Changing brand of Dog Food

[dpgllg]

We currently have 4 dogs at home, three Cocker Spaniels and one Silky Terrier. We feed them Nutro Small Bites dog food. The issue I have is the cost keep going up and the size of the bag keeps getting smaller.

We have a Pet Smart and a Petco across the street from one another and get email regarding what is on sale. While the varieties of Nutro go on sale very rarely do the Small Bites.

We are considering switching brands but want to keep giving a high quality food.

Any recommendations?

[Pawz4me]

You could buy the regular sized Nutro kibble, put some in a Ziploc bag and crush it up a bit with a rolling pin. Or use a blender or food processor.

As far as other more affordable brands . . . I don't know off the top of my head how much Nutro costs. But you might look at Authority, which is Petsmart's store brand. The ingredients seem pretty decent. Simply Nourish is also a Petsmart brand whose ingredients look pretty good. It's probably considered a step up from Authority, and I believe it costs a bit more. Since they're Petsmart's own brands I'm guessing they may put them on sale frequently.

[chrisnpat]

Try adding water or broth to the larger bits for the little Silky, maybe that will help......

[dpgllg]

Thanks for your response!

I neglected to mention the reason we have the Small Bites is that the Silky is the oldest and has dental issues. He only has a few good teeth and he is very small. There is no way he could handle the regular kibble. We have no issues leaving food down 24/7 as none are overweight and in fact the one cocker will scracth and fuss if watter and food are empty. He may not even eat or drink when you fill them but he wants food and water there.

I discussed with a Nutro rep at the store and they did not have any advice or could explain why the Small Bites is rarely on sale. She did give one $2.00 off coupon but that has been it.

So if you know of a high quality dog food that comes in a small kibble that is also affordable please let me know.

[I_am_still_wayn]

The Cockers should do just fine on regular sized kibble, and I bet even the silky would as well. Try a bag and see.

[CatandJim]

One of our rescued dogs is a small 8 pound Maltese mix. Bella came into our home last year being fed the same brand (Natural Balance Duck & Potato) that I've always fed my 20 pound Lhasa but in the "small bites". I successfully transitioned her to the regular sized kibble, mostly because of the availability (lack thereof) of the small bites. She does just fine with the size of the food, I mixed what the rescue group gave me with what we had and she transitioned.

I'm wondering if you could mix the sizes together for a little while and see how your dogs like it or if they have any issues with the larger kibble?
If you do change the brand or formula of their kibble I would suggest making it a slow transition, mixing the new with the former brand and increasing the amount of the new brand over a number of days. Much less chance for stomach upset that way.

Good luck...