# Inexpensive but good dry food



## langod (Feb 10, 2009)

Hi All

I'm hoping you all can help me out. Thanks to the wonderful economy, my employer is going out of business and I'll be joining the ranks of the unemployed within a week or two.
Obviously I need to look at cutting expenses where ever possible. One area I'm looking at is cat and dog food. I have a German Shepherd (5 years old) and two cats (11 years old) who all eat Wellness brand food. That cats don't eat much, but at 77lbs the dog eats quite a bit of food. I'm paying about $50 for a 30lb bag of food that lasts about 3 weeks.

Do you have any suggestions for a good quality, but less expensive dog food?


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## BabyHusky (Jul 21, 2008)

I've read in the past that Kirkland brand at Costco is decent for its price and its better than the Science Diets out there; but I'm not sure if their ingredients have changed. You can always explore the raw option, depending on where you live, raw may be cheaper than kibble (as many forumers will say). 

Honestly, theres not too many good kibbles that are cheap. As cliche as it is, you do get what you pay for. Is there anywhere else you can cut down besides the good food for your pet? I know the economy is tough these days and I'm grateful that you at least care for your pet unlike many others that just drop them off at the shelters, but I really hope you don't have to sacrifice too much of your pet's nutrition. 

Good luck!!!!!


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## Postal (Jan 23, 2009)

I will support the switching to RAW to save money theory. With Wellness, you were averaging about $1.66 a pound for kibble.. with RAW, I spend, on average, about $1 a pound for meat at the super store (just buy whatever is on sale that week.) You're saving over a 1/3 of your cost without sacrificing your pets' nutrition. If anything, you're bettering it :smile:


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## Winniesdad (Nov 25, 2008)

I was in a similar situation; needing to save a bit of $ but not wanting to go to a bad food. Here's what I switched to;

About Haven Naturals | Haven Naturals - A Safe Place For Natural Pet Nutrition

About a buck a pound and available at Cub & Coburns grocery stores.
I also mix in a very small amount of;

Evanger's Dog and Cat Food Company

It's cheaper than bad canned food. It's just meat with no extra stuff but good for mixing with dry food. Less than $1 a can where I get it


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## langod (Feb 10, 2009)

Postal said:


> I will support the switching to RAW to save money theory. With Wellness, you were averaging about $1.66 a pound for kibble.. with RAW, I spend, on average, about $1 a pound for meat at the super store (just buy whatever is on sale that week.) You're saving over a 1/3 of your cost without sacrificing your pets' nutrition. If anything, you're bettering it :smile:


Hmmm.... interesting. I had never considered that. I'll look into it -- maybe it's the way to go!
I'd would like to hear more opinions on buy-it-at-the-pet-store type of food.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

If you want to stick with Wellness, you can get coupons from them by joining their email club. They send you monthly email newsletters with coupons attached. You print out the coupons at home and use as many as you want for the dry and canned food and treats. I also order my food online at Petfooddirect.com and wait for their 22% off coupons to be sent to me so the cost of shipping is offset by the coupons. They will also accept the manufacturers coupons if you mail them to them after your purchase and apply it to your account. You can search for other coupon codes online for internet stores to compare prices. 
My puppy is 75 pounds and only eats 2 cups a day of dry food (Orijen) so it is economical to feed him an expensive kibble. If you go to a cheaper kibble you may end up feeding a lot more kibble and spending more money. I spend about $48 for a 30 pound bag of Orijen puppy but it lasts me a VERY long time.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

I'd say the Kirkland brand is about as cheap and "good" as you're going to get with kibble. It's certainly better than Iams, Beneful, Dog Chow or Pedigree by miles.


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## ChattyCathy (Nov 22, 2008)

I have to say that you should try to stay on Wellness if you can. With Wellness you will be feeding them much less than if you switch to an inexpensive brand of kibble. Compare cup to cup and your dog will eat less of the Wellness and more of the "cheaper" brand which, IMO, will come out to almost the same price in the end. Give or take a few bucks! So, why change?


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## langod (Feb 10, 2009)

Hi All

Just wanted to thank everyone for their input. We've decided to keep the dog on Wellness. I couldn't find another food that seemed as nutritious that was significantly cheaper. 

I did start making our own doggie treats, there are some interesting, but easy recipes out there.


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## manedwolf (Sep 25, 2008)

I had this same dilemma. Ended up using Nutrish (I know, very meh quality food) for a while, supplemented with raw (which is sometimes cheaper, sometimes more expensive than kibble here).

Finally ended up ordering from Drs Foster and Smith, just their in-house dog food, comes out to be about $30 for a 30lb bag. You can buy in bulk to save too, plus there are plenty of coupons floating around. Shipping is flat-rate (something like 7 bucks) and for most places there's no tax.

Shipping is pretty fast. Here in PA the ferret food showed up about 3 days after I ordered, the dog food maybe 5 or 6 including the weekend.


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## STPFAN (Feb 5, 2009)

TOTW is a great food for the price....


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

I use evo and merrick and california natural and wellness. I justify the cost though with the amount I feed. Its so much less than the brands loaded with fillers and junk. and its so much better for them. Also I have the three dog bakery cook book for dogs and love this so good and you can of course modify the recipes if you don't want a certain ingrediant!


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## Guest (Mar 30, 2009)

When thinking inexpensive but good, Healthwise comes to mind. It's from Natura, the same folks that make Innova and Cali Natural.


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## Doc (Jan 17, 2009)

For the price, you can not beat Costco's Kirkland Signature Adult Kibble.


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