# Need help on Puppy food



## Christos0320 (Aug 19, 2010)

Ok. I know this discussion has been probably been beaten to a dead horse. But when I search the forums regarding dog food on here I get confused. So here goes, I have a 12week old blue pit. I was feeding him Purina Puppy Chow which I heard was crap and started slowly converting him to Blue Buffalo Lg. Breed Puppy. I have heard that this food is excellent but it cost me about $50 for 30lbs. That 30lb bag if I am doing the math correctly at about 3 cups a day only last me 20 days. So my question is what puppy food do yall recommend that does not have all the filler garbage in it that will be fairly comparable to Blue Buffalo at maybe a fraction of the cost? I have been thinking of switching to Authority lg breed puppy from petsmart. There first few main ingrediants is chicken. And thats a 35lb bag for $30. Major difference. Please help. Thanks


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## Indigo Bully Connection (Dec 21, 2006)

Christos0320 said:


> Ok. I know this discussion has been probably been beaten to a dead horse. But when I search the forums regarding dog food on here I get confused. So here goes, I have a 12week old blue pit. I was feeding him Purina Puppy Chow which I heard was crap and started slowly converting him to Blue Buffalo Lg. Breed Puppy. I have heard that this food is excellent but it cost me about $50 for 30lbs. That 30lb bag if I am doing the math correctly at about 3 cups a day only last me 20 days. So my question is what puppy food do yall recommend that does not have all the filler garbage in it that will be fairly comparable to Blue Buffalo at maybe a fraction of the cost? I have been thinking of switching to Authority lg breed puppy from petsmart. There first few main ingrediants is chicken. And thats a 35lb bag for $30. Major difference. Please help. Thanks


There's no need to shop for large breed dog food. Our dogs are not large breeds lol. A couple of members here feed the Costco food, kirklands I believe. It's an OK food, better than purina. I really like my Natural Balance LID salmon and sweet potato or something like that for puppies. It's still 50 bucks a bag, but youll be feeding like 1.5 -2 cups a day.

I'm in a pickle about dogfood now too. I have such high standards and a pretty mediocre budget lol. I'd like to go back raw if it was a possible. lol


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## Christos0320 (Aug 19, 2010)

Indigo Bully Connection said:


> There's no need to shop for large breed dog food. Our dogs are not large breeds lol. A couple of members here feed the Costco food, kirklands I believe. It's an OK food, better than purina. I really like my Natural Balance LID salmon and sweet potato or something like that for puppies. It's still 50 bucks a bag, but youll be feeding like 1.5 -2 cups a day.
> 
> I'm in a pickle about dogfood now too. I have such high standards and a pretty mediocre budget lol. I'd like to go back raw if it was a possible. lol


Have you heard of authority by petsmart? Everyone there says for the $1 it is the best they carry. for the $1 that is.


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## Aireal (Jul 2, 2010)

I've hear bad things about authority, with some dogs having pretty bad reactions. the food i've hear alot of good things about latly is taste of the wild (TOTW) i don' have personal experiance with it but i hear it pretty good and you don't need to feed much at all less in less out and body weight stays good, that's what ive been told anyway


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## Indigo Bully Connection (Dec 21, 2006)

I have been in two different petsmarts in the last week, and i was NOT impressed with the selection. The only thing I saw that I half way considered switching my adult dogs to was the Blue Buffalo's premium dog food which I'm hesitant to switch to because the regular BB gave my kennel BAD gas.

You may find something a little better at Petco. I usually go out to Fleming Island to pick up dog food. They carry a bunch of great food, and for every 10 bags of dog food, you get a coupon in the mail for a free bag of equal value. Which helps me out a lot. PetSupermarket in orange park also offers the 10 bag deal, but they are still like 1-4 dollars more expensive per bag. 

Also, the Natural Balance company offers a "breeders program", for every 10 Proof Of Purchases you send in they send you a coupon for a free bag of the same size and type. It's free to sign up on their website.

Sooo, when I shop at one of those stores exclusively I get 2 bags of free food. Which makes it worth while for me.


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## Christos0320 (Aug 19, 2010)

Thanks for that tip! It looks like tractor supply company right near my house also carries the Taste of The Wild that you mentioned. I'll have to see how costly. I think it's still around $45 for a 30lb bag. I don't wanna come across as a cheap skape jsut trying to fit it in the budget and keep my pup healthy


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## Aireal (Jul 2, 2010)

no i understand! i don't think any of us are rolling in the money right now =S, but do take into consideration the amount you would feed, if your cutting the amount in half then it last twice as long making the price much cheaper in the long run


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## geisthexe (Jan 18, 2007)

Christos0320 said:


> Have you heard of authority by petsmart? Everyone there says for the $1 it is the best they carry. for the $1 that is.


Authority dog food is PURE GARBAGE!

The best dog food that PetSmart carries is Blue Buffalo

If you are looking for a decent dog food look for food w/o CORN WHEAT & SOY

Dogs can have RICE / OATMEAL / BARLEY

There are many dogs foods that are decent

Do not feed your little pitty a Lg Breed Dog food, they do not need it.


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## Drakzen (Aug 2, 2010)

Hi you could try enhance hunters edge it is a great food for game dogs
Here's there puppy feed for regular breed not large breed dogs and it is about 25 dollars for 30IB bag from my feed supplier not sure what the price is online though

Ingredients
Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Rice Flour, Ground Corn, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Beet Pulp, Fish Meal, Whole Dried Eggs, Flax, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Liver Digest, Choline Chloride, Lecithin, Garlic, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Biotin, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Copper Oxide, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (a source of Vitamin K activity), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (Min.) 31.0%
Crude Fat (Min.) 21.0%
Crude Fiber (Max.) 3.5%
Moisture (Max.) 10.0%
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Min.) 0.38%
Omega-6 Fatty Acids (Min.) 2.10%


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## geisthexe (Jan 18, 2007)

Drakzen

enhance hunters edge it is a great food for game dogs

GARBAGE DOG FOOD AND HERE IS WHY ALL HIGHLIGHTED IN RED

Ingredients
*Chicken Meal*, Brewers Rice, Rice Flour, *Ground Corn*, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Beet Pulp, *Fish Meal*, *Whole Dried Eggs*, Flax, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Liver Digest, Choline Chloride, Lecithin, Garlic, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Biotin, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Copper Oxide, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (a source of Vitamin K activity), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite

Feeding a diet with NO meat in it does not make sense. Feeding a pure grain diet to a dog doesnt make sense. feeding eggs to your dog will defeat the purpose of the biotin being in the diet as eggs do not allow the body to absorb biotin

I also want to ask why is this good for a game dog?


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## Drakzen (Aug 2, 2010)

Now now thats not exactly fair to call it complete garbage, it may not be the most healthy dog food but obviously the best is a little too much. Now i wont neglect to admit, neither will i argue, that this has a few unsavory ingredients but too call it garbage is a little far all things considered.


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## Drakzen (Aug 2, 2010)

yes there are far better dog foods but for his budget this is about the best you can ask for nowhere near perfect, but all the dogs that have been on this feed have come out with beautiful coats( though not as beautiful as raw diet ) but you are right there are better foods but i think this was a more cost vs quality question


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## geisthexe (Jan 18, 2007)

Drakzen said:


> Now now thats not exactly fair to call it complete garbage, it may not be the most healthy dog food but obviously the best is a little too much. Now i wont neglect to admit, neither will i argue, that this has a few unsavory ingredients but too call it garbage is a little far all things considered.


Well you posted it so yes I can call it garbage sorry if it hurts your feelings.

NOW you can get a better diet for a decent price

- Diamond Naturals the most expensive bag they have is 29.00 for 40 lbs 
it does not have the garbage that is in your dog food that you use now.

INGREDIENTS
Ingredients
Chicken, chicken meal, ground rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), egg product, cracked pearled barley, dried beet pulp, powdered cellulose, fish meal, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, salmon oil (a source of DHA), potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, yucca schidigera extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

NOW yes they do have things in it that I do not agree with BUT they do not have the CORN WHEAT & SOY. 
Also they do have actaul MEAT, meal is not bad as long has it has a meat base as well.

Natural Ingredient Pet Foods | Diamond Pet Foods

DO NOT GO GET THE DIAMOND (original) it has to be DIAMOND NATURALS


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## Drakzen (Aug 2, 2010)

You didn't offend me or hurt my feelings you are entitled to your own opinion and i respect it you gave some wonderful advice but i think the way you gave it might come off as a bit harsh.


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## Aireal (Jul 2, 2010)

Drakzen said:


> You didn't offend me or hurt my feelings you are entitled to your own opinion and i respect it you gave some wonderful advice but i think the way you gave it might come off as a bit harsh.


lol no she was just making sure the newbie knew the facts on the food and why, sometimes you have to be dramatic to get the point across, but thank you for your impute on the thread it helps to get all types of advice if for no other reason to really help the OP to make a decision


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## Drakzen (Aug 2, 2010)

Yea but from the outside looking in it seems harsh...to call this dog food GARBAGE (which compares it to the stuff i have in the trash outside) is a little far, simply say that it is not the best would suffice for any rational person. Yes some may have lots of knowledge on the breed i wont deny that, but that knowledge doesn't mean much if no one wants to listen or commit because they are afraid of being bashed .


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

That hunters choice has really high protein and fat for your average dog and I agree the ingredients are not the best. Saying a food is no good is not bashing anyone sometimes there is just not a better way to say it!

Diamond is ok and still pricey I think if you have a dog who tolerates grain and you have a costco in your area then the best food to feed IMO is Kirkland Chicken and rice. It does have grain but it is a well tolerated food and the dogs in my kennel have been eating it for about 9 years now. I have performance and show dogs and the only I have to supplement them on is fish oil during the dry months and lard (extra fat) in the winter. It is the best bang for you buck at 23.99 for 40lbs of dog food. Look at the ingredients they are pretty great and I know many breeders of different breeds who also love the food. I love the price even better! I use to feed Nutro till I found this and it is almost the same thing for much less. It saves me a few thousand dollars a year on my feeding bill for my kennel. I feed about 15 dogs and go through a bag every 5-6 days. Then I have 3 fat dogs on the low fat kirkland diet, and I feed the 4 puppies the kirkland puppy food. All of them do great!

Chicken, chicken meal, whole grain brown rice, cracked pearl barley, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and vitamin E), egg product, beet pulp, potatoes, fish meal, flaxseed, natural flavor, brewers dried yeast, millet, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, carrots, peas, kelp, apples, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, dried chicory root, glucosamine hydrochloride, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, chondroitin sulfate, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Crude protein …………24% min
Crude fat …………16% min
Crude fiber …………4% min
Moisture …………10% min
Calcium …………1% min
Phosphorus …………0.8% min
Zinc …………200 mg/kg min
Selenium …………0.4 mg/kg min
Vitamin E …………150IU/kg min
Omega-6 Fatty Acids………… 2.5% min
Omega-3 Fatty Acids …………0.4% min
Glucosamine Hydrochloride………… 300 mg/kg


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## Christos0320 (Aug 19, 2010)

Hey guys. Just wanted to thank all of you guys for your great input. The diamond natural sounds really decent. I think I'm going to try that. The other food I recently learned about was 4health. I heard it was great. Any feedback on 4health?


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## mcmlxxxvii (Jul 29, 2010)

Isn't Kirkland's dog food actually made by Diamond? I remember hearing that before.


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## geisthexe (Jan 18, 2007)

Christos0320 said:


> Hey guys. Just wanted to thank all of you guys for your great input. The diamond natural sounds really decent. I think I'm going to try that. The other food I recently learned about was 4health. I heard it was great. Any feedback on 4health?


Its not a bad dog food. Here is the link to it.










TSC - 4Health Dog Food PuppyFormula

The food is sold at Tractor Supply so I am unable to know cost b/c it is not on there site.


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## geisthexe (Jan 18, 2007)

Drakzen said:


> Yea but from the outside looking in it seems harsh...to call this dog food GARBAGE (which compares it to the stuff i have in the trash outside) is a little far, simply say that it is not the best would suffice for any rational person. Yes some may have lots of knowledge on the breed i wont deny that, but that knowledge doesn't mean much if no one wants to listen or commit because they are afraid of being bashed .


Drakzen I am truly sorry you took my words to heart .. you say you are not hurt by them but infact you are. Again I am sorry... But I speak how I speak!

Any longer term person on the site will tell you I DO NOT sugar coat anything.

If you do not want my opinion about anything NUTRITION please do not post or just ask me not to speak on it in your first posting and I will stay away from you posting unless it is FALSE info.

peace!


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

I think Diamond does make Kirkland


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## Loke-a-doke (Jun 11, 2010)

I agree with the OP lol I kind of wanted to start on a thread on this for Loki but it seemed ridiculous because there was soo much info already on here! It seems like every member manages to feed their dog a different food haha and all for different reasons...

Anyway I was feeding Loki Diamond Large Breed Puppy and he seemed like he was doing really good on it but I switched because of the large breed thing....

I heard the normal puppy food from Diamond wasn't as good because it's not the Naturals kind so right now I'm switching him to Blue Buffalo Puppy and I plan on switching to DVP Natural Balance when he gets to adult food.
Does this seem like a pretty good plan?

I alsooo want to get into raw/kibble feeding but I'll probably start a new thread on that soon...


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## Christos0320 (Aug 19, 2010)

Loke-a-doke said:


> I agree with the OP lol I kind of wanted to start on a thread on this for Loki


What does the OP mean?


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Christos0320 said:


> What does the OP mean?


OP could mean original post or original poster, it can also mean opinion. how it was used in that post it means original post


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## jsgixxer (Mar 9, 2009)

I used Chicken Soup For the Puppy Lovers


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## AmberS (Aug 22, 2010)

i feed natural balance. my pup likes it, and so does my budget. it is a cheaper, good quality food. i usually have coupons for a bag too.


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