quality cheap dog food

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated September 16, 2024

Contributions sourced from

Best Cheap Dog Food Brands for 2024: High-Quality & Budget-Friendly

We, paw-rents, are always on the look out for the best cheap dog food brands, right?

The quality of your dogs diet will have a direct influence on his long-term health and wellness. Unfortunately, some of the best dog foods on the market are also the most expensive.

For some of the top brands, you might find yourself paying over $100 for a 25-pound bag. This might not be such a big deal if you have a small dog, but the larger your dog the more food he will eat and the costs are going to add up quickly.

If youre familiar with this conundrum, you may be glad to know that there are actually some decent quality brands out there that are still fairly affordable. Keep reading to learn more.

Top 5 Best Cheap Dog Foods

When you are looking for a new dog food, it is important not to shop by price alone. Though this is not always the case, the lower quality pet foods tend to be the least expensive. On the other hand, a high price tag is not always correlated with higher quality.

If you want to feed your dog well but you have a limited budget, you may need to work a little harder in finding a brand that suits both needs.

Fortunately for you, weve already done some of that work. Here are the top five affordable dog food brands that offer decent quality and an average price per pound of no more than $2:

1. Diamond Naturals

The Diamond Pet Food Company often gets a bad rap for having multiple dog food recalls. If you are shopping based on quality alone, however, the Diamond Naturals brand offers a decent blend of affordability and quality.

Diamond Naturals is one of three Diamond Pet Foods brands and it is sold as a holistic brand of pet food made with high-quality proteins and fresh fruits and vegetables. This brand offers dry foods and wet foods as well as dog treats, all made with natural ingredients and formulated in keeping with a holistic approach to pet nutrition.

Furthermore, this brand supplements their recipes with probiotics for healthy digestion, superfoods for nutrition, and antioxidants for immune support. They offer recipes for dogs in all life stages as well as dogs of different breed sizes.

2. Purina Beyond

Though several of the Purina brands arent worth buying, the Purina Beyond brand is worth considering if you are looking for an affordable pet food brand. Purina Beyond is made with real meat, poultry, or fish as the first ingredient and all recipes are free from corn, wheat, and soy ingredients.

This brand doesnt use any poultry by-product meals or artificial additives either. Purina Beyond offers nine different dry dog food recipes including several grain-free formulas. This brand uses a variety of proteins including chicken, beef, lamb, tuna, and salmon as well as digestible carbohydrates like whole barley and pumpkin.

Purina Beyond offers three grain-free recipes, one small dog formula, two small batch recipes, two limited ingredient diets, and one superfood formula.

3. Fromm Family Classics

The Fromm brand of pet food is family-owned and -operated as an artisanal pet food company. Fromm offers three different product lines for dogs, some of which can get pretty pricey. They do, however, offer the Classics line of products which offers quality and affordability.

Fromm Family Classics dog food comes in two formulas, one for adult dogs and one for mature adults. Both recipes are prepared in small batches and made with fresh ingredients that are delivered to Fromm Family kitchens daily.

These two recipes feature fresh chicken and whole eggs as well as brown rice and real Wisconsin cheese. The Classic Adult recipe is designed for normally active adult dogs and it offers 23% crude protein and 15% crude fat.

The Classic Mature Adult recipes is designed for less active adult dogs and senior dogs, made with 21% protein and 11% fat. Either would be a good choice for your dog.

4. Natures Recipe

The Natures Recipe brand has been producing and manufacturing pet foods for more than 30 years and they design their products with inspiration from natures inherent goodness hence the name, Natures Recipe.

This brand is dedicated to creating nutritionally vibrant recipes to give pets the long, healthy lives they deserve. Their products can be divided into four different product lines, one of which is a dedicated line of wholesome dog treats.

The Life Stages line of products features formulas specially targeted to the nutritional needs of dogs in different life stages from puppy to adult. The Special Needs product line features recipes designed to support the unique nutritional requirements of different breeds and sizes of dog, as well as dogs with specific dietary needs.

The Premium line of products features dog foods made with high-quality proteins and supplemented with fresh produce.

5. IAMS Naturals

The Iams pet food company is similar to Purina in that they offer multiple brands and they have a history of product recalls. If youre only concerned about finding an affordable pet food that offers decent quality, however, the Iams Naturals brand is one to consider.

Iams Naturals pet foods cost up to 25% less than the leading pet food brand but they are still made with decent quality ingredients. This brand can actually be divided into three product lines Healthy Naturals, Grain-Free Naturals, and Sensitive Naturals.

There are four Healthy Naturals recipes made with quality proteins like chicken, salmon, and lamb with digestible carbohydrates like rice, barley, and red lentils. One of these is a healthy weight formula.

There is only one Grain-Free Naturals recipe made with chicken and garden peas, and one Sensitive Naturals recipe made with ocean fish and rice.

If you want to give your dog the best diet you can afford, the top five brands reviewed above would all be a good choice. These brands may not be the highest quality pet foods money can buy, but they offer decent quality and they are affordable for the pet owner on a budget.

5 Cheap Homemade Dog Food Recipes

Cooking homemade dog food can be a healthier way to feed your pet than store-bought dog foods. There are a number of well-balanced, healthy, delicious, and cheap homemade dog food recipes worth trying if you have the time. Some recipes err on the side of lower price and affordability, others prioritize the healthiest, most delicious, most premium ingredients.

While it's not smart to ditch all high-quality ingredients and go for the cheapest choice, balance is key. Using some common ingredients that you can buy in bulk, you can use these cheap homemade dog food recipes that will still be well-balanced and healthy. Some good examples are Samantha's raw recipe, cheap healthy recipe, and even this one.

If you're looking to start cooking for your dog and need more ideas, the below list of good cheap homemade dog food recipes that will satisfy your budget without depriving your dog of the must-have quality any good dog food should have. Remember to discuss them with a vet before you make these recipes part of your dog's regular diet.

ALSO SEE:8 Dangers of DIY Homemade Dog Food

5 Cheap Homemade Dog Food Recipes

1. Mutt Loaf for Dogs

Ingredients:

3 medium russet potatoes, cleaned of eyes and green spots, and grated
2 medium carrots, grated
1 (15-ounce) can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained*
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
1 pounds ground beef (85 percent lean)

Directions:

Preheat the oven and combine the potatoes and carrots into a large mixing bowl. Combine the kidney beans, the eggs, and rosemary in a food processor. Chop and mix everything. After that, combine the egg and bean mixture with the potatoes and the carrots. Add the beef as well and mix everything thoroughly. Place the mixture in as many loaves pans you need and bake until completion. Remove from the heat and allow the meatloaves to cool off. After that, let your dogs enjoy their delicious new meal.

Serving Sizes:

* Divide into two meals, or serve one-half the daily portion per day with one-half the normal amount of dry food.

10-pound dog: 2/3 to 1 cup
20-pound dog: 1 to 1 2/3 cups
40-pound dog: 2 1/3 to 3 cups
60-pound dog: 3 to 4 cups
80-pound dog: 4 to 5 cups

2. Cheap Chicken Stock for Dogs

Ingredients:

10 cups of water
1 skinned chicken carcass
2 chopped, medium-sized carrots
2 chopped stalks of celery
1 cored and chopped apple
1 cup of packed fresh spinach
1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
1 teaspoon of dried basil

Directions:

Boil the water in a large stockpot at a high temperature. Add the chicken carcass, carrots, celery, apple, spinach, rosemary, and basil. Boil them as well. Skim the foam from the top and decrease the heat. Leave the eal to simmer with a lid for about 40 minutes. Once its ready, strain the stock and discard the bones. After that, you can refrigerate or freeze it for later consumption.

Serving Sizes:

10-pound dog: cup
20-pound dog: 1/3 cup
40-pound dog: cup
60-pound dog: 2/3 cup
80-pound dog: 1 cup

3. Fresh Kiss Dog Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup of meat, be it beef, chicken, or fish stock
1 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley
1 cup of finely chopped fresh mint
2 Tablespoons of canola oil
2 1/3 whole wheat flour, plus some extra for rolling out

Directions:

Preheat the oven and flour the baking sheet. Heat the stock in the microwave. Add the parsley, mint, and canola oil to the stock in a large bowl and stir them together. Stir the flour into the herb mixture. Knead the dough until smooth. Gather the dough into a ball and put it on the baking sheet. There, shape it into a square. Dust the top of the dough with additional flour and roll into a 10-inch square. Then cut with a pizza cutter into 1-inch squares.

Bake the whole thing like this for about 25 45 minutes (less for a softer cookie and more for a crunchier one). Once done, let the cookies cool down before you present them to your pooch.

Serving Sizes:

10-pound dog: 2 cookies
20-pound dog: 4 cookies
40-pound dog: 6 cookies
60-pound dog: 8 cookies
80-pound dog: 10 cookies

4. Sweet Potato Fries for Dogs

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized sweet potatoes
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
Half a teaspoon of dried oregano

Directions:

Preheat the oven. In the meantime, peel the sweet potato and cut it into strips a quarter of an inch square by 4 inches long. Combine the sweet potatoes, the olive oil, and oregano on a baking sheet and coat the potatoes evenly in the mixture. After that, spread out everything evenly on the baking sheet and place the fries in a parallel position to one another. This will make it easier to flip them. Once this is ready, bake for 15 minutes. Flip the fries and bake them for another 15 minutes.

Once they are done, allow them to cool off before serving them or putting them away for later. This is a treat and not a whole-day meal so dont give this to your dog in large quantities a fry here and a fry there as treats for after training is what this recipe is meant for.

Serving Sizes:

10-pound dog: 1 fry
20-pound dog: 2 fries
40-pound dog: 4 fries
60-pound dog: 6 fries
80-pound dog: 8 fries

5. Doggy's Tuna Special

Ingredients:

1 slice of whole-grain bread
1 6-ounce can of tuna, packed in water

Directions:

Place the bread in a small bowl and soak it into the tuna water. Let sit like this for 3 to 4 minutes, however long it takes for the liquid to be fully absorbed. After that, add one tablespoon of the tuna meat, blend it inside the bread with a fork, and serve it to your lucky pooch. This is another great treat for after a training session.

Serving Sizes:

10-pound dog: 1/3 slice
20-pound dog: slice
40-pound dog: 2/3 slice
60-pound dog: slice
80-pound dog: 1 slice

These five cheap homemade dog food recipes include ingredients that won't break your bank and that you can buy in bulk and store long-term. As with any homemade dog food cooking, make sure to consult with your veterinarian or canine nutritionist before using any cheap homemade dog food recipes with your Fido. Discuss each recipe individually, and then you can continue serving it regularly, saving yourself some money.

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