out in my experience.

 

J.

I should have been clearer: my argument wasn't that it was cheaper to feed a more expensive food, but that the disparity wasn't as great as a simple comparison based solely on cost per lb. One also has to factor in the amount of food fed - which can differ between foods. At least that has been my experience, and the same has been reported by other owners - but again, that is not a hard and fast rule.

 

I also agree that one should feed the best they can afford and/or feel comfortable paying. I do not feed the super high-end food (e.g. Acana or Orijen). Well, I did try Orijen once and was disappointed to see that the dogs' output was much bigger and smellier than with the other brands I had tried. To judge a food based on 'output' doesn't make sense, but it is one of the factors I use, and since there are multiple other foods available that are probably equivalent to Orijen, I felt I didn't need to deal with the 'output' factor. I often use TOTW and Wellness in the kibble brands I rotate through.

 

Jovi

 

Jovi

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I checked the rating for Purina One Smartblend on dogfoodadvisor.com and it only got 2 stars out of 5 so now I am concerned, even though it hasn't made her sick, should I try to return the unopened bag we recently got or just wait till after that bag to switch to something else ?

 

2 stars surprised me, especially after hearing some other members used it without any problems also.

A good site to check out is dogfoodadvisor.com It's third party that rates different food. It goes through each ingredient in a certain food and explains why they think it's good or they don't and they give each food a rating with 5 being the highest. Purina definitely wouldn't be considered a premium food but if your dog is healthy, is at a good weight, has good stool, good teeth, and a good coat then you might not want to change. It's whatever you think works best for you dog. If you're concerned it's not the best food you could maybe ask your vet what type of food they would recommend or maybe ask what should be included in a food that you feed your dog.

 

Thank you everyone for the feedback and the different dog food sites. I'll be living in an apartment complex so I'm not sure how practical having food delivered would be but I'll definitely try it out a couple of times and see. I'll all about a bargain.

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Dog food advisor isn't about how many dogs the food made sick. The rating is based on the ingredients and a quick look at it shows the ingredients are not that great in my opinion. The second ingredient is rice the third is corn and the fourth is corn again then wheat. Ideally I would like to see meat being the first second and third ingredients. My cat's food has meat as the first 4 ingredients. I feed them 4 health grain free by the way which is $21/16 lb, cheap in my opinion. I know the dog version is also reasonably priced without corn and rice being in there (not that grain free is always better or better at all but with regards to purina vs 4 health, purina to mr just isn't a food I would choose) I think for the money you spend on Purina you could buy the 4 health grain free and be feeding, in my opinion, a better food.

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DON'T DUMP THE BAG OUT INTO A FOOD BIN. Place the entire bag into the bin, roll the bag shut then seal the bin. Dumping the bad in will coat the sides in fat, which will become rancid and support bacterial growth. You can destroy the nutritional value of the food and make your dog sick.

 

4Health was manufactured by Diamond the last time I checked, so you won't escape the recall issues.

 

I was one of the people that experienced a big difference in cost of feeding because of volume differences. I tried several different foods because the one I liked suddenly became hard to find. I found a few brands they liked and were doing ok on, but they were eating 4 to 6 cups per day to maintain their weight. The I found another food that cost more, but they were doing great and eating closer to 2 to 3 cups per day. I did save money despite the bag of food costing more.

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Oops didnt mean to say or imply pour it in out of the bag. When I fed dog food I would do what you said, I feared a recall more than anything and not having the bag meant I couldn't return it. No food is really immune from recalls. I personally never fed 4 health dog food but if Gary is looking for a decent food at a good price that he can find near him, think 4 health fits the bill.

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I have always switched immediately, not gradually switching over, and the dogs have never had a problem. I feed Evo at the moment. I try to get them the best I can, and Evo is pretty good food, correct?

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