Is expensive dog food worth it for my puppy, or are cheaper options okay?

Great question! You want a high quality food, and typically you won't find those at a supermarket. Those are lower quality foods made from poorer ingredients, which is why they are cheaper. Iams and Purina ProPlan are both high quality foods that are cheaper than Hill's Science diet. I recommend feeding Reno a puppy formulated food from one of those two brands. I hope this helps :-)

Foods made by Purina are good, but ones like ProPlan have higher quality ingredients than say Alpo or Beneful. In my opinion, Purina is the best of the supermarket brands, so getting a food made by Purina whether it be Purina One or Beneful is fine. I hope this helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Max. Higher quality food does make a difference in a dog, but you could see how he does on economical brand. You want him to eat the food and like it. He should have no vomiting or diarrhea on a new diet and should only have 2-3 bowel movements per day. He also needs to have a glossy coat. These are signs the diet is working for him. Of the cheaper brands, I would recommend Purina Dog Chow or Pedigree. Purina ProPlan and Iams will better options of the higher ends foods you listed. I hope this information helps!

Purina ProPlan is just as good as Royal Canin and Science Diet, and the Purina you find in the grocery store is lower quality, but it's still the best of the supermarket brands. The reason it is lower quality is because it doesn't use the high quality ingredients, hence the lower price. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are diets that are more inexpensive. I like Purina Pro Plan shredded blends. It is very good in terms of nutrition and relatively inexpensive. Good luck and have a good day!

Choose a good quality food with a named protein source. Avoid meat meals and by products. Stay away from store or discount brands. These typically contain low quality ingredients an dmore fillers. A "large breed" formula would be recommended. Premium brands include the Royal Canin line, Acana, Canidae and Orijen. The website www.dogfoodadvisor.com is an excellent resource for comparing foods.

Great question! I personally never recommend a grain free diet for dogs unless they have a proven (i.e. diagnosed by a vet) grain allergy. Grain allergies are actually very rare in dogs. Only about 5% of dogs with allergies have a food allergies, and of that 5%, the majority of the allergies are protein. Grains are beneficial to dogs, they provide a sustained source of energy and help them keep fuller longer. When feeding a puppy like Zeus, I recommend a puppy formulated food. Puppies need higher amounts of protein, calories, and calcium than adult dogs, and a puppy formulated food will provide that. Once he's 12 months old, he can have an adult formulated food. He needs protein, fat, and carbs as well as many vitamins and minerals to have a balanced diet, which is why feeding a dog food is easier. Brands of dog food I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. If you want to do a home cooked diet, I will put links below to two websites that provide recipes for homemade diets. Keep in mind that finding the correct balance of nutrients for a dog is hard with a homemade diet, so that's why these websites are excellent sources of information. The recipes are formulated by veterinary nutritionists. Good luck, I hope this helps! https://secure.balanceit.com https://www.petdiets.com