Dog Food Ratings By Brand

Darwins Natural Pet Products

Image courtesy Darwins Natural

Naturally raised and processed meat and organic produce are used in SCOOT Selections meals. Their superior blend of free-range proteins and organically grown vegetables is devoid of steroids, antibiotics, and hormones.

The meals are prepared by experts and contain only the highest-quality, freshly caught raw ingredients, ensuring that your pet gets the diet they were designed to eat.

Dog Food Buying Highlights

• Discuss your dogs food with your vetall dogs have their own activity levels, preferences, temperaments, and metabolisms.
• Look for a statement from the AAFCO , a private organization that provides nutrition standards, label regulations, and more guidelines for state, federal, and international pet food regulators.
• Feed your dog whats appropriate for their life stage, whether thats puppy or senior, to ensure that theyre receiving proper nutrition.
• Terms like organic and gourmet are marketing jargon, since theres no federal regulation for these words on pet food labels.
• Grain-free pet food hasnt been found to be better than traditional pet food. Unless your vet recommends a grain-free diet, you can skip paying extra.
• Theres no evidence that raw-food diets are superior, and major veterinary groups oppose them because of bacterial concerns. If you do opt for raw dog food, commercially prepared food is safer than food made at home.
• A dogs food should account for 90% of their diet, and treats can round out the remaining 10%.
• The brands serving-size guidelines are a good starting point. But if your pet is under- or overweight, consult your veterinarian to ensure that your dog is getting the right amount of calories .

How To Pick Top Dog Food Brands

It’s imperative to know how dog foods are chosen.

There are tons of criteria to consider to pick the absolute best dry dog food brand in any category . The truth is, finding top-rated dog food brands is not that easy.

But according to research, canine nutritionist, and veterinarians, ten factors will help you to determine the best dog food brand for your canine .

Your ideal dog food:

Even though some other criteria can and should be considered, the above ten will usually bring up a handful of top dog food brands of good quality and safe for dogs to eat.

Note that some of the top-rated dog food brands do not fit all criteria, and for example, will have a different protein to fat ratio .

You can easily take the above list and try to find the best dog food brand yourself without my help.

For more information on choosing the best dog food brand and how you should do so, continue reading.

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Is Nutro Dog Food Good For Large Breeds

Nutro makes a number of dog foods that are safe for large breed adults. However, only certain recipes are designed to help prevent hip dysplasia and are safe for large breed puppies. Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy and Nutro Ultra Large Breed Puppy make safe options for this category. View our best large breed puppy foods here.

The Top 10 Worst Dog Food Brands Of 2022

All pet foods are not created equal but most of the low-quality dog food brands have a few things in common. Some of the worst brands on the market load up their products with inexpensive fillers like corn and wheat products their products also tend to be carb-heavy instead of meat-based.

Low-quality pet formulas make heavy use of by-products and plant proteins, plus they often use artificial colors and flavors to make their products more palatable for pets and the people who care for them.

Something else many of these foods have in common is a history of product recalls by their manufacturing company.

Below is an overview of the Top 10 worst dog foods of 2022 . We started our list with recipes that contain dubious and low-quality ingredients and worked our way down to the worst offenders with recent recalls under their belt.

Recommended Reading: How Much Dry Food For 60 Lb Dog

How To Choose Thebest Dog Food Brand For Golden Retriever On Customer Reviews In 2022

With the development of the internet, online platforms offer a variety of products to their audience. Among so many products, it is important to know how to sort, recognize and choose the best best dog food brand for golden retriever for you. What are the criteria for choosing the best dog food brand for golden retriever?

Best Wet: Hill’s Science Diet

Amazon

• Offers both regular and prescription wet foods

• Multiple can sizes available

• Brand focus on quality and safety

• Formulated by team of nutritionists and vets

Hills Science Diet is another brand that gets the seal of approval from Dr. Frione, and its especially popular for those who prefer to feed their dog wet food. This brand offers an impressive selection of wet dog foods, including formulas for puppies, adults, and seniors, and it also has a highly regarded line of prescription foods for dogs with specific medical problems.

This brand is committed to creating high-quality dog foods, and its products all meet or exceed the nutrient profiles and manufacturing guidelines of the AAFCO and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association . The company employs over 220 Ph.D. nutritionists, veterinarians, and scientists, and its safety standards are modeled after those of human food manufacturers.

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How Important Is Fat In A Dogs Diet

All dogs require a certain amount of fat in their diets to maintain health and strength. In fact, a dogs fat requirement is much more than humans, and since dogs do not suffer from the hardening of arteries or atherosclerosis, the fat content doesnt pose threats to your dogs health. They need fat to gain the energy they require to run and play.

Pedigree Complete Nutrition Adult Grilled Steak & Vegetable

This dog food is billed as providing complete nutrition for adult pups and even includes an optimal content of omega fatty acids for shiny hair.

It also proudly boasts that it is made of the finest ingredients. Looking closely at the label, however, we see a different story.

The first ingredient of the meal is ground whole grain corn. The third ingredient is also corn while the fifth is soybean meal.

So in the first five slots, you get three corn and legume ingredients, which means that this is not a meat-based dish at all. Here, the meat acts as support only and not the other way around, and there are too many grains.

The second thing we dont like about this recipe is that it uses unrecognizable animal ingredients. Were talking about the meat and bone meal.

Meat meals are usually okay provided that the animal the meat comes from is named. For example, chicken meal or lamb meal. But meat and bone meal? Which animal meat was used? Is there more than one kind of animal? And then, which parts?

Lastly, while the brand says that the recipe does not contain artificial flavors or sugar, it does contain artificial colors. There are four we could see, and theyre listed midway in the list, having more volume than the added nutrients the food contains.

Problem Ingredients: Ground Whole Grain Corn, Meat And Bone Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Soybean Meal, Brewers Rice, Ground Whole Grain Wheat, Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 2, Yellow 5

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Are Dog Foods Really That Different

The difference in quality between some dog foods and others in Australia is astounding. Some dog foods tell you exactly what theyre made from, usually because theyre made from ingredients which are good for your dog.

But

*Most* dog foods sold in Australia do their best not to tell you the truth.

I have a copy of the Australian standards for Manufacturing and marketing of pet food which is available here, but youll have to pay $118.76 AUD for the privilege. Hows that for transparency?

The standards, if you do read them, will give you the impression they were written by the pet food industry, for the pet food industry.

On in other words, not for the benefit of you or me as the consumer.

Seasoned Australian vet Dr Tom Lonsdale, author of Raw Meaty Bones and Work Wonders, refers to it as the junk pet food industry, having witnessed first hand the harm caused to our dogs from commercial pet food, for decades.

Dr Lonsdale, unlike most vets, records data on what dog foods were fed to the sick dogs and cats who go through his veterinary practice daily. He attributes most conditions, such as itchy skin, rotting teeth and gums, and other serious illnesses to commercial pet foods.

Needless to say, he has a great deal of credibility on the subject, and those two books are eye-opening.

Many of those people will readily say its the best dog food in Australia to any social media group wholl listen or ask for recommendations!

Just saying.

Nope.

Were in this together.

Picking Best Dog Food Based On Type

We’ll discuss all of this further in the article. Here’s a quick summary.

Think what type of dog food you’ll feed your dog:

• Dry dog food, kibble, or
• Wet canned dog food, or
• Freeze-dried, dehydrated dog food.

Now, you can pick two varieties of dog food:

• Well-balanced dog food, or

Finally, the age of your dog is also important:

• Are you feeding a puppy?
• Is your pet an adult dog?
• Or do you have a senior dog?

Here are the five top dog food brands that we’ll cover later in the article :

Also Check: What Foods Are Dogs Allergic To

Diamond Naturals Dry Kibble

Rating:

Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete is one of 13 kibble recipes included in our review of the Diamond Naturals product line.

• First 5 ingredients: Chicken meal, chicken, ground white rice, chicken fat, cracked pearled barley
• Type: Grain-inclusive
• Other recipes: Large breed, small breed, puppy, senior, lamb, beef and more
• See all 13 available recipes

This Diamond Naturals formula derives most of its animal protein from chicken meal and fresh chicken. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 36% protein, 28% fat and 29% estimated carbs which yields a fat-to-protein ratio of about 78%.

Diamond Naturals was recently selected as one of our most affordable dog foods. Highly recommended.

Sample buyer reviewI own competitive English setter females. Im always looking for the best value per pound in what I feed my dogs. Over the past 25 years Ive tried many different foods and found that 30/20 or higher works best based upon the condition, looks, stamina, palatability and stool size, consistency and frequency. Ive fed this food before and found it is very close to, if not better than the Sport/Performance food it competes with!

• See all 9 available recipes

This Nulo Freestyle recipe derives the bulk of its meat protein from turkey, as well as turkey and salmon meals. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 37% protein, 20% fat and 35% estimated carbs which produces a fat-to-protein ratio of about 55%.

Before Trying Fresh Dog Food

These super-healthy foods are better than most commercial pet foods, but any time you change your dogs diet, its a good idea to go slowly. Transition them to the new food a little at a time. Be sure to talk to your vet, who can help guide you on any special needs your pet might have on a new diet.

A couple of other important considerations:

Read Also: What Is Dog Food Made Of

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Dry

Rating:

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Chicken and Rice is one of 21 kibble recipes included in our review of the Blue Buffalo Life Protection product line.

• First 5 ingredients: Deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, barley, oatmeal
• Type: Grain-inclusive
• Other recipes: Puppy, large breed, small breed, senior, lamb, fish and more

This Life Protection example derives the majority of its animal protein from chicken and chicken meal. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 27% protein, 16% fat and 50% estimated carbs creating a fat-to-protein ratio of about 58%.

A top-rated, grain-inclusive kibble. One of The Advisors most popular recommendations.

Sample buyer reviewMy dog is a very picky eater with a sensitive stomach and this food has done wonders for him. Hes finally eating as much as he should without stomach issues and its made him almost a brand new dog. I tried a few different foods with him but this seemed to give me the best results

How Much Should I Feed My Dog

Dog obesity is a growing concern in the veterinary community and has been linked to many health problems in dogs. Luckily for our pets, we are usually more disciplined about controlling their diets than we are about controlling our own. Knowing how much to feed your dog and what healthy dog weight looks like can be tricky. Many owners accidentally overfeed their pets, which is why it is important to take your dog in for regular checkups and to talk with your vet about appropriate portions. The guidelines on the back of the bag are just that guidelines. Some dogs may require more than the recommended amount, whereas others require much less. Activity level, time of year, nursing, illness, and more factors can all impact how much a dog needs to eat. Dog people will often advise that you should feed the dog thats in front of you instead of strictly adhering to dog food serving size guidelines that may or may not be exactly what your dog needs.

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Can Dogs Be Vegetarian Or Vegan

Dogs are actually omnivores, not carnivores so they can technically survive on a vegan or vegetarian diet, BUT they should be given meat as part of a well-balanced diet. Thats because dogs require two important amino acids for their heart health, called L-carnitine and taurine . This is especially important for older dogs to keep their bodies functioning properly. Proteins like collagen, elastin and keratin are also difficult to derive from a vegan diet alone, which is why you should include some meat in your dogs diet. Keep in mind that dogs have different dietary needs to us humans, you should take particular care to make sure that you meet their nutritional needs.

Best Dog Food Brands For Large Dogs

Large dogs often have many health issues associated with their size. Back problems, heart issues, and joint pain are just a few health hurdles large dogs are faced with.

Feeding your pup food that is appropriate for its size and breed is vital to making sure your dog is in tip-top health. Some dog food brands add vitamins and minerals to dog food for large dogs to strengthen their bones. We like Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Large Breed Adult and Horizon Complete Large Breed Adult dog food for large breeds.

Read Also: What Dog Food Do Most Veterinarians Recommend

Products Labeled Premium Or Gourmet Arent Required To Have Higher

Organic food labeling requirements for pets dont exist. But the AAFCO has a definition for natural, which can mean a lack of artificial flavors and preservatives or colors in the food, ingredients pet owners might choose to avoid if they prefer less-processed food. Color additives exist and are usually added so the food looks more appealing to humans.

The Top 22 Dog Foods In Canada For 2022

Over the past several decades, Canadian pet food manufacturers have been developing high quality, human grade, and innovative pet foods to supply both Canada and the world. We have carefully evaluated more than fifty Canadian pet food brands, closely scrutinizing every aspect of the manufacturer and their recipe. Here are just a few of the things we consider:

• Quality and source of ingredients, including how fresh the ingredients are, where theyre sourced from, whether they include antibiotics or hormones, if theyre GMO free, organic, and more.
• Manufacturing practices and transparency. We believe the manufacturers of the foods we feed our beloved pets should be accountable for every step of the manufacturing process.
• Innovation and sustainability. As we move towards a more eco-friendly world, pet food manufacturers should be focused on developing earth-friendly standards and practices as well.

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Merrick Real Texas Beef & Sweet Potato Recipe

If you are specifically looking for grain-free canine formula, then you can’t go wrong with this Merrick recipe.

It’s perfect for all breeds, ages, and sizes and is available in a variety of different flavors. We recommend the beef and sweet potato recipe as it is poultry-free .

Containing a whopping 38% protein and 15% fat, Merrick’s philosophy is that these two properties in combination with a host of vitamins and minerals will do wonders for promoting the overall dog’s health.

They are extremely transparent with regards to the ingredient composition, choosing only the best available products and containing no corn, wheat, soy or gluten ingredients.

This helps give us tremendous confidence in recommending the brand. At $60 for a 25-lb bag, this does fall into the premium category.

Whether the exceptional nutritional content is worth the increased price is up to you.