Going to go to Rural King and buy the local dog pound some supplies. I want to get the the most dog food, dry and wet, that I can for the money but I don't want to buy garbage. I do this a couple times a year but it has always been for the local cat shelters, never the dog pound. I'm not familiar with dog food brands and quality. Thank you

Purina

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I want to get the the most dog food, dry and wet, that I can for the money

Some dog food has twice the real food content than the cheaper foods do. You can get some idea by reading the amounts to feed on the labels. If it says 1 cup a day for an active 50lb dog or it says 2 cups a day for a 50lb dog, which is cheaper? Of course the labels may be to get you to use more food! Also look at the protein content %.

I'd say stick with one of the big name companies like Iams or Purina. They're generally a good middle-ground, being better quality and a bit more expensive than the off-brand or house brand dog foods, but still cheaper and not quite as high quality as the fancier specialty brands.


Iams Minichunks is what I settled on for my dogs, as the best "bang for the buck" in dog food based on my research. It's usually around $1/pound for dry food, provided you're not buying the small bags. And the minichunk pieces are small enough for smaller dogs to handle while still being large enough for bigger dogs to easily eat, which was handy when I had several dogs of different sizes. So it would be a good "one size fits all" kibble size for something like a dog pound.

The Rachel Rey dog food sold at Walmart actually rates pretty well for a budget brand. As does the Kirkland brand from Costco. Purina also is popular for a budget brand. BUT as mentioned before look at the feeding guide because some budget brands like pedigree, you have to feed 2x as much volume per day as better brands, so it's actually more expensive.

I had a bad experience with my own dog with Iams (he developed incredibly dry skin and tons of dandriff on his back when I put him on IAMS) and it went away within 3 days and the next 10 years once I switched him to Science Diet, so I avoid it.

Based on info at dogfoodadvisor we've been using Victor dog food as a balance between quality and cost for several years. One dog did have an issue with hot spots and dry skin, but by adding a bit of Ultra Oil to their dry food solved that.

Vet recommended Purina Pro plan puppy food for large breed dogs and our pup has been doing excellent with it. She also suggested Eukanuba and one other I cannot remember. She said she only suggested using a certain three or four foods.

Maybe just donate whatever you’d spend on the dog food and let them pick whatever type they think is appropriate. Possibly they get a deal for bulk purchase.

Victor

Our veterinarian recommended Purina One and we get it at Sam’s Club for about $40 for a 50 pound bag.

You might want to ask store managers for a good deal on broken bags. I knew a guy that worked at a high-end dog food distributor. He told me that if one bag on a pallet got ripped they would get rid of the whole pallet. He was selling them on the side because they would have a whole truckload of dog food to dispose of. He sold a lot of it to a pig farmer.

Inukshuk is the cat’s meow .... but buy it to donate....idk. Whatever you get please verify whether it is a kill shelter or not before you decide to support it.

American Journey Active Life Formula from Chewy is a really good food. My dogs like it, good value, and convenient to have it delivered to the door every other month.

They also have a good grain free option.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: LBTRS,

Lots of guidance here:

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/...-reviews/dry/5-star/

Victor Nutra Pro is what we use.

https://victorpetfood.com/

Hard to go wrong with Purina for this situation and I'd get all dry, no wet. Not terribly expensive, will have all the essentials, and available everywhere.
They will be looking for something to keep them healthy and fed until adoption. Yes it's more like fast foods, not designer stuff. Then the new owner can decide what they eat for the rest of their lives.
Good job, donating to the shelter, just don't try to overthink this.

I would call the local shelter and ask which brands they prefer. Of course, they usually can get better pricing than you can since they'd buy in bulk, so what you could get for 100 bucks, they can probably get for 60. So bang for the buck is probably direct cash donation to the shelter.

My dogs get Ol'Roy high protein from Walmart. Sometimes with a dash of soy oil.

Been using Blue Buffalo Lifestyle Large Breed Adult for my two and now one Akita. I get it shipped from Chewy.

I have to say their service has been great. any issues with a damaged bag is quickly replaced. They just say to keep the damaged bag and use it of donate it to a shelter.

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Originally posted by Hay2bale:
My dogs get Ol'Roy high protein from Walmart. Sometimes with a dash of soy oil.

My current Labrador loves this stuff. I think it's the cheapest Walmart sells.

Victor is a good value for the what you get. I figured since I didn't eat the cheapest food I can find every day, I would not feed my buddy the cheapest food. His skin issues cleared right up after a few weeks of eating Victor.