Looks like it has a lot of rice - notice that the split it up into three different "parts" of rice. This is done so that the rice moves lower down on the ingredient list, if you combine it there is almost certainly more rice than lamb.

Also, I noticed that while lamb is the meat source, they use "poultry fat" as the fat source. If you are dealing with allergies, this may or may not make a difference to you. I will say that I usually stay away from non-specific protein and fat sources. "Poultry" means that they don't know what type of poultry it comes from, and it can also mean that the type of poultry varies by batch (depending on what their supplier has available).

I concur with you on the beet pulp, I'm not a big fan of it. Also, I noticed that salt is quite high in the ingredient list which I don't like to see.

I hear you on cutting costs, but not with a food that will give you bad results. I would suggest Canidae, which is very economical (due to a high kcal/cup) but it does have multiple proteins which you may not want if you have allergies. They have a lamb & rice version, although it has rosemary extract (not sure if this is the same as rosemary oil).

Have you considered a grain-free diet? They are more expensive, but also you feed less (since they're typically higher calorie). I vaguely recall that they are good for epi dogs, but I'm certainly not an expert on the condition.

I agree, I notice in your posting that you mentioned you buy grocery - supermarket type dog food, this is typically the worse pet food you can feed your animal (depending on the grocer) I understand being on a limited income can make things tough for pet owners, I suggest you find a higher proteiin based dog food. Feeding your dog anything with rice, wheat, and meals as the first couple of ingredients is like feeding your dog junk food, it is cheaper on a monthly basis but can be costly later on in higher vet bills because the dogs are not as healthy. I recommend slowly switching to a better brand like Natural Balance or even Trader Joes dog food (less than a dollar a can) you can mix the canned food with a bit of hamburger (Costco has great hamburger prices) Buffalo meat or even Natural Balance crunchies. The better food you feed your dog, the healthier it will be and the less it will eat, and the less it will poop. It is just like when people eat, if we eat a bunch of junk food, we stay hungry because we are ingesting empty calories as compared to sitting down and eating a good balanced meal. You will get fuller faster and eat less in the long run. Good luck with your pups.

Yep. Rice, Rice, and more Rice. And as the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th ingredient. Which means there's a lot of rice in there. I'd skip that brand and go for something with more protein from meat.

Also, compare the amounts of food for each product. Lassie shows 4 1/2 cups a day and California Natural just 3 cups a day for 60 pound dog. Savings isn't 'real' if you have to feed more, regardless of quality.

Thanks for your input folks. Rosemary extract would also be "out". I can't give my epi dog that (hey, I can't use PineSol anymore either). It's considered to be a seizure trigger by the Epi Guardian Angel's list (big kudos to that list also for anyone with a seizure dog, please google it if your dog has seizures or epilepsy).

By the way Mazer, no I do NOT EVER use grocery brand dogfood -- EVER. I am a huge proponent for holistic feeding of animals. I stick with California natural due to my Mocha's allergies and epilepsy (89 lb dog). I can't even feed Innova even though I find that Naturapet products are very sound. He just can't tolerate a high variety. Before I had the rest of my dogs, I just had the one and home cooked. When I got the others, my freezer couldn't handle the load (I'm not a raw fan, though its great for some).

I guess I'll stick with Cali. However, I would probably reccommend Lassie as a lesser of MANY evils over many of the other commercial foods out there for those that are financially challenged.

You guys are great! Thanks.

Since all my dogs eat together, it just makes sense for me to feed them all the same thing. There's no *practical* way to feed those four monsters separately given that one would be eating Cali (sort of bland -- 3 ingredients) while feeding the other 3 something else. (Hey there's a reason we all love junk food. It's like feeding 3 children Happy Meals while feeding a 4th a bowl of tofu. LOL).

The op in her post said she fed California Natural, which is certainly not a grocery store brand.

I agree with what's been said -stick with the California Natural.

Sally

Thanks again guys. And no offense taken at all. Mazer has posted many helpful things in my time here. We all misread from time to time. I'm grateful to all for advice :)