Good high quality dog food?

Question

I'm thinking of changing my dogs food.

What would be some good high quality foods to check out?

and are there any cheaper then Science Diet?

My 6 month puppy is on the Science Diet large breed food right now but i've heard Science Diet isnt all that great and its just overpriced for what goes in it...

Answer 1

*Please note that the following is for entertainment purposes only and has not been researched by DAN and may not be a "true" grading of food. If you have any questions regarding the food you are feeding your dog consult your veternarian.
This is a very interesting way to check out the quality of the dog food that you are feeding. It's interesting, because sometimes paying more, does not get you more and vice versa.
The scores are rather interesting.
How to grade your dog's food: (Some brand reviews already calculated here)
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 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 69 = 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.
Brand Dog Food scores:
•Authority Harvest Baked: 116 A+
•Bil-Jac Select: 68 F
•Canidae: 112 A+
•Chicken Soup Senior: 115 A+
•Diamond Maintenance: 64 F
•Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice: 92 B
•Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula: 99 A
•Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium: 122 A+
•Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato: 106 A+
•Foundations: 106 A+
•Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold: 93 D
•Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium: 73 D
•Innova Dog: 114 A+
•Innova Evo: 114 A+
•Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables: 110 A+
•Nutrisource Lamb and Rice: 87 B
•Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy: 87 B
•Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice: 23 F
•ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley: 103 A+
•Purina Beneful: 17 F
•Purina Dog: 62 F
•Purina Come-n-Get It: 16 F
•Royal Canin Bulldog: 100 A+
•Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult: 106 A+
•Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice: 97 A
•Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+: 63 F
•Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies: 69 F
•Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken: 110 A+
•Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold: 97 A

Answer 2

Here's the 2006 list from the Whole Dog Journal. These are highest quality foods. Most of these are not carried at large chain stores but you can usually find them at small pet stores, feed and grain stores, etc.

Artemis: www.artemispetfood.com
Azmira: www.azmira.com
Back to Basics: www.beowulfs.com
Bench & Field Holistic Natural Canine: www.benchandfield.com
Blue Buffalo: www.bluebuff.com
Burns: www.bpn4u.com
by Nature BrightLife: www.bynaturepetfoods.com
California Natural: www.naturapet.com
Canidae: www.canidae.com
Canine Caviar: www.caninecaviar.com
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul: www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com
Cloud Star Kibble: www.cloudstar.com
Drs. Foster & Smith: www.drsfostersmith.com
Eagle Pack Holistic Select: www.eaglepack.com
Evolve: www.evolvepet.com
Firstmate Dog Food: www.firstmate.com
Flint River Ranch: www.flintriver-pet-food.com
Foundations: www.petcurean.com
Fromm Four Star Nutritionals: www.frommfamilyfoods.com
Go! Natural: www.petcurean.com
Hund-N-Flocken: www.solidgoldhealth.com
Innova: www.naturapet.com
Innova Evo: www.naturapet.com
Karma Organic: www.karmaorganic.com
Lick Your Chops: www.healthypetfoodsinc.com
Lifespan: www.petguard.com
Limited Diets: www.royalcanin.us
Merrick Pet Foods: www.merrickpetcare.com
Mmillennia: www.solidgoldhealth.com
Natural Balance Ultra Premium: www.naturalbalanceinc.com
Natural Choice Ultra: www.nutroproducts.com
Newman's Own Organics: www.newmansownorganics.com
NutriSource: www.nutrisourcedogfood.com
Organix: www.castorpolluxpet.com
Performatrin Ultra: www.performatrinultra.com
PHD Viand: www.phdproducts.com
Pinnacle: www.breeders-choice.com
Prairie: www.naturesvariety.com
Premium Edge: www.premiumedgepetfood.com
Prime Life: www.ompetproducts.com
Royal Canin Natural Blend: www.royalcanin.us
Timberwolf Organics: timberwolforganics.com
VeRUS: www.veruspetfoods.com
Wellness: www.oldmotherhubbard.com
Wellness Simple Food Solutions: www.oldmotherhubbard.com
Wenawe: www.wenawe.com.uy
Wysong: www.wysong.net
Zinpro: www.lincolnbiotech.com

Answer 3

Vets push Science Diet because they get it for free and have incentives too sell it. But if you research what the ingredients in it are, (like definitions of terms they have on the labels: http://www.flintriverranch.org/labels.html ) you'll see that it's not that great at all. Purina, along with anything you can buy at Walmart or grocery stores, is NOT a quality dog food. Whatsoever. Granted, it's not the absolute worst you can get at Walmart if you are stuck at 2 am with no dog food (but I'd still pick something else over it). Ol Roy's the one that killed dogs a few years back, and Diamond as well, more recently. To read about some really top of the line feeds, check out The Whole Dog Journal's Reviews: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/foodreviews/dry.html . Some of these are cheaper than Sci Die but BY FAR superiour. However, there are other feeds that are great, but not as esteemed as the feeds on the Whole Dog Journal's Top list.. such as Nutro Natural Choice Lamb/Rice variety. Their Nutro Max line isn't as good, but the L/R is great and what I've fed for years. I've been a vet tech, and I will never feed Sci Die again. I've fostered for years, and will never feed Purina/Pedigree again. Besides knowing what crap is in it, I've seen the gastrointestinal problems it caused for many, many foster/rescue dogs-and would not feed it to any dog again. Switching feeds will not make your dog a finicky eater. Some dogs it may cause gastrointestinal problems for,though. And Eukanuba has SOME good feeds. But Iams is not , a good food. It's right up there with all the other crap at Walmart. YEARS ago.. it was ok. Had better ingredients than now, althogh still wasn't great. But they sold out to Proctor and Gamble, which added fillers and other crap, to make it cheap enough to sell to bargain stores like Walmart. So, people still see that name brand and think it's a good food, and it's not. Do your research if you want on Iams, but I'd surely not waste any money on it. The factory that makes Ol' Roy ABSOLUTELY does not make Nutro. And if you read the ingredients, especially Nutro Lamb/Rice vs. Ol Roy..they are nowhere near the same.

Answer 4

It depends how much you want to spend. Nutro Natural Choice is one of the better quality reasonably priced foods (around $30). The Lamb and Rice seems popular with most dogs. They also frequently have 10% extra free in the large bags, and if you buy it through a store other than Petsmart/Petco you can get your 10th bag free. You can read more about it through their website. Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul has good ingredients, but it has a strange smell to it and my dog won't eat it. It is well priced though, at $30 for 35lbs. My local feed stores carry a brand called Premium Edge that has good ingredients and is also around $29.99 for 40lbs.

On the more expensive side, Natural Balance Ultra Premium is an excellent food, as is Nutro Ultra Premium and Pro Plan Selects (the regular Pro Plan is expensive for not so great ingredients). Merrick is human grade, but you may need a second mortgage to afford feeding it on a long term basis, if your dogs eat much.

Answer 5

whatever you do STAY AWAY FROM SCIENCE DIET, PURINA, AND STORE BRAND FOODS!!!

If it must be cheap...stick with Iams (company) or Purina One...(I do not support purina because they make such poor quality food but Purina One is the closest to good)

the best are....

Innova
Chicken Soup
Eagle Pack
Life's Abundance
Natural Balance
and California Natural

If these are too expensive...follow the above brands.
Did you know even MARS (the candy company) makes dog food?

Basically just go for a holistic food or a food with the first 5 ingredients being meats and MEATS only!


Or you can start on the prey model or BARF diet...which is still expensive but good for them. This will eliminate dog food all together.

Answer 6

Good high quality dog food? I'm thinking of changing my dog's food, what would be some good high quality food to check out? Are their any cheaper than science diet? my 6 month puppy is on the science diet large breed food right now but I've heard science diet isn't all that great and it's just overpriced for what Geo's in it I think you should you can get some good dog food's in the dollar store's,I'd say yes their cheaper it's overly priced..

Answer 7

Science Diet is a high priced low quality food filled with cheap fillers & by products.

Some good quality foods:
Wellness, Innova, Solid Gold, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, Canidae, Blue Buffalo, Percise, Premium Edge, California Natural

Steer clear of foods such as Pedigree, IAMS/Eukanuba, Alpo, Purina Dog Chow and other supermarket brands. These foods don't contain enough meat protein, they are loaded with cheap fillers & by products and it takes 3 times as much of these foods for a dog to receive nutritional benefit as it does a good meat based food. These foods also produce more waste.
Dogs are meat eaters not veggie/grain eaters. They are designed to extract nutrition from meats not veggies/grains. Look for a food that has a named meat source as at least the first 2 ingredients. Also look for foods that do NOT contain corn, wheat, soy, beet pulp or by products. Also stay away from foods that contain chemical preservatives & dyes.

****** vets do NOT get Science Diet for free nor do they get incentives for selling it*********

Answer 8

There are many good high quality brands. I would personally start with Natura Pet's (www.naturapet.com) Innova or a Wysong food (www.wysong.net).

Science Diet is not particularly great food. Many adult Science Diet foods are as much as 60% carbohydrate content, maybe a bit lower in puppy formulas. Prescription Diet has many different formulas but even lacks ingredient quality for the cost. Unfortunately any foods that you find currently in most supermarkets and especially at Wal-Mart are unacceptable. They are made with corn and other cheap fillers as well as low quality protein sources (bi-products), resulting in a product that's much too high in carbohydrates for carnivores but is cheap for unknowing consumers and allow for the greatest profit margin for the manufacturers.

Amazingly, many vets are not even tuned into pet nutrition, so unless you are lucky enough to have a knowledgeable vet you may have to do some research on your own. You'll be safe with either of these manufacturer choices, they may be more expensive but your dog will probably eat less of these kinds of foods because of the high level of high-quality highly-digestable ingredients. This increased level of highly-digestable ingredients will also result in smaller stools. You will need to change the food gradually so not to upset the stomach as it may need a little time to adjust to digesting the higher levels of different proteins. It's easier to see the differences in an older dog but feeding the right kind of food will give any dog more energy, a thick shiny coat, and a lean muscular build. You could look at the food cost increase as a trade for the health benefits that could reduce vet bills later in life. A moderate protein, moderate fat, low carb diet will help your dog maintain muscle and burn fat, warding off obesity and the numerous health issues that accompany it just like in humans. Type 2 diabetes for example is preventable and controllable with diet and exercize. A lower carb diet alone means less stress on a pancreas that is not equipped to handle the amount in cheaper foods. And insulin alone can run $100 a bottle. Higher quality and the increased variety in ingredients in better foods gives the body more regenerative and protective abilities, warding off certain cancers, kidney disease...

Don't get me wrong, I don't believe the Science Diet is doing harm at this point. It's a heck of a lot better than something like Ol' Roy. You could even mix the Science Diet and a high-quality food for a while to lessen the expense. Since a puppy's body has much better regenerative and protective abilities than an adult dog, in my opinion you shouldn't have to worry about it too much at this point in time but I would look into it soon.

Answer 9

I found an article on the food network channel that just horrified me. It said dog food was made from animals that were euthanized and that these poor euthanized animals still had the concentration of drugs (which euthanized them) still in their system when made into dog food.I buy my dogs "Nutro" dry dog food but I mostly cook their food so that I know what their getting is not poisoning their system. I cook ground up turkey and rice and add some seasonings and vitamins, I have 4 dogs and their health is great. Go to www.dogconspiracy.com for more details on dog foods.

Answer 10

The best thing you can do is look for a good ingredient list... opinions will vary SO much from brand to brand. Check for:
*Chicken, beef, or lamb as the first ingredient. Avoid foods that have "meal" or "flavoring" listed. "By-products" aren't as bad as they seem, but not as desirable as actual meat as the first ingredient.
*Look for "product-splitting". This is a way that manufacturers trick you into thinking their food is good. Corn products get listed as many things and split into different groups so the maufacturer can list them as different ingredients. Ingredients are listed on the bag in order of weight (most weight listed first) Don't get fooled! If there are more than three ingredients with corn in the name, the food isn't as good as you think. Corn is not very digestable and a food high in bulk (corn, grains, rice, etc) result in higher volume of poo.
* Good brands that I ususally recommend are Nutro natural choice or Eukanuba. All-natural diets like Solid Gold or Ennova are really good foods, but expensive.
* The better the food is, the healthier your pet will be! If you do opt for a more expensive brand, think of all the problems you are preventing in the long run--- high vet bills, illnesses. Your pet will be eating a lower volume of food, have a shinier coat, and poo less. It really is worth it!
* If you do switch foods, do it gradually. Sudden changes in diet result in diarrhea and sometimes vomiting. Make the change over the course of a week, and don't be too surprised if some soft stool occurs. It will resolve.
Good luck!!