Cheap but HEALTHY do food.

Question
Hello,

I hear all these awful things about most dog food brands out there, like how they're mostly useless fillers and lack the proper nutrition your dogs needs etc. So I want to know what options do I have for HEALTHY but CHEAP dog food?

Brands like Solid Gold and Blue Buffalo I know are good but they're out of the question because they cost too much for too little, and I can't convince my mom to pay $12 for 4 pounds of dog food when she's getting pedigree and other similar brand for like $30 for 50 pounds.  

So, are there any dog food brands out there that are come in a size of 40-50lbs for around 30-50 dollars? $50 is pushing it. It's the only way I can convince to buy the food.

Also, I need the food to be LOW FAT, my dog has a medical condition and needs to avoid fat. And any other foods/human foods you recommend I give my dog that are cheap, please say so.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to help me and my dog, really appreciated. Take care.  

Answer
I don't have any personal experience with Pedigree, but suspect it is just as good as similar foods bad mouthed by the reps selling Blue Buffalo and those posting to the net from the Starbucks wifi hot spots.  

Before the current form of the net existed, we were raising puppies for a large dog guide school that feeds Pro Plan, no better rated than Science, Iams, etc.  Once I started reading how awful it was, I started digging.  What I have learned is that many other service dog schools with all their resources to determine the best diet and the incentive to do so, are feeding back of the pack chows including Iams, Science Diet, and Pro Plan.  I have not been able to find any research backing up the claims of the premium chows.  I have challenged people on open forums to provide me with research backing the premium chows.  They don't seem to appreciate the importance of controlled testing.  Those selling premium chows are very good at exploiting the emotions of many.


Go to www.dogfoodanalysis, thedogfoodproject, thewholedogjournal and try to find any real data to back their opinions.  If you find any, please let me know.  I have tried and tried and never found anything but marketing hype, half truths, and speculation.  Dogs can't digest corn?  Well no, neither can people unless it is ground up and cooked.  

Much of the research on canine nutrition is published in things like the JAVMA or the Journal of Nutrition which are not available for free on line.  There are a few scraps of research available, http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/Cons.../ucm208365.htm
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2009/07/pet-food-nutrition-myths/
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/health/01brod.html
http://www.dogsincanada.com/pet-food-facts-and-fallacies
http://www.ddgs.umn.edu/articles-companion/2004-Hill-%20Alternative%20proteins%2...
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/134/8/2141S#top
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16426217?ordinalpos=17&itool=EntrezSystem2.PE...
http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/jan05/050115ww.asp
http://www.avma.org/avmacollections/obesity_dogs/javma_219_5_601.pdf

While it has some links to kook sites, http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/articles2.html#nutrition has some of the more rational discussions of dog food on the net.  

Many commercial dog foods are a little heavy on fat.  The bag should give the percent fat.  Check your Pedigree bag and look for something lower.  

Having read how terrible Pedigree is, how is your dog doing on it?  I have my dogs out in public a lot.  This includes dog shows where I am sure many of the competitors are feeding Blue Buffalo and other expensive foods.  Nobody ever asks what I am feeding nor do I see dogs in obviously better condition from their wonderful diet.  Dog food discussions are dominated by a highly vocal minority with who know what agenda.