I’ve heard of more people who feed their dog a ‘raw’ diet, but I must say that seems like waaaay too much work for me.
My own dog has eaten Pedigree all her life. It’s been great for her. She’s never had a health problem, is trim, active, with bright eyes and a shiny coat. It’s also one of the few commercial dog foods that had no recalls in the melamine scare of a few years ago.
We used to feed Purina One - then we discovered that Otter had allergies, so we switched him to Duck and Potato - and for the life of me I cannot think of the brand (Royal Canin, perhaps?). Huh. The other two are also eating the D&P (vet said no big deal, other than cost, since its a vet brand).
When the whole Menu Foods debacle exploded (from which my Smokey (aka Mr. Cat) died) we would give them dry kibble, but instead of canned food with it, I would cook up chicken and mixed veggies and top their kibble with that. Now that its all over, we went back to canned food for the topping.
It was a big PITA so I am hoping that there are no more of these issues. I rather like life being simple.
Eukanuba dog food, but she also gets to share everything we eat. Her nickname is “Last Bite Lil” because she gets the last bite of anything consumed in the house.
Today after her vet visit, she seemed a little less voracious than usual. My husband asked, “Do you think I should call the vet and say ‘I’m worried because my dog won’t finish her yogurt?’” 
Whatever is on sale generally. I check the ingredients and the protein content and won’t buy brands with less than 20% protein or with odd stuff in there (corn? for dogs?) … unless it is really marked down. I don’t notice any big difference in the ingredients between the cheap brands and the expensive. That said, I love my dog and buy him what he seems to like to eat, which is currently “Taste of the Wild”, dry dog food made with bison and some other game type animal. Same price range as Purina, Pedigree, etc.
Right now they are on Solid Gold, Hund-n-Flocken. We have two dogs. The little one could live on anything, she is the hardy sort, never been ill. The big dog gets serious digestive issues if she feeds on anything but premium dog food or homemade. She also gets itchy skin on any chicken based dog food so we have to find lamb, bison, or beef based foods for her. We do switch brands every now and then to try different stuff, but the Solid Gold seems great, and it’s not any more expensive than mid range stuff like Science Diet.
My dogs get feed store dog food. I feed them a little hotter in the winter so they can build up a little fat to stay warm, and a little cooler food in the summer. They’ve done just fine on it.
Ours are on Solid Gold Holistique, which is a lower-protein food for older dogs. Our older dog’s age is unknown, maybe 9-10, but he’s been getting it since we’ve had him, which is 4+ years now, because he had a UTI when he was first picked up as a stray and it was recommended that we give him a lower-protein diet to avoid stones. (My first corgi had bladder stones and I never want to hear a dog scream like that again.)
The girl is only 5, but she gets it too – when she came to us from the puppy mill, she was in very bad condition, underweight, undernourished and her hair falling out by the handful. She’d just had the last of who knows how many litters, and the vet OKd the Solid Gold for her too. They both do great on it.
I feed all three of mine dry Purina One Small Bites Beef and Rice, and they each get a little Pedigree wet food. Actually, Lucy the [del]Lab[/del] Pig gets a bit more wet than the other two. That girl loves to eat!
I recently started to feed raw. It isn’t much more work than taking something out of the fridge and putting it in a bowl. I was spending ridiculous amounts of money on quality dog food and since I’ve done my research, I feel I can do just as well as the pet food companies without all the questionable crap they add - and charge me for.
Captain gets Wellness. I hate to spend it, but it does make him poop less, and he has problems with itchiness.
ETA - for a while there I was feeding the cats raw, but I don’t think I could afford to do it with Captain - he eats a LOT. It got to be a lot of work, but I really ought to go back to it.
A few weeks ago I bought dry dog food and calculated the price at about $1.50 a pound. Then I went next door to the grocery store and bought some flank steak (on sale) for $2.00 a pound. As I walked to my car I wondered … wouldn’t it be better to just feed my dog meat?
Except dogs (and cats) need more than “just meat”.
Whatever you can say about bad commercial diets, and there were and may be current problems with it… the alternatives also have their challenges, risks, and problems.
My dog eats Purina JM. Before that, it was Science diet MJ. Before that, it was Science Diet Large breed puppy. Before that, it was regular Science Diet puppy food, mixed with Purina puppy chow and IAMS puppy chow.
Basically, my dog has been fed whatever is free for me at the moment. And Purina JM makes her stools less bulky.
I chose “expensive premium food” but I don’t know that it really is. My dog does get some table scraps and “people food” on occasion, but his main food is Iams.
I have read that there is better stuff for them and that Iams is not that much better (if at all) than any other store-brand dry food, but it is what he was on at the shelter when we rescued him.
I have tried to change his food a couple of times to Pedigree or Beneful or something that is a little cheaper but his pooping habits get so bad and such a mess to clean up, and he always seems to be hungry. With Iams I feed him twice a day using a measuring cup and he is fine, but when I switch brands he begs for more even immediately after eating and it seems to take more than twice as much to fill him up. 
He is 10 years old and healthy, his vet can’t believe he is as old as he is (she says he seems more like a dog half his age) so I guess something is working and I don’t worry too much about it.
How much does the price go up on the meat ($/lb) once you recalculate the weight after cooking it?
I feed Costco’s brand, but it is made by Diamond, which is generally considered “premium.” It’s around $23 for 40 lbs.
Eukanuba puppy food. Our dog that died a couple years ago ate that brand her whole life and was always in great condition, so when we got our new puppy, we went with the same thing.
I’m not the shiftless, but I buy meat on sale and don’t cook it. I feed it raw. Wolves and wildcats don’t cook any of their food, and dogs/cats are basically wolves/wildcats in cuter clothing. I shop around but try to stay under $1/lb for meat. Sometimes I spend more, sometimes I spend less.
The pet food industry has really done a wonderful job convincing us that over processed, cooked, (mostly) grain-filled, commercial pet foods are the only way to go…
Kirkland brand cat food.
We already had cats when we got the dog, and we never found a dog food that he’d eat as long as the cat food was available. After awhile, we said “hell with it…the dog eats cat food”.
We feed our dog Horizon - it’s a premium Canadian brand. We tried a few different kinds because she has a sensitive stomach, and this seems to be the only one that doesn’t cause her any problems.
Boomer lived to be 12, eating Purina and Pedigree and occasional scraps (and lots of treats). We’re feeding Sadie Iams Puppy. She poops twice a day – nice sturdy poops. We’ll probably stick with Iams. The cats eat it too – Rick will be 18 in April and Mick is 15.