What is the best food to feed a large breed puppy without spending a fortune?

The dry foods are balanced with nutrients needed by the dog. Stick with Gaines and go to adult food soon. Buy in 100 lb and save.

I would ask your breeder what they fed him if at all possible. How long have been been trying to feed him the Purina? Sometimes if you just got him he'll be scared and it will take a couple of days to get used to his new surroundings. You might try a little wet food in with the dry, but only a little. If the breeder was feeding him Purina and we want to switch, do so gradually, because changing his diet can make him sick, it's not deadly, but it might kill the carpet. We had the opposite problem when we brought our puppy home. We had an older dog (only 3) and they wouldnt stop eating each other's food after the first few days, and the older dog wouldnt eat the first couple of days. He got hungry and would eat a little, then he got back to normal.

Purina Puppy Chow for large breeds is inexpensive but good quality food. We've fed all of our litters this food and they've all grown up big and strong. You can get it at most supermarkets. The only question I have is whether or not a box is a "large breed?" I wouldn't consider them a large breed dog. I think regular Purina Puppy Chow would be just fine. Puppies will eat when they are hungry-they won't starve themselves.

I have an 8 year old boxer and was never able to feed him Puppy Chow or the other brands due to his sensitive stomach. I have fed him Eukanuba for years and he loves it. Every now and then I will buy Iams instead. It does not cost as much and still has all of the vitamins and such that he needs and is not upsetting to his stomach. I have also invested in a 30 gal. Rubbermaid garbage container that I store his food in. I will buy a 40 pound bag and it will last me about 2 months.

It has been my experience that all breeds of dogs are different, my dog has always eaten Wellness, and has done very well on it. My husbands dog and my brothers dog (both labs), have done really well on Eukanuba. Since Boxers sometimes have skin problems, I would try Eukanuba, Natures Recipe, Natural Balance, Percise, something along those lines (depending on your budget), what I would stay away from are the corn based foods, look at the first 5 ingredients, that is what the bulk of your food is made up of. Good Luck.

I know some people who fed pro plan to their dogs and they wouldn't eat it either. Really I would look for food with high protein high fat and look at the ingredients to make sure that the main ingredient IS NOT corn. Corn takes all the protein out of the food and it will make them have to poop a lot more.

Premium food with meat (not ...meal or ...by-products) as the #1 ingredient is the best way to go if you don't want to do raw. You don't feed as much and your dog will be healthier, so the cost will be the same in the long run. Try looking through the articles on http://www.wysong.net/faqpets.shtml for more information on dog nutrition.

Raw is also a good way to go, but takes a little bit more time for preparation. I vary my dogs' diet with dry, canned, dehydrated meat (all Wysong) and raw meat & veggies.

my dog wouldnt eat anything either until i bought the purina indoor little bites complete..... even as more an adult dog she still only will eat the little bites.... My vet told me most dogs will eat this kind if they are picky , i tried it and it worked... and its not the expensive kind.. it might be worth a try

I would investigate the benefits of raw feeding. It's far cheaper and much healthier for your dog than any commercially produced food.

Try to soak the food in milk. Thats what we had to do for our dog when she was a puppy. Sounds icky, but it works!! Good luck!