All too often, I meet dog parents feeding less than stellar food to their animals; the food you give your dog is far more important than you might think. A better food can clear up ear infections, dry and itchy skin, loose stool, red muzzles, red and itchy paws, eye drainage, hair loss, gas, and of course vomiting.
There are many key factors that make a food "high quality", and it's mostly common sense. The most important component of any dog food is the protein: it MUST BE the first ingredient. ALWAYS check the ingredients on the back of the bag. Deboned chicken, deboned pork, etc. is always a good choice. If you see the word "BY-PRODUCT" anywhere on the ingredients list, drop the bag and run. You know the factories where your wonderful chicken breasts are made? There's a vat full of chicken parts they don't use (beaks, feet, miscellaneous organs, eyes, etc). They take that vat, pulverize it into a paste, and stick it in your dog food. It has hardly any nutritional value, and you might as well take food from a garbage dump.
Corn is another nasty ingredient: its impossible for a dog to digest (and humans, for that matter). Give your dog a couple whole kernels of corn, then check their stool. I dare you. You'll find that corn in the same form it went in his body.
Here are some general rules to follow when choosing a dog food:
- Avoid ANY food that contains the word "chow"
- Avoid Purina Beneful, Pedigree, Cesar (we'll look at those ingredients in a minute)
- The cheaper the food, the cheaper the ingredients
- Just because a bag is pretty, doesn't mean the food is healthy
- SHAPES AND COLORS are used to attract humans! Its a marketing ploy! RUN!
- Generally, the most boring looking kibble will be the healthiest
- Avoid "BY-PRODUCTS"
- Watch out for a high concentration of potatoes. These are a filler, and will make your dog gain weight in all the wrong places.
- NEVER buy a food that boasts "all life stages", read life stages needs below
- MADE IN USA (or Canada) Always avoid outsourced production.
Alright. I said this was the ULTIMATE food guide. Let's make it that. If you have a bag of food near you, grab it, or look up the back of a bag online. There should be protein/fat/carbs/etc. percentages. Each brand will be different, and each line within that brand will also be different. Every dog needs a different percentage structure based on their life stage, activity level, and whether or not they are pregnant.
Words you may not know:
- Chondroitin %: This is a sulfate that helps with joint support.
- DHA %: supports brain development
- Beta-carotene: Vitamin-A, an antioxidant which promotes vision and boosts the immune system
- L-Carnitine: tons of uses! pre
- vents muscle weakness, helps control diabetes, cardio-myopathy, weight loss, to improve cardiac function, and slows cognitive decline.
- Glucosamine: joint support
In Part 2, I will answer any questions you may have, discuss calories, investigate "propaganda/marketing" words that companies use, and more helpful tips! Please don't hesitate to comment with any questions, and I'll do whatever I can to answer them.
BREAKDOWN:
- Puppies: Think about their activity level. Running like crazy, then sleeping like crazy. They're also growing rapidly. So, basically babies. Puppies need a higher protein (at least 26%) and a higher fat (at least 15%) concentration. They also need DHA, a supplement that supports brain development.
- Active Adults: Active adults needs a much higher protein (about 30-35%) concentration than less active pups but essentially the same amount (around 15%) of fat. This ratio allows the dog to gain muscle mass. If the fat content was higher, the dog would be at risk of gaining fatty mass.
- Normal Adults: These dogs needs less protein (around 23-25%) and less fat (around 14%) than puppies and active adults. Unused protein would just lead to weight gain.
- Seniors: These guys are special. They need less protein (around 17-20%) and less fat (around 7-9%). They aren't going to use it, it will only make them gain harmful weight. BUT, they do need a few things that young dogs don't: Glucosamine, beta-carotene, chondroitin, and l-carnitine. Make sure you look for these when selecting a food, their uses are found above.
Toy Breeds (<12 pounds) and Small Breeds (<30 pounds)
- Puppies: Again, need higher protein (around 29%) and higher fat (around 17%) than adult dogs, and even standard sized puppies. Toy puppies still need DHA
- Active Adults: Need higher protein (around 36%) and higher fat (around 16%) content
- Adults: Need a higher protein (around 26%) and slightly higher fat (around 15%) content than standard sized dogs.
- Seniors: Need less protein (around 23%) and less fat (around 13%). Obviously, they still need glucosamine, beta-carotene, chondroitin, and l-carnitine.
Large Breeds (>70 pounds, although some bags will start large breeds at 50 pounds)
- Puppies: Need more protein (around 28%) and less fat (around 14%) than standard sized puppies. They still need DHA, as well as glucosamine, l-carnitine, and chondroitin.
- Active Adults: Need more protein (around 36%) and less fat (around 13%) than active standard adults. Large breeds, however, will need glucosamine, l-carnitine, and chondroitin to promote healthy joints, muscles, and organs.
- Normal Adults: Need more protein (around 26%) and less fat (around 13%) than normal standard adults. HOWEVER, it is a good idea to have glucosamine, l-carnitine, and chondroitin to promote healthy joints and organs.
- Seniors: Need less protein (around 22%) and less fat (around 10%) than standard sized seniors. Large breed seniors still need glucosamine, l-carnitine, and chondroitin.
Now, lets take a look at some of the most popular brands. We'll start with my biggest pet peeve, Pedigree.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN a meal and a by-product meal:
meal: a protein meal (beef, chicken, lamb, fish, etc) is created by drying ground meat to a moisture level of 10%. Chicken meal, for example, has a much higher protein content (65%) than regular chicken (18%). The process used to create the meals kills parasites, bacteria, and viruses.
by-product meal: Chicken "by-product meal consists of ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur unavoidable in good processing practice", so yes. There are feathers, but not enough to outright say so. Definition Source
For the sake of consistency, we're only going to look at Adult foods. Normal weights and standard sized breeds, with chicken as its main protein.
PEDIGREE
The very first ingredient in this food is ground whole grain corn. The next ingredient is meat and bone meal. Notice how the bag says "chicken FLAVOR", so shouldn't the meat actually be chicken? The next ingredients are corn gluten meal, animal fat, soybean meal, natural meal ("source of meatier flavor"), chicken by-product meal, dried plain beet pulp, and ground whole grain wheat. I know i should keep this unbiased but...wow. Everything a food should NOT have.
Crude Protein 21%
Crude Fat 10%
Not enough protein or fat.
For a 35 pound dog: 2-1/2 cups per day
316 kcal/cup; 1,555 kcal/lb
Petco (7 pounds): $11.43, $10.43 on sale
Petsmart (17 pounds): $14.99
Chewy.com: NOT SOLD!
EUKANUBA
This food is better than Pedigree, but not by much. While the first ingredient is chicken, the second ingredient is chicken by-product meal. Corn meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Brewers Rice, and Ground Whole Grain Barley follow. Also included in the ingredient list are Chicken Flavor, Dried Egg Product,
Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Fructooligosaccharides. Say those last two things three times fast. Or even at all.
Crude Protein 25%
Crude Fat 16%
Good amount of protein, but too much fat.
For a 35 pound dog: 2 cups per day
348 kcal/cup; kcal/lb not provided
Petco (16 pounds): $29.99
Petsmart (16 pounds): $29.99
Chewy.com (16 pounds): $38.99, $29.99 sale
PURINA
I'm going to review two lines: Beneful and ProPlan. In Beneful, the VERY first ingredient is ground yellow corn. The second? Chicken by product meal. I thought this was a "real beef" food? Aah but notice the bag says WITH real beef, meaning that beef can be anywhere on the ingredients list. Sneaky Purina. The next ingredients are corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat, rice flour, BEEF!, soy flour, and meat and bone meal.
Crude Protein 23%
Crude Fat 10%
Mediocre amount of protein, but not enough fat.
333 kcal/cup; 1,549 kcal/lb
For a 35 pound dog: 2 to 2-2/3 cups
Petco (31.1#): $31.99
Petsmart (15 #): $16.99, $14.99
Chewy.com: NOT SOLD!
ProPlan is Purina's highest quality line, without a doubt. Within the ProPlan line, there are several different sublines: Sport, Savor, Veterinarian, Natural, Natural Grain Free, and Focus. The very first ingredient in Savor is pure beef: good start. However, the second ingredient is rice. Many dogs do well on rice, but I'm not a fan of rice being so high up on the ingredients list. Its a huge filler. The next ingredients are whole grain wheat (allergen), corn gluten meal (allergen and indigestible), poultry by-product meal (nasty), soybean meal (allergen), animal fat, whole grain corn (again, really?), dried egg product, fish meal, and dried beet pulp (totally unnecessary).
Crude Protein 26%
Crude Fat 16%
Great protein, WAY too much fat.
371 kcal/cup; 1,758 kcal/lb
For a 35 pound dog: 2-1/3 cups per day
Petco (18 pounds): $29.99, $24.99 on sale
Petsmart (18 pounds): $31.99
Chewy (18 pounds): $31.99, $24.99 on sale
These ingredients are making me nauseous. Let's move on.
WELLNESS
Wellness has a couple different lines; we're going to check out two of them. Complete Health(TM) is their basic line. The first ingredient here is deboned chicken. The second ingredient is chicken meal, NOT by-product meal. Look above the reviews for that definition. The next ingredients are Oatmeal, Ground Barley, Peas, Ground Brown Rice, Chicken Fat, Tomato Pomace, Ground Flaxseed, Tomatoes, Carrots, Natural Chicken Flavor, and the rest is preservatives and vitamins. Honestly, I really like Wellness and would recommend it.
Crude Protein 24%
Crude Fat 12%
Good amount of protein, maybe a little too low of a fat content.
For a 35 pound dog: 1-1/2 cups to 1-3/4 cups per day
434 kcal/cup; 1,642 kcal/lb
Petco (15 pounds): $32.99, $29.98 on sale
Petsmart (15 pounds): $31.99
Chewy.com (15 pounds): $29.98
Wellness only recently came out with this line, and if my dog didn't have so many allergies I'd have tried it already. My favorite part about this line? NO potatoes, corn, wheat, or soy! The ingredient list is so pretty. Chicken, Chicken Meal, Peas, Chickpeas, Tapioca Flour, Lentils, Chicken Liver, Flaxseed, Chicken Hearts, Chicken Fat, Tomato Pomace, Green Beans, Beets, Apples, and Coconut Oil. I love how specific they are about their chicken ingredients; so refreshing.
Crude Protein 30%
Crude Fat 15%
A lot of protein. This food is probably best for more active dogs, especially with that high fat content as well.
For a 35 pound dog: 2 cups per day
421 kcal/cup; 1,618 kcal/lb
Petco (18 pounds): $69.99, $59.98 sale
Petsmart (18 pounds): $69.99, $64.99 sale
Chewy.com price for 18 pounds: $59.98
NUTRO
One thing I love about Nutro is that they have FOUR life stages, not just three: Puppy, Young Adult, Adult, and Senior. They tailor-made food for dogs 6 months to 2 years, dogs that need nutrients for development but that won't cause early weight gain.
Nutro is pretty much on par with Wellness, maybe a little less depending on which lines you compare within each. Nutro uses a lot more fillers (rice) than Wellness, which is not a good thing. This bags ingredients are: Chicken, Chicken meal, Brewers Rice, Rice Bran, Whole Brown Rice, Whole Grain Oatmeal, Chicken Fat, Split Peas, Natural Flavor, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Sunflower Oil, and Soybean oil, which is an allergen. That is a LOT of rice.
Crude Protein 22%
Crude Fat 14%
Not enough protein, so even though this amount of fat SHOULD be perfect, this ratio makes the fat content too high.
For a 35 pound dog, Nutro suggests feeding 2-2/3 cups for an inactive pet, 3 cups for a dog that gets 1 to 2 hours per day playing off leash, and 3-1/2 cups for a dog that gets 3 to 4 hours per day of intense training.
284 kcal/cup; 1,635 kcal/lb
Petco Price for 15 pounds: $34.99
Petsmart Price for 15 pounds: $34.99
Chewy.com Price for 15 pounds: $30.99
Alright, let's get into the better products.
BLUE BUFFALO
Blue has five different lines: Wilderness Rocky Mountain, Wilderness, Basics, Freedom, and Life Protection. All of Blue's lines are made without corn, wheat, or soy.
Wilderness Rocky Mountain: Higher protein and fat content with exotic protein sources such as rabbit, wild boar, bison, venison. Also grain-free.
Wilderness: Higher protein and fat content for active dogs with the standard protein sources: chicken, beef, lamb, duck. Also grain-free.
Basics: Their line for dogs with severe food allergies. There is no chicken, soy, grains, wheat, eggs, corn, or dairy. A limited ingredient diet.
Freedom: A grain-free diet with a standard amount of protein and fat.
Life Protection: Entry level line, for the most regular of dogs. Normal activity level, no allergies.
DID YOU KNOW?? Blue Buffalo ALSO has a veterinary diet? Vet Diet AND it's amazing. Ask your vet! (no, I'm not being sponsored or paid to say that)
DID YOU KNOW?? Blue Buffalo ALSO has a veterinary diet? Vet Diet AND it's amazing. Ask your vet! (no, I'm not being sponsored or paid to say that)
Today, we're going to look at two of Blue's most popular lines: Wilderness and Life Protection.
Wilderness is grain-free and for dogs that lead a more active life style. The first ingredient is Deboned chicken, followed by Chicken meal, Turkey meal, tapioca starch, peas, pea protein, tomato pomace, chicken fat, flaxseed, natural flavor, dried egg, and potatoes. The first three ingredients are quality protein, that's fantastic.
For a 35 pound dog: 2 cups per day
Crude Protein 34%
Crude Fat 15%
This food is for active dogs, so this protein/fat balance is perfect.
409 kcal/cup; 1,632 kcal/lb
Petco (11#): $34.99, $28.99 sale
Petsmart (11#): $33.99
Chewy.com (11#): $36.99, $28.99 sale
Life Protection Formula is for the dog that needs better food, but doesn't need it to be grain free, hypoallergenic, and doesn't need a boost of protein. As all of their food does, Life Protection is riddled with little brownish-black kibbles of "Lifesource" Bits: "a precise blend of vitamins, minerals, ad antioxidants selected by holistic veterinarians and animal nutritionists." Source It contains: apples, blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, pomegranate, pumpkin, and spinach, promoting: immune system health, life stage requirements, and healthy oxidative balance. The ingredients for this food are: deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, barley, oatmeal, chicken fat, tomato pomace, peas, flaxseed, natural flavor, potatoes, and alfalfa meal. Overall, a very good food.
Crude Protein 24%
Crude Fat 14%
Crude Protein 24%
Crude Fat 14%
I very much respect Blue on this subject; they really know what they're doing with the protein/fat and vitamin contents in their food.
For a 35 pound dog: 2 cups per day
378 kcal/cup; 1,645 kcal/lb
Petco Price (15 pounds): $31.99, $20.99 on sale
Petsmart Price (15 pounds): $30.99
Chewy.com (15 pounds): $34.99, $20.99 sale
Petsmart Price (15 pounds): $30.99
Chewy.com (15 pounds): $34.99, $20.99 sale
TASTE OF THE WILD
TOTW is all grain-free with exotic proteins such as bison, venison, wild boar, etc.
TOTW is all grain-free with exotic proteins such as bison, venison, wild boar, etc.
I love venison. It has a huge amount of protein, but without the extra fat that usually comes with it. The ingredients here are: venison, lamb meal, garbanzo beans, peas, lentils, pea protein, egg product, canola oil, tapioca, tomato pomace, natural flavor, ocean fish meal, and salmon oil. Overall this is a very good brand, but obviously there are much better foods out there.
Crude protein 28%
Crude fat 15%
Honestly, that protein is a little high, but it still wouldn't be enough for an active dog. The fat content is about 1-2% too much as well. This is a very rich food.
For a 35 pound dog: 2-2/3 cups per day
337 kcal/cup; 1,633 kcal/lb
Petco price: NOT SOLD
Petsmart price: NOT SOLD
Chewy.com price: $24.99
MERRICK
Merrick is a fantastic food; I fed it to my dog before I rescued a hound that is allergic to absolutely everything. Merrick does have a limited ingredient diet, but it just didn't suit him. It's all about finding the right fit, and I will still always recommend this brand.
Ingredients are: Deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, brown rice, peas, barley, sweet potatoes, chicken fat, salmon meal, oats, natural chicken flavor, carrots, apples, flaxseed oil, blueberries, and salmon oil (great for shiny coat). I love this list. My personal favorite thing about Merrick is their wet food: it comes in so many great flavors, especially during each holiday. I recently just purchased Easter brunch, Irish stew, and Valentine's Day dinner. All grain free!
Crude protein 30%
Crude fat 15%
Protein is a bit high, but so is the fat content. This food would be better suited for a slightly more active dog.
For a 30 pound dog: 1-3/4 cups per day
359 kcal/cup; 1,626 kcal/lb
Petco price (15 pounds): $34.98
Petsmart price: NOT SOLD
Chewy.com price: $34.98
FROMM (Pronounced FRAHM)
Oh boy, do I love this food; this is what my dogs are eating now, but we're going to analyze Fromm's basic line: Family Classics.
This food is what I call an "entry line": a basic formula. If you can't afford the nicer products but still want the nicer brand, this is the line for you. The ingredients are chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, pearled barley, oatmeal, white rice, chicken fat, menhaden fish meal, dried whole egg, beet pulp, cheese, and flaxseed. The one thing I don't like here is the white rice: it's very fattening for dogs and is more or less a filler. Brown rice is much better, and it's also included. Two types of rice?
Crude protein 23%
Crude fat 15%
Protein is low and fat content is high.
For a 35 pound dog: 2 cups per day
404 kcal/cup; 1,894 kcal/lb
Petco: NOT SOLD
Petsmart: NOT SOLD
Chewy.com (15 pounds): $29.99, $18.99 on sale
This is very inexpensive considering the quality. A 28-pound bag of Fromm can run up to $90.
ORIJEN
Okay, last one. I skipped Acana, but the two are very similar. In my opinion, this is one of the best foods, if not THE best, you can buy for your dog.
Just listen to these ingredients: boneless chicken, chicken meal, chicken liver, whole herring, boneless turkey, turkey meal, turkey liver, whole eggs, boneless walleye (fish), chicken heart, chicken cartilage, herring meal, salmon meal, chicken liver oil, and then finally we get into veggies like peas, pumpkin, yams, butternut squash, carrots, and spinach greens. Orijen also includes fruit: apples, pears, cranberries, blueberries. I just find this so fascinating: toward the bottom of the list you'll find flowers and leaves. Marigold flowers, peppermint leaves, kelp, chamomile, and dandelion. Just look at all that protein.
Crude protein 38%
Crude fat 18%
Your dog absolutely must have a working dog lifestyle to eat this food.
For a 35 pound dog: about 1-1/6 cups per day for a less active dog, 1-1/2 for active dogs.
478 kcal/cup; 1,764 kcal/lb
Chewy.com price (15 pounds): $72.99, $50.99 on sale
This food is only sold in high end and small businesses.
Thank you for reading! Stay tuned.
