Inexpensive, quality kibble

[RD]

Zaphod eats a lot.

I'm currently flat broke and my parents have agreed to buy him a big bag of relatively inexpensive food for the next month. He's eaten almost 5lbs of Science Diet in 2 days and there is no way I'm paying for another bag of that stuff, but switching him cold turkey onto a rich food like Innova or raw is something I don't care to do (diarrhea in the crate is something I have been soooo happy to avoid with this boy).

So, suggestions for somewhat inexpensive foods for a 9-10 month old, large mixed breed? I can't get Canidae in my area, and I'm not wild about Nutro, so those two are out. Is Kirkland any good? I know it was okay a few years ago but they might've changed it and made it complete crap.

Ultimately I'd like to put him on Eagle Pack, but while money is tight, what would you guys suggest? Keeping in mind that he eats twice that of a normal dog his size (no idea on the weight, sorry, but I'd guess however much he weighs currently, he needs another 20-25lbs)

 

[Zoom]

Blue Buffalo? Not my favorite by far, but your parents may go for it. I *think* Kirkland is still ok, though you might check Mordy's site to make sure.

 

[showpug]

Kirkland by a mile. The formula has actually improved. The ingredients on Mordy's site are outdated. I would feed Kirkland in a heartbeat if I had to budget down cost wise.

Chicken Soup is also pretty good for a very reasonable price.

 

[Zoom]

I wonder how it is that Kirkland can put out such a good, low-cost food and yet Pedigree still has such crap?

 

[drmom777]

Kirkland is actually made by Diamond. It is the exact same food as Diamond Naturals Lamb and Rice or Chicken and Rice, depending on which formula you use. It's the best food Diamond makes except for Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul.

Costco just seems to be good at making agreements with major companies to manufacture for them under the Kirkland label. Their AA batteries are something like three for a dollar and they are made by Duracell, as far as I can tell. They last as long as any battery in Miolly's cochlear implant processor.

Costco has been a huge help to me in improvng the quality of stuff I can afford to buy. Yay, Costco.

 

[Balto]

Kirkland

If you have a Costco and can get Kirkland then DO IT.

I feed Evo/Core myself but my sister feeds her Mastiff Kirkland and if your not going for a GRAIN free food I would seriously consider Kirkland over other grain foods such as Innova/Canidae. Seriously it rly is good stuff. Also, your parents will think they are getting a good deal because of teh price when we both know its better then some of teh high cost foods MUHAHAHA :lol-sign:

 

[showpug]

If you have a Costco and can get Kirkland then DO IT.

I feed Evo/Core myself but my sister feeds her Mastiff Kirkland and if your not going for a GRAIN free food I would seriously consider Kirkland over other grain foods such as Innova/Canidae. Seriously it rly is good stuff. Also, your parents will think they are getting a good deal because of teh price when we both know its better then some of teh high cost foods MUHAHAHA :lol-sign:

I agree. Where I live, the 40 lb. bag of Kirkland is $20! That's great for someone on a budget. They even sell an Organic formula for a great price as well.

If you scroll down to the 4th post on this thread, there is a photo of the Kirkland bag (chicken & rice) ingredients - http://www.chazhound.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44608&highlight=Kirkland

 

[RD]

I'm glad, because I think this dog will go through at least 50-60lbs of food in a month. Glad my mom has a costco membership.

I can't get over the fact that you can get this decent food for less than the price of pedigree or beneful. We fed Kirkland to Buster before we bit the bullet and started feeding the "doggie caviar" as my dad calls the Innova/EVO.

Thanks for the advice, guys!

 

[drmom777]

I know quite alot of dogs on Kirkland formulas, and one thing they have in common is great coats. Of course, while you're there you can pick up the fish oil cqapsules, I find they also help with the coat. I give Uncle Fred two a day and Mini one.

 

[elegy]

canidae. i pay about $35/40 pounds and it feeds at 1 cup per 25 pounds of dog per day, approximately.

 

[Dreeza]

oakley gets Kirkland and seems to be doing great on it...its all he has ever gotten though (well, other than pedigree which is what he was fed by the shelter)

 

[SizzleDog]

It's the best food Diamond makes except for Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul.

I'd say the best food Diamond makes right now is Taste of the Wild...

 

[Chiluver]

I would also go for Kirkland! The ingredients look great and price is great. I would actually feed it to my pups, but it would take forever to go through a 20-40 bag (my Costco sells them in 20 and 40 pound bags)

 

[RD]

Heh, ditto Sizzle. I'm still really happy with how the BC 3 are doing on TOTW. I feed a little bit more of it than the EVO, but it costs a lot less by comparison. And Eve has actually put on a great deal of weight while eating it, and her muscle tone has improved (granted, the muscle tone could be maturity kicking in, but whatever it is, she looks amazing).

I'm patiently waiting for my local pet store (which I unfortunately may no longer be shopping at. I saw 2 puppies in cages there that did NOT look like the usual rescue puppies that they take in and adopt out) and feed store to start carrying Canidae.

I like Eagle Pack because they've done so many studies on nutrition for large dogs, and since Zaphod didn't get very good nutrition for nearly the first year of his life (his growth is probably a bit stunted because of it, I'd guess) I want to make sure that the food he gets in the future will promote slow, healthy growth. I have a feeling he's going to get massive once he starts getting fed as much as he needs.

 

[SizzleDog]

granted, the muscle tone could be maturity kicking in, but whatever it is, she looks amazing

Ummm... when doe she NOT look amazing?

I'mhappy with TOTW too. I'm going to add NV raw to Ronin's diet to make up for the lower calories of TOTW, and alsoto make his "poops turn white". He's has nice hard, non-stinky, crumbly poops ever since I started him on the NV raw medallions - and he only gets 4 a day!

 

[drmom777]

I'd say the best food Diamond makes right now is Taste of the Wild...

You're right, my bad!

I know it's really, really popular, but my Uncle Fred has never done well on Canidae. Within a week his coat loses it's gleam and he starts to drop weight, regardless of which formula it is. On paper it's a great food, but in Uncle Fred's system- no.

I have no problems with the Kirkland, and right now, with money the way it is, I am just grateful there's a food out there I can afford that doesn't contain any mystery ingerients like animal digest or poultry fat.

 

[showpug]

You're right, my bad!

I know it's really, really popular, but my Uncle Fred has never done well on Canidae. Within a week his coat loses it's gleam and he starts to drop weight, regardless of which formula it is. On paper it's a great food, but in Uncle Fred's system- no.

I have no problems with the Kirkland, and right now, with money the way it is, I am just grateful there's a food out there I can afford that doesn't contain any mystery ingerients like animal digest or poultry fat.

I have that same issue with Canidae. I love the food on paper, but my dogs never look good on it!

RD - If you decide to go with the Kirkland, would you be willing (as if you don't have a ton already) to put together some before and after shots in a couple of months? I would love to see what Kirkland does for him from a curiosity standpoint...

 

[BRTLover]

This is the food I feed!
The Lamb and Rice caused biological warfare but the chicken and rice {excellent and dogs look great}

 

[RD]

My issue with Canidae was that Ripley, Dakota and Eve didn't really like the taste. I want to give it to Dash, though, because she eats anything and everything, and Zaphod will probably do well on it once he's fully grown too.

Yes, Showpug, I will get before/after shots. I have a lot of pics already but I'll try to "stack" him and get photos of him in the same pose to compare as the months go by.

 

[Romy]

Right now Strider is on Canidae, but we are going to try him on kirkland chicken and rice once he hits one year. The kirland lamb wreaks havoc on his guts, and for a growing puppy I like him to have the multiple protein sources of canidae.

Edit: His breeder feeds kirkland and raw with raw goats milk for her dogs.