German Shepherds Forum banner

Am I crazy

5160 Views 54 Replies 22 Participants Last post by  Jax08
When I was growing up my parents bought 50bl bags of Alpo dog food to feed our dogs. We didn't have shepherds (sans one shepherd/lab mix who terrified me as a small child) or any other fancy dog. Just mutts most of which just wondered onto the farm and took up residence. A few months ago I took in a husky, who reminded me how much I missed having a dog. I was almost in tears when the owner was found, and the place at the foot of my bed was once again empty.

Thus, my puppy search began. After some breed research, and my wife insisting not a husky, we decided on a shepherd. After visiting shelters and breeder we finally found Reagan, and immediately took him to the vet. I was still under the impression that the standard way to feed a dog was to buy a bag of Purina or Alpo and tuck it in a large water tight container where it would serve as a source of nourishment to your canine companion for several months. But, out of curiosity, I asked the vet what food she would suggest. Our vet, in not so many words, said Science Diet was the way to go. I thought to myself 'this food cost twice as much but the dog cost infinitely more than any other dog I had as a child, and i love my new pup so what the heck'.

Recently it came to my attention that Science Diet is a terrible food source, and descent dog food cost a lot. By my math, I could just feed Reagan a boneless chicken breast in the morning and some flank steak at night and pay about the same money (which is becoming a very serious consideration). Now I'm not a rich man, but I want what is best for my dog. And I have to say I'm a little skeptical of all these premium dog foods, after all some of my parents dog are still alive and quite happy almost two decades later (the ones who have passed, met ends other than poor food quality). The whole time they've been eating food that apparently should have my parents up on animal cruelty charges.

Now don't misread me I believe my pup is worth the $100+ cost of premium food, i'm just blown away by it. I haven't owned a dog in ten years, is this a new thing, or am i just too back woods to know about it? What should I feed my puppy and what should the cost be? What do you feed your dog? Has anyone else ever thought the same thing?
See less See more
1 - 2 of 55 Posts
until recently we fed purina brand kibble. 5 1/2 years of purina and my husbands dog's allergies have gotten worse. In the last two months we've made the switch to a medium cost/quality food from Tractor Supply 4health. The dogs love it. its better than purina. They're doing very well on it. If it hadnt been for Riley's allergies we would probably still be on purina but there comes a time when the CONSTANT scratching wears down on a persons nerves. Its a quality food that fits without our budget. You could check it out. There are a couple different formulas as well. You dont have to feed something crazy expensive to get good quality. but i agree Science Diet is crap food.
To the OP: If you have a Tractor Supply Co. nearby, check out 4Health food. It's a fairly affordable brand of premium food. The main ingredient is either chicken or lamb and it has no byproducts, no corn, no soy, and no wheat.

thank you! i couldnt remember what it didnt have i just knew it was far better. lol i was about to go check the bag.
1 - 2 of 55 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top