is expensive dog food really worth it???

[311Hemi]

Lunker,

Diamond Naturals chicken and rice. Maynerds is $28.00 a 40lb bag.

Good Luck!

Ken

Is this for the actual Diamond Naturals "Grain Free" product? They have Diamond Naturals which is not grain free, and they have Diamond Naturals "Grain Free" formulas which I have found to be much higher priced than what you mention.

Looks like Taste of the Wild is made by Diamond, as is Costco's Natures Domain as well.

Taste of the Wild: Pacific Stream

Calories: 3,600 kcal/kg (360 kcal/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy

Ingredients

Salmon, ocean fish meal, sweet potatoes, potatoes, canola oil, salmon meal, smoked salmon, potato fiber, natural flavor, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Natures Domain: Grain-Free Salmon Meal & Sweet Potato

3,590 kcals/kg (336 kcals/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy

Ingredients:

Salmon meal, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes, canola oil, ocean fish meal, potato fiber, pea protein, natural flavor, flaxseed, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Diamond Naturals: Grain-Free Whitefish & Sweet Potato Formula for Dogs

Calorie Content: 3,580 kcals/kg (335 kcals/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy.

Ingredients

Whitefish, fish meal, sweet potatoes, peas, garbanzo beans, potatoes, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), tomato pomace, potato protein, flaxseed, natural flavor, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, yucca schidigera extract, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

[LABS4ME]

I posted he ingredients one page back. No corn, no, wheat, no soy. I guess there is rice, oatmeal, barley and flaxseed if you want to lump thse into 'grain'. That is the ingredients for he $28 a bag food I buy @ mensrds.

Good Luck!

Ken

[gunmunky]

I have a Standard poodle we got when she was 3 yrs old. The previous owner fed her Nutra-Source Grain free Chicken for large breeds. We decided to try a less expensive food about a year after we got her and her energy dropped and she was having anal gland issues. Yuck! So we switched to the solid gold brand, which was spendy, and still no energy and some gland issues. We went back to the Nutra-Source and she returned to normal!!!!

I know some say dogs are just animals but what other loves you more than themselves! Including humans. We only go around once and I want the best for my family and my pets. I will sacrifice somewhere else if needed, but not on my pets health. IMHO.

[walleye18]

One of my dogs would eat the butt out of a dead skunk on the road and be good to go. My other lab will eat all of his food but has issues with excess shedding and itching - as was mentioned in prior posts.

Solution - played with some different kind of foods and got him dialed in. Shedding is normal and itching/scratching is non existent.

You get what you pay for. Some dogs can tolerate whatever you feed them, some have issues. Navigate the dog food types and find whats best for your pooch!...simple stuff.

[Eric Wettschreck]

One of my dogs would eat the butt out of a dead skunk on the road and be good to go.

I wonder if our dogs are related.

[CANOPY SAM]

One of my dogs would eat the butt out of a dead skunk on the road and be good to go.

Mine too! Bones, our lab, is an eating machine. He goes thru a large rawhide bone in about 5 minutes. Not just chewed up, but completely gone!

I feed him Purina Large Breed dry food in the morning, and half Purina half ALPO wet food in the evening. He loves his mixed dog hotdish, and literally leaps into the entryway for supper!

He's in great shape. Runs around like a fawn in spring. Happy as a clam. Nice shiny coat, bright sparkling eyes, and big white teeth. Barely sheds at all, but does scratch a bit, but not any more than I would expect from a normal dog. I scratch about as much as he does!

I'd quickly invest more in his diet if I felt he needed something different, but he seems to be about the happiest dog I know, so more expensive food doesn't really appear to be needed.

[Dotch]

He's in great shape. Runs around like a fawn in spring. Happy as a clam. Nice shiny coat, bright sparkling eyes, and big white teeth. Barely sheds at all, but does scratch a bit, but not any more than I would expect from a normal dog. I scratch about as much as he does!

If you itch, I'd recommend you roll in the snow. It really seems to help our older Border Collie!

Your post was spot on Sam. We feed Fudgie the older dog Beneful, something she will actually eat and does well on it. She's extremely fussy and since it's a dog we inherited after Mom passed away, we're not messing with her. She has a thick winter coat, guards gates well and the sheep respect her, all without training. Not real sociable but living alone with Mom as she did, that's not to be unexpected. At nearly 11, Fudgie's welcome to live out the rest of her days here. The younger Border Ruby gets Diamond Performance and at 3 years old she's sheer hell on wheels. No diddling around waiting for the ewes to come up from the pasture. This one probably should've been trained for Fly Ball but she's a very friendly member of the team who many besides ourselves have become very attached to. If we or our vets saw something wrong with either dog we wouldn't hesitate to make a change, food related or otherwise.