Rundown: What’s the Best Inexpensive Dog Food for Large Breeds?
- By admin
- December 15, 2020
- 9 minutes read

Introduction
The family has decided to get a puppy, and it’s quite the playful one. Obedient, loyal, fun – it’s all you could ask for in a dog. However, as the days turn to months, the puppy grows and grows until the thought of it running towards you to give you a hug is enough to throw you onto the floor. If that sounds like a familiar situation, then you’ve come to the right place. What would be the best inexpensive dog food for large breeds like the one you have running around your house?
Having a big dog at home is a great idea. They’re fun to play with and satisfying to cuddle, but what do you feed them? An animal like that would eat by the pounds. They should be eating almost a pound a day, and that can get quite costly. That is why we’re here to help you figure out how to feed the family pet and to do it in a way that won’t break your bank or hurt your beloved, overgrown puppy.
After all, the canine is family. We don’t cut corners for the family here.
Best Inexpensive Dog Food for Large Breeds – Reviews:
If you scour the internet, you find several options. The more you look into it, the tougher it gets to decide. For every single dog food brand, there are a dozen opinions. Everyone loves their dogs, so the talks can get really difficult. Each dog owner claims to know more than the other. At the end of the day, each animal is different and each family is different. The best thing we can do is to shortlist the options for best inexpensive dog food for large breeds and give you all the information you need. You can then make the final decision based on your own preferences.
1. Pedigree Adult Dry Dog Food
One of the most renowned dog food brands in the market, Pedigree is available at every grocer across the country.
Their ads are always running on the TV, and every dog owner has had the experience of feeding their pup some Pedigree.
However, it should be noted that not all the feedback is good. People have found that their dogs reacted poorly to the kibble at times. It might be good for most pups, but all canines are not made equal.
Cheapest Dog Food Around
Pedigree is often the go-to kibble for many because it is sold in large quantities and it is affordable. However, while this is definitely the cheapest item on the list, is it really the best inexpensive dog food for large breeds compared to the other ones on the list?
Well, to answer that question for yourself, you can weigh the pros and cons and see if it works for your dog.
Pros
- It is very cheap and can easily be bought in large quantities. This is vital when your dog eats almost a pound a day.
Cons
- The ingredients used are not very high quality. As such, they might make your dog sick, especially if it is sensitive to something.
Buy It On Amazon
2. Purina ONE SmartBlend Natural Adult Dry Dog Food
Purina is a brand that competes with Pedigree in terms of fame and quality. The protein they use is from chicken remains, and those are about three times denser in nutrition and health. It’s not really tasty, but dogs don’t need highly-seasoned food to make their meal worth their while. Have you met a dog?
They will throw up their food then eat the vomit. You don’t need a chef to cook for them, as long as they’re getting a balanced diet, they will be okay. That’s where Purina shines.
More Bang for Your Buck
It is definitely not the best tasting dog food out there. However, it checks all the necessary boxes and covers all the bases. As such, it provides good value for its price.
That being said, if your pooch has some sensitivities, like an allergy to grain, then this won’t do. Keep in mind the following pros and cons:
Pros
- Decent quality of ingredients makes this a good choice if your dog has a sensitive stomach.
Cons
- It contains grain which your dog might be allergic to.
Buy It On Amazon
3. Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach, High Protein Adult Dry Dog Food & Wet Dog Food
On the more premium side of Purina, the Pro Plan is a costlier purchase. However, since they have established themselves as a reputable and reliable company, the higher cost is going somewhere worthy of trust.
Packed with Nutrition
The protein, the fat, and the carbs are all well balanced. It tastes better than most, and it has more protein than average as well. There are blends for this too, going by age, fitness and whatever else you can imagine. The quality is above average and there is enough variety for you to pick whatever suits your dog best.
Purina proudly boasts the chicken content. This is important because chicken is the most important source of lean protein out there. Ask your local fitness enthusiast, they’ll tell you how good it is for you.
Pros
- This food packs high-quality ingredients with healthy sources. Not to mention, there is enough variety to choose from.
Cons
- Purina Pro is expensive, and you can rack up quite the bill if you’ve got a big dog.
Buy It On Amazon
4. Iams Proactive Health Minichunks Dry Dog Food
This is perhaps the most carb-dense dog food on the list. Most brands focus a lot on protein sources and intake. Iams focuses a lot on different sources of carbs and makes sure they’re healthy.
The Most Sustainable Diet for Your Dog
The focus is not on growth but on sustainability. High amounts of corn make up most of its base – it is the second most-common ingredient in the Iams ProActive Kibble. You can feed this to your pet for a long time!
That being said, is suggested to supplement it with another kind of dog food to make sure your dog is getting all the right nutrients. It’s definitely a contender for the best inexpensive dog food for large breeds out there. The high proportion of carbs provide enough energy for the puppy to stay energized throughout the day.
Pros
- It is sustainable and energy-dense, giving your dog lots of calories to burn.
Cons
- High-carb content means this food will probably need to be paired with protein-dense food to keep the dog’s dietary requirements balanced.
Buy It On Amazon
5. Rachael Ray Nutrish Super Premium Dry Dog Food
The Rachael Ray Premium Food is relatively new to the dog food market. Unlike the others, which have massive repute and countless reviews, this brand is somewhat unknown. It only became mainstream in the past few years when Big Heart Pet Brands bought it in 2018. The brand itself has been around since 2009, so it is quite disappointing that the name isn’t as well-known as its competition, Purina and Pedigree.
Packed with Nutrition and Good Ingredients
Regardless of their popularity, they are a great choice for regular kibble. There’s a reason why they’re still in the market. That is because they don’t add a lot of corn to give their kibble mass.
Corn is a controversial item that a lot of companies put in their dog food. It doesn’t have a lot of nutrition and isn’t a great choice for regular consumption. This food has other, better ingredients that prove to be beneficial for your dog.
Pros
- This food does not have a lot of corn or cereal grain. Instead it is packed with nutrition and protein.
Cons
- A large breed that eats more than other dogs will burn a hole in your wallet with this brand.
Buy It On Amazon
Commonly asked questions regarding Labradors’ food
My dog is allergic to wheat. What options do I have?
My dog is allergic to wheat. What options do I have?
A wheat allergy is the most common intolerance in dogs. This means that their stomach gets upset if they’re eating corn, barley, oats, or rice. Initially, it doesn’t cause too much of a problem. However, over time, it can grow into something lethal. As such, if your dog is allergic to wheat and similar foods, then you need to find gluten-free alternatives. This, however, is not going to be cheap. The reason why most brands sell their kibble cheap is because of their wheat content. It easily increases the mass of dog food by adding calories.
This means that if your dog has a gluten intolerance, then you will need to dig deep into your pockets to feed it. Most of the above-mentioned brands have a wheat-free blend, but it’s far more costly.
My dog has joint problems, what do I feed it?
Health issues can’t all be solved with nutrition alone. If you suspect that your dog has some kind of joint issues, take them to the vet. They will check your canine properly and decide upon the right treatment and meds. If your dog does have joint problems, which aren’t uncommon for a large breed, then nutrition can help.
What your canine needs are omega-3 fatty acids, glucosamine, and chondroitin. These are all fancy words but they are pretty easy to get your hands on. For the acids, look at dog foods that have fish as their protein source instead of chicken. As for the rest, that’s more difficult. It is better to try supplements from the market to make sure enough is being consumed.
My dog prefers wet food. Why are all the options given here dry food?
To find the best inexpensive dog food for large breeds, we had to keep the cost in mind. The sheer amount of food a large breed consumes is massive. As such, you will buy dog food in 30lbs bags, and when you’re dealing with such a big quantity, it’s hard to store. Wet food comes in cans, not bags, and it needs to remain refrigerated. It is a good option for treats and can serve as a healthy supplement, but not the main course.
That’s why this list contains only dry food. There are wet food variations offered by these brands, but they are the exception, not the norm. If your dog prefers wet over dry, then be sure to have plenty of wet treats around to reward their good behaviors.
My dog is overweight, what things should I look out for?
There are several good options for weight-loss food. You don’t want to be the kind of person that underfeeds their puppy, because that can cause problems too. What you need to look out for are foods with high protein and low calories. The average cup of kibble has around 400 calories, and you’re supposed to feed your dog three cups a day since it’s a large pet. That means that if your food of choice has around 350 calories, you’ll be making progress. Take your canine out for long walks too – staying fit helps.
You should also consider finding foods with a high protein count. As stated earlier, fish can be a good source of protein and other nutrients. Depending on how your dog is feeling, you can opt for many types of kibble.
Should I consider diet rotation and multiple brands?
Absolutely. There’s no such thing as the perfect brand of dog food. It might have too much protein or too little carbs. It might have all the right nutrition, but it could be out of your budget.
That’s why you should seriously consider bringing variety to your pooch’s food intake. Maybe give them something different for breakfast, something else for lunch, and a third variation for dinner. This way, you can even give your dog some wet food regularly. The variety will make sure your canine is getting a balanced diet, staying healthy, and keeping fit.
That being said, be sure to check to see if your pet can handle menu changes. There are a lot of dogs who, either as behavior or sensitivity, cannot handle changes in kibble. If yours is one of those, then you need to stay regular and consistent.
Conclusion: Your dog has a lot of nutritional requirements, being a large animal that eats a lot. That means if there’s even a trace amount of questionable ingredients in the kibble, it can add up quite quickly. You also need to get a lot of food. This is why we suggest the Purina ONE SmartBlend for your dog’s needs. It is well balanced and has everything your dog would need.
The Purina Pro Plan comes as a close second, but the SmartBlend is far better for your needs because of the sheer amount you would need. It is easily the best inexpensive dog food for large breeds on this list. Pedigree is definitely the cheapest but it has many questionable ingredients. Not knowing what you’re feeding your canine can be alarming and dangerous.
Keeping all this in mind, we’re opting for Purina ONE SmartBlend. Purina outlines the sources of their nutrition and they compete with Pedigree in terms of price. The fact that it’s a little more expensive by comparison is far outweighed by how healthy it is.
From our research, we have a preference for one over the others. It is still up to you, as the consumer, to make the final decision. We can only do our best to guide you. We hope our reviews help you out – good luck!