I will be switching Hudson over to adult food in the next month or so. I am currently feeding him Solid Gold Wolf Cub, which is costing me about 50 bucks or so a month and Hudson has been doing great on it. I am looking at several brands such as Wolf King, Orijin...etc. My question is whether there will be a big difference between the higher brands and Costco Kirkland lamb and rice, which is much cheaper. I can afford to pay for the higher brands, but why pay more if I don't need to. I know there is large debate on the topic, but what would the actual differences be?

How old is Hudson?

How old is Hudson?

He is almost 5 months. He will be around 6-7 months at the switch.

Formulas that cost less often cost less because they have more grain in them. Grains are less expensive than quality meat sources.

Kirkland Lamb and Rice is :lamb, lamb meal, whole grain brown rice, rice flour and white rice with 23% protein and 14% fat.

For an inexpensive food, it's good that it isn't filled with a bunch of questionable ingredients. However, if you add all the 3rd, 4th and 5th listed rice ingredients together, there is likely quite a bit of rice compared to the meat. IMO, 23% protein is on the low end and I believe most developing puppies thrive on a higher meat-based formula.

If you're looking for higher protein formulas (Wolf King Adult is 22% which IMO is rather low for a still developing puppy) with reasonable calcium %, there is: Orijen, TOTW, Acana Provincial and others.

Many people swear by Iams and Purina... because they work... The only real reason is the quality of ingredients.. That is what you pay extra for.. and some have better safety records..

Many have sworn by Nutro products in the past.. Do they now ?

You get what you pay for in the Pet Food market... It costs more to make good food.

Dollars and sense...

Not every dog does well on the most expensive foods.. and not every dog does badly on the cheapest... All dog foods have enough of everything for a dog to subsist on.. Some are better than others.. without question..

Find a food that works.. Good coat.. good eyes.. good energy... good poop.. and start from there... Who cares how much it costs or who makes it...

My opinion...

Thanks for the responses.

The dog food rating thing (I saw the link here) rates the Kirkland Chicken and Rice higher than the Lamb and Rice. They also have a puppy chick/rice version