Diet/feeding

Question
Hello, I have a labrador retreiver female going on 3 years spayed a jack russell terrier male nuetered going on two years and a female bosotn terrier 5 months old not yet spayed. I am currently feeding Auothirty avalible only through petsmart stores.... they like it and all but its kind of expensive for gfeeding them all it. I was wondering if there is anything wrong with feeding cheaper foods like purina/peddigree/beaniful? why do people ahte foods with by products in them? will there be a difference in the dogs health if i feed them cheaper foods? thank you for any advice.

Answer
I have no better idea what is going on in many "dog experts'" minds than in dog's minds.  I do suspect many of those that are so vehement about the problems with cheaper dog foods are making money off more expensive ones.  And there are those that believe you get what you pay for, and surely the more expensive foods are worth it, and even if not, my dog must have the best.  Then there is the Yogi Bear effect.  Since Yogi is smarter than the average bear, it would never do for him to feed an ordinary chow.  As for the muchly despised ''byproducts'', they mostly come out of the abdominal cavity.  Just the nutritious parts predators eat first.  

I base my opinions of dog chows largely on what I have learned from the service dog schools over the years in my volunteer work.  They have more info on dog nutrition than anybody except maybe the dog food companies, but far more incentive to give those feeding their dogs the straight story.  I know what a number of them feed now, Iams, Pro Plan, and Eukanuba.  Part of the reason for feeding the concentrated, meat based products is the smaller, firmer stools that are easier to clean up.  Can you imagine cleaning up after your dog if you were blind, in a wheelchair, have balance problems, etc.?  Ease of cleanup is a big factor.  

When I started raising puppies for a dog guide school years ago, they were feeding the cheaper regular Purina.  The dog were doing fine.  I have never seen any real evidence of a problem from the cheaper foods.  Just make sure whatever you choose to feed, the bag says tested using AAFCO methods.  Also, if you switch, mix the new chow in slowly over about a week.  The 5 month old can eat the same adult chow as the rest.  At the worst, it will slow its growth.  The service dog schools make an early switch to adult chow to slow growth giving their larger dogs more time to develop the sturdy joints they need for a long working life.