[tophcfa]

CFrance, I applaud you for taking such good care of your beautiful 12 year old furry companion. Keep up the good work, our dogs are totally worth it.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

CFrance, I applaud you for taking such good care of your beautiful 12 year old furry companion. Keep up the good work, our dogs are totally worth it.

Aw shucks. Thanks!

[Rsenholzi]

Hi, my dogs needed more grain in their food also. If you look none of the higher priced foods have grain in them( I have tried them all ) or if they do the percentage is low. After searching every food on the market , the food with the highest percentage of grain is Kibble and bits. It has the maximum percentage that is allowed in a dogs food. I have tried this food and for the first time the dogs stopped scooting and were able to move their bowels. I have had them both on it for over 5 years now and both look healthy . The one has the energy of a pup and no one can believe how old he is. One is 10 and the other is 12 . They are big dogs so this is actually a long life for both . I suggest you try this Food before making your own and see how your dog makes out. I think you will be pleasantly surprised

[rondvu2]

Lucky dog. Hope nothing ever happens to you, it will be a shock to the dog not to have homemade food anymore

[PugMom]

if i were you, i'd stay away from cheaper cuts. if you;re going thru all that work to make a decent food, id stay with a decent cut of meat. we don't know the conditions/storage of how cheaper cuts are handled

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by rondvu2

Lucky dog. Hope nothing ever happens to you, it will be a shock to the dog not to have homemade food anymore

I have him totally covered from all angles if anything happens to us. He will be staying in the family.

[Darield]

If your looking for better prices on dark chicken, I get large packages at Sam's which is cheaper than Walmart. I also give our dog fish oil and that helps her coat noticeably as it did with our last dog. One of the responses mentioned Orijin which is what we use but it is a pricey dog food. We chose that because our last little girl died of cancer at 10yrs and so this is what we are trying. We also mix kibble with hamburger, dark chicken, ground turkey, etc as well as some fresh veggies. If you need more grain than I would research dog foods that have grain in them. Good Earth Pet Supply and Woof Gang both can be a good source of info.

There is so much info and opinions that you really have to find what works best for your dog.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by PugMom

if i were you, i'd stay away from cheaper cuts. if you;re going thru all that work to make a decent food, id stay with a decent cut of meat. we don't know the conditions/storage of how cheaper cuts are handled

Agreed. I'm not looking for poor-quality meat. I'm looking for less expensive price. The chicken leg quarter from Sam's, for instance, as opposed to from Whole Foods.


If you read where some of the kibble ingredients come from in some brands, you'd wonder how those dogs survived.

[CFrance]

The reason the taurine people are saying no grain-free is not because dogs need grain, particularly. It is because the grain-free kibbles use lentils and peas as fillers, sometimes beets, and those ingredients--esp. the first two--block the absorption of taurine. This can lead to heart problems in dogs and especially cats.

So he doesn't need grain; he needs to not have lentils & peas found in grain-free foods.

We give Grizzly Salmon Oil, a joint supplement, and a supplement of vitamins and minerals (vet approved brand), plus pumpkin and kefir, plus some Hills or Royal Canin (not grain free) plus the homemade. He needs to stay used to some kibble for travel purposes when I cannot make his food.

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

[gobolts]

I've been making our dogs' food for many years, it's one of the best things you can do for their health. I know of places to get better prices but you'll have to make a drive to get them. Hopkins meat market in Sanford has very good prices on cases of chicken quarters if that's what you're looking for. Sometimes they get fantastic deals on boneless chicken breast too, you can just watch their Facebook page to see. Also Costco has whole chicken for 99 cents a pound or they did last time I checked. They also have organic whole chickens for $1.99 per pound which is a really good price for that. For the veggies I find the produce stands/stores to have better prices than grocery but I normally just buy at Publix for convenience. Publix also had whole turkeys for 49 cents a pound for weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and they will probably have them again before Christmas. I bought a bunch of them for the freezer and will cut them up and use them for my dogs' food recipe, I make food once a week for them and one whole turkey works perfectly for my recipe. Cutting it up is the only difficult part.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by gobolts

I've been making our dogs' food for many years, it's one of the best things you can do for their health. I know of places to get better prices but you'll have to make a drive to get them. Hopkins meat market in Sanford has very good prices on cases of chicken quarters if that's what you're looking for. Sometimes they get fantastic deals on boneless chicken breast too, you can just watch their Facebook page to see. Also Costco has whole chicken for 99 cents a pound or they did last time I checked. They also have organic whole chickens for $1.99 per pound which is a really good price for that. For the veggies I find the produce stands/stores to have better prices than grocery but I normally just buy at Publix for convenience. Publix also had whole turkeys for 49 cents a pound for weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and they will probably have them again before Christmas. I bought a bunch of them for the freezer and will cut them up and use them for my dogs' food recipe, I make food once a week for them and one whole turkey works perfectly for my recipe. Cutting it up is the only difficult part.

Thanks! Where is the nearest Costco? Sam's is such a zoo I try to avoid it.


I saw those turkeys at Publix. I'll look for them again, and look at Hopkins FB page.

[JSR22]

Originally Posted by CFrance

Thanks! Where is the nearest Costco? Sam's is such a zoo I try to avoid it.


I saw those turkeys at Publix. I'll look for them again, and look at Hopkins FB page.

There is a Costco in Orlando by Millenia Mall and in Altamonte Springs.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I wouldn't obsess too much about the "quality" of the food. Dogs sometimes eat their own feces. A healthy dog can eat alllmost anything, with certain exceptions (no onion or garlic, certain other plants are toxic to them). A dog with diagnosed medical conditions might require adjustments, but swapping out Walmart crap for a 4-year-old steer freshly slaughtered by 26 virgins on their wedding day, using knives made of elven steel - is not a necessarily adjustment.

[CWGUY]

Originally Posted by JSR22

There is a Costco in Orlando by Millenia Mall and in Altamonte Springs.

I like the Costco at Wesley Chapel too. Right down I-75 at 2225 Grand Cypress Dr, Lutz, FL 33559

[Darield]

Unfortunately Costco can be as much of a zoo as Sam's. I've gone to Altamonte Springs as well as Tampa. It's almost easier to go at an off time to Sam's and save the gas, especially if you are already a member. Dec. is always a zoo but usually right at the dinner time is not too bad. So between 5:30 and 7:30p can be a little more sane.