What is the Best Dog Food?

Question

What Dog Food is the Healthiest and Best to feed a Chihuahua that is an 1.5 old? I have been feeding her Kibbles and Bits and once a day a little Pedigree (Little Champions). Would you recommend Dry or Wet?

Answer 1

I don't think either of those options are that great. They had this at the center where I go for my dog's agility training. It's a good guide. I just purchased Caster & Pollux Organic which scored high on this scale.

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", "brewerâ?Ts 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 3points

9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 morepoints

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 isnâ?Tt allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points

14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isnâ?Tt 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.
Dog Food scores:

Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+

Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F

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

Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+

Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+

Foundations / Score 106 A+

Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 D

Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D

Innova Dog / Score 114 A+

Innova Evo / Score 114 A+

Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+

Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B

Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B

Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F

ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+

Purina Benful / Score 17 F

Purina Dog / Score 62 F

Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F

Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+

Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+

Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A

Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F

Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+

Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

Answer 2

When did chicory, carrots, peas, apples and cranberry become dog food ingredients? There isn't much real difference between these foods. One uses chicken and turkey, the other only uses chicken. Neither uses corn or wheat. The biggest difference is the fruits and vegetables in the chicken soup brand. Both are made by the same company and its a good bet that the major ingredients come from the same sources. Unless there is an allergy problem your dog will be fine with either food. Feed whichever one is easier to get. The prices are close enough to the same, especially considering how little one pomeranian will eat. If you were feeding a working dog you might notice a difference between those foods but not with a normal family pet.

Answer 3

after this recent recall of the best dog foods on the market very hard to tell. wouldn't you say? But exspecially with small dogs you need to stay away from anything with red dye's in it. I was mad because one of the foods I was using changed to have red dye's in and I called the company. they said that they were only using what fda approved. Well that maybe ok for a larger dog but not for a small and I don't have much faith in fda. do not use any wet foods right now. only dry. if you have to soak it in water then do so. all dry food have not been recalled. science diet was not on the list at all and is one of the best. But remember when changing foods you need to mix what you were using with the new food. And never mix wet and dry foods together as they may swallow the dry whole and then it expands in there stomache

Answer 4

Avoderm, breeders choice and Pinnacle are all made by the same company and are EXCELLENT food. I used to feed Nutro...which is good...but I am especially impressed with Avoderm products.
Only give canned food as an OCCASIONAL treat. Canned food is very bad for their teeth and can encourage gum disease and cavities. AS they eat the dry food, the food helps to scrape their teeth and gums, keeping them healthy.
Try to stay away from "grocery store foods" such as pedigree..kibbles and bits...store brands etc. These are much less healthy...contain more fillers and less of what dogs need for proper nutrition. With a high quality food, you will notice LESS stools and they will smell better than when they are fed the cheap stuff.

Answer 5

I always feed dry. It is better for their teeth and some dogs get picky when you begin offering can food. I think Nutro is one of the best brand name foods out there. It is all natural and has no corn which is usually just filler.

Answer 6

Purina ProPlan Natural Selects

The kibble is small so it would be okay for a small dog. I feed all of my show dogs this food.

Answer 7

kibbles and bits is really one of the worst possibly foods to feed your dog. it is nothing but corn. corn is nutritionally equal to feeding your dog sawdust. nothing you are going to get at the grocery store is really going to be any good. go to petco/petsmart or even better a small specialty store. look for kibbles that have MEAT in the first three ingredients, not corn, or other fillers. the kibbles will be more expensive, but you will feed less because they have lots more nutrition.

*anyone who recommends beneful has no idea what they are talking about. #1 ingredient in beneful? CORN!

Answer 8

Dry, its better for their teeth and she should still be on puppy food. If you want to feed her adult food and she likes Pedigree stick with that. Pro-plan puppy is really good as is Eukanuba. Stay away from Kibbles and Bits...they don't pass the hair test.

Answer 9

just like people, all dogs have different tastes. if you have friends with dogs, ask if you can have a sample of their dog food, put them all out at once for you dog and see which it prefers. some dogs like dry food, others like wet. please be cautious of all the dog food recalls that have been going on, you don't want your dog to get sick.

Answer 10

Innova EVO red meat and only the hard stuff. I have 2 small dogs that is what they eat