Spending limit on dog food.

 Just dog food, no cat huh? I buy a 5lb. bag of Eagle Pack Holistic Fish for $13, salmon oil, vitamin e., marrow bones and the occassional bully stick. So my cost for the month is around $20. Another reason to  love Tootsie.

No limit particularly... I'll spend whatever it takes to get something they do well on; but in my experience that has often been a less expensive food.

Since Rotten was diagnosed with osteocarcinoma I wanted very low carbs for her. She's eating EVO Red Meat at $35/13 lbs supplemented with fresh foods at maybe $75/month. The 13 lb bag lasts her 3 weeks.

The other dogs eat Diamond Naturals at $25/40 lbs. The bag lasts 10 days.

you have to consider how many servings you get out of your bag of food, not just cost per pound. Taste of the wild may seem like a bargain at $45/ for 30 pounds, but it only has 370 kcal/cup. EVO has 530 or so kcal/cup and only costs slightly more per pound $50/ 30 pounds, you'll save money spending that extra $5 up front because the 30 pounds will last longer.

My limit is $60 a month.  I was feeding TOTW, but like mudpuppy mentioned the kcal/cup made it so we had to feed more. We were spending about $70 a month for the TOTW and sometimes would still run out and have to get a small bag to get us through the end of the month.  It was too much.  Than we switched to Canidae.  We were happy on that for a good long time, I had intended to stick with it after they changed their formula, but I noticed changes in my dogs' condition that I could not ignore.  They started smelling horrible and their coats looked terrible, very very dull.  Sooooo, I switched to Blue Buffalo Chicken and Rice which we have had amazing results on.  It's about $45 for a 30 pound bag, which lasts all month.   I used to think BB was WAY overpriced, but now that the prices on all foods have gone up and even Canidae was getting expensive, I find it to be reasonable.  I think we'll be sticking with this for a good long while, it's convenient that I can get it from Petco.

For the cats, I feed them Solid Gold.  We spend about $20 a month on their food, which I find to be well worth it.  I've actually tried going the Purina route with them and we went through it so much more quickly.

$25 a month to feed three cats, by the way.  Premix is $12 and fresh meat $1.25 a pound (9 pounds a month).

Since I just bought food today, I can tell you that I spend $45 on a 15lb. bag of Orijen.  Expensive, but the dogs really do the best on Orijen, and as long as I am able to financially afford it, that's what I'll keep purchasing.  A 15 lb. bag lasts 3-4 weeks between the two dogs.

 Well I just bought a bag of food today. TOTW 30lb bag for 45 bucks. It's worth it because Lillie actually does great on it. That will last her 2 months only if I can get some Eagle Pack ordered off the net soon. She does great with those two combined. So with TOTW and Eagle Pack I spend 75 bucks on food that'll last me 2 months. Gotta say that isnt bad. I also buy 20-25 bucks worth of raw meat a month Lillie and Joker both get. They really enjoy it. I cant afford to go all the way raw yet but hopefully next month when I start my part time job I will be able to.

i've been buying healthwise...i think it was $38/40 lbs. Not sure if we're going to stay on it yet...we're gonna try a few more bags.

As many of you know, I have switched Shadow to Eagle Pack. The Lamb Meal and Rice with Oatmeal formula. I'm getting it from Green Market in Sherman, Texas. $52 for a 33 lb bag. That is $1.57 per pound. That's not too bad and more importantly, I can afford it and am willing to pay for it. I don't know that I could approximate that price with homecooked, especially if I bought lamb meat. Unless, I go ahead and make a special trip to a meat market. I could probably find meat cuts for $1 a lb. Potatos at a dollar a pound. I might be able to approximate that price, averaged overall, if money was a concern to me. No, I'm not rich, but I can afford to buy the food if Shadow does well on it.

My primary consideration for a homecooked diet would be that it is one that is balanced for Shadow and that I would not be able to screw it up. A simple plan of meat, carb, and supps. OTOH, the Eagle Pack is that and it smells good, too. I like the smell better than the Nutro, not that such a consideration should be the deciding factor. In the end, it's about what he needs to eat, not what my opinion is. Though I still think the diet should be meat first.

ron2

As many of you know, I have switched Shadow to Eagle Pack. The Lamb Meal and Rice with Oatmeal formula. I'm getting it from Green Market in Sherman, Texas. $52 for a 33 lb bag. That is $1.57 per pound.

Do you have a Petco close to you?  a Petco close to my house will order Eagle Pack for me (from Petco online services), I won't have to pay for delivery because I will just come to that Petco to pick it up.  The store will do it for me because the products are not carried at the store (they won't do it for those that they have in the store like solid gold and wellness).  The price of Eagle Pack lamb and rice (through Petco online) is very reasonable.....33lbs for $40.99.

I don't know if all Petco stores have the same policies but the one close to me will do it.

kle1986

What is your spending limit on dog food?

LOL, let's see the four cases of prescription cans per month are about $140.  Then there is the other dog food--all cans--that I buy her.  Plus, all the homecooked meats and potato I add--plus her yogurt/babyfood breakfast daily.  Then there are treats. . .

And, all this before we even add in supplements.

So, basically to answer the question, I have no limit

willowchow

So, basically to answer the question, I have no limit

You have a big heart full of love.

ron2

My primary consideration for a homecooked diet would be that it is one that is balanced for Shadow and that I would not be able to screw it up. A simple plan of meat, carb, and supps. OTOH, the Eagle Pack is that and it smells good, too. I like the smell better than the Nutro, not that such a consideration should be the deciding factor. In the end, it's about what he needs to eat, not what my opinion is. Though I still think the diet should be meat first.

 Ron; I like Eagle Pack better than many other foods on the market, even higher protein foods like EVO and Nature's Variety; I think they're better balanced. I have the complete nutritional information for their holistic formulas, and they have more b vitamins than many foods, which is good for a dog in many ways.

 As to the question, I agree with Lori; there is no limit; whatever it takes to keep them healthy.  Jessie gets a home cooked diet now.

My limit is about $15 for a 6 lb. bag. I cannot imagine $50 for a 13 lb. bag!! What food is that? Ordering food from online sites makes it way too expensive for me. Shipping pretty much doubles the price. For me it would be a last resort; luckily there are several pet stores around here that carry a lot of holistic foods.

I recommend Eagle Pack Holistic or Wellness. I think pet dogs should be fed the same as show dogs. If they're in good condition on the outside then that's an indication of health on the inside.

kle1986

What is your spending limit on dog food?

lalalalalalala WHAT? lalalalalalaalala HUH? lalalallalalalalala  CAN'T HEAR YOU????  

I'm bad at math.

My calculator is broken.

I lost the receipts.

Seriously.  If I added up what I'm spending on Indie & Woobie's homecooked plan, I'd probably fall over, cry and stop, so I try to remain blissfully ignorant, it's got to be cheaper than the vet bills I was paying before I got them both straight.  That's what I tell myself anyway because if I started to think 2 cans of salmon per day at 1.42 ea, $35+ for their vitamin supplement that lasts about a month, plus..........

Nope.  Rather not know.  lalalalalalalalalalala