Diamond, Victor, Pro Plan, are all very popular in the bull breed community. I'm feeding two different ages, so I went with American Journey for the price point. They are both doing very well on it. Only draw back is I can only get it from Chewy. I had a blue dog with allergies that I had to feed raw, and red dog that did incredibly well on Victor. Diamond Naturals did well for her as well, but made her coat greasy. Orijen and Acana are good for high energy dogs or dogs with food allergies. They are too rich both nutritionally and financially for me and the two I have now. Hopefully you find what works best for your pup.
Thank you Mac! I appreciate the feedback and advice. I have been trying to read up a lot on the different type of food out there and if it is better to go with grain-free or a grain based food. I've seen a few recommended grain inclusive foods but not sure what the advantage would be with those vs a grain free type that has similar vitamins and protein content. I threw a table up below of some of the brands you mentioned vs some I seen and what I can get them for price per lb wise (cause usually these things come down to cost for most people).
| Food Brand | Price per l/b |
| Acana | $2.80 |
| American Journey | $2.30 |
| Orijen | $3.70 |
| Blue Wilderness | $2.70 |
| Taste of the Wild | $2.10 |
| Diamond Natural Grain-Free | $1.85 |
I'm sure all of these are great and would provide good diets, just curious what the difference would be paying $3.70 lb vs $1.85 for Diamond? Better quality or better sourced ingredients I'd suppose? Another thing I found interesting is the recommended servings of each brand when compared to the cost. Seems like Orijen, even though it is the most costly per lb, actually recommends about a 1/2 cup less per day than most other brands on the list. So I'd assume strictly trying to choose on a price/lb even though it is a premium brand could be skewed by if a dogs is eating more or less of 1 brand based on what is in it and how filling it is for them. I would guess the take away should be that any of these brands above should be more than acceptable and pretty much choose what I am willing to afford.
Just as an aside, is it worth it at all to even look at the Kirkland signature brand if cost savings was the main goal? I know they aren't grain free but I seen a lot of older good reviews for the brand and it come sin at about $1 a lb when bought in the store or is it just better in the long run to pay up a little for one of these better brands.
Also...sorry so many questions! Is it okay to change flavors within brands? Like If I picked a certain brand switching up between Beef or Chicken or Pork or fish? or do you usually just stick with the same type all the time? Is it okay to mix in a commercial raw food once in a while as a "treat" like hey bud, dad had a good night at the casino, you getting Filet Mignon today! lol or do changes like this throw things off?
Thanks for the advice! First dog and want to make sure I'm following a good plan and doing right by him once he gets here.
