Animal Feeds & Needs

Where can you find llamas and Asian deer in Illinois? At the Animal Feeds & Needs, of course! All this time, while passing by this place on my way to Schaumburg, I always thought it was a vet/​animal hospital. It is actually a store that sells animal food, snacks, bedding, toys, etc. for all different types of animals. On the side, there are a handful of llamas fenced around, and you can go and take pictures of them (but not pet/​feed them). Employees are nice enough to tell you about the animals and their history; otherwise, they leave you alone to look around and roam. It’s great to support local stores like this — they’ve been here for about 40 years, and I hope they continue to be there for the next 40+!; they also have a spacious lot to park your car.
+llamas and Asian dear in the backyard!

We came here for parrot food and stayed to watch the llamas and goats. (Or are they alpacas? I can never tell!)
Unlike some other pet food carriers, this store does not sell puppies or kittens, though they do adopt out kittens through a shelter from time to time. It makes me happy to see that they do not support puppy mills! They do appear to breed small numbers of guinea pigs on the premises, and on my visit the mother was nursing her piglets. Very cute! The birds near the registers are not for sale – they are more like the store’s mascots.
I haven’t tried them for this yet, but they offer parrot wing and nail trims by appointment. They appear to be the closest place to me that offers this service.
In addition to food and bedding for numerous animals, Animal Feeds and Needs stocks tons of toys for all kinds of animals – cats, dogs, parrots, and more.
I didn’t find the staff unfriendly, although the woman at the register wasn’t what I would call outgoing. I didn’t go there to socialize, so that’s no big deal to me.
I will probably update this review on my next visit, when I plan to get a parrot mani/​pedi and pick up a suet block for my outdoor bird feeders.

I wish customer service was a bit more of the focus here. The place is packed yeah but that doesn’t bother me much. The problem is when you go to check out and the women at the counters can’t be bothered to stop their personal conversations to do their job. This has happened on two separate occasions. One time the woman had the nerve to sigh and click her tongue as I spent an extra few seconds looking for exact change. I was the only customer in the store but I guess it was keeping her from going back to reading her magazine. The place has a lot of quality foods but lacking quality in staff. I am actively seeking another store for my cats food.

I agree with Nicole in the previous review. The staff seems to be of the folksy, practical mentality that has «seen it all» in pet ownership!
They have a huge selection of supplies in the leashes and dog collar dept! In fact, I think I have bought every collar I own there (5!) I especially like the canine expertise in the sizing and selection of training collars. You don’t find this kind of old-​school knowledge in one of the other pet stores. And they have a great selection of dog foods: Raw, frozen, kibble, treats, natural, grain free, etc. I just used up my rewards card the last time for the free $ 5 off on my bully sticks purchase!

I don’t really get the haterade that’s spinning from Animal Feeds & Needs. Does it seem like this cornucopia of animal eats should be stationed somewhere rural? Yes. Is is a bit grungy? Sure. But will you find a plethora of specialty food items for your furry friends? Absolutely. And that’s why I come here.
My dog is *special.* He is a picky eater, which likely makes him the only beagle on the planet that will not eat just any food put in front of him. And he’s on the skinny side. Always has been… lucky him. Thus, when hubs and I found a food that the little dude heartily eats, we didn’t want to stray from it. And wouldn’t you know it, Animal Feeds & Needs carries said food — Nutri Source Grain Free Chicken Formula. Yeah — our dog probably eats better than we do.
Animal Feeds & Needs has a very simple bonus punch card that knocks off $ 5 after you spend $ 250 along with various brand buyer’s cards. It’s a bit laughable, but whatever. But hey, I found my dog’s food close to home… the staff was pretty informative. That makes me a fan.

I am all about sending business to the non-​chain stores, but we will not be going back to this store.
Positives: The clerk with the blonde hair was very nice and very helpful. She had enough knowledge to answer our questions and spent as much time with us as we needed. We never felt rushed.
Negatives: Stay away from the larger woman with the brown hair. When the nice clerk asked her a question for clarification, she was rude to not only her but to us. She insulted our dog and us (our puppy is only 4 months old and is still learning how to sit when new people come up but she wasn’t even jumping! and is actually way ahead for her age) by saying that our dog needed boot camp. Then, they were somewhat busy and she was acting like it was the apocalypse: running back and forth, huffing and puffing, sweating everywhere… it was bad. What sealed the deal, was when she charged up to us out of nowhere and asked where we were training our dog. When we told her, she proceeded to say, «ugh! I’m not even going there!!» Then walked away without explaining why she felt that way, but then charged back a few minutes later and said she would never take her dogs there. When we asked why, she had trouble answering and sputtered out that they are mean to dogs. We told her that that was not the case and that our trainer has preached the exact opposite, and she walked away from us mid-​sentence. Later when we asked her a question about rawhides, she said «I would never give that to my dog!» and looked us up and down like we were dog abusers! I never felt so uncomfortable and awkward and treated so irrationally. Any time anyone asked her anything, she would give opinions, (obviously not backed up by anything) and then walk away mid-​sentence. I couldn’t believe someone like this has a job; if she owns the place, even worse.
Other negatives: place is dirty and crammed. You don’t know who the staff is because they don’t wear name tags or uniforms or anything else to designate who they are.
I will not support this business again. We have a puppy and we have her in puppy school, she’s well-​taken care of at home, up on all her shots, and is walked every day; definitely in good hands. And to have some clerk give us attitude and put us down for obviously what is some personal problem about our trainer is ridiculous and irrational. What’s funny is she made herself out to be such a great and superior dog owner to us, but clearly doesn’t walk her dogs (once u see her you’ll know); something that is great for your dogs. Go somewhere else.

After two visits, I’ll give my two cents. Easy to find, but difficult to get in and out of the parking lot. The building is set waaaay back from the street, but they have a large sign out front so you should be able to find it.
I called ahead on my first visit looking for new eats for my baby girl, Katie. She is a black lab, boxer and pit mix… we think. And she has a mast cell tumor that we are fighting with the natural form of chemo. So far, so good. But, she needs a diet change. Thankfully, Animal Feeds & Needs had the suggested food. They are close to my office which was a perk as well.
It’s not cheap. But, we aren’t complaining. I wish the food would go on sale… I’ll keep watching.
I’ve also noticed that although the dog food is neatly stacked, everything else is kind of a mess. There is stuff everywhere. I think they are putting ten pounds of stuff into a five pound bag. Again, I’m not complaining. I’m just saying that I’m glad someone is here to help me find what I need.
Finally, they have a punch card system which is nice. Another visit or two and we will get some free dog food. :-)

Haven’t been in here in awhile, the lack of selection being the main reason, the staff is definitely not the most helpful and the store looks like it belongs in the boonies of some rural area, not in the vicinity Arlington Heights.
The same selection of higher quality pet food is available online (for better prices) at PetFoodDirect (recommend using Ebates link to get cash back) or at Rick’s Health Pet Food (Barrington) or a chain like Kriser’s (Barrington) as well.
Excellent organic and higher-​end pet food is not a monopoly, and I never pay for poor service.

I have been buying my dogs food here for about 20 years. I research the prices off and on and they are always comparable, sometimes less with coupons and punch cards. For my current dog I buy higher end grain free food and haven’t found anyone who beats their prices without the «perks.» Also, when I was trying to figure out which food to buy, one of the staff probably spent 20 minutes with me on one occasion and another 20 minutes on another occasion. I’ve always found them to be very helpful and genuinely concerned about my dogs’ needs.

They have a great selection of higher end foods, but prices are a little high and customer service was not anything to get excited about. I only go when I am out and can’t order directly from a distributor, so in a pinch they are great but definitely high on the price.

The store has good prices and good selection. However, the staff is terrible. Not the least bit helpful and for the most part indifferent to the customer. I would shop elsewhere if I could find the products I purchase here… The good news is that my suffering may soon be over as even Petco is starting to carry some of the higher end foods like Solid Gold etc.
If you are the owner and reading these reviews take the many comments about your staff to support the idea that it is time to cull the herd… I know that many of these people have been working for you for some time, but, they just don’t get the whole «customer thing».
Update 3÷16÷2013
I am now shopping for my food at
. They have the same products and I pay about the same amount and the food is delivered to my door! So long Animal Feeds and Needs!

Animal Feeds & Needs has overpriced products with a staff that is downright hostile. What’s with the attitude, ladies? You can’t be bothered to greet customers or be somewhat civil? Pet Supplies Plus is right down the street and has friendly staff and the best prices around.

This is where I buy care fresh litter in bulk for my bunnies, and they have the cheapest price in town ($ 11/​bag if you buy 10 or more). I highly recommend this place, they have great selection of everything you could dream of, a bit pricey for certain items though. I agree with the last reviewer that they don’t seem to be very helpful, the answer is pretty much what you see if what we have.

Animal Feeds and Needs was ALWAYS a place my family would frequent when I was younger. A lot seems to have changed over the past 10 – 15 years; they’ve improved in some areas, while nosediving in others.
The GOOD: They offer a huge variety of foods for dogs, cats, birds, etc. I appreciate that they carry Canidae and Felidae (both dry and canned) and Mazuri.
The NEUTRAL: They still sell a variety of food and seed (for rodents or parrots) in bulk
The BAD: Some of what they sell in bulk SHOULDN’T be sold in bulk. Chinchilla Mazuri SHOULDN’T be sold in bulk. If you still buy your pet’s food in bulk, you’d best be freezing it to kill off any moths that have a tendency to get into the food and lay eggs. There’s nothing grosser than having seed moths fly around your abode because you decided to skimp on your pet’s food. Seriously, gross. Now, I’m not insinuating that AF&N has a bug problem, but it’s inevitable that those buggers will sneak in when food sits out in bins for long periods of time.
ALSO: Their quality and selection of parrot toys have really gone downhill. My mom used to swear by their variety, but now it seems cost is WAY UP and variety is poor. I got a better selection for cheaper at Pet Supplies Plus and at PetSmart… which sickens me to say. I’d rather do business at a family-​owned store than a franchise, but I can’t say I didn’t try.
I’m pretty sad — AF&N used to be THE place to go… and now I can’t bring myself to buy their overpriced toys and food. It’s definitely an inconvenience for me. I hope that someday they will restore the original great quality and selection that they once had.

I agree with some of the posters here. I called to ask about the price of certain brand dog foods. The lady who answered the phone seemed very rude and unwilling to take my call– told me to call back the next day! My dogs were completely OUT of their food and I needed to get more right then. I was very disappointed with their service because I had planned to buy a lot of dog food (a big business for the store). Because of that phone encounter, I walked away from Animal Feeds & Needs and got the foods somewhere else where the employees were more than happy to help me. What’s wrong with the people at this store?

I used to stop here to pick up my dog’s food on days I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it to my usual store in the city… however, I’ve always noticed the sales clerks were never willing to offer help, you need to always ask for it…
Most recently, after speaking with my vet about different foods I should try for my dog, he warned me that a certain brand had recently made his dogs all sick and when he found out I had just purchased a bag of the same brand, he thought I should definitely bring it back before opening it and trying it out with my dog, JUST IN CASE. I called the store and asked if that was possible for me to do even without a receipt, and what my vet had told me… the woman said I could even though she had thought it was only a particular flavor that was having problems. When I arrived later that day, the woman seemed to know I was the one who had called and was initially extremely rude. She did not speak one word to me besides asking if i wanted to exchange it for anything else… when i said no, she just threw me my refund along with a dirty look.
I’m sorry, but when my own vet (whom i trust) suggests I return the food and to play it safe by not feeding it to my dog, after seeing the really bad reactions all of his dogs had on it… I am going to listen. And to give me attitude for wanting to protect the health of my dog because you had to give me a $ 10 refund? I say take it to the dog food brand that had the problem and not on your customers. No matter how convenient the location is for me, I refuse to give any more business to this store, who obviously doesn’t care about their clientele’s pets (even though it’s a pet food store).

Animal Feeds and Needs has the best brands, the hard to find brands, and if needed they even help you to your car. Their pet food has always been fresh; which is great. I purchase high end dry dog kibble and if you are not careful and the location you are buying from does not turn it around fast enough, you can get bad food.
Cost is fair, they are not overpriced — either way, my babies are worth it! :)

They have more than a PetCo, but was dirtier and less organized. Wide selection of unusual llama, small pet, bird, etc. supplies.
I got my kitten raw food (which I haven’t been able to find anywhere else) and some other items not easily found at the chain pet stores. Prices were fair, the employees helpful.