How To Make Dog Food Comparisons

How to compare dog food

Start with a `grade` of 100 points, then......
Your dog food`s grade/score is....

Video: acana vs orijen pet food comparison
Understanding dog food labels
Video: dog food comparisons - commercial vs homemade
Related pages.......

Knowing how to make dog food comparisons that accurately reflect the quality of the foods you`re looking at, is the key to navigating the confusing world of dog food ingredients,labels and manufacturer`s claims.

On this page you`ll find a system thatshows you how to objectively evaluate any dog food by taking a closelook at it`s ingredients.

That way you can compare as many different products as you want without having to rely on `creative` labeling, advertising or manufacturers claims.

It will also help you to decipher dogfood labels and get to the truth behind the `gobbledegook`, slogans andclaims that you`ll find slapped all over every bag, can or packet!

How To Compare Dog Food

If you want to, you can start by analyzing the dog food you`re currently using,and then compare it to any other brand/s you`re interested in.

Or you can just start out by looking at the products you`re thinking of switching to.

This method of grading dog food in order to make dog food comparisonswas developed by Great Dane owner, Sarah Irick.

Sarah has very kindlygiven me permission to reprint her `Dog Food Grading Scheme` here, andwould like you to know that....

This food grading system is specifically to help those who havetrouble deciphering dog food labels and the many articles about whatingredients are.

If you have a quality dog food and are not looking to makea change, or if you know about reading dog food labels and can choose adog food on your own, then by all means continue as you are.

However if you are looking for a quality food and wouldlike some guidance on choosing between seemingly equal brands in thestore, and you`d like more to base your information on than a friend orstore clerk`s recommendation, please feel free to use this handyguideline.

But be aware that there may be other important informationby breed type or size (i.e. in giant breed puppies you need a food withlower protein levels than is typically available in puppy foods, even "large breed" puppy foods), so you will need to research that as well)`.

You need to start with the list of the ingredients for the food you want to grade/rate.

It`s easy to findan ingredient list for any particular food on the manufacturerswebsite, or use the one on the dog food bag.

With the ingredient info. in front of you:

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 5points. If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in thefirst five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer`s rice", "riceflour" 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 thefirst one- count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one proteinsource, 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

Your dog food`s grade/score is....

94-100+ = A

86-93 = B

78-85 = C

70-77 = D

69 = F

Although this may sound a little complicated, it`s really very straighforward.

Video: Acana vs Orijen Pet Food Comparison

It will take a little time as you need to look closely at the ingredients and do some basic math, but it well worth the effort!

Once you`ve analyzed a couple of different varieties of food, you`llbe able to make some very useful dog food comparisons, and you`ll startto have a much clearer idea of whether a food is `good` or not - andwhether it`s suitable for your dog.

To save you some time (and brain effort!) I`ve done some of the math foryou - see the resulting `Report Cards` for 48 of the most popular dogfood brands (rated using this system) on my Dog Food Ratings page.

NOTE: It`s important to realize that dog food ingredient listsand formulas do change from time to time! I`d recommend double-checkingthe ingredient list of any food you`re considering to make sure therehaven`t been any significant changes recently, before you start making comparisons

Understanding Dog Food Labels

When you`re comparing foods, your most important tool arethe dog food bags (or pouches, cans etc.) themselves.

Both theadvertising/PR slogans and the nutritional and ingredient informationneed to be examined and understood.

BUT, there can be a lot of information on these labels,and reading it is one thing, but understanding what it all means can besomething else entirely!

So, to help you out here is a quick run down of some of the mostcommonly seen wording on dog food bags (and what it means), plus a lookat the ingredients that you want to see, and those that you don`t....

AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) Standards - all puppy and dog food needs to meet the standards set by this organization before being sold to consumers in the USA.
There are two different ways a food can be evaluated - eitherthrough feeding trials or through chemical analysis and testing.Depending on the method used to evaluate a particular food the AAFCOwording will vary slightly, but it should always be there, usually aspart of the Ingredient List/Analysis

Basic Product Description- This is the obvious stuff, such as the brand name of the food, themanufacturer`s name, the category (whether it`s for weight control,puppy, adult, senior etc.), the recipe (ie `Lamb and Rice) and theweight of the food contained.

Ingredient Information & Analysis - This is the most important piece of the puzzle and where you`ll find the information to use with Sarah Irick`s system above.The ingredients will be listed in the order in which theyappear in the food, percentage-wise.
The first three ingredients in anydog food are the most important ones to look at as they are whatconstitutes most of the food.You want the first ingredient to be a good source of high-qualityprotein, preferably a specific meat (such as `Chicken` or `Lamb`) or ameat meal. Even the meal should be a specific one though, such as`Chicken Meal` or `Beef Meal`. No generic `meat` or `meat meal`Other ingredients may include a second meat source of protein,grain, a specific fat source (ie `Chicken Fat`, `Canola Oil` etc.),vegetables and/or fruit, and natural preservatives (such as Vitamin E).
The ingredients you DON`T want to see include generic protein orfat sources such as those mentioned above, any type of `by-product`,unspecified grain sources or grain hulls, artificial preservatives,colorings or sweeteners. Also avoid foods containing Menadione(aka`Vitamin K3` or `Dimethylprimidinol Sulfate`).

If you`re interested in learning more about feeding your dog, and how the right diet can dramatically improve his health, check out these great books....