Buying guide
Compare the food your dog will actually eat
Start with the recipe and life stage. Bag price and price per pound help most once you’ve narrowed that choice.
Read the feeding statement on the back
The FDA explains that complete-and-balanced food is intended for a stated life stage. Check whether the bag is for growth, adult maintenance, or all life stages before comparing it with another recipe.
Which brands should you compare first?
Purina, Hill’s, Royal Canin, Iams, and Eukanuba are commonly recommended by U.S. veterinary practices using WSAVA’s food-selection criteria. Those criteria examine nutrition expertise, formulation, quality control, and research.
WSAVA doesn’t certify brands, and this shortlist doesn’t establish that every other food is unsuitable. Choose a recipe appropriate for your dog’s life stage and health needs, then compare its price across retailers.
Use price per pound for the same recipe
Count the weight of every bag in a bundle. Two 12 lb bags contain 24 lb of food. For the same recipe, divide package price by total pounds to compare retailer offers.
When changing recipes, also consider the daily amount fed. A cheaper pound of food may cost more per day if you need to feed more of it.
Estimate cost from your dog’s feeding amount
Divide bag weight in grams by the grams fed per day to estimate days per bag, then divide bag price by those days. Use the feeding amount appropriate for your dog; if your plan uses cups, use that recipe’s grams-per-cup figure.
AAFCO explains that calorie labels give energy per kilogram and per familiar serving unit. Two foods can have different calories per cup, so the same scoop doesn’t always mean the same meal.
- Source: AAFCO: reading pet-food labels
Large-breed puppies need the right growth food
For a large-breed puppy, confirm that the food is suitable for that growth stage rather than choosing an adult large-breed bag because it is cheaper. Purina Institute explains why controlled growth and appropriate calcium matter in these puppies.
Keep an existing veterinary feeding plan in place while comparing retailer prices for the prescribed food.