Mainstay is actually a very good food. It isn't marketed so you don't pay for advertising. Its scores a B+ on that rate your dog food chart. I used to feed it to Autumn and she did wonderful on the food. I recommended it once on here as a note to people who can't afford most foods but I didn't get any replies and it was lost in the threads. If this is what your mom wants to buy, encourage it, this food is so much better than stuff like Iams and whatever else she might be tempted to buy. They have different varieties of mainstay including lamb and rice, beef, and chicken, but I've only found the beef in local stores.