Cross Breeds

How much money is a 50 lb sack of dog food?

How much money is a 50 lb sack of dry Purina dog food at Sam's club? what are the ingredients? i want to know because my family may get a retired racing greyhound. Excuse me, but my dad had a German Shepherd/Collie mix when he was a kid, and the dog was REALLY healthy. the only time he got sick was when he got carsick. also, a friend of mine feeds here dogs Purina, and the only time they got sick was when they caught kennel cough when being boarded while their owners were on vacation.

Public Comments

1. I got a 40lb bag of IAMS at walmart for $30 -my friend with her MS in animal nutrition recommends it.
2. Purina makes several typesa of dog food that will cost different amounts. Why not just visit your local Sam's Club and see how much they cost and at the same time look at the ingredients?
3. I would not recommend using Purina. It's not very high-quality food. Here's my advice for choosing a dog food: Read the ingredients on the food you buy. Go with a high quality dog food. A grain should not be in the first couple ingredients ingredient (corn and such are mainly fillers, dogs don't digest it well). Avoid foods that have a lot of "by products" listed. Here is an article about byproducts: http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=ingrd --- Some GOOD foods are : * Merrick - http://www.merrickpetcare.com/ * Solid Gold - http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/ * Canidae - http://www.canidae.com/ * Timberwolf - http://timberwolforganics.com/ * Orijen - http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/orijen/ * Wellness - http://www.omhpet.com/wellness/ * Chicken Soup brand - http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/ * Innova - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/innova.asp * Innova EVO - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/evo.asp Or check this website for good foods: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ (I recommend only feeding foods rated 4, 5, or 6 stars. Anything 3 stars or less, I would stay away from.) NOTE: It may seem like quality foods cost more, but in the end, it evens out. With a high-quality food, you don't have as many fillers. Also, with a high-quality food, your dog will eat less and poop less. So while that bag of higher-quality dog food looks expensive, your monthly feeding bills won't increase much, if at all. --- Beware "premium" foods. "Premium" does not mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally high quality food. It has the same types of ingredients as grocery store foods, just a bit better quality of those not-so-good ingredients. (Premium foods are those like Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, etc..) Another thing to be wary of: A lot of vets will recommend what they sell in their office. They get profit from the brands they keep on their shelves, that's why they push it. Truth is, vet schools don't focus a lot on nutrition. It's not saying that a vet is a bad vet because he recommends those foods, a lot of vets just are told "this is good food", so they pass the message along without proper nutrition knowledge. Also, some dog food brands (like Hills) support vet schools, so vets have heard of it from the time they start college, which makes them think it's good as well. --- When switching foods, do it slowly. I do this over about a two week timespan: 25% food A, 75% food B 50% food A, 50% food B 75% food A, 25% food B 100% food A
4. You will spend around $16 for a bag of purina. Whatever you do, don't try and save money by buying the off brand. Purina Hi-Pro is the best dog food - for the dollar - there is. The other food will be much cheaper, but your dog will not digest it as well and will therefore eat more and poo more each day. You can but Eukanuba and other high-end dog foods, which are very high quality and are very expensive. Purina will keep your dog healthy and happy. Good Luck with the hound!
5. Everything *abbyful* said is absolutely true! If you wnat to go with a great food, go with some of the ones that she listed. I switched mine to Solid Gold and have seen wonderful changes in both the cats and the dogs. And with all the recalls, I personally wouldn't ever trust those so called "name" brand foods. Just read the ingredients on them.......they are all loaded with by-products, fillers, gultens, grains, etc. A 33lb bag of Solid Gold lasts me a lot longer than the 50lb bag of purina ever did. They may cost more, but in the long run it is well worth it. Not only is it better for your pets, but because it lasts longer it's actually cheaper. As you don't have to buy it as often as you would with the other brands. ____________________________ Well excuse us......but when your father was a kid that was quite some time ago. Things have changed drasticly since then. Open your eyes......check out all the recalls. My best friends cat almost died from feeding her cat that crap, with kidney failure, caused by those recalls. I personally wouldn't trust any of those "premium" brands ever again.
6. Before adopting a retired greyhound, it's best to do all your homework upfront. Check out the petstores in your area for a high quality dog food. It's best not to get a dog food with corn or wheat in the ingredients. The rescue group will tell you this also. I work with a rescue group and have 5 greyhounds of my own. I feed mine Nutro, but when it comes to dog food, it's really up to the dogs system. Some can eat this brand or that brand, but all dogs are different, and greyhound owners will all give you different answers. Just start out with a good quality food, and see how the dog does on it.
7. http://www.newstarget.com/012647.html No commercial dog food is considered safe by those in the know, start w/ this article. My brother feeds his dogs Ol Roy, ones nails are falling out now, I told him most likey the food is causing it and that it's a painful condition. His dogs also have bloat, a condition caused by once daily feeding. I told him we'd help him to start home cooking for his dogs like we have from balanced diets contained in a book written by vet Dr. Pitcairn. Our dogs actually look and appear as though their getting younger since being on those meals for the past 2 months. Some of the recipies can be made cheap considering the main ingredients (oatmeal, organic eggs) and supplements added to balance it. I only wish we had that information 12 years ago, I know for certain I wouldn't have had to endure having two of our little guys euthanized because of liver and kidney failure. The last thing on my mind in caring for them is money but our vet bills totaled $6,500 over the past 3 years. Between the commercial "premium" pet food and the insecticide we applied to them in Frontline (Fipronil) we have no doubt now we shortened their lives unknowingly. My brother kind of scoffs at the idea of making them food and says they have been doing good for the last ten years eating that food, sometimes I guess ignorance is bliss. Commercial pet food is a slow way to kill your pet over the years before its time. The pet food industry is finally getting sued now over their missleading practices, about time. If your going to feed commercial food, then at least supplement it with REAL food recipies from Dr. Pitcairns book and give it at least a fighting chance. Try eating a bland low grade cereal everyday yourself as your only meals and see how well you fare, that's what you'll be doing to that dog.
8. If you're going to use a Purina product, check out www.pminutrition.com ...the foods you buy at Sam's Club, Wal-Mart, the grocery store are not good foods for your dog (ask your vet)...the FIRST ingredient on the food you choose should be REAL meat (chicken or beef...not chicken meal or beef by-products). You'll regret feeding cheap foods eventually, and in the long run, the cheaper foods are MORE expensive because the dogs eat much more of it (because it has "fillers" like ash and wheat gluten, instead of solid nutrition). I spend $30 on a 35lb bag of PMI Exclusive food, and go through about 1 bag/3 weeks with my 2 golden retrievers and a poodle...when I fed Purina Dog Chow, it was a 40 lb. bag per WEEK. I regret feeding that grocery store crap to my dogs, because they all shed less now, and the older one even acts younger and healthier.
9. Whatever you do pay for a bag of Purina, it is too much. That stuff is crap in a bag. Stop thinking quanity and start worrying about quality. I will only feed my dog raw because I KNOW what these people put into their kibble.