I was curious about where our readers and online friends purchase pet food for their households, so I asked, “Where do you purchase pet food? Neighborhood grocery, warehouse store, locally owned pet-supply store, corporate pet-supply store, online from a big business like Chewy.com, from a smaller specialty business, or … another option? Pet food = food for dogs, cats, and other house pets.
If you’re looking for new ideas about pet food for your family’s animals, I hope these answers suggest some possible sources you have not tried yet. We have so many choices, why limit our options?
Steven Cogswell (Colorado) I use a locally owned pet-supply store, Cosmo’s Dog Bakery & Pet Supplies. They carry a wide variety of high-quality foods from kibble to raw for both cats and dogs. The staff knows me by name and are always happy to answer any questions I have. They bake a wide variety of treats that I like because they are preservative-free with limited ingredients. And their celebration cakes, also baked fresh onsite, are always a hit. At the beginning of the lockdowns, it was brutal; folks were stockpiling food like it was paper towels and toilet paper. The staff at Cosmo’s told me they got deliveries at 4:00 pm on Fridays and by Saturday, they were stripped clean. Now it is more intermittent. They deal with a lot of smaller distributors so that causes some fluctuation of availability. Also, they carry a pretty impressive selection, but they can’t have 25 bags of every food on hand, so there are times when they don’t have what I usually buy. But they’re great about taking my name, putting a bag aside when it comes in and giving me a call. Usually I only go in when I am completely out of food, so I just pick a similar food. I trust the quality of any food they carry, so it hasn’t been much of an issue.
Photo by Steven Cogswell
Kate LaSala Ctc Csat (Connecticut) Mostly online from PetFlow but I also buy treats and try out smaller bags of food from a local store.
Jaxon Riley (Washington) We buy our pet food from a small local pet-supply store, Prairie Dog Pet Mercantile. They carry high-quality pet food and pet sundries. The staff is helpful, educated, and focused on the health of dogs and cats. This small shop is one of two locations in our city and also hosts puppy training classes.
Sheila Gomez (Washington) Urban Canine, a local business that opened in 2003. They carry top brands of dog and cat food. Types of raw dog food, too. They have antlers, bully sticks, packaged pet snacks for training, and fun treats, plus dog supplies like collars, leashes, and harnesses. Friendly staff and knowledgeable.
Sarah Adams (Oregon) Chewy. And I get some canned food at the grocery store to stuff Kongs.
Janet Velenovsky (Virginia) Local raw food co-op.
Christine Hale Vertucci (Illinois) Chewy for my dog on a Rx diet, and usually a neighborhood (chain) store for my non-Rx food. I sometimes rely on Chewy for non-Rx foods.
Amy Suggars (Ohio) I was buying my food from Amazon. The price was comparable to Chewy, my local pet store. and the only local big-box store (Menards) that carries the brand. With Amazon Prime, I get free shipping so I didn’t have to sign up for a subscription like with Chewy or PetFlow. However I recently switched to a raw food (Darwin’s) and purchase directly from them.
Sandie Hanlon (Massachusetts) I use Chewy for prescription diets and pharmacy needs. I like the auto-ship option, which gives a discount. I also use a small local chain and two owner-run pet-supply stores. I can’t get everything I need from one place with my four dogs.
Linda Ehrenworth (New Jersey) Technically, a supermarket, but not the pet-food aisle. I make my own dog food.
Annie Zeck (Washington) From my veterinarian. One dog eats a prescription food.
Kathleen Huggins (Washington) [I buy food] wherever [it’s] on sale and we also do homemade and add supplements. Yes, with vet’s blessing after one dog (now gone) got diabetes a few years ago.
George Guba (New York) Chewy. The nearest pet store is 30 miles away and has higher prices.
Flacortia Rosiea (Alberta) Boutique pet-food shop. But that will change when I move.
Donna Furneaux (Ontario) Specialized dog and cat food store. The owner has dogs and cats and knows his stuff. He also sells an assortment of raw foods. He is a font of knowledge.
Kenna Stonefern (New Hampshire) I started a buying group. I always have between six and nine dogs and food is expensive. I found the local distributor to the various pet stores in my region and opened an account as if I were a pet store. I have allowed my friends and friends of friends to join the buying group. We buy all of our food, toys, cat food, and other supplies at wholesale. Everyone chips in a small amount of money for shipping and we order about $2,000 worth of dog food every eight weeks. I divide out the order along the end of my driveway and text everyone that their food is available for pick up. It’s a little work, but it’s a win-win for everyone. I get my dog food VERY inexpensively and I share the wealth with others so we can get to the minimum order.
Timothy Page (Oregon) I buy a lot of treats and food from Portland Pet Supply, a family-owned small store. It’s a nice three-quarter–mile one-way walk with the pups. They get their nails trimmed on the same trip at Portland Pampered Pets right next door to the pet-food store. I also get some treats and “bones” from Chewy.
Lynn Ungar (Washington) Some at Costco. Some at pet-food stores. Some online. Some I make at home.
Karen Schlosberg (Massachusetts) Chewy because Roo is on a special diet (not Rx) that is hard to find elsewhere.
Dale Ward (North Carolina) Chewy. They have what I need 95% of the time and when they don’t, I check Amazon or go directly to the company. I don’t go out to stores at all anymore.
Rebekah Piedad (California) Chewy, directly through my vet for an Rx diet, and the grocery store.
Olivia McCollum (Washington) I buy from Chewy because we live in a big city and driving/parking is pretty hard. Also we shop once in a while at our local pet-supply shop when we can!
Sandee Strobel Szabo (Virginia) We currently use Chewy for our dog, cat, and bird food. Before we moved to our current location, we used a mom-and-pop pet store called Weber’s Pet Supermarket. They were great, with a huge selection and great customer service. Chewy is convenient and easy to use for auto-delivery of all of our food. We love that they have auto-delivery and free delivery to our home. (Picking up large bags of dog food is a lot for me to carry.) We also use them for some of our prescriptions for our pets.
Peggy Frezon (New York) Chewy. I started ordering from them 11 years ago when they started out as “Mr. Chewy” and their service is so good I’ve remained with them all these years.
Kelly Mose Cuilla (Washington) Used Chewy.com until I found I could get the same food much cheaper at Costco. $1.81 a pound vs. $1.44. All savings add up.
Wendy Grier (British Columbia) Locally owned pet store. As the relative of a small-business owner who had to close, I will only buy local. It’s really not much more $ and the knowledge and service can’t be beat.
Sherry Al-Mufti (California) I buy pet food and most pet supplies from Pet Food Express, a local chain. I buy from this chain for the following reasons (not necessarily in this order): they are local; they are a very good employer—they pay a living wage, provide good employee benefits, and in general treat employees well; they are very careful and thoughtful about the quality of the products they carry; they train their employees thoroughly on the products they carry and why they choose to carry those products; if your pet will not eat something you bought at their store, they will take it back and refund the cost of purchasing it; they have a buy three, get one free policy, so if you buy things in quantity, you can save up to 25%.
An ideal source for excellent advice about pet food is a veterinarian with a strong interest in and an up-to-date education on animal nutrition. Ask about food when you’re interviewing veterinarians for your family’s pets. Read the information on nutrition that your veterinarian suggests. Every time you visit the clinic with your pet, ask the vet you’ve chosen, “How is what I’m feeding working for my pet?”
