Alot of people use this site as a basis for food reviews -
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
We mostly feed our dogs [many of which are grain intolerant]:
Natural Balance Duck & Potato - 4 stars
Natural Choice Salmon and Sweet Potato - not reviewed
Ariel feeds her guys Taste of the Wild Prairie - 6 stars but recently affected by a recall in the same plant.
I feed my dogs a rotation diet. They get something different every meal.
Dry:
Acana,
Orijen,
Blue Wilderness,
First Mate,
Merrick 5 Star Entrees,
Go,
Now,
Addiction,
Fromm,
Horizon Legacy,
Horizon Amicus,
I used to feed these, but have completely stopped feeding any product made by Diamond
Natural Balance,
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul,
Canidae,
Taste Of The Wild
Canned:
Blue's Stew,
Merrick 5 Star Entrees
Merrick Before Grain,
Addiction,
Tripette,
Fromm
Dehydrated Raw:
Addiction,
Canisource,
The Honest Kitchen
K9 Natural
You have just named the most popular dog foods in Australia... I would love to feed mine raw meals but sometimes the price is just too much... I used to feed Artemis but it's no longer available from my supplier..Puppylove,
unfortunately, many many vets are NOT good resources to ask what to feed a dog. Not all, but many vets, either do not know, or do not care.
In USA, anyway, many many vets will advise you to feed your dog
Purina,
Eukanuba,
Hill's Science Diet,
Alpo,
Iams,
Pedigree,
KibblesNBits,
and the like.
all of which are horrible (and often way overpriced!!) dog foods.
If i could afford to feed my dog anything, no matter what the price,
i'd feed my dog raw meat:
http://www.rawlearning.com/
My puppy, Gretel, is 7 months old...but Orijen is not sold in AustraliaWe just put Holly on Orijen Puppy
(she is small and gets less than a cup per day so it isn't very expensive) in addition to other random stuff that she gets for treats and an edible chew or kong in the evening. She will also eat anything that gets dropped that you can't get off her quick enough (including a raw brussel sprout and the cabbage that's meant for the chickens).
SouthernGirl, a low budget dog food that is big step up from Ol Roy(0.50 cents per pound)
is Kirklands, (0.60 cents per pound) sold at Sams or Costco, i think.
http://www.petfoodratings.net/dogs.html#kirk
or
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/kirkland-signature-dog-food/
but i understand about not being able to afford a dog what you'd LIKE to feed a dog. and your mom IS feeding a LOT of lucky dogs, and many of them are BIG dogs, too.
I can't feed my dog the stuff i want to, either,
and Puppylove,
i feed my dog "ChickenSoupForThe Dog Lovers Soul"
"Chicken soup" dog food, is only about a dollar a pound.
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/chicken-soup-dog-lovers-soul-dry/
It's made in USA,
it lists four (4) meats on top of list, and two are already in 'meal' form
(hard to beat)
has probiotics,
has no corn (filler, is undigestible to dogs)
no soy (could be allergen)
no wheat (common allergen)
no byproducts (gross non meat parts of animals, like hooves and beaks)
no cellulose (cardboard)
no animal digest (this can be anything from dead dogs who were euthanized, to actual poop)
no brewer's rice (that is like peanut shells)
no synthetic vitamin k
no proven carcinogens and toxic preservatives
and i can afford it, and my dog is thriving nicely on it.
I add meat scraps (rinsed of all spices) on top of each bowl. Whatever we eat, dog gets some,
beef, fish, chicken, pork, eggs, venison, lamb, goat, poultry, whatever.
BUT, i am becoming increasingly interested in doing like Sara does, and rotating to try to find other quality, similarly priced dog foods to swap out now and then. I am looking over the following dog foods to rotate around with the ChickenSoup,
as possibly within my price range:
Merrick classics,
Fromm
Canidae ALS
Premium Edge
Nutrisource
BUT, i am becoming increasingly interested in doing like Sara does, and rotating to try to find other quality, similarly priced dog foods to swap out now and then. I am looking over the following dog foods to rotate around with the ChickenSoup,
as possibly within my price range:
Merrick classics,
Fromm
Canidae ALS
Premium Edge
Nutrisource
Actually, I would feed this to my dogs, but add meat. there is alot of grain in it, so if you add a little meat to it, you are good to go. They dont have the guaranteed analysis on their website though, which makes it hard to be completely sure about the food.This is what I'm feeding at the moment... It's on a trial basis at present... My three dogs seem to really enjoy it but I'm still undecided.
http://www.pawsforlife.com.au/dog-food/Black-Hawk