[24paws]

So, my husband and I have hit a hard place financially. I have become the only source of income due to disability. We currently feed our dogs Canidae, Wild Boar. We have three smallish dogs. A standard dachshund, a min-pin/chihuahua and a pug/chihuahua. I find we are buying a 12 lb bag every two weeks, which is about 35-40 dollars per bag in our area.

My question is, are there any acceptable foods that wont break our budget quite as badly? I prefer grain free since our vet suspects (not sure) that one of the dogs has a grain sensitivity. I am really at a loss as to where to begin looking. I feel like every food has some reason to not feed it.

 

[SchnauzerGirl8810]

At $35 for 12 lbs, you are paying almost $3/lb.

Generally speaking, buying larger bags is more economical. With three dogs, you should consume it fast enough to not be an issue.

Here are some other options for you-

Fromm is the economical, but still high-quality food, in my rotation. A 26 lb bag of their heartland gold grain-free is on sale for $54.51 right now on chewy.com. That would equate to roughly $2.10/lb

Or you could try Wellness Core grain-free. You can get a 26 lb bag for $57, which is roughly $2.20/lb (www.chewy.com)

There is also Taste of the Wild. They have a few grain free options in the range of $1.5/lb (also on chewy.com)

By the way, I don't work for chewy, I just love their prices, huge selection, and fast, free shipping. MUCH cheaper than the pet stores.

 

[patronizingrabbits]

I agree that buckling down and buying a bigger bag is going to be a better option. When I'm in a hard spot financially it's hard to get out of the small bag loop, but when I do it's easy to see how it's better for my budget and puts my mind at ease. I also recommend Fromm, they also have a bit less expensive brand (made by the same people) called American Naturals Premium. I'm personally a fan of the Fromm Four Star Grain Free, particularly the lamb and lentil formula. A lot of places also have Fromm punch cards or a system where you buy a certain amount of bags you get one free. I know Chewy does this on their website as well.

 

[SchnauzerGirl8810]

I've never seen chewy offer a free bag? I've been buying there for years. Could you post a link to this? I would appreciate it!

 

[LuvMyFluff]

If you have a Walmart store handy their line of Pure Balance dry food is pretty reasonable and well rated on Dogfoodadvisor.com

Also Tractor Supply's '4Health' line and Costco's Kirkland Signature line
are all reasonable . Also well rated on Dogfoodadvisor.com

 

[patronizingrabbits]

I've never seen chewy offer a free bag? I've been buying there for years. Could you post a link to this? I would appreciate it!

I honestly don't use Chewy, but I think it depends on the brand. I know Orijen/Acana has buy 12 get 1 free that they have for anyone that sells their product, including Chewy. The offer is not through Chewy itself. Since Fromm does the same thing, I assumed it would work through Chewy as well, but I could be wrong.

 

[ChessaQ]

There are plenty of good quality foods that are much cheaper. 4 health and Kirklands food are really good as someone else had said. Both are grain free. And I agree that buying a big bag is much more economical. I never buy smaller than a 24lb bag.

 

[24paws]

Has anybody had experience with Diamond brand food?

 

[LuvMyFluff]

They had a major recall in 2012 but have not had any problems since, that I know of. Many other brands like Taste of the Wild and the Costco foods come from their plant.............

 

[Samson5261]

Has anybody had experience with Diamond brand food?

My mom feed diamond to her one dog that has food allergies. She can only feed the lamb and she hasn't had a problem with it yet. I don't have any experience with their grain free line though.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Flaming]

are you able to get this brand http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/pc-nutrition-first-dog-food/

it might be only a canadian brand but it's pretty good, has a grain free option and is fairly cheap

 

[24paws]

I dont see that brand at any of our stores here. One of the ladies at one of the better pet stores recommended a brand called Victor. It's from a family farm in Texas. Any ideas? I've never heard of it

 

[Turtle11]

I've done a lot of research on this topic too. I wanted a food that was good quality yet easy on the wallet. From what I've heard, and my own experience, I recommend the following:

Kirkland Nature's Domain (from Costco)
4 Health (from Tractor Supply)
Earthborn Holistic