# Good Dog Food For Small Dogs



## coxbrea151 (Jun 12, 2012)

My family & I might be getting a small dog (possibly a Jug) very soon. 
I have some questions about the food first, & they are; 

1. Is Kirkland Singniture Adult Dog food okay for dogs? Which one is best?
2. Are there any good foods out there that are good for small breeds & are inexpensive? 
3. Is dry, wet, or raw dog food better? 
4. Where is a cheaper place to buy dog food in Southwestern Ontario? 
The Jug we might be getting is also a femal rescue & is 35 weeks old. He B-day is OCtober 5th, 2011 (I think).


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## Pekinchick (Jun 11, 2012)

Kirkland is a good dog food and cheap. Canned is more expensive to feed than dry and theyre equally good as long as you go with good brands. Some dogs won't eat raw, but if you go with raw, you have to make sure your dog is getting all the nutrients it needs. You can go to dogfoodadvisor.com to see a complete list of good dog foods


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Kirkland is a good value kibble that many dogs do fine on. I have read reports that the lamb one is more likely to disagree with dogs than the chicken one. It only comes in a huge bag, at least around here, and it might take a small dog a very long time to eat it all. Kibble does go bad, when I used kibble I made sure to use it up within a month's time.

I prefer to feed my dog fresh food. My 12 year old spaniel mix eats 'prey model' raw that consists of mostly meat with a little bony meat and a little organ. I have analyzed his diet many times and am satisfied he is getting all he needs with the addition of a couple of supplements. My older dog, a lab mix who left us at the age of 17 years, was ill for several years and I felt it better to cook her food. Both dogs had dramatic improvements in condition over eating a premium quality kibble and I do not intend to feed kibble to my dogs again. My personal view is raw is best then cooked then canned in a pinch then kibble supplemented with carefully chosen scraps.


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

Diamond has had a lot of issues and I personally wouldn't feed any product made there (I believe Kirkland is one) but it depends on how you feel about that kind of stuff.

I feed Acana to my 16lb boy, but it MAY be out of your price range. I find it varies from place to place.

Fromm is relatively inexpensive here and a very good brand, trustworthy company. Their Four Star line is going to be pricier than their Gold and Classics line - all good foods though. Earthborn is another one that seems to be not too expensive but still a good quality food, with some grainfree options.

Also, there is no real reason to feed a specific small breed formula or anything. Any dog food approved for all life stages will do.

PS - what is a "jug?"


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

It's a Jack Russell/Pug...


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## coxbrea151 (Jun 12, 2012)

Sorry, forgot to add this; Our price range is in the 30-40$ range. We would like to go lower, but I understand that quite a few brands for a decent sized bag is going to be 60$+. We would love a medium-large sized dog, but it wouldn't be fair for it. Our house is really small (inimum square footage for a townhouse in the 1980's), but the field-like space behind our not-inclosed yard is excellant if we have a long leash set-up for her. How many kilos would a small dog normally eat in a month? This can change\add to our options drastically.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

My 11.6 pound 1 year old Eddee eats 3/4 cup of dog food per day. Different foods have different feeding guides. I go by the guide and if my dog begins to gain too much weight I cut back ... and vice-versa.  Eddee is super active ... so sometimes he needs a tad more depending on the food. 

As an example: My 20 pound dog only needs 1 cup per day. He is older and not as active. He will gain weight quickly if he eats more than that. :/ My 65 pound dog eats 2 1/4 cups of food per day. She has a medium activity level and even that is too much for her at times. You need to adjust to the individual dog.

The feeding guides are on the bags of food. I am feeding Blue Buffalo and Wellness Super5 Mix. I am also going to try the Wellness Super5 mix for small breeds ... just for a change. Those foods in my area are around $20 per 5 lb bags. If you have just one small dog to feed ... with your price range you should have some good foods to choose from if your dog is small. If I only had my smallest dog ... I believe I could get by with less than 10 pounds of food per month.

I use approximately 30 pounds of food per month for three different sized dogs.

www.thedogfoodadvisor.com is the site I base my choices on.  I like to stay within 4 and 5 star foods.


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## Deaf Dogs (May 28, 2012)

Horizon has a great food designed specifically for small dogs with a very low Glycemic index. It's called Horizon Amicus. It's made with Red Lentils instead of grain or potatoes. I dunno how easy it is to find outside Canada, and I have no idea where you are, so have no idea if you can find it or not. But I really like the ingredients, and my dogs love it.

It's rated 5 stars by dog food advisor
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/amicus-dog-food/


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## georgiapeach (Mar 17, 2012)

I wouldn't buy a large bag of anything for a small dog. It will go bad before you can feed it all. I buy a small bag for my two small dogs (each around 12.5 pounds), and it still lasts several weeks. They each only each 1/2/day (divided into 2 meals/day) of a higher grade kibble. I like Innova Prime, TOTW, Wellness Core, and Acana. If you feed a better kibble, you can feed less of it, therefore almost equalizing the cost compared to a cheaper one. The kibble sizes of the ones I mentioned are all pretty small except for TOTW. My daughter's 7.5 pound yorkiepoo manages to eat it w/out a problem.

For the budget conscious, you might try 4 Health, which you can buy at Tractor Supply. Many people have reported good results with it, and it's very reasonably priced.


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## DaViking (Apr 13, 2012)

coxbrea151 said:


> Sorry, forgot to add this; Our price range is in the 30-40$ range. We would like to go lower, but I understand that quite a few brands for a decent sized bag is going to be 60$+. We would love a medium-large sized dog, but it wouldn't be fair for it. Our house is really small (inimum square footage for a townhouse in the 1980's), but the field-like space behind our not-inclosed yard is excellant if we have a long leash set-up for her. How many kilos would a small dog normally eat in a month? This can change\add to our options drastically.


Hi. I know Kirkland from Costco will be cheaper but see if you can find Nutram Adult/Adult small bites around you. It's a huge upgrade from Kirkland. 33lb Adult should be from $40 to $45, Find a Global Pet Foods or Pet Value near you, they both carry Nutram. The small bites formula works great for our active and intact male Jack Russell x. It got moderate to low amounts of carbs, 33% to be precise. They just released a new line of grain free formulas but they are more expensive at around $19 for 5lb. For their size JRT and JRT mixes can burn through a lot of calories per day but it all depends. Rough estimate, 17lb JRT/x, moderate activity level, no high stress high performance sports etc., say around 4kg per month or so, not very expensive.  But again, it can vary greatly for a JRT/x. Feeding amount should be adjusted for a puppy (<10 months for a JRT) unless you choose the grain free formulas which are ALS foods, or Nutram puppy.


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## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

Raw food is the best, but canned is at least better than dry in my opinion. Raw food has actually ended up cheaper for me than dry food, and easier because you can get in anywhere and you don't have to worry about recalls or finding a certain brand. However, raw takes time and commitment, and is not convenient for everyone. With such a small dog I would definitely recommend going for higher quality food since you don't feed as much as a lab would or something. $40 with go much further on a small dog.


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## coxbrea151 (Jun 12, 2012)

The questions havve now changed. 
We just got a dog named Millen's Little Lady (Lily), who is a pedigree with black, white, & tan colouring. She is child to Echo-Hill Rascal & Werst's Boss Lady (USA). She was born on July 12th, 2007, and there was three other males, & two females in her litter. She is a tad overweight, but not much. What is a good food for?


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Congratulations on your new dog! I love the name Lily too.

What kind is she? How large? What was she eating before she came into your family?


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Everything that's been mentioned is still just fine. To help her lose weight I would just cut down on the amount of food.


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## coxbrea151 (Jun 12, 2012)

She is a Beagle. In her vet invioces that came with her it siad she was 45 pounds in January. She was 5-10 puonds overweight at the time. She has lost some weight, in two weeks when we get her licence we'll know her exact weight. She was on this President Choice weight lose diet, but she hated it. We are trying her on different foods now.


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## Pekinchick (Jun 11, 2012)

Small dogs usually only need 4-6 pounds a month depending on the calories per cup. This is how much my 14 pound puppy is eating plus treats. This comes out to 10-17 dollars a month for premium brands.


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## DaViking (Apr 13, 2012)

coxbrea151 said:


> The questions havve now changed.
> We just got a dog named Millen's Little Lady (Lily), who is a pedigree with black, white, & tan colouring. She is child to Echo-Hill Rascal & Werst's Boss Lady (USA). She was born on July 12th, 2007, and there was three other males, & two females in her litter. She is a tad overweight, but not much. What is a good food for?


As @kafkabeetle said, all the advice you got is still good. Nutram Adult or Nutram Grain Free Poultry or Fish would be good choices for an adult Beagle. Be as active as you can with her and you'll probably see the extra pounds gone in no time. Good luck


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## PatchworkRobot (Aug 24, 2010)

A good food is a good food - regardless of the breed or size of the dog.


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