Dog Food Questions Again I Know, But I need help!!!

**LokiDog** · 01-20-2010, 04:02 PM

I'm in the Northwest suburbs of Illinois. McHenry County. I don't know of any feed stores, but we do have a large farming community nearby. That's a real good idea.

Thanks

**MonicanHonda** · 01-20-2010, 04:26 PM

Farming stores are always way less. And so you know, the better brand of dog food you get, the less of it they have to eat because the less fillers they have. All good brands of dog food should be devoid of corn because corn is not anything for a dog. They are carnivores. It's just a way to make the dog feel full. Dogs get their energy from meat, not carbs. So if possible, go grain free! A lot of dogs end up with grain intolerances too. The cheapest grain free I know of is Taste of the Wild. Remy eats this. The price at PSP is about 40 dollars for 30 lbs but at a farm store it's only 38 for 30 lbs. Good deal! She loves it and she gets no ear or urinary tract infections anymore. (I believe it's because of the carbs)

Do you have a Costco? They have a Kirkland brand made by Diamond. I hear it's pretty darn good food for the price. It's super cheap too! Like... 23 bucks for a 40 lbs bag. That's a deal! They also started a new brand that is pretty cheap, and I'm pretty sure it's grain free... It's called Nature's Domain and may be just a bit more... but you probably could get away with feeding less since it has no grains that will go right through your dog.

**KYS** · 01-20-2010, 05:19 PM

If your dogs are allergic to corn, try to find a food that is specific for
food allergies. Natural Balance makes food specific allergy foods with
very few ingredients but they are not cheap.
Once you find a good food for allergies, ask the dog food company for coupons.
(some of them will give $ off coupons which helps a little.)
Some stores and dog food companies also have a frequent buyer plan,
when you buy up to 10 bags you get one free.
Also the feed/pet stores sometimes will run specials too.

**Freedom** · 01-20-2010, 05:39 PM

Seems like everyone already suggested anything I thought of --
- feed supply stores
- Natural Balance LID (limited ingredient food) here is a link:
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dog...as/SPFish.html

- Cooking or them, which you said you do already quite often. I recently found this book at my library, decided I liked it so I bought it:
The Whole Food Diet by Andi Brown

She includes recipes, and discusses which food / herb does what.

Good luck!

**Seravieve** · 01-20-2010, 05:45 PM

I was just at Petsmart last night and got a bag of Nature's Recipe.. And noticed that lots of them had a $3 off this bag peelie coupon on them.. Pair that with a $5 off $30 coupon (From Petco, but they take competitor's coupons again...) and its not too much for a decent food. One bag of NR feeds our 3 Boxers for about 3.5 weeks maybe. We were feeding Blue but I've gotta cut back some... Only a single income house right now. So $29 for 40# vs $41 for 30#... a big difference.

**LokiDog** · 01-20-2010, 06:11 PM

Thanks All,

That's some really good ideas.

I did not know the Petsmart started taking competitors coupons again, haven't been there in a long time.

I have not bought food at Costco, I have always been a little leery about those types of foods because of their allergies. But Diamond is supposed to be a very good brand. I'll look into it.

I do like the Natures Recipe, They like it too and it does not upset their stomach. I have applied for and asked for every coupon that exists, but with over 350 lbs of dog to feed it doesn't go very far. But every little bit helps.

As for cooking for them I usually stick with chicken and beef, boiled with oatmeal, rice or barley.

Does anyone know if beans are good for them (Aside from the obvious gas factor)?

**Catlady711** · 01-20-2010, 07:18 PM

Originally Posted by LokiDog

Does anyone know if beans are good for them (Aside from the obvious gas factor)?

Quite a number of our clients feed their dogs green beans (fresh, cooked, and believe it or not still frozen) as treats. Many dogs also enjoy carrots.

**Seravieve** · 01-20-2010, 07:22 PM

I know what you mean about trying to find coupons.. I'd go check out Petsmart and see if they have any $3/1 coupons on their bags. There's a current $5/$30 Petco coupon on Fatwallet.com (search for it on the upper right). Could wait till they run a petperks sale on it and stock up.. you can use more than one petco/mart coupon per transaction, as long as the dollar value is high enough... 2 bags 35.99 each, could use 2 $5/$30 coupons.. etc. Also, you can always look on eBay for people with Nature's Recipe coupons.. I know they're few and far between... but maybe with these $3/1 coupons out, someone might have some. Could always take a few extra if you do go up there and they have them. =) Can you tell I coupon.. a lot?!

**Karen** · 01-20-2010, 07:41 PM

Originally Posted by LokiDog

Does anyone know if beans are good for them (Aside from the obvious gas factor)?

Dogs have a different digestive system than humans - so gas is not necessarily going to happen. Raw green beans, yes, are doggie safe! Not Karen safe - I'm allergic to them, but I would try a few first, to see how they react.