Good quality dog food that isn't extremely expensive

I know we have discussed this probably a thousand times, but I am looking for my aunt who has a Mini Schnauzer (did I spell it right? :p) who is currently feeding her dog Ol' Roy, because thats what the person she got the dog from was feeding and because that person said that that is the only food he would eat. :rolleyes: Anyway, she is currently pretty strapped for money, but she wants to switch to a better grade dog food (which I think is a good idea as it would probably make his coat better and his breath fresher and his teeth cleaner), but she doesn't know which one to get. Do you have any ideas? Like which Brands are good, and what ingredients are bad and should avoid? I tried looking on the internet and its all greek to me. :o I feed Heidi Pro Plan because thats what our vet suggested and she does great on it. So advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! :)

You know I haven't really looked at ingredients in foods for awhile other than the one I feed my two. I don't think you will really find a cheap food that doesn't have corn or grain as the first or second ingredient but I'd try to find one that avoided a lot of corn/filler and sugars. Pro-Plan is a pretty good food for its price range I think.. but you mentioned in the other thread that that still might be a bit expensive for them. I've heard some mention they feed Purina O.N.E. and Diamond, Diamond is what my collies got when I was a kid and mom was struggling with money problems and they did good on that. I hope you're able to find something a bit better than Ol'Roy that your aunt can afford :)

See, my problem is that I don't know what kind of ingredients are bad. If I knew what kind were bad I would have an idea what to look for. We have Diamond pet food at our Tractor Supply here. I don't know how expensive that is though. Is any corn product bad for dogs?

I found one GREAT article that tells you what to look for and what to avoid, ingredient by ingredient. Do read it through as I think it will answer most of your questions!:) If your friends are on a budget, perhaps these guidelines will help them decide upon a good quality food that won't stretch their budget. You can also search the web by food brand and most of them will provide an ingredient analysis!

http://www.canineuniversity.com/arti...health_22.html

Have a Great Dog!

Natural Health Corner: Learning to Read Dog Food Labels

The dog food industry is a booming business and not very closely regulated. The goal of the myriad of dog food manufacturers is to get you to buy their food instead of someone else’s food, and to this end they put a lot of time and attention into packaging and advertising. Unfortunately for us as consumers, very little of their efforts go into improving the quality of what is in the food...the bottom line is profits in most cases, best achieved by producing food that costs as little as possible to manufacture.

Don’t be fooled by dog food labels saying a product is all natural- currently the regulations for claiming a food is all natural are quite loose and almost anyone can claim the quality of their ingredients is better than it is. Remember that dog food in it’s processed kibble form has only been around for fifty years or so. Our grandparents and great grandparents fed their dogs just fine without the help of the commercial dog food industry.

I don’t think we can claim that dogs lived longer then than they do now, but its gererally accepted that our modern dogs have a lot more cancer and skin problems than the dogs of our grandparents. Maybe the medicine is better, maybe now we are paying more attention than folks did then, who knows. One thing that is clear, however, is that the commercial dog food industry has introduced huge amounts of carbohydrates. Recent research suggests that a diet high in carbohydrates contributes to some forms of cancer. I can’t name the study for you or point you to the periodical that makes the claims but I do know as a dog professional that cancers and allergies are epidemic.

Next time you are in a pet store go ahead and take a trip down the dog food aisle and start practicing your label reading skills. The diet that is best for dogs is one that is mostly meat based, not grain based. Dogs don’t need artificial colors, flavors, or chemical preservatives and may be allergic to them so avoid food that have these in it.

The protein source and quality is very important and that’s where many people get confused. The protein source for high quality dog food should be meat, and should be listed as a whole food source like lamb, beef, turkey, chicken. Of slightly lesser quality are lamb meal, turkey meal, etc. These are considered high quality protein sources and should be listed as the first two (at least) ingredients on the side of the bag. The ingredients list is by order of weight so the meat being mostly water should appear first or the food isn’t worth the price. The third and fourth ingredients should be vegetables (other than corn or beet pulp) and whole grain sources like brown rice. Corn is a cheap filler and not a good source of nutrition for dogs. Pay attention to the grain sources, they are often by-products of other food industries and are fractions of the whole grain.

In the ideal world the first four ingredients in food meant for canine consumption would be meat, with a small amount of grain and vegetables to give the food texture. This isn’t possible in the commercial dog food industry because having a higher volume of meat tends to gum up the machinery and slow down production. This means less profits and more production time.

On the whole, it is best to steer clear of foods that use meat by-products. If you must feed a food with by-products, at least choose one that lists the specific source. For instance, chicken by-product is not a great protein source but it’s better quality than meat by-product. Meat by-product is a mix of beaks, feet, feathers, hooves, hair, tumors, and other low quality products made into a meat mix.

When looking at the preservatives in dog food, look for foods preserved with vitamin E and vitamin C, sometimes labeled as mixed tocopherols. Avoid foods with BHA, BHT or other chemical preservatives that you can’t pronounce.

There is no one dog food out there that is perfect for every dog. The higher quality foods tend to be hard to find and quite expensive, but the money you will save in veterinary bills is more than worth it. Consider doing some research on-line or at the bookstore to see for yourself what dog food is all about. Don't be surprised if the food that you thought was so good for your dog doesn't pass muster. That doesn’t’ mean that you need to go out tomorrow and change it, but it does make you a more informed consumer and a better dog owner. We all want what is best for our best pals and no one can say definitively that any one food will do it.

My best advice is to educate yourself about dog food and decide for yourself which food is best for your dog. For starters you may want to visit www.NaturaPet.com where you will find a comparison tool which not only lists ingredients for just about every dog food sold in the USA, but also gives explanation of each ingredient. Natura Pet Products makes Innova, and though we sell (and feed) this food and believe it ito be one of the best available, we by no means consider it perfect or for every dog. Selecting the right food for your dog is something that you must discover for yourself, we hope we’ve given you the tools to get you started!

I agree wholeheartedly with the article:). We, too, are about to switch to Innova EVO, a wonderful grain-free kibble.

Some wallet-friendly kibbles:
I believe Kirkland makes a nice food, and they have one formula with no corn.
Diamond
Nutro
If it is just impossible to shop out of the supermarket, then Iams would probably be your best bet. I have no idea how much these foods cost as I feed the higher end of kibble (Wellness, CSFTDLS, Pinnacle, Innova, etc. types), so don't quote me on any of this ;)

One word of caution. I would not be surprised if the Miniature schnauzer refused to eat its new food. Many people have gone around with the notion that one food fed throughout a dog's life will provide all the nutrients it needs. Thus, some dogs are practically addicted to *one* brand of food. Adjusting to a new kibble may take some time.

If there is a Costco near you check out the costco brand dog food (Kirklands signature I believe). It's really reasonable and the ingredients are much better that other less expensive dog foods.

What I first look for is that meat is the first ingredient and there are no bi-products or corn in the food.

I feed Nebo Natural Balance but it's quite expensive. My mom has been feeding Reggie and Syd the costco brand and they are doing well on it.

We don't have any Costco or Sam's club here. We have, Wal-Mart, two Pet stores, Target, Kmart, Tractor Supply, two vets, and the some humane society place that has some dog food, but I don't know what kind. I think thats about it.