# Best Bang for the Buck...



## ES13Raven (Jun 14, 2011)

We are currently feeding our puppy Iams Proactive Health Smart Puppy. He seems to like it and hasn't had any issues with allergies, gas or digestion.

But I know there are better formulated dry foods out there - I just can't afford to pay for the "best" available.

What are the best *value* dry puppy dog food brands? I need best bang-for-the-buck here.

I would especially be interested in foods that have better digestive absorption (less poop) :biggrin1:


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

When I fed kibble on a budget I fed the Costco Kirkland signature food but now they have a grain free so I would check those out. The less fillers and junk are in the kibble the less waste the dog will produce....cut out all fillers together and the dog produces about 75% less waste but that involves feeding a raw diet.


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## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

What's your price limit? Taste of the Wild (Wetlands & High Prairie), Earthborn Primitive Natural, and Victor Grain Free are exceptional for their prices. 

If you need to spend under $1.15/lb, there's Natura Healthwise, Kirkland, Nature's Domain, Pelican Bay, Natural Select, Merrick Whole Earth Farms, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, Premium Edge, Diamond Naturals, and 4Health.


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

Part of the answer lies in what's easily available in your area to buy. My daughter and her husband are on a tight dog food budget and have been feeding Natura Healthwise (grain inclusive) for a number of years. It's also very caloric so the bag tends to last longer than some other brands. It also has a more simple ingredient list which may be helpful for a puppy. However, it can be somewhat hard to find. 

If you'd like to try grain-free you'll be looking at more money, but there can be lots of benefits. Just remember that not all grain-frees are alike. They can be high in carbohydrates (meaning lower in protein and fat) like Natural Balance Limited Ingredient formulas; or low in carbohydrates like Orijen, EVO, and others with 38+ protein. As said in another post, Taste of the Wild is one of the more affordable grain frees with moderate protein, but I have not tried it.


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## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

I've found good quality grain free to be a lot more economical because you feed so much less. Orijen Puppy or one of the 4 Acana grain free varieties would be my top kibble choices.

If you're really broke you could do Nature's Domain... but you'd have to feed more than the two I listed above because it is less high calorically and has more fillers. Why not just get the good stuff and get the most bang for your buck.

I actually finally went raw at the start of the year because 1. Kibble just wasn't cutting it anymore (I was feeding Acana grain free... rotating the flavors) and 2. Its much cheaper if you do it right. Its just much easier than paying $2-4/lb for decent kibble. I say this as someone who is extremely poor. I don't even have a television. If I can do it... yeah.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

Hi, you should switch away from supermarket brands like Iams. There the worst bang for the buck. Your basically paying for cheap fillers like corn, wheat, rice, potatoes...... Usually the more expensive the food is, the more meat and less fillers it has. Like already pointed out, this isn't always the case. I understand that the more expensive foods seem ridiculous, but you will feed much less. My dog is 85 lbs. If I fed Iams, I probably would have to feed 5 cups a day. If I fed diamond naturals, I would feed 4 cups. Taste of the wild would be 3.5 cups. Evo or orijen would be 2.5 cups. Also the more expensive foods, have higher quality ingredients. With all that said, switching to a cheap food like kirkland, diamond naturals, 4 health, healthwise, whole earth would be 100% better than Iams. Earthborn holistic and nutrisca are a couple more mid priced foods. I fed most of the kibbles mentioned and there all pretty good;0)


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## ES13Raven (Jun 14, 2011)

Thank for all of your suggestions... keep em coming :biggrin1:

I do have an unopened bag of Iams that I will be exchanging at PetSmart. What is my best bet there? Innova puppy?


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## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

ES13Raven said:


> Thank for all of your suggestions... keep em coming :biggrin1:
> 
> I do have an unopened bag of Iams that I will be exchanging at PetSmart. What is my best bet there? Innova puppy?



The best kibble at Petsmart, ingredient-wise, is BLUE Buffalo Wilderness. Are there any independently owned pet supply shops in your area? Or are you willing to order online? You'll find a much wider range of excellent food.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

Every petfood company has a store locator on there website. You can go to there websites and see what's available locally to you. Like Serendipity said, you can buy online and have it delivered to your door;0) 

Pet Food Online | Dog & Cat Supplies & Products | PetFoodDirect.com


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

When we fed Kibble we fed the Kirkland food, then switched to the grain free Natures Domain which the dogs did very well on andd it was very cost effective. I still recommend it for puppy people who won't feed raw. I have also used Taste of the Wild and Nutrisca is really good also. They are all very cost effective, mid range foods.


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## dmgmn (Apr 24, 2011)

BB wilderness is about the best they carry at Petsmart, but very spendy! Local farm supply stores tend to carry better brands. I feed TOTW and have been very pleased with the results as far as "best bang for the buck"


Serendipity said:


> The best kibble at Petsmart, ingredient-wise, is BLUE Buffalo Wilderness. Are there any independently owned pet supply shops in your area? Or are you willing to order online? You'll find a much wider range of excellent food.


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## Javadoo (May 23, 2011)

I feed TOTW also and have been very, very happy with it....pay $35/30 lb bag.


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## rambone (Nov 16, 2010)

anyone try victor dog food they have a 30/20 formula 40lbs 26.99


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

I am very happy with Taste of the Wild. For me, it wasn't necessarily about saving money though, I was just trying something different. But a 5lb TOTW bag is, like, $10, which I think is really good for what it is. I like the ingredients and my dog has been doing very well.


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

the TOTW line is so far ahead of anything else in terms of value and ingredients, its hard not to direct people to TOTW who are on a strict budget. 

About all I've seen that comes close to TOTW would maybe be the Earthborn line. 

Disclaimer--not saying TOTW is the best. But for the money, it just stands alone. You can buy the stuff on sale at my local Farm store for $35/30 lbs.


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## ES13Raven (Jun 14, 2011)

Serendipity said:


> Are there any independently owned pet supply shops in your area? Or are you willing to order online? You'll find a much wider range of excellent food.


I found a smaller pet store very close to my home, and they have all these brands that PetSmart doesn't: TOTW, Diamond Naturals, Evo, Merrick, California Natural, Innova, Wellness etc.

I ended up picking up a 5 lb bag of TOTW Prairie for $10.50. I will slowly add it to the Iams over the next week or two before cutting over completely.


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

I think I could look at his/her eyes for hours. What a beautiful Dog.


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## dmgmn (Apr 24, 2011)

I would transition longer if possible (2 weeks would be the minimum in my opinion to go from Iams to TOTW)
Good Luck!


ES13Raven said:


> I found a smaller pet store very close to my home, and they have all these brands that PetSmart doesn't: TOTW, Diamond Naturals, Evo, Merrick, California Natural, Innova, Wellness etc.
> 
> I ended up picking up a 5 lb bag of TOTW Prairie for $10.50. I will slowly add it to the Iams over the next week or two before cutting over completely.


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## dmgmn (Apr 24, 2011)

BUMMER !! Waited to pick up my TOTW til today and find they had a price increase last wednesday! Went up a little, was only $39.28 after tax for the 30#.
Still, for how much less i have to feed it still is a great value!!


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

Earthborn Primitive Naturals is a decent bargain and 38% protein, too bad there's no red meat.


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## cavalcadegsmd (Feb 1, 2010)

TOTW is one of the few foods mentioned in this thread that didn't work out to well for me. I am using Victor and really happy with it. I am having similar results as I had on Evo for less than half the price.


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## ksbsnowowl (Apr 30, 2010)

Sorry for the thread necromancy, but I'm curious where people are finding Taste of the Wild for under $40 per 30 lb bag? My local pet stores and feed stores have it for $43 at the cheapest.

We currently feed a mix of Iams Lamb and Rice and Taste of the Wild (42 lb bag mixed with 30 lb bag), but will be changing the Iams over to Diamond Naturals the next time we buy. (Will transition over 2 weeks).


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

i looked at many pet sites and totw is 50 dollars now


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

the cheapest deal I found on totw is @petcarerx.com, its $42 with free shippping. 
Search Results for 'taste of the wild' on PetCareRx.com


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## ksbsnowowl (Apr 30, 2010)

Unosmom said:


> the cheapest deal I found on totw is @petcarerx.com, its $42 with free shippping.
> Search Results for 'taste of the wild' on PetCareRx.com


Must be out of the 30 lb bags. I'm only seeing the 5 lb bags on that site. But I'll keep and eye on that one, thanks!


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## Steele&Pumba (Oct 13, 2011)

Just got a 30lb bag of TOTW for $37 on sale, usually $42 and some change.


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

I've seen it going up in price in recent months(everything is)... but honestly, my local farm store had it for around $35 on sale earlier this year. All the time, actually. 

I'd throw another top bang for your buck in there.... Canidae. Its base formula was changed a few years ago and caused a mess with some Dogs who it didn't agree with(no food agrees with all Dogs). But at about $1/lb on sale, its certainly up there in terms of value I'd say.


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## SOFTSPOT (Oct 13, 2011)

After doing research on better dog foods to switch my dogs to (hope I can go raw!) I came up with the following list of foods that are better quality and all in the same price range. $45 for a 35-40lb bag.

Annamaet
Precise
By Nature
Canidae
Chicken Soup
Diamond
Premium Edge


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

I use to get evo turkey and chicken from petfood direct. With a 20% coupon and buying 2 bags at a time, it came out to around $50 a bag shipped. I think this is the best bang for the buck, since you will be feeding much less than a food like totw. You might spend 5-10 bucks more up front, but it will last you alot longer;0)


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

SOFTSPOT said:


> After doing research on better dog foods to switch my dogs to (hope I can go raw!) I came up with the following list of foods that are better quality and all in the same price range. $45 for a 35-40lb bag.
> 
> Annamaet
> Precise
> ...


I like Annameat and By Nature from this list. The rest I feel is heavy on grain energy and fortified with synthetics, not a big fan.

For a price around $45 I would def add Fromm Gold series to that list.


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## SOFTSPOT (Oct 13, 2011)

DaViking said:


> I like Annameat and By Nature from this list. The rest I feel is heavy on grain energy and fortified with synthetics, not a big fan.
> 
> For a price around $45 I would def add Fromm Gold series to that list.


Well thanks for your input! I will keep that in mind :smile:


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

I think Merrick's Whole Earth Farms is one of the best bang for your buck foods  It is grain inclusive, but my dog did great on it, as well as on grain free foods. It was around $21 for a 17.5lb bag.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

Unosmom said:


> the cheapest deal I found on totw is @petcarerx.com, its $42 with free shippping.
> Search Results for 'taste of the wild' on PetCareRx.com


it says i need to buy 2 bags for free shipping
actually when i buy 2 bags it charges me 30 dollars shipping


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

Hmm, it looks like they changed their policy from min $30 min. purchase to $49


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

In response to the OP, my parents currently feed their dog Healthwise (I prefer the lamb formula due to higher protein content), its like $35 for 35 lbs, pretty decent deal.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

Unosmom said:


> Hmm, it looks like they changed their policy from min $30 min. purchase to $49


when i put two bags in my cart it still only gives me an option for 27 dollar shipping...and what a dumb site for only allowing coupon codes for things other than food -_-


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

yeah, they have a really bizzare policy and it doesent even make sense to have weight restrictions if they are imposing minimum purchase requirements. I posted the same question on their FB page, but they have deleted my comments before, so I dont expect them to answer. I found this other site where totw is $40 with free ship over $49 (although it might just be sale price for now)
Taste of the Wild 60964 High Prairie Canine Formula Dry Dog Food (30 Pound Bag) | ProperPet.com


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## ksbsnowowl (Apr 30, 2010)

Unosmom said:


> yeah, they have a really bizzare policy and it doesent even make sense to have weight restrictions if they are imposing minimum purchase requirements. I posted the same question on their FB page, but they have deleted my comments before, so I dont expect them to answer. I found this other site where totw is $40 with free ship over $49 (although it might just be sale price for now)
> Taste of the Wild 60964 High Prairie Canine Formula Dry Dog Food (30 Pound Bag) | ProperPet.com


Thanks for the link, I just received two bags of TotW. No problems whatsoever.


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