Questioning my choice? Looking for advice!

[Sarah Kuiper]

So we have had Roomba for almost 2 weeks now, and he has continued on his breeders food during that transition period. He has been on Science Diet Large Breed Puppy and now the time is nearing to wean him off. 

I live in the middle of nowhere so when I started looking for other food options I went around and found v VERY little off the recommended food list. I ended up finding Large Breed Puppy with Duck Meal and Lentils from Canidae and deciding that would be a good choice. Since then, I have been stalking DK more and it seems like there is a lot that more goes into picking a food! I didn't even think about the types of ingredients I was just thinking lower quality --> higher quality, so now I'm back at the drawing board... This came into light again now that we know some of Canidae's food is made at a Diamond facility.  

So where do you suggest I go from here? - I know Orjien is recommended but I can't justify that $$ at this point. 

Also, what is the purpose behind grain-free? Is that only if your dog has trouble with grain? 

I should also note that he has had NO trouble with the Science Diet food. Not a single loose stool since we've taken him home and he poops about 3 times within a 24 hour period. 

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

I can't answer your questions but I can tell you that instead of buying local which seems to be a problem in your area, you might want to consider having your food delivered to your door. It is usually cheaper than getting it locally anyway. Petflow.com and chewy.com seem to have the best prices and you don't have to worry about driving around to get the good quality food. My girls eat grain free because one of them (I think) has a grain problem. She was very itchy and that disappeared when we switched her to grain free. But all three girls eat it and have no problems with it. They are currently eating Fromm but I am considering switching to Zignature because it has a lower price tag and appears to be a really good food (it's on the list) as well.

[Sarah Kuiper]

thank you for the website suggestion! 

[Bonnie and Kona]

So many people have had wonderful service with Chewy.com! It seems that most people get free delivery if they order a set amount. They don't deliver to Hawaii or I would definitely be using them. I can get Wellness CORE at Petco, so that's what we are feeding. If Chewy every delivers to Hawaii, I would switch to Origin or Acana. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

First, I know that the large breed puppy foods are advertised for dogs who are going to be 50 lbs or less, but the fact is that the only puppies who really need a "large breed" formula are the giant breeds, those who are going top 90 lbs as adults and take two years to complete their skeletal growth. If you eliminate the "large breed" requirement, you may find a lot more choices. 

Grain free foods work better for many dogs, as they contain less filler (most grains are filler as far as nutritional value goes) and grains are the most likely ingredient to provoke an allergic response. Many dogs also have lower stool volume on grain free foods. But a lot of dogs do just fine on foods that contain healthier grains such as rice, oats and barley.

Can you get Wellness or Zignature in your area?  

[Sarah Kuiper]

His 'daddy' was 80lbs but 'mom' was only 50. So I probably don't need it, good point. It's just he's already on large breed so I figured it couldn't hurt? 

I don't recall seeing Zignature or Wellness but I will check again. Is that what you suggest? Thank you so much for responding! I also (thanks to lori, daphne, lucy, and pippa became aware of places I can order online. I am willing to do that as well if needed... but I do like supporting my local area ;) 

[Sarah Kuiper]

They have a few wellness options but only adult version

[Sarah Kuiper]

I have found wellness (only adult) and also earthborn holistic