# Where do you buy your dog food?



## Leah

I've seen threads where people mention the exotic brands of dog food they feed their dogs, but no one mentions where they buy the food. 

What do you feed, where do buy it and is it local or through the mail, etc.?


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## davetgabby

Not sure about the States but the good foods in Canada are sold in small stores like Global or Ryans Pet Food . Petsmart does not carry the good stuff.


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## Leeann

Leah usually the holistic pet shop's have the better food, they are not usually chain stores so they would be local only to you. I love the place I go, they will order me anything I want.


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## SMARTY

Most of the smaller independently owned stores carry the better brands of dog food. My girls are on raw and Evo which I get at the Stock Market where we buy our horse feed.


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## MopTop Havanese

I feed Wellness, which you can get at Petco, although I get it a bit cheaper at a local mom & pop grooming shop.


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## TheVintageVamp

Wellness from Petco here also. I can also get it at several local feed & seed stores as well as the doggy daycare/shop.


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## Sheri

As recommended by Sabine (pet nutritionist,) I am feeding Tucker Wellness Core, Low Fat, just a bit in his dish. I can get that at Petco, in addition to the better stores, which surprised me! Mostly Tucker is going to have to stick to Raw, because his stools do best (by far) on that. That comes from the small, specialty pet stores. Bummer. (I'd hoped to get away from the expense.)


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## krandall

Kodi eats Royal Canin, and you can get that at Petco too.


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## Lina

The smaller pet stores usually carry more of the better brands than the bigger stores (not that Petco, etc. don't carry anything good, they just don't have as large of a variety). I live in NYC which also makes it easier to find different foods, but still there is one food I feed that my dogs LOVE (Horizon Legacy) which I can only get online. The actual store is just across the river from me in Jersey, though, so I guess it's not *that* far away!


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## boo2352

We get California Natural from our vet.


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## Maxmom

I get Evo or California Natural at my pet spa.


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## Scooter's Family

I get Merrick at a local pet store that stocks all the good stuff or at a larger store that has horse supplies as well. Lately they've been out of Flossies and Antlerz though.


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## rdanielle

I feed Wellness and Orijen.

I get the Wellness from Pet Supplies Plus as its at least 3-5 cheaper than Petco. This might not always be the case as my friend in MN went and the price wasn't any different from Petco.

Most food manufacturers have a store locator.

Pet Supplies Plus


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## Pixiesmom

davetgabby said:


> Not sure about the States but the good foods in Canada are sold in small stores like Global or Ryans Pet Food . Petsmart does not carry the good stuff.


With the exception of Wilderness, which is rated a 6 stars on DFA. Pixie still likes this one, which is unbelievable for her.
I think they carry Solid Gold also, which I believe is decent. Other than that-I see many people in there with their 25 lb bags of Iams and Beneful in the cart-blech.


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## Rita Nelson

I buy Orijen, which Tucker loves, from Food For Pets.


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## imamurph

I feed Sophie and Gabriel Natural Balance. I buy it from a pet store that carry's all the top brands..which are usually not found at Petco or Petsmart..


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## HavaneseSoon

You can Google the name of the food AND location and it will probably show you results.

I get my food at a small pet store/kennel/grooming place.


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## juliav

I alternate Evo, Orijen and Taste of the wild kibble and buy it at my neighborhood specialty pet store. I prefer to support the little guy.


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## Leah

Thank you for the information. In earlier discussions, I've seen people mention Wellness a lot. Being that I'm a Petsmart person, I've never seen it, but we have Petco in Texas. Currently, my girls are eating Purine Pro Plus and they love it. I know how picky little dogs can be about dog food and will keep Wellness in mind when the day comes.


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## TheVintageVamp

Leah, I'd really look into the Wellness. It is amazing the difference you will see in your pups if you stop feeding grain based foods. As for Petsmart, we have those as well and in many ways I prefer them to Petco. While they do not carry the Wellness brand, they do carry Royal Canin and Blue Buffalo, which are both well rated foods.

If you haven't, take a look at the dogfoodanalysis site. It is really interesting when you read the reviews as it breaks down exactly why or why not in their recommendations.


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## Leah

Sally, I think I'll give it a try. I'll be getting a Bichon puppy this week and will transition all three puppies at the same time. My Havanese girls have tremendous appetites, so I doubt there will be any problem getting them to try something new. Thank you.


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## galaxie

^ Definitely a good idea, Purina is not exactly the most stellar food.

I feed Orijen to Roscoe and California Natural to Maddie. I buy them from the local pet food store


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## mimismom

Leah, i live in Dallas, but I am sure you can find similar stores in Arlington. 
On emergency, I buy Wellness from Petco.

Canine Commissary and Pet Plus Supplies carry Wellness and at a better price. I have also found flossies at Pet Plus. 

There are other little pet stores that are starting to pop up here and there and one told me they would order what I wanted/needed.

I am moving in the direction of staying away from big chain stores.


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## imamurph

I have to say that over the years I have been reading the ingredients labels more, because I don't want to feed my fur babies anything that has corn, wheat, meat by-products (which can be a main ingredient) or white rice. 

That's why I like Natural Balance Ultra:

Here's the ingredient list:

Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance® Original Ultra® Ultra Premium Dry Food is made with: 

Fresh Chicken, New Zealand Lamb Meal, Salmon Meal Premium quality meats are combined to provide the most natural balance of proteins for your dog. 

Brown Rice A superior rice grain with the nutrient-rich bran portion intact. This bran layer holds nutrients of vital importance, such as fiber and essential oils. 

Fresh Carrots An excellent source of vitamin A and beta carotene.

Oatmeal An exceptional source of: carbohydrates, fiber, thiamin and vitamin E. Not widely used in pet food because of cost, it does not contain the allergy causing glutens found in other grains.

Fresh Potatoes Rich in potassium and an excellent source of highly digestible carbohydrates for energy.

Taurine Fortified New studies show that dogs need Taurine for cardiovascular health. Read more on this. 

Skin and Coat Essential Fatty Acids are combined in a specific ratio to produce an excellent skin and coat condition for your dog.

No Artificial Preservatives, Flavors, Colors or Bleached Ingredients.


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## Phoebs

I would also put in my two bits for the dog food analysis website! I learned a lot reading their materials. Phoebe sadly treated her inexpensive, high quality, easily available Wellness kibbles like toxic waste. I looked at other brands and came up with the idea to drive a little way and buy the Orijen for her (just to be the super mom in all aspects... ) She eats it. Sometimes she loves it. We got some samples of "natural" and "healthy" foods from Petco or Petsmart. BOY DOES SHE LOVE THOSE!!! she went insane over the sample kibbles from Avoderm. Turns out to be lots of scrumptious chicken fat in those kibbles (we're not even mentioning that there is some evidence that avocado is even toxic to dogs..). If you gave me a choice of lean grilled fish and broccoli vs barbecue potato chips.... it would be hard for me to be good! Those stores are selling barbecue potato chips for dogs, plain and simple. If a dog is loving their Purina chow, it makes me wonder what exactly is in there. Look up your food on Dog Food Analysis. 

Furthermore: I heard that they are taking more milk off the shelves in China. No kidding. We didn't have a pet back when there was the big scare before, but I'm sure glad that my pup's food is from locally sourced animals in Canada. It's not really more expensive to feed Origen, and if it were, I wouldn't care. She's a Havanese and eats less than a cup a day. I would start to care about dog food cost if she were a large breed eating 3 cups a day. It's jut not an issue. Of course, today she's boycotting Origen kibbles on the outside chance that there is one more lump of browned lamb that was not added to the Rogan Josh curry last night...


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## Poornima

I feed Natural Balance Potato and Duck. It is a grain free kibble. I get it from Cherrybrook though it is available at Petco. Cherrybrook carries a lot of holistic products and I appreciate the quality and holistic approach.

http://www.cherrybrook.com/index.cfm/a/catalog.BreedList?siteID=NiiFokSE6kg-SJZ6Jefti.zP4tigb6NbBg

I need to add that I add to their kibble home cooked / boiled organic chicken, steamed carrots, potatoes and green beans.


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## mckennasedona

I feed my Havs Wellness Core which I get at Petco. 
I feed my Sheltie California Naturals, which I get at a small pet store near where I work. I tried to feed her the Wellness Core but she vomited it back up shortly after eating it each time. I figure it may be too much protien for her. 
My father in law's Yorkies (he is living with us for the time being) eat Royal Canin Yorkie, at least one of them does. The other has developed some itchy skin so one of the recommendations was a limited ingredient diet so she has started on Natural Balance Duck and Potato. Yep, that's four different foods for five dogs! 

Does anyone feed canned dog food as a primary diet?? I keep reading that the canned food is actually healthier for the dogs than kibble.


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## ls-indy

*Horizon Legacy Lovers*



Lina said:


> The smaller pet stores usually carry more of the better brands than the bigger stores (not that Petco, etc. don't carry anything good, they just don't have as large of a variety). I live in NYC which also makes it easier to find different foods, but still there is one food I feed that my dogs LOVE (Horizon Legacy) which I can only get online. The actual store is just across the river from me in Jersey, though, so I guess it's not *that* far away!


Lina - We are having great success with Horizon Legacy too. Daisy was always the MOST PICKY eater ever....until we tried Legacy. We buy it at Pet Supplies Plus (Indiana) and it is a 6-star rated food on the Dog Food Anaylsis website.....

Glad we found this one! We've been feeding it for over 6 months now and no problems...


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## Leah

Tonight, I went to Petco and bought a 5lb bag of Wellness puppy food. I had looked at Orijen's website to see where it was sold and the closest place to me is Dallas which would be about a 30-35 mile drive. Then, when I was ordering leashes and collars for the girls online, I looked to see if that website sells Orijen. They do and I bought a 15lb bag. The cost of shipping is fairly inexpensive and no sales tax. Price wise that's the best I could hope to do locally. If the Orijen gets here before the junk food they're eating now runs out, I'll take the Wellness back Petco and buy a harness with the money.


Thank you all for the suggestions.


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## Sam375

I think it depends on where you live...
Find the food(s) your interested in and contact the manufacturer's about where located.

We have a feed/hardware type store not far that has cali naturals along with some other top...
Petco sells wellness, solid gold, and natural balance...
Petvalu also has some good ones.
The private petstore has a few higher end ones, but also has some lower end too....
Also when you contact the manufacturer lots of time if you request they'll send coupons....


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## sherryhh16

I would like to know if anyone had problems with there puppy losing hair. Poor Bella is now 17 weeks and had lost some hair. She is only 3.3 pounds. She looks very thin. But is very happy and active. I am mixing Iams puppy and Naturals Choice right now to swittch her to Iams. I am planning on looking for somethng witrh out grain after what I have read here. She does scratch alot so I am thinking allergies. Any help I would love,


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## Evye's Mom

I get mine at a local holistic pet store as well. If I call on a Wednesday or Thursday to order it, it is in by Friday.


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## davetgabby

mckennasedona said:


> I feed my Havs Wellness Core which I get at Petco.
> I feed my Sheltie California Naturals, which I get at a small pet store near where I work. I tried to feed her the Wellness Core but she vomited it back up shortly after eating it each time. I figure it may be too much protien for her.
> My father in law's Yorkies (he is living with us for the time being) eat Royal Canin Yorkie, at least one of them does. The other has developed some itchy skin so one of the recommendations was a limited ingredient diet so she has started on Natural Balance Duck and Potato. Yep, that's four different foods for five dogs!
> 
> Does anyone feed canned dog food as a primary diet?? I keep reading that the canned food is actually healthier for the dogs than kibble.


Hi, Susan , I feed canned regularily. Here is an article I posted a while ago. and the benefits of canned over kibble. It's a two part article . Here are the links. http://havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=9003&highlight=canned+versus+kibble+part and here is part 2 http://havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=9004&highlight=Canned+versus+kibble+part


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## davetgabby

sherryhh16 said:


> I would like to know if anyone had problems with there puppy losing hair. Poor Bella is now 17 weeks and had lost some hair. She is only 3.3 pounds. She looks very thin. But is very happy and active. I am mixing Iams puppy and Naturals Choice right now to swittch her to Iams. I am planning on looking for somethng witrh out grain after what I have read here. She does scratch alot so I am thinking allergies. Any help I would love,


Hi Sherry, it's not recommended to mix kibbles. Here is an article . Iams isn't really the best choice in foods.

Mixing different dog food brands will improve my dog's diet This misconception seems to originate from dog owners unconsciously feeling guilty about the type of food they feed, or those following their own ideas for "improving" their dog's diet without doing any research.

Every brand of dog food follows a specific formulation and nutritional philosophy, developed by the manufacturer. All products are formulated to supply a balanced amount of nutrients in a ration of a certain size (remember kibble size and density vary from brand to brand), based on the body weight of the dog. When mixing different kibbles, instead of getting "the best of both", your dog isn't going to eat enough of either one to get the full benefit of a particular nutritional system designed and researched by a manufacturer. Last but not least, if digestive upset occurs, it's going to take so much longer to figure out what exactly caused it, compared to just eliminating either the commercial food or whatever extras were fed recently. If you want to offer more variety, stick to one line of food of the same brand at a time and rotate between brands every few months. Supplementing the dry food with fresh, unprocessed foods like vegetables, fruit, yogurt, meat or a bit of canned food is also safe and healthy


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## Carefulove

Bumi is on Raw. I buy his food at Oma's Pride Processing Plant in Avon, CT. I drive about 1 hr every few months (3 or so). I was just there this past Saturday to get some beef patties. The last time I went (xmas) I got a 40 lb case of chicken Necks that I still have tons of and some turkey and chicken patties, but he gave me a hard time eating the turkey so I went with only Beef this time. He gets his chicken fix from the necks.


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## meganmckellar

My Golden, Daisy, and Oscar eat Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish formula due to my Daisy's severe beef and chicken allergies. This food has done wonders for her skin and coat, I can't recommend it enough. 

We get it at a smaller pet store in the Nashville area called Nashville Pet Products. Great customer service, and if they don't carry a product they will special order it for you and match the pricing at another local pet store.


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## Sam375

meganmckellar said:


> My Golden, Daisy, and Oscar eat Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish formula due to my Daisy's severe beef and chicken allergies. This food has done wonders for her skin and coat, I can't recommend it enough.
> 
> We get it at a smaller pet store in the Nashville area called Nashville Pet Products. Great customer service, and if they don't carry a product they will special order it for you and match the pricing at another local pet store.


U could try the core fish too


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## ShirleyH

Hi--you might want to look at healthypetnet.com. We feed Keeper Trilogy's Life's Abundance and the short video by the veterinarian who formulated this food is very interesting. The reason we started with this was breeder recommendation and he's doing well. Good hunting.

Shirley H.


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