dogfoodanalysis.com?

Question

I have some questions for all the people who recommend this site.

I do not understand how it is a good site.

Who has rated these dog foods and what qualifications do they have to do so? Animal Nutritionist? Vet? Who?

I really don't understand how they can have a site like that with no references. Who are these editors and why are they knowledgeable enough about dog food to rate it?

Not trying to stir up trouble- just want to understand.

Oh I know- my friend has a masters in animal nutrition- she recommends and feeds her dog IAMS. IAMS is given an awful rating on their- people on here say it'll make your dog 'fat'- my dog is at his ideal weight. I don't understand why people think I should reject a reliable source because some Joe Blow on a website tells me to.

That's the problem- I really don't understand how it's full of garbage.
Lamb Meal- no prob I think
Brewers Rice- why is this bad?
Corn Meal- why is this bad?
Ground Whole Grain Sorghum- why bad?
Ground Whole Grain Barley- why bad?
Fish Meal (source of fish oil),- no prob I think
Chicken By-Product Meal- no prob I think
Corn Grits- why bad?
Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of vitamin E, and Citric Acid),- why bad?
Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed),- why bad?
Natural Chicken Flavor- no prob I think
Dried Egg Product- no prob I think
Potassium Chloride- why bad?
Monosodium Phosphate- why bad?
Brewers Dried Yeast-why bad?
Salt- in small amount why bad?
Choline Chloride,
Ferrous Sulfate,
DL-Methionine,
Zinc Oxide,
Vitamin E Supplement,
Ascorbic Acid,
Manganese Sulfate,
Copper Sulfate,
Manganous Oxide,
Vitamin A Acetate,
Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin,
Rosemary Extract,
Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamine B1),
Vitamin B12 Supplement,
Niacin,

Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2),
Inositol,
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6),
Vitamin D3 Supplement,
Potassium Iodide,
Folic Acid
Cobalt Carbonate.

I eat food with a lot of these things in them. I don't eat organic. I eat preservatives. I know dogs int he wild wouldn't eat corn- but why is it bad for them and who says so?

I really just don't understand- I want to but I don't.

Answer 1

I have done hours upon hours of research about dog foods and everything I have found is correct on that site. The site is right in about what to feed your dog and why, according to all the sources I have looked into.
Corn and wheat are bad to feed to dogs because they are a common allergen as well as the fact that dogs have a large stomach and short intestinal track, making it impossible to actually fully digest the nutrients in these items, making them fillers. Rice as well as oatmeal are better grains as they are easier to digest and absorb more quickly.
By products are meat products other than the healthy part of the animal like muscle and organs. By products legally include hair, skin, beaks, feet, hooves, id tags, excrement in the intestinal track, roadkill and even other dogs and cats. As a rule, by products are not nutritious and a BS source of
protein.
Soy is a common protein that lower rated foods use. Soy is allergenic to dogs even more so than wheat and just like wheat is impossible to digest. So it causes allergies and does not even provide the proper protein.
Also, the lower rated foods use BHA, BHT or ethoxyquin as preservatives, which are proven to cause organ failure and cancer and have been banned in human food.
From all the research on pet foods, the dogfoodanalysis.com is right on with everything I have found and it accurately rates dog foods according to their ingredients.
Just as a human can maintain a proper weight eating crap each day, so can a dog. But you never know what is going on inside until it is too late.
When I switched my dogs to a higher quality food I saw dramatic results. I swtiched to Timberwolf, one of the 6 star rated food, and it has made a world of difference. My dogs have not had an episode of vomiting, diarrhea or skin issues since. Their coats are shinier and they have more energy. I pick up less waste in the backyard, and I am thrilled with how much they LOVE their food.

Answer 2

Corn is bad for a couple reasons, first its not very nutritous for dogs, they can't digest it. Most of that corn ends up on your lawn. Secondly it is one of the biggest food allergy offenders.



Are you aware that most animal nutrition classes are taught by major dog food companies. No bias there huh?


Other low quality foods have been found to contain pentobarbital. This chemical is euthanization agent. So obviously animals that were euthanized for some reason are being put into that food, this can include dogs and cat. There is no regulation on this, and there is currently a lawsuit that involves this. Pentobarbital does not break down during the cooking process, and goes on to the final product, some believe that over time this can cause health issues.

Some foods contain Ethylene Glycol. This may sound familiar. Its an ingredient in ANTI-FREEZE. Good and healthy there.

Ethoxyquin, did you know this was originally used in tire manufacturing? This preservative has been banned for use in human foods because it is so unhealthy. Why would I want to feed my dog that?

If you take a close look at the health of today's animals you can see what poor quality foods have done. They have horrible teeth, many develop cancer, diabetes you name it. Pets before commercial foods didn't have these problems.

I personally feed a raw diet. Dogs were designed to eat meat. Kibble has only been around for 70 years at the max, that is not enough time for the dogs digestive tract to evolve to eating cooked foods.

If I absolutely had to feed kibble I'd stear clear from Iams, Eukanuba, Purina, Science Diet, Pedigree, and any store brands. I would feed Innova Evo, Innova, Natural Balance, Cannidae, and Solid Gold to name a few.

Answer 3

They are being rated according to their ingredients.. You need only to learn about ingredients and what they really are, and what they do, in order to be able to decide whether a food is good or not.. Copper Sulfate is a fungicide.. It's not hard to tell that it doesn't belong in a dog food.. A food that the first ingredient is Corn, well anyone can figure out that isn't a good food.. Synthetic K, the Menadione.(menadione sodium bisulfate, menadione sodium bisulfite, menadione dimethylprimidinol sulfate, menadione dimethylprimidinol sulfite or menadione dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite,).. It weakens the immune system, stops the body from being able to use natural Vitamin K, causes birth defects, causes allergic reactions and eczema, causes irritation in the skin... Chronic skin and coat problems.. It has no place in the foods.. I actually wrote to Purina and asked them about this and why they would use Synthetic K rather than natural K.. They sent me some BS answer.. When I asked them about birth defects, they refused to talk to me anymore.. It's apparent that this shouldn't be in the dog food. It's easy to analyze dog food and the ingredients.. It's not rocket science.. Anyone can go thru the ingredient list and know what is what and what it does and decide for themselves if a food is good or not.. Look thru the Iams listing, it's full of garbage, yet people continue to feed it because their vet tells them to.. If they would learn the ingredients and what they mean like many others have done, they would realize that they are feeding their dog poison.. It's just a matter of learning the ingredients, anyone can do it.

Answer 4

I feel exactly the same way about that website and I hate the fact that people are constantly referred to it.

What many people fail to realize is that it is strictly one persons opinion. As you say, what qualifications do they have? I certainly don't see any listed on the website so for me, that instantly removes its credibility as a reliable source.

Any idiot could list dog foods as "good" or "bad". It is funny how many of the top breeders in the world feed ProPlan, a "terrible" 2 star rated food!

DP: That may well be the case and I agree that you don't need a degree in nutrition to read a dog food label. But the point is, not every food works for every dog! many, many dogs do terrible on the rich, grain free, "6 star" foods listed on that website, yet they thrive on lower quality foods. So which is the better food? the "best" food, of course, is what your dog thrives on, and not what some chump on a bias website with zero nutritional qualifications THINKS is best.