Dry Dog Food- The Good, The Bad & The Ugly..

[Aussie Stafford]

Here is a rating system....

How does your dog's food rate? Dog foods and ratings.

Here is a list of ingredients and definitions you'll find in your dog's food: http://www.redbandannapetfood.com/ingredient.htm

More websites:

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/

http://www.mordanna.com/dogfood/

http://www.feedmypet.com/dog-food-comparison.html

How to grade your dog's food:

Start with a grade of 100:

1) For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points

2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points

3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points

4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points

5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer’s rice", "rice flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points

6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points

7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points

8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points

9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points

10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points

11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points

12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points

13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn’t allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points

14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn’t allergic to beef), subtract 1 point

15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point

Extra Credit:

1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points

2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points

3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points

4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points

5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points

6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points

7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points

8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points

9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points

10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point

11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point

12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point

13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point

14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point

94-100+ = A

86-93 = B

78-85 = C

70-77 = D

<70 = F

Here are some foods that have already been scored....

Alpo Prime Cuts / Score 81 C

Artemis Large/Medium Breed Puppy / Score 114 A+

Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+

Authority Harvest Baked Less Active / Score 93 B

Beowulf Back to Basics / Score 101 A+

Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F

Blackwood 3000 Lamb and Rice / Score 83 C

Blue Buffalo Chicken and Rice / Score 106 A+

Burns Chicken and Brown Rice / Score 107 A+

Canidae / Score 112 A+

Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+

Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F

Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B

Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A

Diamond Performance / Score 85 C

Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+

Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Venison and Brown Rice / Score 106 A+

Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+

EaglePack Holistic / Score 102 A+

Eukanuba Adult / Score 81 C

Eukanuba Puppy / Score 79 C

Flint River Senior / Score 101 A+

Foundations / Score 106 A+

Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 B

Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D

Innova Dog / Score 114 A+

Innova Evo / Score 114 A+

Innova Large Breed Puppy / Score 122 A+

Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+

Member’s Mark Chicken and Rice / Score 84 C

Merrick Wilderness Blend / Score 127 A+

Nature’s Recipe / Score 100 A

Nature’s Recipe Healthy Skin Venison and Rice / Score 116 A+

Nature’s Variety Raw Instinct / Score 122 A+

Nutra Nuggets Super Premium Lamb Meal and Rice / Score 81 C

Nutrience Junior Medium Breed Puppy / Score 101 A+

Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B

Nutro Max Adult / Score 93 B

Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice / Score 98 A

Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B

Nutro Natural Choice Puppy Wheat Free / Score 86 B

Nutro Natural Choice Senior / Score 95 A

Nutro Ultra Adult / Score 104 A+

Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F

Premium Edge Chicken, Rice and Vegetables Adult Dry / Score 109 A+

Pro Nature Puppy / Score 80 C

Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach / Score 94 A

Purina Benful / Score 17 F

Purina Dog / Score 62 F

Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F

Purina One Large Breed Puppy / Score 62 F

Royal Canin Boxer / Score 103 A+

Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+

Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+

Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F

Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F

Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A

Solid Gold / Score 99 A

Summit / Score 99 A

Timberwolf Organics Wild & Natural Dry / Score 120 A+

Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+

Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

[Luke W]

14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn’t allergic to beef), subtract 1 point

??

Is beef a common allergen ?

PS - What's the source of this rating system?

Edited March 9, 2009 by Luke W

[Luke W]

I've received a few emails with similar content recently and would like to address this topic:

Dear Dog Food Project, I have recently found a "grading system" for dog kibble that is very handy. Could you include a link to it on your site please? I think it would help a lot of people to make even more sense of the hundreds of products out there.

I've looked at the list and would like to post a few comments about it. While the original author (whom I do not know) has good intentions and it does look like a good tool at first glance, after closer examination it's not very useful at all.

The biggest flaw is the "extra credit" section, since points of both sections are counted equally. You could basically have a so-so food that has minuscule amounts of a few "gimmick" ingredients thrown in to make the product list look more impressive on paper, but its quality is still not all that great and the food will end up with a fairly high ranking that it doesn't truly deserve. On the flip side, many products with simpler formulations will rank lower just because they only contain a small number of ingredients, even if they are of the highest quality. The grading list disregards the fact that not every dog does well on the same type of food and a "one size fits all" approach.

Let's go over the flawed points of the list:

continued here: http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=grading_kibble

...

I found the original author:

My name is Sarah Irick and I am a Great Dane owner and rescue volunteer. I am a Civil/Industrial Engineer, not a veterinarian or animal nutritionist by education or employment. I do not work for a pet food manufacturer nor am I affiliated with one. I am just an individual who is concerned about what I feed my dogs and wants to help others decide what to feed their own. I cannot remember the exact date I designed this system, though I know it's been more than a year (probably 2-3 years ago). I was concerned with the way people sometimes throw out names of "good" dog foods that maybe aren't so good, and others take their words for it. Foods that maybe used to be good before their ingredients were changed for the worse or before better options became available are still being touted by some as being super-premium and I disagree. Since many pet owners do not have the time or inclination to do as many hours of research into pet (specifically dog) nutrition as I and many of you have, I wanted an *easier* way for them to compare labels. Unfortunately it is still a bit cumbersome (sometimes 2 people calculate the same food and get different scores even) but it's better than nothing in my opinion.

Is it exact science? No. I don't claim for it to be. In fact I’ve had to make a couple of changes over time (which the above don't reflect) for new circumstances I’ve run across, such as the food that contained NO MEAT (not a special diet just one that was so cheap it didn't contain any meat at all) and needs a steep penalty in my opinion, but still scored a decent grade on the original. Another example is the newer kibbles that contain no grain but, in my opinion, if it still has sufficient fiber and carbs then it deserves extra credit that wasn't previously reflected. Also I’ve gotten comments and opinions that I take seriously and incorporate if it seems appropriate.

I don't have a permanent site host for this although seeing how hugely popular it is and how widely spread without accreditation it has become perhaps I should do so. It isn't that I care so much about credit but many people will ask the questions that your posters have about my affiliations and biases, etc.

http://www.naperdoodles.com/dogfood.htm#sarah

[Aussie Stafford]

umm i didnt post this topic to judge other pet diets..only bloody posted to inform of i what i find interesting etc..dont think ill bother about the diet topics anymore..

[Luke W]

I was curious about where the list came from and who created it.

I found out some extra info so I posted it.

????

[laeral]

This is the third thread I have read from you tonight regarding diet info and in each one you have become angry and said you wont post anymore after only a couple of comments. Im not sure what kind of responses you are expecting to get?

Edited March 9, 2009 by laeral

[Gretel]

This is the third thread I have read from you tonight regarding diet info and in each one you have become angry and said you wont post anymore after only a couple of comments. Im not sure what kind of responses you are expecting to get?

hmmm possibly

I am finding this poster rather offensive with the shouting and swearing

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

This information and various links have been posted previously

[persephone]

Is there a version with only Australian-available foods?

[nksyd]

I agree - an Australian available one would be good.

These lists I do find interesting but then I get a bit overwhelmed with all the information!! After researching for a long time and then putting my dog on Orijen, and subsequently my cat, my cat became paralysed from the bloody food

Molly now on Eagle Pack Holistic so happy to see it's got a good score

[stormie]

The only way to rate a dog food IMO, is by how your dog does on it. Just because a website rates something as high, doesn't mean it's going to be better for your dog.

[Rebanne]

umm i didnt post this topic to judge other pet diets..only bloody posted to inform of i what i find interesting etc..dont think ill bother about the diet topics anymore..

can't help yourself can you

why don't you post what you think instead of trying to pass off other people's work as your own

[persephone]

an Australian available one would be good.

These lists I do find interesting but then I get a bit overwhelmed with all the information!!

*nods*

[Alyosha]

Animal fat is bad for dogs? I actually have to add more to the diet of some of mine, being low-body-fat breeds, especially in winter??

[Greytmate]

Animal fat is bad for dogs? I actually have to add more to the diet of some of mine, being low-body-fat breeds, especially in winter??

Don't be confused. Ignore silly rating systems that do not actually talk about what ratio of nutrients are in the food.

Different dog breeds, and different individual dogs require slightly different balances of nutrients depending on how they use them, and the source of the nutrients is not really important to the dog, only the quality and availability.

Many dogs belonging to people that care about quality food are actually overnourished. Even cheap food that contains a lot of cereal has enough nutrients for some dogs. Add too many nutrients, and your dog will just be fat, and all the extra nutrients end up in the dog's poo.

I am interested in reading articles from people that have studied nutrition, and can explain how the dog actually uses the nutrition available to it. The more we learn about this, the better position we will be in to decide what to feed our dogs. I am not interested in reading articles that are just opinions, and or that rate food to unimportant or nonsense standards. It is psuedo science, and insulting to the people that do understand canine nutrition.

[Alyosha]

Don't be confused. Ignore silly rating systems that do not actually talk about what ratio of nutrients are in the food.

Different dog breeds, and different individual dogs require slightly different balances of nutrients depending on how they use them, and the source of the nutrients is not really important to the dog, only the quality and availability.

Many dogs belonging to people that care about quality food are actually overnourished. Even cheap food that contains a lot of cereal has enough nutrients for some dogs. Add too many nutrients, and your dog will just be fat, and all the extra nutrients end up in the dog's poo.

I am interested in reading articles from people that have studied nutrition, and can explain how the dog actually uses the nutrition available to it. The more we learn about this, the better position we will be in to decide what to feed our dogs. I am not interested in reading articles that are just opinions, and or that rate food to unimportant or nonsense standards. It is psuedo science, and insulting to the people that do understand canine nutrition.

Thankyou.

I'm interested to know how many of the scary medical problems dogs are suffering in alarming amounts these days relate to the increase (or maybe obsession?) about their diet. Do you guys think they were just not diagnosed so well in the past, or that they are on the increase?

Lets not forget that a dog's digestive system is designed as it was originally - as a scavenger and carnivore. I know that we have altered dogs requirements slightly by altering breeds by form etc. But they still are basically what they are - dogs, with dog digestions.

It worries me that many vets are in receipt of payment by dog food companies. Does this concern others?

[Crisovar]

It worries me that many vets are in receipt of payment by dog food companies. Does this concern others?

Can please elaborate on this if you mean payments as in profits on food sold, yes this happens at Vets and any where else any product is sold.

The only kick backs I have ever seen are the odd promo item, so I would love to hear more about this.

[vampy]

It worries me that many vets are in receipt of payment by dog food companies. Does this concern others?

Can please elaborate on this if you mean payments as in profits on food sold, yes this happens at Vets and any where else any product is sold.

The only kick backs I have ever seen are the odd promo item, so I would love to hear more about this.

Yes, I'd like to know more about this too.

[Staff'n'Toller]

It worries me that many vets are in receipt of payment by dog food companies. Does this concern others?

Can please elaborate on this if you mean payments as in profits on food sold, yes this happens at Vets and any where else any product is sold.

The only kick backs I have ever seen are the odd promo item, so I would love to hear more about this.

Yes, I'd like to know more about this too.

Ditto.

[Alyosha]

I think kick backs and profits is more to the point - sorry about that. I have no idea how extensive it is, but seems to me a conflict of interest. I know the same stuff can be true with doctors and certain company's drug lines etc.

Veterinarians and Pet Food

Is this more of a thing that goes on in the US? Or is it prevalent here as well?

I don't want to be stepping on toes, but am curious...