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I won't lie; Sam's eating me out of house and home. He's gaining weight nicely, but he's a HUGE dog. The vet recommended 12-15 cups of dry food daily. That's ALOT of dog food! And we're probably feeding him a bit more than that even because his bowl is always empty it seems. The poor thing is just starved.
What would you recommend? He does really like Kibbles n Bits, but it's getting a bit expensive. Then again, he likes almost anything.
I'm really hoping his appetite lets up some once he's back at an average weight for his breed.
Kibbles 'n Bits is probably the cheapest food you'll find...
One 35 pound bag of dog food for my pup costs about $55 and that's one of the cheapest "good" brands of dog food out there. It's not even the top rated, but I can't afford the best quality stuff. But, it would take my dog two weeks to eat what yours eats in a day! He only gets a cup a day!
Look for coupons especially at the manufacturers website. Most store brands (the ones sold at Petsmart, Wal Mart etc) have coupons online or clubs you can join for savings.
Do you have a Costco near you? We feed Kirkland Lamb & Rice and can buy a 40# bag for about $25. This food is made by Diamond Foods and packaged for Costco under their private label "Kirkland" and depending on which site you use, grades out as an "A" food, even if some who are more 'in the know' on dog foods, might view it as a lesser food. I know it grades out better than Iams, Purina and Kibbles & Bits....but I believe in the world of feeding our dogs, we each do the best we can with our family budget - and sometimes that means if we're eating Ramen Noodles, our dogs are eating a bit less than top shelf too
Our dogs do great on this food - and we feed each 'adult' dog about 2.5 cups per day. Our dogs are large dogs (rotties, lab, boxer, pit mix). They make a chicken & Rice formula as well, and a senior food too. I even think I saw a small dog formula the last time I was there picking up our supply!
12-15 cups? IMO your vet is an idiot. My horse doesn't eat that much food.
Kibbles & Bits is not a quality dog food. Nothing you get at the grocery store or at Walmart is going to be a quality food.
Feeding a higher quality of food will give your dog more nutrition and he will eat less. A lot less. He will also poop less. Crappy foods are full of fillers and the dog has to eat more to get the nutrition he needs.
Look for a food that has meat or a meat meal as the first ingredient. If you see corn, corn gluten, wheat gluten, or any by-products in the ingredients list leave it on the shelf.
IMO, the most affordable food that is a decent quality is Taste of the Wild. Shadow weighs 90 pounds, and a 15 pound bags lasts 6 weeks. I pay $32 for that 15 pound bag.
That seems like too much food, no matter how big your dog is. My adult lab who passed away last year of old age ate 4 cups of food total and maintained a healthy weight of 85 lb.
The best, cheapest, good-quality dog food is Kirkland. It's worth getting a Costco membership just for that. They recently came out with a grain-free formula, and you'll be feeding a lot less because there are no grains/fillers. You're feeding 12-15 cups because Kibbles N Bits is really, really bad and filled with tons of fillers. Then again, even a Great Dane wouldn't eat that much food in a day. Do you own a pony or something?
What breed is your dog, Irishfamily2010?
Just curious.
I dunno, it seems like dogs usually need less food than the recommendations from vets and the dog bag label.
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