# 2 Male Chi´s, whats the best dog food for price



## ernestoc

Hello this is my second post .

I have 2 Male chi´s, 2 months and 3 months old

dog breader who gave them to me, actually owned about 15 chis´s , all of them pretty healthly,dont get me wrong, i assume he sells chi´s for a living, told me give em pedigree to eat, i bought the pedigree.

now ive been told pedigree sucks, as for the best of the worst,
should i buy royal canin or eukanuba ?

what other tips for health are out there?

i also give them a bath every 8 days


----------



## PR Punk Skater

Royal canin and eukanuba, arent great food but better than anything you'll find in the super market, dont get me wrong, i feed royal canin, but petsmart opened in my area so ill be changing diets completly once the RC its finished, if you cant find a store that sells natural food, which is the best and affordable thing if you dont have much experience on dogs, then feed RC or eukanuba, the brands that are good and affordable, and my favorites are Blue Buffalo and Wellness, i feed they grain free diet (canned food mixed with RC until its finished), his is my advice and opinion! good luck with you dogs!


----------



## jan896

Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost

try to get the most star dog food that you can afford....5 or 6 preferably


----------



## 20887

A lot of people here say Taste of The Wild is the best bang for your buck as far as kibble goes. It is grain free and rated 5 stars I believe. Check out the site Jan posted- it is a great place to start searching for food.


----------



## KrystalLeigh

I was just going to write a post about agreeing about checking the dog review site. Then I clicked on it and realized Odie's Acana brand is only 5 stars. Damn it!


----------



## PR Punk Skater

KrystalLeigh said:


> I was just going to write a post about agreeing about checking the dog review site. Then I clicked on it and realized Odie's Acana brand is only 5 stars. Damn it!


that happened to me! Wellness CORE maybe?!?!?! LOL


----------



## KrystalLeigh

PR Punk Skater said:


> that happened to me! Wellness CORE maybe?!?!?! LOL


It's so confusing! On the dogfoodadvisor.com site, it received five stars. On the dogfoodanalysis.com site, her specific kind isn't listed though. Maybe the Acana types on there have grain or something. Weird.


----------



## Maia's Mom

I feed both of my chi's Royal Canin Chihuahua. My 8 month old is on chihuahua 28 and my 5 month old is on Chihuahua 30. Neither of my chi's would eat Blue Buffalo or Wellness. My breeder had them on the Royal Canin because it was a breed specific dog food so it has what the breed needs. I have had a few vets check both of my chi's and their blood work and weights are excellent on it. Hope that helps you in choosing food for your puppies!!!! Good Luck!!!


----------



## PR Punk Skater

KrystalLeigh said:


> It's so confusing! On the dogfoodadvisor.com site, it received five stars. On the dogfoodanalysis.com site, her specific kind isn't listed though. Maybe the Acana types on there have grain or something. Weird.


idk really, i prefer grain free, since i think my chi has grain intolerance and allergies, she had a really bad dandruff and always had loose stools, since im feeding a little grain free canned food (BLUE wilderness, mixed with RC since i still have a whole bag :'(), and omega 3 and 6 (from salmon treats), shes gotten a LOT better. it comes down to the dogs need, budget and personal preference, IMO.


----------



## guccigrande

I mix Orijen kibble with royal canin for their food


----------



## LostLakeLua

Neither Royal Canin nor Eukanuba are actually quality foods. They're not bad, like say; Ol Roy or Iams; but they're still fairly low quality. 

Feeding a raw diet has been cheapest for us out of anything; but Taste Of The Wild is one of the least expensive kibbles out there that is still a 6-Star food. Around here it's about $11 for a 5lb bag; and since it's just the "good stuff" they need and no fillers; they don't need as much of it on a daily basis. Definitely though stick with something grain-free. There are WAY too many ailments vets like to blame "old age" for when really it's just poor nutrition (filled with grains; corn etc.) that are taking their toll on the dogs body long-term. Not worth it IMO... Royal Canin has one of the best advertising campaigns but you definitely need to do your own due diligence in checking out the ingredients; very disappointing! Good luck!


----------



## OzChi

I 2nd Kat in saying raw is extremely economical. It costs me $0.40 per day to feed each of my dogs. It's really not hard, I spent less than an hour on Saturday portioning out food for my dogs for the month. Now when I feed I just remember to put a portion from the freezer into the fridge for the next meal, easy!


----------



## BaileysMum

I feed ziwi peak. A little more expensive but better than any kibble


----------



## ernestoc

i think im gonna go with royal canin or eukanuba any 5 or 6 star thanks for the help :


----------



## EmberLuvu

Pedigree, yes, is terrible. Royal Canin and Eukanuba actually aren't that great- especially Eukanuba, from what I have seen of the label.

I would say the best foods that are decently priced are Natural Balance, Wellness, and TOTW. I personally feed my babies Natural balance, however I do reccomend other brands like those listed above. Praire and Instinct are also two of the most high quality foods, in my opinion. Good luck choosing!


----------



## Finn

All the dog foods drove me insane--some did well on one brand, others had issues. I must have spent hundreds experimenting. At one point, everyone was on something different. Now I'm down to 6 Chis, 3 different kinds of food. LOL.


----------



## svdreamer

There has been many people that say the 6 star food may have too much protein for chis. So feeding a 5 star food may actually be better for them. The 6 star food may be better for larger, very active dogs. So, if you are not doing agility or coursing, I'd stick with a 5 star food myself.


----------



## EmberLuvu

@svdreamer I know alot of people say that but I've looked at alot of 6 star dog foods and they only have between 20-35% or so protein in them.


----------



## ernestoc

svdreamer said:


> There has been many people that say the 6 star food may have too much protein for chis. So feeding a 5 star food may actually be better for them. The 6 star food may be better for larger, very active dogs. So, if you are not doing agility or coursing, I'd stick with a 5 star food myself.


got it
ill see if i can find something else besides eikanuba or RC


----------



## ernestoc

what do gusy think of *Beneful*
read the ingredients and its has meet and several other vitamins


----------



## 20887

Beneful is probably one of the worst foods you can get.


----------



## ernestoc

missy_r said:


> Beneful is probably one of the worst foods you can get.




better than pedigree?

how may starst would you give beneful?

how many starts is a intermediate good for price food ?


----------



## Bandit

svdreamer said:


> There has been many people that say the 6 star food may have too much protein for chis. So feeding a 5 star food may actually be better for them. The 6 star food may be better for larger, very active dogs. So, if you are not doing agility or coursing, I'd stick with a 5 star food myself.


This is interesting. When I was trying to research what to feed one of the things that I read was that because chis are so small they need a food that is higher in protein and denser in nutrition because they eat such a small amount of it. Seems like the recommendation was at least 30% protein. Of course I can't find that site now.


----------



## Vampy Vera

I feed both my Chi's Royal Canin dry mixed with Ceasar wet. It seems to work well for both of them. I had switched JJ to Wellness for a while, but it did not work out well at all. Although he initially had more energy once the food was changed - and was suddenly humping everything in sight - he didn't actually like it as much, his poop became squishier and he developed an impacted anal gland. I put him back on Royal Canin and haven't had a problem since.


----------



## 20887

ernestoc said:


> better than pedigree?
> 
> how may starst would you give beneful?
> 
> how many starts is a intermediate good for price food ?


Beneful is a 1 star food. Taste of the wild is 5 stars, for about 11 dollar a bag. That's about the best you can get as far as price goes.


----------



## ernestoc

missy_r said:


> Beneful is a 1 star food. Taste of the wild is 5 stars, for about 11 dollar a bag. That's about the best you can get as far as price goes.



we are going to finish the beneful bag and get something better for the buck i see everyone is does not agree to give beneful to chi's 

bag is half full, although many say this food is bad for them, but they have been doing their necesities normally , and eating nromally but i suppose in the long term they could have problems....


----------



## Brodysmom

Beneful is absolutely one of the worst foods you could possibly feed.  I would throw out the bag you have and get them started on something else as soon as possible!! It is absolutely HORRID. 

Consumer complaints about Beneful Pet Foods


----------



## Angel1210

I totally agree with throwing out the beneful!! I don't feed raw, but it probably is the cheapest and best. Look at it from a different perspective. We are talking about a "chihuahua!" I can't imagine any chi eating more than 1/2 cup per day! So, even if you buy an "expensive" food, it isn't going to break the bank. I feed Wellness Core, it is grain free. I had recently bought Evo chicken and turkey, but it gave them the "runs" - we're backt o Wellness Core and I'm done checking around. Their coats are great and they are in good health. 

Good luck with your decision, whatever it may be. But definitely check out dog food advisor.


----------



## Bianca00

I don't think I would even give Beneful to a raccoon, it's REALLY bad. Throw it out. Ask your local pet store for different brand samples. You can ask the individual companies too, but you'll have to wait for it to get to you. I have been feeding my Chi and Dobe TOTW, but am switching. Bianca has been getting up in the middle of the night to poop. And Ripley's poo isn't very consistent. I ordered 3 grain free trial boxes of The Honest Kitchen for Bianca. And a bag of California Natural grain free lamb for Ripley. Good luck in your search!


----------



## RandomMusing

missy_r said:


> Beneful is a 1 star food. Taste of the wild is 5 stars, for about 11 dollar a bag. That's about the best you can get as far as price goes.


2nd this. Taste of the Wild is one of the best high quality, grain free kibbles for the amount.


----------



## cherper

I feed mine Taste of the wild. They Look fabulous so I know it's good. Also easy for me to find at our "Rural King" and "Tractor Supply" stores here locally. $10 for 5 lbs.


----------



## ernestoc

i actually got them science diet for small breed puppies

what do you guys think of this brand?

$15 a baggie


----------



## jesuschick

Hill's Science Diet Puppy Dry Dog Food | Review and Rating


----------



## ernestoc

my goodness its crap! 

someone recomemded science diet

the thing is that were i live theres not much variety in dog foods, i have seen royal canin, but its still only like 2.5 stars as i understand

i have seen nutra gold aswell


----------



## jesuschick

Do you have a Tractor Supply store near you? Taste of the Wild is a great food (and not expensive) and they have it at Tractor Supply and other feed types stores. It is a 5 star food.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness is also an excellent food and they make a puppy variety. It is also 5 stars. Most pet stores will carry this.

There is a link on the left called something like top puppy foods. I'd start there.


----------



## lulu'smom

I'm going to 2nd that you will be lead to believe Science Diet is great food--many vets make you think that way, but IMO it is not, and it is just as expensive if not more expensive as Taste of the Wild. Blue Buffalo is great and is my choice at the moment because I'm a little afraid of so much protein for Lulu--she is not very active as a 4yr old indoor chi, but it is a little more expensive than TOTW.


----------



## theshanman97

i feel so guilty! :'( my dogs are on 1 star food! and all the ones i can get in my area are no high than 2! they are pretty much all 1! what am i going to do???!!!!


----------



## ernestoc

Hey everyone
im actually feeding them Nutra Gold Microbites seems good
i was told before that i needed to feed them 3 times a day before the 3 months, after that they eat around 1 time a day, is this true?

one is 3 1/2 months and the other is 4 1/2

since they were very little i actually took away the food plate after they ate or left some food on the plate 3 times a day

should i leave the dog plate with food all day? are they use to eating only 3 times or less, i have watching them and they seem to eat alot at the momento they are eating tbut mostly they eat twice a day and rarely a 3rd time

i dont want them to look all skinny by not given them food like they are used to 3 times a day


----------



## KrystalLeigh

ernestoc said:


> Hey everyone
> im actually feeding them Nutra Gold Microbites seems good
> i was told before that i needed to feed them 3 times a day before the 3 months, after that they eat around 1 time a day, is this true?
> 
> one is 3 1/2 months and the other is 4 1/2
> 
> since they were very little i actually took away the food plate after they ate or left some food on the plate 3 times a day
> 
> should i leave the dog plate with food all day? are they use to eating only 3 times or less, i have watching them and they seem to eat alot at the momento they are eating tbut mostly they eat twice a day and rarely a 3rd time
> 
> i dont want them to look all skinny by not given them food like they are used to 3 times a day


If they're eating two to three times a day, I would continue to do that. They're not very old, and honestly, it's unlikely that they're overeating. They both still have a lot of growing to do, and their puppyhood is really a time when you want to make sure they're getting enough nutrition. In my opinion, once a day is not enough for a puppy. I would give them as much food as they want to eat. I would also add some water to the kibble, which can encourage them to eat, as well as give them enough moisture in their diet. When Odie was a puppy, we would feed three watered kibble meals a day, and at night and in between meals, we would leave a few dry kibbles out for her to snack on, if needed.


----------



## Audreybabypup

Hello, Pedigree is awful indeed. I would say Taste Of the Wild, blue buffalo, or Wellnes. The good thing is chis dont eat much so its not so expensive. And a better quality food means less vet bills. I suggest grain free as best.


----------



## ernestoc

such great answers thanks!!

can you give me your opinion on this one??? thanks again

http://www.chihuahua-people.com/chi...chihuahua-wanting-get-female.html#post1014744


----------



## MChis

I'd feed them Taste of the Wild or Natures Variety Instict if you're set on feeding kibble. I feed ZiwiPeak which is an air dried raw in jerky form. Any sort of raw or raw premade is BEST for dogs but it's not for everyone. Definitely something to look into if you're interested though.


----------



## Moonfall

I am feeding blue buffalo wilderness but planning on going to raw in the future.

TOTW is a good food. But, I switched from a very high quality kibble to raw with my ferrets and the difference is amazing. They are soft and fluffy, healthier, more muscle...just all around beautiful boys. I would definitely recommend raw.


----------

