Dog food recommendations?

Question

I have a 5 month old Blue Heeler/Australian Shepherd mix and a 10 month old German Shepherd. I need recommendations on a fairly cheap brand of food to get the both of them. I would prefer them be the same food but can be different. It would help if it was all stages of life so they can eat it whenever but if not then I would like recommendations on adult food to give them in the future. I would like the food to be as good for them as possible for dry food. I buy from petsmart. Basically I want good quality for not as expensive. Thank you in advance!

Answer 1

Both of them should be on a puppy food until 12-18 months with the size breed they both are and their high energy levels ( if you want an All life stages food - keep reading) Typically you can wean off puppy based food and transition to adult around 9 months of age but since you want them to both be on the same food then keeping them on a puppy formula until the heeler  mix is at least 9 months will not hurt either.

Puppy food is a high fat, high protein diet so if you notice that your shepherd’s beginning to gain too much weight then switching to a food Formula that is acceptable for “All life stages” Such as ‘Canidae’ Might be the best and most affordable food for them to both enjoy.

Alternatively, if you would like to keep them on puppy formula that is relatively inexpensive and Still has all key benefits - as a veterinarian technician myself, I’ve always recommend Purina Pro Plan Puppy. Most of Purina brands are simply put “garbage”. But the Pro Plan formula is one of the best for your buck.

I would definitely NOT use kirklands Costco brand as it’s ingredients are mainly fillers and have been proven to cause many health issues when used for an extended period of time. 

Also make sure once both your dogs are weaned off Puppy formula and if you choose not to try Purina Pro Plan, Try to stay away from high protein content foods. Many foods that claim to be “grain free” are high in protein and not to mention expensive. The cost is not the issue in this case it’s the high protein levels. High protein diets ingested daily in dogs over 12-18 months of age are prone to UTIs, kidney stones and other urinary issues as they cannot properly flush the proteins from their bodies. This is including any RAW food diets - not to mention they’re expensive, give dogs numerous amounts of oral health problems and are often recalled due to their risk of salmonella poisoning to humans. So expensive isn’t always better and grains are meant to be incorporated into their diets because dogs are NOT carnivores. They’re omnivorous like us and need grains, nuts, berries etc. In actuality only about %8 of dogs actually suffer from grain allergies. 

If you are still not convinced on the type of food you should feed please just read the back ingredients of the dog food of your choice and read off the 4 first ingredients as that will be the foods primary source contents. If they’re unknown chemicals or weird synthetics - try a different bag. And that is the rule of thumb for any dog food you choose.

I could go on forever but I will leave you with this and wish you the best of luck!!

Answer 2

I am sure many people must have already told you that you should not buy cheap brands of pet food. Recently, the FDA has linked many brands with DCM in dogs. Only a few brands have passed the test. I would suggest that you choose something from Purina, Science Diet, or Royal Canin that suits your budget. I usually buy them from Petcarerx so I'm sure that they will also be available on PetSmart.

Answer 3

The best foods are expensive but there is no reason to get them if your dog is not allergic to the grains that are used as fillers.  Fillers in our food are common, too.  Usually you'll see corn as the first ingredient but dogs need meat.  You feed less of the best food so they say it equal out.  I have not paid an outrageous price for a bag of dog food.  I feed Pedigree & my Vet says it is a good dog food.  My dogs like it & I haven't had any skin problems as a result of it.



Living within ones means is a must, too. 

Answer 4

I would strongly advocate keeping the 5 mo old on a puppy food, for another month or two, before beginning to transition to adult by mixing part puppy/part adult.  The 10 mo old CAN be on an adult food (who is through his large GROWTH spurt period).  (Adult is often cheaper.)  But your option is to have them both on puppy for 2 more months & then transition over to adult.



WHY, would you limit your dog food choices to what is sold at PETSMART?  You can have a TON of foods DELIVERED to your door - by Chewy or Amazon and the prices are OFTEN BETTER!  Even Costco's Kirkland is liked by a number of people & found to be very affordable.  (Of course, if you don't have a membership - you can forget that option.)



Further, it depends on your preferences - as to whether you WANT a grain-based food, or not.  You didn't say.... nor  am I CLEAR on how important is quality is - OVER price or is PRICE the most important feature?



My advice is to go to a couple of Dog food REVIEW sites (see links below) & pick out a 4 or 5 star food from THEIR lists and see if you can GET it from Petsmart and afford it.  I don't shop there and I am not going to pull up their site to see what they sell.  What I liked and preferred (when I fed kibble) was based on my holistic vet's advice.  (I now feed RAW.)  My recommendations may not suit your budget.  I think the QUALITY of a food can impact (the dog's health) and how much you have to spend at the vet's, so bought the best I could afford, of NON-grain based foods with 2-3 meat sources in the top 5 ingredients - when I fed kibble.



http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/



https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/



https://betterfoodfordogs.com/dog-food-comparison-chart/



http://www.dogfoodscoop.com/