Dog Food Comparisons
.... we can help!
Making dog food comparisons has become more and more important over the last few years, and also much trickier!
There are so many different types of dog food on the market..... and so many different opinions about the best ingredients, manufacturing processes, supplements, and so on - that choosing the best dog food for your pooch is definitely a challenge. On this page you'll find a system that will help you to 'rate' or evaluate, any dog food by taking a close look at it's ingredients, and doing a few simple calculations. It will help you find the best food for your dogs' individual needs - plus there's a handy Canine Calorie Calculator tool so that you can figure out exactly how much of that food to feed him/her. So relax, the confusion ends here!
If only there was a way to do a basic dog food analysis, taking into account the dog food ingredients over many different types of dog food. Preferably one that doesn't require a degree math or science! Well, actually there is such a way of making dog food comparisons - and I'm about to show you exactly how to do it!Now, although this method of dog food analysis doesn't require a science degree, you do need to concentrate! It will show you how to make a premium dog food comparison according to the quality/type or absence/presence of certain ingredients. You can start by analyzing the dog food you're currently using, and the make dog food comparisons against any/all other brands that you want to.
This method of grading dog food was developed by Great Dane owner, Sarah Irick and she has very kindly given me permission to reprint her 'Dog Food Grading Scheme' here, and would like to include the following :
This food grading system is specifically to help those who have trouble deciphering dog food labels and the many articles about what ingredients are. If you have a quality dog food and are not looking to make a change, or if you know about reading dog food labels and can choose a dog food on your own, then by all means continue as you are. However if you are looking for a quality food and would like some guidance on choosing between seemingly equal brands in the store, and you'd like more to base your information on than a friend or store clerk's recommendation, please feel free to use this handy guideline, but be aware that there may be other important information by breed type or size (i.e. in giant breed puppies you need a food with lower protein levels than is typically available in puppy foods, even "large breed" puppy foods), so you will need to research that as well).
Dog Food Analysis & Grading
To grade any dog food using Sarahs' dog food comparisons technique, you need to start with the list of ingredients (it's fairly easy to find an ingredient list for any particular food on the manufacturers website, or use the one on your dog food bag etc.)Start with a grade of 100 points, then … - For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points
- For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points
- If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
- For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source subtract 5 points. 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
- If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
- If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
- If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points
- If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
- If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points
- If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
- If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
- If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
- If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to beef), subtract 1 point
- If it contains salt, subtract 1 point
Extra Credit: If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points If the food contains fruit, add 3 points If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points If the food contains barley, add 2 points If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point 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 "fish" as 2 different sources), add 1 point If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point Scoring
94-100+ = A 86-93 = B 78-85 = C 70-77 = D 69 = F
Well, although this may sound a little tricky, I promise that once you've analyzed a couple of different varieties of food, you'll be able to make some very useful dog food comparisons. Then you'll be in a much better position to make dog food comparisons and be sure that you're giving your precious pup the very best, safest, healthiest and appropriate dog food - now that was worth a few minutes of math wasn't it?
To save you some time (and brain effort!) we've done some of the math for you - see the resulting 'Report Cards' for 48 of the most popular dog food brands (rated using this system) on our Dog Food Ratings page and the Top 25 'A Listers' on our Best Dog Food page. It's important to realize that dog food ingredient lists and formulas do change from time to time though! I'd recommend double-checking the ingredient list of any food you're considering to make sure there haven't been any significant changes recentlyWhat type of food isn't the only thing that's important when choosing dog food, you also need to know how much food your pup/dog needs to stay happy and healthy. Check the bag of food to find out how many kcal/cup it contains, then use this handy tool to find out how many cups of food your dog will need....
| Dog Calorie Calculator by TrainPetDog |
For an up to date list of the most popular premium dog food brands, check out my 10 Best Dog Food Choices page.
Dog Food Ratings
10 Best Dog Food Choices
Top 25
Commercial Dog Food
Homemade Dog Food
Raw Food Diet For Dogs
Feeding A Puppy
Organic Dog Food
Dog Food Allergies
Feeding Large Breed Dogs - an expert interview
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