Best Cheap Dog Foods as of 2018

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We selected our favorite best cheap dog foods of 2018. This will save you the effort of sifting through hundreds of options on the market.

The main criteria we used to assess the foods were: Protein source and how much of it was used, vegetables and quality, quality of fat source, presence of controversial ingredients (e.g. BHT/BHA, egg product), and cost per pound. See below for detailed info about these criteria.

Overall Best Cheap Dog Food – Rachael Ray Nutrish Natural Dry Dog Food

• Why it’s best overall: For the price of $34.20 per pound, Rachael Ray’s Nutrish has the highest overall quality ingredients. It reviews highly among buyers—and dogs love the taste! In the best cheap dog foods category, Rachael Ray’s stood out.

• Protein (26%): Turkey, turkey meal, and venison. Protein is mainly meat-derived (instead of vegetable derived) and no by-product meals are included.

• Fat (8-10%): Chicken fat preserved with Vitamin E, a labeled animal fat. It’s important to have a labeled fat (instead a generic ingredient labeled “animal fat”).

• Vegetables: Brown rice and peas are highly digestible carbohydrates and are the primary vegetables in this option. Modest amounts of corn products aren’t bad unless your dog is known to be sensitive to them.

• Controversial ingredients: Besides some corn, which is hard to avoid in the budget category, nothing else is controversial. It uses natural flavors, no animal byproducts.

• Dollar value: 30lbs for $34

• Reputation and recall history: It’s an old, reputable company, no recalls for dry food.

• What other reviewers say: This food is very well received, dogs love the taste, and most dogs seems to digest it really well. This is the best cheap dog food on the market!

Runner Up: Best Cheap Dog Food – Nature’s Recipe Adult Dry Dog Food

• Why it’s runner up: At $26.49 for 30lbs, it’s a great deal for the overall quality. Protein content is on the lower side, but it’s high quality protein–lamb. The fat source isn’t named unfortunately. Otherwise, we’d have picked it as #1. If your dog isn’t very active, it’s a good deal.

• Protein (20%): Lamb meal is first ingredient, great quality protein, however slightly low in amount.

• Vegetables: Barley and oatmeal are great for digestive system and contain quality fiber

• Fat (12%): Poultry fat. The fat source isn’t labeled, which isn’t ideal, but it’s preserved with Vitamin E, which is.

• Controversial ingredients: Unnamed poultry fat

• Dollar value: 30lbs for $26

• Reputation and recall history: Reputable company with no recall history.

• What other reviewers say: This dog food is well-received, although if your dog is active it may be good to supplement some additional protein given the low protein content. If your dog isn’t that active, it could be a great choice. If it is active and you supplement the dog food with extra protein, it’s also a great choice. Dogs love the taste of this food!

Notable Mention Cheap Dog Food – NUTRO MAX Grain Free Natural Adult Dry Dog Food

NUTRO MAX Grain Free is a great option due to its protein content (26%) and high quality ingredients, but at $43 per 30lbs it was too expensive to qualify for the best cheap dog foods category. If you can afford it and your dog likes the taste, go for it! It’s a great “budget plus” food. NUTRO MAX had one recall but it was due to a plant malfunction (machinery-related) that they handled valiantly, recalling food for extra precautionary measures.

Criteria We Used to Choose the Best Cheap Dog Food

• Protein content and quality – Aim for 20-25% minimum, depending on dog activity levels. (A racing dog obviously needs more than a couch potato, but extra protein is used as calories or excreted, and excess protein causes no harm.)

Puppies and lactating dogs also require more, at least 30% of total ingredients. Not all protein sources are digested the same way; each protein has a different amino acid composition, therefore the value that the protein has for your dog is different. For example, corn meal or soy contains protein, but the digestibility is low and therefore it’s not as useful for because it leaves your dogs’ body undigested.

Look for protein from a high-quality meat source — meat protein is always better for your dog than vegetable protein. When assessing cheap dog foods, it’s especially important to pay close attention to protein quality because that’s where manufacturers often cut corners.

• Fat source quality – A natural fat source is best, and ideally it should be labeled. “Animal fat” isn’t as good as “chicken fat,” because it’s unclear what kinds of animal fats were blended in the manufacturing process.

This means that it’s harder to be sure of the fat’s origins and quality. As a general rule, you want to have fewer primary ingredients; if your dog is sensitive to any ingredient it may have an allergic reaction that manifests in uncertain ways.

This is not true for vitamins; a rich vitamin and mineral selection in the ingredients is a positive attribute. Also, stay away from soybean oil or other synthetic fat sources whenever possible; these ingredients are often found in low-quality cheap dog foods. The primary role of fat in your dog’s food is to provide energy.

Fat cells, unlike amino acids, don’t play a key role in the structural components of your dog’s body, with the exception of a few enzymes and vitamin structures. Therefore, you should monitor the activity level of your dog and add fat accordingly.

If your dog is exercising a lot, then you may want to add a spoonful of tallow, olive oil, or other fat as needed to the bowl of dog food.

• Vegetable types and quality – Fresh, wholesome ingredients contain a wide spectrum of naturally available nutrients. Avoid grains if possible; unless they are sprouted (they usually aren’t), they can be difficult for dogs to digest.

Furthermore, some dogs have allergies to grains, so as an extra precautionary measure, it’s not a bad idea to avoid grains all together in your dog’s food. There’s plenty of grain-free options even in the cheap dog food category, so there’s no reason to opt for grains if you have access to other options similar in cost.

Also, since kibble is heat-processed, nutrients are broken down during the heating phase (vitamins begin to break apart at temperatures greater than 40 degrees Celsius). We therefore recommend adding some fresh vegetables, some meat, and/or nutrients, vitamins, or mineral boosters to your dog’s food regularly if you rely primarily on dry kibble. Read about the Effects of extrusion processing on nutrients in dry pet food

Your dog will greatly appreciate this extra boost of nutrients and flavor. You may also want to try adding some warm water to the kibble before serving, which releases some flavor, and makes the dog food more palatable.

• Controversial ingredients – The main controversial ingredients to avoid are the preservatives BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin, and artificial flavorings. Look for natural preservatives such as Tocopherols (Vitamin E), Vitamin C, herb extracts, etc.

Artificial flavors can add palatability to otherwise bland-tasting food, so shouldn’t be automatically discounted, unless the flavorings used are known to be unhealthy (we assess the quality of flavors for you in the list above).

In the cheap dog food category, you may also want to look out for corn and grains, where there’s considerable controversy. Our research and practical experience show it’s best to avoid corn and grains since they are not particularly easy for dogs to digest, they can cause allergic reactions (sometimes developing over- time), and usually have little nutritional value beyond caloric content.

Egg product is another common controversial ingredient. It’s an ingredient in many lower-tier pet foods, and the reason it’s controversial is because it’s hard to know whether it comes from eggs fit for human consumption or egg waste products. We recommend staying away from it, look out for it especially in cheaper dog foods.

Another common concern is the various “meat meals” found in dog foods. Things like “chicken meal” are actually a good protein source for your dog, since the concentration of protein is typically very high per pound.

Pure “chicken meat,” on the other hand, is overwhelmingly composed of water, so there’s actually much less protein per pound. Often times, if a pure muscle meat rather than meal is used as a protein, the dog food manufacturer will supplement protein with vegetable proteins such as soy, peas, and corn, which aren’t nearly as well absorbed.

On the label, it looks as if protein is high, but in reality, a lot of it is flushed out of your dog’s body. By-product meal, on the other hand, can be less healthy for your dog—this contains higher concentrations of things like beaks, claws, eggs, and sometimes even feathers. It’s better to avoid by-product meal you have the option of doing so.

• Dollar value – In our search for the best cheap dog food, we’re especially sensitive to the cost per pound; all else being equal, opt for foods that have the most value per pound.

• Reputation and recall history – We check the company’s reputation and recall history. Historically, cutting corners on safety hasn’t been uncommon in the pet food industry. In our selection, we eliminate foods with histories of recalls, which suggests that the company may regularly cut corners on food safety.

• Fiber is also an important consideration when choosing your dog’s food, but all dry kibble generally has adequate amounts of fiber (5-6%).

It’s important to keep in mind – if your dog has excessive bowl movements, seek foods with lower fiber content (4-5%), we excluded it here since it’s not much of a concern for comparing these foods – most of them do a good job.

Our Ranking Process

 For this guide, we spent dozens of hours combing through forums, reviews, and blogs—both editorial and retail—from sources such as petful.com, dogfoodadvisor.com, amazon.com, thedogdigest.com, reviews.com, akc.org, rover.com, care.com, and bestdogfood.org… to name just a few.

We read hundreds of reviews about the best cheap dog foods for dozens of pre-vetted selections. We also spoke with our veterinarian on staff about how to choose the best dog food and how to weigh the cost trade-offs, as well as how to confirm final selection.

Then, we searched the news for any sign of recalls or negative press that might suggest the company isn’t trustworthy for any reason.

In the end, we carefully ordered and examined the products of the list before coming up with a finalized ranking. We also pay careful attention to any recalls or changes in ingredients! (Moderate price fluctuations are normal, especially if you buy through amazon.)

Fun Tip for Dogs that are Picky Eaters

If your dog is a picky eater, you may want to use the famous Pavlovian tactic to stimulate its appetite. Before giving food to your dog, ring a bell (or use any other clearly distinct que). This way, the dog will learn to associate the sound of the bell with the fact that it’s time to eat. (If it doesn’t eat the food within a few minutes, take the food away and try again later when your dog is hungrier.)

After a week or so of this classical conditioning, the sound of the bell will trigger your dog to start salivating profusely, its stomach will generate acid in preparation for eating, and it will generally feel hungrier. Once your dog’s stomach is roaring, it should devour with gusto the food that it was once so picky about!