How To Grade Your Dog's Food

[honeychild]

I found this on another board and seeing as theres heaps of food questions thought it might be useful

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. If you don't see your dog's food here, ask and someone will score it for you.

Dog Food scores:

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

__________________

[^* Kabuki Gal *^]

Brilliant! Thanks!

-puts it into her 'doggie info folder'-

Hope you don't mind

[honeychild]

Course not thats what its for

Edited August 30, 2006 by honeychild

[TessaBella]

I also graded these:

Advance Growth Puppy - 74, D

Eukanuba Small Breed Puppy - 92, B

Science Diet Original Puppy - 77, D

Hope that helps any people with young pups...

[Erny]

Science Diet Original Puppy - 77, D

Is that "Hills" Science Diet?

Noticed that the "Science Diets" are rating very low in comparison to others. I presume these are the science diets available for over the counter at supermarkets/dog stores.

Wonder what the specialty Science Diets (available only through Vets) grade as? Eg. Hills Science Diet - TD; ID; etc.

Edited August 30, 2006 by Erny

[Ashka]

Very Useful,

Many thanks & it's now in my folder too :rolleyes:

[KitKat]

Erny - The vet range of Hills is supposed to be very very good...a few steps above their retail range.

[oonga]

ummm ok i am sure i must have added it all wrong!!

i only got 45 points for Royal Canin Maxi Junior?!?!?!

how can the other Royal Canin's have such a high rating, surely i have done something wrong??

does anyone feed this food to their dogs, if so could you please have a go at adding up the score, i thought Royal Canin was one of the better foods??

cheers

oonga

[Trisven13]

Just for fun and because I had a bag donated.... Pedigree Puppy - 54 F :rolleyes:

[oonga]

see THIS is what i am talking about!!! i must have done it all wrong, surely there is NO way Pedigree could score higher than the

Royal Canin Maxi juniour?!?!?!

[Snap]

I've always heard that Eukaneba and Hills Science diet are very good brands?

[honeychild]

I think they are good brands but have a lot of fillers such as corn and that...

[Guest Pandii]

has anyone done super coat

[Lozzie]

For those with large breed puppy:

Advance large breed puppy- 50F ( )

Pro plan large breed puppy- 92B

Not entirely sure they are right though!

[vic2010]

Just stumbled across this. Very good.

[Leenie]

Thanks for this! Very interesting!

Sorry but a lot of Hills Science and Eukanuba / Iams foods contain Ethoxyquin and that is an immediate F for me!!

Hills Z/D contains it for goodness sake! Their allergy food! ha!

[Maile]

Wow! Thanks!

I find this information very useful.

[Guest Clover]

This will be added to my favourites folder aswell, even though i dont feed commercial food. Very interesting .

[BaBoNi]

I am clueless as to how to add it all up. If anyone has the result for Royal Canin Small Breed Junior? And just Royal Canin Small Breed Bites? That would be really useful. I keep the food in an airtight plastic container & throw away the bag. It's more readily accessible with the measuring cup.

But this is a VERY USEFUL thread. I'm going to cross post to another dog group I am part of. I hope that is alright!

[Lab_Rat]

Good Stuff!

I am feeding my RR pup Royal Canin(plus other assorted goodies) at the moment, but hope to discontinue when shes all growd up! It sure makes you think about what the majority of dogs are eating, dont it!