Food question

[Holly Paterniti]

Good evening my Doodle Family :)

I am sorry, but I did not know if I should put this question here or Nothing to Do with Doodles since it is about dog food :)  I apologize if I have put this in the wrong place.

So most of you know I am fostering a Bischon named Jaycee.......she is such sweetheart and she has become a little more social the longer she stays :)

Anyways......to my question:

 

When she first came home with us, she was eating the Purina canned Chicken formula.....well needless to say I do not like that brand at all.  Not that this was a good thing, but her belly was a nervous wreck so I ended up giving her boiled chicken and white rice.  Well, on the 3rd day she was here, she discovered Bear's food (Origen: Chicken) and devoured the whole 2 cups :)  LOL!!!  We laughed and I worried that night about her tummy, but she ended up fine.  She then started to have more solid bowel movements.  So on Saturday, my husband and son went to the Farmer's Market in Hudson where they met up with the lady who owns the Hudson Hydrant, Melissa (we have been buying Bear's food there).  Dylan started to tell her about Jaycee and her belly issues.  She suggested The Honest Kitchen, which is dehydrated and you add warm water to rehydrate it.  So she started to eat the chicken version with a little bit of Bear's food and LOVES it :)  NO TUMMY ISSUES :)  We were happy :)

 

So today, I spoke to one of the ladies from the rescue group who I am fostering for and was telling her about Jaycee.  We started to talk about food and she was telling me the reason why they use the Purina canned Chicken and Rice, which was this was a food that everyone would be able to afford if they adopt the dogs from their rescue.  I explained to her I am very particular about the brands because of all the recalls on different dog foods.

 

So my question is.........what would be a middle of the road healthy dog food that the average person would be able to afford? 

 

I really can not say because my thought is I have only one dog and I want to make sure he has the best of everything, but I do see her point.  I look forward to hearing what you all think :)

[BG and Gavin]

1. this is the perfect place to ask the question

2. the bichon is a doll

3. this is a great question and I look forward to the responses too :)

[Holly Paterniti]

thank you :)  I think so too, but I am biased :)  LOL!!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

My feeling (and the feeling of the rescue groups for which I am a volunteer) is that if someone can't afford to feed a premium food, they can't afford to own a dog, period. If someone couldn't afford anything better than Purina, my concern would be that they could not afford grooming, training, vet bills, insurance, and the list goes on. While financial security does not determine whether someone might be a good pet owner, it should be a factor in choosing an adoptive home. You never want a dog to be given up because the owner can't afford to care for him, and we have seen that many times.

I also suspect that the rescue group uses Purina because they do not want to have to reimburse fosters for better food.

Honest Kitchen is pricey, but we are talking about a Bichon here. They don't eat all that much. However, it might be better in terms of convenience for the future home if she was eating a dry food. I think the Orijen is a good compromise. When you do an actual cost comparison, Orijen often comes out the same price or even cheaper than foods that appear to be cheaper, because you feed much less than the cheap stuff. Twenty lbs of Orijen lasted as long as 30 lbs of Natural balance for me, so it was actually less expensive.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

We started Luna on Blue Buffalo when she was a puppy.  It's a mid-ranged priced food, and still on the recommended brands list.  She doesn't do that well on high chicken-based formulas (and does even better on grain-free), so we stopped using it, but it's still a good food.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Any of the foods on our recommended list would be fine, but as long as you have Orijen in the house and she likes it and does well with it, why should you have to buy something else? When she is adopted, you can tell the new family what she id eating, and give them a copy of our Recommended Foods list if they want to change her food. No matter what you feed her, the new home may want to feed something else, or they may have another dog who eats something else and they will want both dogs to be on the same food. So you might as well feed her what you want.

 

[Holly Paterniti]

Thank you for all of the responses :)  The other reason why we have chosen The Honest Kitchen, is because she has no teeth :(  Which is so sad :( 

I really appreciate all of you my doodle family :)  <3 you all!!!

Keep the responses coming :)

Karen......I was actually talking with Adrianne and told her I would definitely print out the list on here for any new prospective adoptees :)

 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Aw, if she has no teeth, her adopters will understand that she need soft food. I am sure they will be willing to feed her whatever she needs.

[Holly Paterniti]

Thanks Karen.......sad isn't it?  She has such a forgiving personality.........

Karen.....did you see the picture of her and Bear????  They really get along well :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I just went and looked. Bear is an amazing foster brother! She is a lucky girl to have such a loving foster home, Holly, thank you for helping her!

[Holly Paterniti]

I would like to thank everyone for all of your advice :)  Jaycee has switched over to The Honest Kitchen Force along with a little of Bear's food (Origen's Chicken).  I am happy to say she has firmer bowel movements and her tummy issues have seem to not be around anymore.  I am so happy :)  Now, we just need to work on her thinking all humans are out to hurt her :(  But, I know, in reality, this may not happen :(  It is so disheartening to know there are humans out there who would hurt an innocent bystander............and I am not only talking about dogs, but all animals and other humans :(

Again, thank you everyone :)  I <3 you all for always being there :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Glad the food is working for her. The trust will come in time. She may never be a perfectly well-adjusted, friendly outgoing dog like Bear, but she'll get better with time, love, and consistency. Being in your home is a great start!

[Holly Paterniti]

Thanks Karen :)  You are so sweet to say that :)  I am really hoping we are helping her with her trust issues :)