is this a good dog food?

Question

its called exclusive...has anyone heard of it?

the first 11 ingredients are:
1. chicken
2. chicken meal
3. cracked pearled barley
4. whole grain brown rice
5. corn gluten meal
6. chicken fat preserved with tocopherols(a form of vitamin E)
7. beef pulp
8. egg product
9. flaxseed
10. natural chicken flavor
11. fish oil

please tell me what you think. thanks!

Answer 1

Chicken meal is not bad; good source of protein, it is just dried chicken. Ingredients in dog food are listed by weight. "Chicken" means the meat (water included) so the amount of available protein from "chicken" goes down once the kibble-making process begins and the water evaporates.
However corn and wheat in dog food should be avoided as they may cause allergies.
Wheat gluten and rice protein also caused the recent recalls.
Since this food has corn (gluten meal) in first 5 ingredients, I wouldn't buy it, primarily because one of my dogs already has allergies and I don't want to aggravate them...otherwise it does not look too bad...

Answer 2

I have not heard of that brand. Is it a store brand, such as Petsmart has the Sophisti brand. Certain stores carry their own name brand. There has been so many top names pulled from the shelves recently for tainted ingredients. By no fault of theirs, they are good standing name brands - Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, the list goes all the way down to Purina. I feed my Shih Tzu "Royal Canin" (no e). It is a natural food that is made for each individual dog type. No bi-products or animal digest crap. They have a food for most every breed that is fit for your breed. My bag says 'Shih-Tzu', my parents bag says 'Cocker Spaniel', etc. I've been very lucky with all the food recalls. I'm glad I selected Royal Canin, it's one of the few that has not had any issues. I've tossed some treats in the trash for being on the recall list but Royal Canin has been good so far. I feel sorry for the millions of people that had their pet on a good food such as Iams or Science Diet and had to change it due to the problems. Like I said, I have not heard of Exclusive. Just look at the ingredients.
Anything that has any type of bi-product or animal digest is YUCK!

Answer 3

The "goodness" of a dog food is a personal decision based on personal likes and dislikes. Most premium brands have some sort of gimmick to get people to buy them whether it is "all natural", additives, meat as the first ingredient (in dry foods - done by using multiple grains instead of one), for particular breeds, etc. All have a more concentrated formula then regular brands meaning you feed slightly less for double the cost and have slightly less fecal matter. All dog foods (in the USA) provide everything nutritionally that a dogs needs by law. So my suggestion is to compare labels and pick the one that fits closest to your personal beliefs. The second consideration is how well the dog does. Some like the smell of one brand over another - if it doesn't eat enough, it will not do well. Some dogs just do better on some dog foods. You can only determine this by observation.

Now me, I like a combination because formulas can vary slightly from batch to batch so I mix Pedigree with Kirkland Super Premium Chicken and Rice. Pedigree was developed with a nutrition-first design based on science (similar to Science Diet but in Europe). I just like the Kirkland ingredient list (whole grain and lots of vegetables). I personally don't like rice for a dog food unless it is whole grain. Despite what you often read on I-net sites, corn is a highly digestible and nutritious grain since it is ground and cooked. No grain is a filler. Dry dog food is meat flavored cereal so grain is always the primary ingredient. If you want meat, I suggest Bil-Jac frozen dog food if it is available in your area.

Now that I see the ingredient list, it is definitely a food I could live with. Grains are whole, more barley then rice, no wheat or soy, etc. A: It is a good food.

One further note since nobody mentioned it: according to veterinary sources, the most important item on the lable is whether or not it was feed tested or formulated to meet feed tests with the first being superior.

Answer 4

I've never heard of it. What are the first 5-10 ingredients? If it's good, the first 2 will be real meat (not meat by-products or meal) and will contain natural ingredients like cottage cheese, barley etc., not rice, corn, or any other filler.

Even though chicken is the first ingredient, it's followed by a meal, rice and corn - fillers. What brand is it? I know that I wouldn't recommend it. Try feeding your dog something like California Natural or Innova - two very good dog foods.

Answer 5

I don't like the fact it has so much grain in it. Except for the corn gluten, which I no longer trust, the rest looks okay. I won't feed anything with wheat gluten, corn gluten or rice protein in it. You dont' want to either.

Answer 6

It could be better (I say that in referance to the corn gluten meal listed in the ingredients), but it's certainly NOT a BAD food, and, by all means, if your dog(s) are doing well on it, keep them on it. Personally, I feed and prefer Precise Plus, but, to each their own....

Answer 7

I've never heard of it.

I feed and recommend the Fish and Chips and Lamb Millet Rice formulas from http://www.frrco.com/121668 They are high quality, human grade ingredient made.

Answer 8

www.dogfoodproject.com

Here is the best info I have found. It has a rating system for dog food based on listed ingredients. I am not going to do the work, and you may need a calculator.

Figure this one out yourself buddy.

Answer 9

Never heard of that brand. The majority of vets sell Science Diet brand food. Just something to think about.

Answer 10

Fed it to my Lab for awhile. Since the dog food scandle of late, I switched to Wellness.
Only because of a warmer, fuzzier feeling from the manufacturer.