Grain-Free Dog Food?

labro

My BF and I have been talking about switching our puppy over to a grain-free dog food variety. We've done some research on dogfoodadvisor.com but I'm still having a hard time narrowing down our choices. We're really looking for food we can buy in larger quantity bags...like around 30 lbs without spending a fortune (say $65 or $70+ for 30 lbs). We have a lab/border collie mix but we don't expect her to get very big. She's around 40 lbs right now most likely (at her last vet appt a month and a half ago she was 35 on the dot) and we think she may hit somewhere between 50 and 60 for her max weight so she's going to go through a lot of food. She's 7 months old and we're currently feeding her the Biljac puppy variety...not the worst of the worst food but it still contains a lot of corn and other grains. She doesn't seem to have any sensitivities and eats EVERYTHING. She could care less about how something tastes...she only cares that she gets to eat it....I guess that's the lab in her. Cinders is pretty high energy. She loves to run, chase balls, chase Frisbees, swim. We take her to the dog park on a regular basis (less often now that it gets dark so early) and she gets daily walks plus regular playtime in the backyard. I plan to start taking her on increasingly longer walks and later running as she gets older and her bones are done growing. So anyway, do you feed your dogs grain-free food? What brands? We're looking at the following but are open to all other options right now:

Fromm - great food but they only seem sell it in small bags so it may not be an option for us.

Victor Dog Food

Blue *Freedom* Grain Free Natural Chicken Recipe

Blue *Wilderness* Grain-Free Puppy Variety

Any brand that currently has a variety that's specifically for puppies I think is preferred. Our vet recommended that we keep her on some sort of puppy food until she's at least a year old/has reached her full growth. I was so confused when I went to PetSmart the other day because now it seems like every well-known dog food brand out there is selling a grain-free variety. I feel like it's really difficult to pick and choose between everything.

Finally, for those of you who feed your dogs grain-free food - how much do you feed them per day? I've read that because the grain-free food is higher quality and more nutrient dense your dog actually needs a little less in quantity because the quality is better. Or do you just go based on what the bag recommends?

Thanks in advance!

clarke10

We feed our dog Pulsar, which is grain-free. She loves it. It comes in 40lb bags that aren't expensive at all.

Swazzle

Lucy gets Canidae Grain-Free (dry). When we started researching, this brand came highly recommended. We get the biggest bag available. She gets 2.5-3 cups total, split between breakfast and dinner. We usually also chop up a little chicken or sprinkle in some cheese because she's spoiled. 

clarke10

Swazzle said:

Lucy gets Canidae Grain-Free (dry). When we started researching, this brand came highly recommended. We get the biggest bag available. She gets 2.5-3 cups total, split between breakfast and dinner. We usually also chop up a little chicken or sprinkle in some cheese because she's spoiled. 

Haha ditto on this! Our pup almost always gets a little of whatever meat we're having for dinner. 

cruffino

we have been feeding our 2 cavaliers eukanuba (which isn't grain free) forever. what are the benefits of grain-free dog food? is it something i should look into?

clarke10

The grain is basically just filler, so they aren't benefiting from it nutrition-wise. Food without grains has more meat, which gives them more energy. A lot of animals also have trouble processing grains so it is better for their digestion to go for a grain-free diet. 

cruffino

clarke10 said:

The grain is basically just filler, so they aren't benefiting from it nutrition-wise. Food without grains has more meat, which gives them more energy. A lot of animals also have trouble processing grains so it is better for their digestion to go for a grain-free diet. 

thanks for the info!

labro

@Swazzle @clarke10 Thanks! I know I've seen the Canidae in stores before. My parents sprinkle a little cheese on their dog's food too. Those two goldens are so spoiled!

Cinders is getting 2 heaping cups of dry food a day (split between breakfast and dinner) right now in addition to whatever treats she gets throughout the day.

@cruffino I think the corn in the regular dog food products is generally not good for dog's health and apparently not for their teeth either? Some people seem to believe it leads to increase rates of cancer, diabetes, things like that. I'm not knowledgeable on the science behind it at all but price-wise if I'm spending $5 or $10 more on a bag of dog food and my dog is getting a higher quality meal out of it with less filler food then I figure it's worth it.

APDSS22

We have a miniature schnauzer (around 25 pounds) and a collie/pit mix (around 50 pounds) and we wanted to get one food for both.  The schnauzer has some sensitivities (can't eat corn, likely grain-sensitive) but the collie/pit will pretty much eat anything (including the hose from the yard).  Our schnauzer's 3ish and our mix is 2 and a bit.  They seem to really like Nature's Recipe.  The schnauzer gets 1.5 cups a day and the collie/pit mix gets 3 cups a day.  We just use a 1/2 cup measuring cup and give the schnauzer 1 scoop 3 times a day and the collie/pit 2 scoops 3 times a day.  That's the recommended amounts for both on the bag and it seems to keep them at a balanced weight given their level of exercise. We like that it comes in a couple different sizes and varieties so we can get more if it's on sale or less if it's not and can occasionally change up the variety so they don't get bored.  It's not terribly expensive for nicer food and there is a puppy variety.

melbelleup

I feed mine Blue Buffalo, it isn't grain free, but if I was going to switch, I'd go for Blue Wildness. It's in the same price range (also made by blue buffalo) and same ingredients other than no grain.

psychbabe314

I feed my dog the Blue Wilderness Senior. She gets 1/2 cup of dry with two big spoonfuls of wet Nature's variety Instinct Grain-Free dog food. She gets fed once in the morning and once at night. My dog, Cookie, does not keep weight on very well, so she needs the extra fat from the wet dog food. She also gets homemade dog treats several times during the day.

She gets more than the recommended for her weight. But, that is because of her age and issues gaining weight.

We went with Blue Wilderness Senior because it has a surprisingly high fat content. I would check their bags when you purchase and compare to other ones since labs are known to easily put on weight! Your mix might need to be watched ;-)

edited: answer part of your question

labro

@pyschbabe314 Yikes...yeah thanks for that reminder. I've never had a lab before but I've seen how they can really pack on the bulk as they get older. Thankfully Cinders has A TON of energy right now and a lot of interest in being active pretty much all the time. We get comments every time we go to the dog park on how fast she is. She's even stupid brave enough to run around with a 2 year old Great Dane who's a regular at the park.

I hope to keep her energy levels up and her weight under control by getting her into running in a few more months.

GoldenPenguin

We don't use grain free, but I do get Violet Pure Vita, which is a 4-star food (their grain free is 5-star). I've become such a stickler for good pet food - I even get Brady high-end cat food now. Anything you can buy in a grocery store/big box store is BAD BAD BAD. 

kiwikiss56

We use taste of the wild - we follow the instructions for our dog's size 

http://www.amazon.com/Taste-Wild-Prairie-Formula-30-Pound/dp/B000W5SLB8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386122115&sr=8-1&keywords=taste+of+the+wild

He seems to like it but he also gets a spoonful of wet food on top (not grain free)