Feeding a Low Quality Kibble...

[Aspen and Misty]

I am considering moving back to Pennsylvania for my senior year of high school. I would of course be taking my dogs, Nova and Konnor, plus my three rabbits. I am hopefully going to be living with a friend. I already pay all the cost for all of my animals, including vet bills. However, at the moment I live with my mom and do not pay rent. If I move in with my friend between rent, vet cost, my own personal needs (which are few) and the maintenance on my car it seems money is going to be tight. I currently pay $36 a month for the dogs to eat Chicken Soup brand dog food. I have seen bags that are the same size as the size I feed for $8 or $10 and we all know that’s because they are not as good nutritionally. My question is during the school year (November to June) do you think there would be any long term affects on the dogs health if I fed them a cheaper priced food? When I moved back in with my mom in June and stopped pay rent I could afford the Chicken Soup again and they would be switched back.

Ashley

[SalemWitchChild]

I had fed Purina for years before switching to Flint River Ranch. It's about 8-10 dollars for a 20lb bag. I never had a problem with their health. I know it's not the best (Nor even a middle quality food) but after feeding it for 20 yrs I'd say you would be ok to feed it for a few months without a problem.

[sammy101]

they should be fine,even though its low quality.It wont be permenment(spll?) so i wouldnt worry about it. :)

[Rachel]

Ashley, I too used to feed Purina without any problem. I'm thinking that maybe some of the newer Purina variations may even be better. What I am concerned about is that you will be taking on so many adult responsibilities while still in high school. I don't know anything about your situation, but would hope that you are not making these decisions without giving it a lot of thought. You are a very sweet girl and deserve to have some help in the areas of which you spoke. You might want to see if you could discuss your situation with a high school counselor or some other responsible person who could help you assess your options.

[lizbud]

In a word, no. I don't think it would hurt the dogs.

[SalemWitchChild]

Ashley, I too used to feed Purina without any problem. I'm thinking that maybe some of the newer Purina variations may even be better. What I am concerned about is that you will be taking on so many adult responsibilities while still in high school. I don't know anything about your situation, but would hope that you are not making these decisions without giving it a lot of thought. You are a very sweet girl and deserve to have some help in the areas of which you spoke. You might want to see if you could discuss your situation with a high school counselor or some other responsible person who could help you assess your options.

lol. I got married, moved out, got a full time job, and started working on my own family..all while attending high school.. lol.. It's not easy but well worth it.

[lute]

it's not terrible. it's not permanent. they won't hate you for it.lol

[bckrazy]

Have you looked into just "lower" quality kibble? Chicken Soup is actually on the expensive end, for it's quality, so if I were you I'd just look for good kibble that costs less.

Canidae is really cheap. I don't think it's much more than $1/lb where I work, and it's very good quality. Nutro is also a good price, for good quality food. IMO I would rather beg my parents to give me $20 extra a month, hehe :p... I know people who switched from high quality kibble to Purina ONE to test out the 30-day "challenge", and they saw big changes in coat/digestion/health within a week.

[jenluckenbach]

If your dogs have no known health problems or allergies, I would say feeding Purina (or similar) should not be a problem. MANY animals live on those foods their whole lives with no consequences, but some NEED better.

Start the switch way before you leave, weaing them off the food you currently feed and adding more of the lower priced food of your choice slowly and you should be fine.

[Aspen and Misty]

What I am concerned about is that you will be taking on so many adult responsibilities while still in high school.

My family has always been tight on money. I have had a job since I turned 16 and am now 18 (my little brother got a paper route when he was 14, when he turned 15 got a second job, worked both, paid for all his personal needs and went to high school). I have always paid for my pets food, vet bills and my own clothes and such. I also currently pay for the gas in my car, my cell phone bill and any extra things I want to do such as going out with friends etc. The only new added cost if I move out will be rent, maintenance on my car and some personal needs such as shampoo, deodorant, etc. However I will suffer a large pay cut. I can make all my current payments every month and still have $200-300 left over. However I currently make $8.35 an hour, while if I move to PA if I make $6 an hour I will be lucky. That’s really where my concern lays; with such a large cut in my pay will I be able to make ends meet. Currently I am talking to the family I want to move in, messing with my budget and stuff and seeing if it is even financially possible. My largest cost is the dog's food though, which is why I was wondering if switching them would be bad.

Thanks everyone, this certainly will help out a lot. I am concerned with Konnor the most. He has eaten chicken soup since a puppy. He was switched onto Bill Jack and he lost 10 pounds in one month. However, I plan to try different foods (my first food will be Purina) and see how he does. If there are any negative affects I will switch them off of it.

Jen - I never thought about switching them before I leave, thanks for the tip! I do plan to take it very slow though, especially with Konnor.

Ashley

[lute]

Have you looked into just "lower" quality kibble? Chicken Soup is actually on the expensive end, for it's quality, so if I were you I'd just look for good kibble that costs less.

i agree.
Diamond pet foods are cheaper and some of them are pretty good quality.

[Sevaede]

lol. I got married, moved out, got a full time job, and started working on my own family..all while attending high school.. lol.. It's not easy but well worth it.

As did I, minus the family part. :)

[bckrazy]

So, Konnor has lost weight on other kibbles? I would worry that if you bought a grocery store brand (for example, Purina), you would end up paying MORE for a larger quantity of kibble than you would for just one big bag of a better quality food.

[dab_20]

They would be fine. Some dogs spend their whole lives on low quality kibble and it's not like they get sick or die from it. A few months on the kibble and they'll be fine.

[mruffruff]

I agree that there shouldn't be a problem as long as they don't have allergies to some of the ingredients. Plan on them needing more food than usual and more output.

[IRescue452]

This thread might be helpful in picking a food with quality ingredients http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=102893&highlight=food+grade ("food" and "grade" is highlighted because I searched for it)
Purina mainstay, which Autumn gets from time to time, is $5 for a 17 pound bag and gets an overall b+ for quality. It's beef though so you have to make sure your dogs aren't allergic.
I've always thought Bil-Jac was a very low quality food.

[Katy_M216]

When my old Doberman was a puppy, we went to a very "old fashioned" country type vet for several months. When we asked what he fed his coonhounds, he told us, "The cheapest stuff I can find."

So. Your dogs would probably be okay. LOL. Still, we ran out of food one night and grabbed a bag of pedigree from the petstore to "hold them over". Dad, being frugal, insisted we finish the bag. By the time we did our pittie Bambina had hair like straw. It was falling out like crazy, and she was itching so much that she'd put raw sores on her thighs.

Not all dogs do too well on the lesser quality foods, but I'm sure you could find something.