Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

What's the best of the grocery-store dog foods?

Sabine

Sabine

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 16, 2007
Messages
3,445
My dog has been eating Nutro Max dog food since we adopted her 5 years ago, and that's what her foster parents fed her as well. We just moved to an area that has NO dog stores...no Pet Smarts, Petcos, SuperPets, etc. There's one non-chain pet store within an hour, and they don't carry Nutro or any other higher-end brands. So my options to buy her food are Walmart, Target, or the grocery store. None of those carry Nutro.

Anyone have any reasons why one of the brands you can get at these stores like Iams, Dog Chow, Kibbles and Bits, etc. are any better than the others? I'm not looking forward to switching her as she has a sensitive tummy, but at least we're only here for 6 months!
 
Sabine said:
My dog has been eating Nutro Max dog food since we adopted her 5 years ago, and that's what her foster parents fed her as well. We just moved to an area that has NO dog stores...no Pet Smarts, Petcos, SuperPets, etc. There's one non-chain pet store within an hour, and they don't carry Nutro or any other higher-end brands. So my options to buy her food are Walmart, Target, or the grocery store. None of those carry Nutro.

Anyone have any reasons why one of the brands you can get at these stores like Iams, Dog Chow, Kibbles and Bits, etc. are any better than the others? I'm not looking forward to switching her as she has a sensitive tummy, but at least we're only here for 6 months!
Click to expand...

I can't recommend a brand as I am in Australia, but can you look into purchasing the food online? A lot of major brands are available online here? It may cost you a bit more in shipping each week, but it could be worth it especially if you a. get a discount online and b. she has a senstitive tummy.
 
Have you tried getting the food through your vet? Or you can also purchase online.
 
Ohhh...I didn't think of online...hopefully they will ship here even if they don't have stores here.

We don't have a vet here, and probably won't get one (FAR away) unless something comes up unexpectedly...we'll only be here for 6 months and we took her to the vet right before we moved for a checkup and shots.
 
If online won't work, there are some wonderful cooked dog food recipes online. I am not a fan of any of the grocery store dog foods - especially if the animal has digestion problems or is an older pet. Too many fillers, corn and such which is hard on their systems.
 
We feed our dogs Taste of the Wild, which is a very high-quality kibble. We get it at Tractor Supply. It sounds like you're in the middle of nowhere, so there must be a Tractor Supply close by! :bigsmile:
 
Your Vet should be able to give you an online site to purchase it. Google to the brand in the mean time.
 
http://www.petfooddirect.com/ has everything you will need and more. I don't think you'll have any shipping issues with them. They have coupons all.the.time. Never order without one.

Also, do you have any nearby feed stores? I've been buying my dog food from a local feed store (sells food for farm animals.) They have a nice selection of high quality foods, and they also put 120 pounds of dog food in my car for me. I love that! Much nicer than Petco in that respect.
 
I have cats, and know that their nutritional needs are quite different than dogs'... so please don't take this wrong or be offended - no offense intended, and it is obvious you are a wonderful pet parent and quite in love with your dog! -- but in the cat world, Nutro is truly not a very good food, despite its higher price and use by many breeders. I'm not sure about it in the dog world, though?

I live in a very rural area, too, and have to order all my cats' food online. I like Pet Food Direct, too; and THANKS (in the coupon code box) will give you 10% off!
 
Whatever you end up deciding on, PLEASE do not feed your dog IAMS. My Dobe got very, very sick 2 months back ( 900 vet bill sick) and Ive been doing my homework on what it couldve been, (vet had NO clue) and lo and behold what do I find on the internet? IAMS (the food I used to feed them) has been making dogs get very sick, a few have died. If you google it you can find the info on them, some of the info was on Consumer reports I believe? Needless to say, I have switched my dogs back to Canidae, I shouldnt have given them that other junk anyway though, so its my fault. Just thought I would warn you.
 
I feed IAMS and haven't heard bad stuff about them. My dog has been eating Large Breed Adult formula for several months and has not had any problems.

However, not every dog food is right for every dog. And recently there have been problems with contaminates in several brands.

Someone I know is the president of a toxin research company that recently did testing on some of the possible contaminated dog food. Although she can't give details about the results, she says "I can't tell you what NOT to feed your dog, but I can tell you that I feed MY dog Purina One."

Also, I have heard good things from people that feed their dogs Purina One.

Good luck finding the right food! And remember to make a gradual transition to a different food so as not to upset doggy's tummy.
 
Chloethegreat- it was IAMS mini chunks, google it for info, there are plenty of complaints out there.

Also, Purina is based on fillers and corn products, which is horrible for digestion and their coat, most vets recommend a premium brand if you can afford it, based on real meat, not by products.
 
ChloeTheGreat said:
I feed IAMS and haven't heard bad stuff about them. My dog has been eating Large Breed Adult formula for several months and has not had any problems.
Click to expand...

Chloe, I never knew there was anything wrong with (or different about) grocery-store dog foods, or cheap dog foods, until I did a little bit of research (thankfully before I got my first puppy, so all of my dogs have always been fed good foods).

There is a really great website, dogfoodanalysis.com, which gives reviews and star ratings for all different types of dog foods.

I did a search for "Iams Large" on that site, and the link of the results are below. Please take a look, all of the Iams dog food I clicked on were rated 1 star out of 6 (eta: so were all of the Purine One foods I clicked on) :knockout: , and the site explains their rating very thoroughly at the bottom of the page.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1764&cat=all
 
We feed our dogs science diet. We get it at Tractor Supply.
 
Stitch gets Blue Buffalo. I see it at Petfooddirect, but you can also get it at Petsmart. Has more real meat listed as primary ingredients then fillers, which is why we get it for him. He hearts the wet food from them too. But he only gets a spoonful with dinner.
 
We feed our dogs Purina One Lamb & Rice which is what our humane society uses (Purina is also headquartered here in St. Louis so they do a lot of charitable work). Whatever food you choose, check the ingredients list. It should always have chicken, lamb, beef etc. as the first ingredient. Never go with a kibble that has corn as the first ingredient as dogs are carnivores and can't digest the grain in dog food anyway - it's just filler.
 
I also recommend looking at Pet Food Direct. I order all my cat food and litter from there (thanks for the code Lynn!) because I don't have a car. They carry a ton of brands and the shipping wasn't too bad, compared to some other online stores I've seen.

I know my mom feeds her dogs Natural Balance, which you can get from Petco (online store too) though I'm trying to get her to switch to Wellness CORE (also at Petco)
 
ALERT--opinion only.

I have several friends who are vets or who work with animals in some capacity, and all have dogs/pets.

None of them feed their animals canned or dry food...they do the raw thing, which, is the closet thing to a dog's natural diet.

I feed my almost 4 year old beagle Pedigree "healthy digestion" canned food and Pedigree dry food that has a similar label. I don't eat meat myself, and neither does SO. I cannot personally afford or justify the expense of feeding my dog a raw diet at this juncture in time.

Any sort of processed dog food, I HEAR, is full of chemicals and nastiness. Kind of makes sense when you look at the food...the dry stuff has colorful pieces, the wet stuff just looks like too old meat...gah...I feel awful just typing/admitting that I don't give my dog expensive food. I have kept her weight under control, though--beagles have a tendency to gain lots of weight as they age--so I can't be all wrong. Just tonight, for the umpteenth time, our friends who were over were asking how old she was and couldn't believe she wasn't a puppy. She really is beautiful. I think I need to overcome my hangups and get her on a natural, raw food diet.
 
I vote online too-- and I don't care for Nutro eiter, generally. Supermarket food is mostly just filler though. Do they have a Costco? I've heard that Costco's pet foods are pretty good. (Although I compared their dry cat food to the Instinct I usually feed my cats and found it wanting). You could also try a 'feed' store. I just discovered our "feed' (as in pigs and horses and farm animals) actually carries very good cat food. Had no idea.
 
Another vote for online. I have tried almost every top brand of dog food out there - I swear by Orijen for both my cats and dogs.
 
IdLikeToBuyAVal said:
We feed our dogs Purina One Lamb & Rice which is what our humane society uses (Purina is also headquartered here in St. Louis so they do a lot of charitable work). Whatever food you choose, check the ingredients list. It should always have chicken, lamb, beef etc. as the first ingredient. Never go with a kibble that has corn as the first ingredient as dogs are carnivores and can't digest the grain in dog food anyway - it's just filler.
Click to expand...

Val, it sounds like you are trying to be conscious of what is in your dogs food, which is great. However, pet food labels and ingredient lists can be very deceiving. In my post above, I linked to a site that does reviews and star ratings. All the Purina One foods I saw there are rated as 1 star out of 6. I have included the specific link for the review and ingredient break-down of Purina One Adult Lamb & Rice Formula.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=259&cat=7

Here's a quote directly from that review:

"The first ingredient in the food is a named meat product, but since this is lamb inclusive of its water content (about 80%) and this ingredient will weigh only about 20% of its wet weight once water is removed (as it must be to make kibble) it is unlikely that this is the true first ingredient in the food. It is the sole named meat product in the food.


The next ingredient is Brewers rice - a low quality grain and by-product. "

.. and it goes on to talk about the rest of the ingredients.

I really love that site, I find it extremely helpful and informative.
 
I love that dog food analysis site! We used that to choose our puppy chow. Turns out our dog is allergic to just about everything and has been on prescription food for almost two years now. He eats rabbit and potato - Royal Canin. We've tried transitioning him back to *regular* food a couple of times and our vet and breeder recommended Taste of the Wild but, no dice, we didn't make it past 50/50 and our boy was belly aching.
 
Thank you for the site Lilyfoot! We do try to be very conscious of our choices and I researched before we continued using Purina One and was happy that it was not one of the brands affected by the recall a few years ago. That combined with the fact that Purina is readily available and is local and does a lot of good in the community, I was sold. That said, my dogs (and new cat) are my kids and their health is first and foremost for us. I will definitely check out the site and see if there are better options for us and our crew. Thank you!!
 
I personally feed my dog Science Diet with some cooked chicken mixed in for an added treat. She also gets Science Diet treats for her teether. That's what my vet feeds his dogs. Online sites are extremely helpful and it always pays to read the ingredient listing. Corn, rice, etc, shouldn't be in the top 5 and the ingredients are always listed from greatest to least.

I've spoken to many supporters of raw and natural diets. I'm very hesitant due to the increases in salmonella these days with raw foods like chicken. For a dog with a sensitive stomach, my vet always said the best choice is brown rice and boiled meatballs (or chicken), it's very bland. I give that to my dog when her colitis acts up.

Regardless of dog food vs natural/raw diet, it is very important to supplement! Just like us, dogs(and cats) benefit from a daily multivitamin. Even the premium foods that claim complete nutrition don't always give it. A dog with a sensitive stomach can always benefit from probiotics as well. Any of these things can be ordered online from a huge number of sites.
 
CourtLynB said:
I personally feed my dog Science Diet with some cooked chicken mixed in for an added treat. She also gets Science Diet treats for her teether. That's what my vet feeds his dogs. Online sites are extremely helpful and it always pays to read the ingredient listing. Corn, rice, etc, shouldn't be in the top 5 and the ingredients are always listed from greatest to least.
Click to expand...

CourtLynB, you should check out the website I've mentioned in this thread already (dogfoodanalysis.com). All of the Hill's Science Diet foods that I checked out are rated 1 star out of 6. The ingredient breakdown is given to you, so you can further understand what's really in your dog food. ( http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_...rpage=12&sort=2&stype=&limit=&cat=all&ppuser= )

As a slight sidenote, corn and other grains shouldn't be in dog food at all, they're very difficult for dogs to digest. Dog food manufacturers use them because they are very cheap.

Oh, and yes, many vets feed their dogs Science Diet, and they also frequently sell it in their offices. From what I understand, veterinary schools don't spend too much time on the subject of nutrition, and Hill's does a lot of financial contributing to schools :$$): AND the vets get commission on the Science Diet food they sell in their offices. Just something to think about :))
 
I'll have to check that site out, and see how Wellness does....
 
lilyfoot said:
CourtLynB said:
I personally feed my dog Science Diet with some cooked chicken mixed in for an added treat. She also gets Science Diet treats for her teether. That's what my vet feeds his dogs. Online sites are extremely helpful and it always pays to read the ingredient listing. Corn, rice, etc, shouldn't be in the top 5 and the ingredients are always listed from greatest to least.
Click to expand...

CourtLynB, you should check out the website I've mentioned in this thread already (dogfoodanalysis.com). All of the Hill's Science Diet foods that I checked out are rated 1 star out of 6. The ingredient breakdown is given to you, so you can further understand what's really in your dog food. ( http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_...rpage=12&sort=2&stype=&limit=&cat=all&ppuser= )

As a slight sidenote, corn and other grains shouldn't be in dog food at all, they're very difficult for dogs to digest. Dog food manufacturers use them because they are very cheap.

Oh, and yes, many vets feed their dogs Science Diet, and they also frequently sell it in their offices. From what I understand, veterinary schools don't spend too much time on the subject of nutrition, and Hill's does a lot of financial contributing to schools :$$): AND the vets get commission on the Science Diet food they sell in their offices. Just something to think about :))
Click to expand...

Hi Lilyfoot,
I haven't checked out that exact site yet. Yes, I know that the vets do get a kick back from the Hill's people. I actually work in the pet industry, so I know all about the deals these vets and their distributers get for their products. I'm going to look, but Hill's actually has two different lines of pet food. The "science diet" is sold only in the pet specialty channel at stores like PetCo and PetSmart (who take ginormous mark-ups). The "prescription diet" is sold exclusively to the vet offices. Even if you go into a PetSmart that has a Banfield office and you see the prescription diet on the shelves, you can only buy it with a script from the Banfield vet.

But this thread has gotten me thinking more and more about what I feed my pups. I'm really contemplating taking them off any processed dog food and feeding them a more natural diet. And raw carrots make for excellent treats. :))
 
monarch64 said:
ALERT--opinion only.

I have several friends who are vets or who work with animals in some capacity, and all have dogs/pets.

None of them feed their animals canned or dry food...they do the raw thing, which, is the closet thing to a dog's natural diet.
Click to expand...

Monarch, I would LOVE to find a vet who feeds raw. I feed raw and our vet tolerates it, but doesn't support it. He is a good vet, but he also sells Hill's and Science Diet in his office :knockout: I do still have kibble on hand, but only use Orijen.

I second all of those who found food at their local feed/tack store. I once ran out of food at my parents' house--they live in the middle of NOWHERE--I was able to find a decent kibble at the local feed store. I think it was Innova. Innova (as well as EVO, California Natural, etc.) was recently bought out by P&G, who ruined Iams, so I wouldn't buy Innova anymore.
 
Hi! I am a vet nurse and understand your dilemma. I noticed people are listing some great foods....wellness..canidae..butttt...unfortunately, you will not be able to find them through any regular grocery store. Petfooddirect.com is great ...but i personally found the shipping costs to be way too high. That is totally your call!! If you must get a "grocery store" brand..Newman's Own isn't bad...it's got a lot of organic ingredients, and the proceeds go to charities of all kinds. I forgot who mentioned it, but the dogfoodanalysis site is wonderful...really opens up your eyes to lots of things. The BARF diet (bones and raw food) which a couple other people mentioned is great, but you should probably read up on how to do it correctly so that all the necessary nutrients are met. Some vets worry about salmonella and things like that with raw foods...but dogs immune systems are pretty great at fighting off food bourne illness. Good luck!!


ETA: as someone working in an animal hospital, I just wanted to point out that of course vets get a "commission" for selling certain foods, as well as meds, procedures, and everything else. It's not logical for things to be at "cost". They don't sell one food over another for money purposes. All the foods sold at vets are special for certain diseases/problems...for example...urinary issues...the food is specially balanced with certain Ph levels. They aren't exactly meant to be fed to a 100% healthy pet.
 
I've done some research in the past few days and will be switching my pup off of IAMS when we're done with the current bag of food.

Check out smartpakcanine.com. In addition to cool gadgets and everything else your dog would need, they sell individual servings of high quality foods. They don't have a huge selection, but they do have the good brands, and from what I can see, a 28-day supply is shipped at a $7.95 flat rate. I think I will order from them when I make my switch.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top