Pound for pound, the well-known brands sold in supermarkets and major pet food chains are obviously a lot cheaper. However, many pet-nutrition experts say that the initial cost difference doesn’t tell the whole story. According to veterinarians at ThePetCenter.com, due to the higher-quality ingredients in premium food, your dog will actually eat less compared to inexpensive dog food: “Immediately you will notice that when feeding a high quality, meat-based food, the dog will need to consume fewer cups of it per day than a cheap diet.†An added benefit is that since more of the food is absorbed as nutrients, your dog will pass less solid waste.
These statements are supported in tests at Good Dog Magazine. Editors write, “In one test we ran, we had to feed five times as much of the Economy brand dog food to get the same nutritional benefits of the Super-Premium. Despite the lower cost per bag of the Econo brand, it costs you more to feed than a Super-Premium, because you use more bags.â€
Experts also point out that suggested serving sizes are just that — suggestions. Feeding needs vary greatly depending on your dog’s breed and activity level, and serving-size guidelines are merely a good jumping-off point. A dog that spends all day running around in the yard will obviously need more food than a sedentary dog. Observation will tell you if your dog needs more or less food.
Top-rated dry dog food
In the dry food category, Innova EVO
(*Est $ 25 per 13.2-pound bag) from Natura Pet Products is notable for its high-quality content. DogFoodAnalysis.com calls Innova EVO an “outstanding†product. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that there are no grains; carbohydrate comes from potatoes. In addition, the four top ingredients are meat products (turkey, chicken, turkey meal, chicken meal). Christopher Eng at PetFoodRatings.com is equally complimentary. Some owners aren’t as sure, however, as among rave reviews at RateItAll.com and OnlyNaturalPet.com we saw some comments of dogs who suffered stomach upset, possibly because of the high meat content.
Orijen (*Est. $ 35 per 15.4-pound bag) is another grain-free dog food that draws kudos from top reviewers. As noted by DogFoodAnalysis.com, the food contains tons of meat products, and chicken meal and turkey meal are among the top three ingredients (the third is deboned chicken). “This is a far more natural food concept and combined with a complete lack of any low quality or controversial ingredients is the reason this food is placed in a class above the more conventional form dry dog foods,†the editors say. Christopher Eng at PetFoodRatings.com agrees, and also compliments the food for the high quality of its non-meat ingredients. “There is absolutely nothing you can fault this food for,†Eng concludes. Orijen is also does exceptionally well among users weighing in at RateItAll.com. On the downside, the food is expensive and a bit hard to find.
Solid Gold Barking at the Moon formula(*Est. $ 31 per 15-pound bag) is a grain-free dog food that scores well at DogFoodAnalysis.com and AnimalArk.com. The ingredients lead off with salmon meal, beef and potatoes. The editors at DogFoodAnalysis.com caution that foods like this with high protein content are only suitable for adult dogs, and particularly large-breed dogs. But, by the same token, the site notes that the absence of grains and the high meat content, coupled with the absence of any low-quality or controversial ingredients, is what sets Solid Gold apart from more conventional dry dog foods. AnimalArk.com adds that the Solid Gold line of dog foods is one of their favorites.
Several other grain-free dry dog foods have earned the respect of experts. Examples include Wellness CORE(*Est. $ 26 per 12-pound bag), Nature’s Variety Instinct(*Est. $ 26 per 13.2-pound bag) and Taste of the Wild(*Est. $ 23 per 15-pound bag). If you are looking for a grain-free dry food, all would make good substitutes for the foods named above if availability, cost and your dog’s preferences dictate.
One characteristic all grain-free foods have is that they cost more than other varieties. Experts say that dogs can tolerate some grain, and that some foods with good quality grains are excellent alternatives, especially for those dogs that don’t react well to a diet that’s too rich in protein.
The major difference between Innovo EVO and Innova Adult Formula dry dog food (*Est. $ 20 for a 16.5-pound bag) is that the later uses some grains. However, those grains are high-quality ones, such as barley and rice. As a result, Innova also earns recommendations from experts and users. The top ingredients in Innova dry food are turkey, chicken and chicken meal. Versions for large breeds and small breeds are available.
Natural Balance Ultra Premium(*Est. $ 24 per 15-pound bag) is notable for its use of all-natural dog food ingredients, quality meats and lack of by-products. However, Natural Balance Ultra Premium contains more grain than Innova Adult Formula. Still, on the Zootoo.com website, where it attracts more than 100 ratings, the vast majority of reviewers recommend Natural Balance Ultra Premium. Ratings are even more impressive at Petco.com, where 98 percent of reviewers recommend it to others. Most owners comment on their dogs’ overall health, energy, shiny coat and lack of digestive problems with this food, though a few owners say their pet’s coat seemed too dry while on Natural Balance. Professional reviewers give Natural Balance Ultra Premium good but not top marks. Still four-star ratings from reviewers such as PetFoodRatings.com and DogFoodAnalysis.com, plus a spot on Whole Dog Journals’ approved list make it worth considering. A relatively reasonable price tag is another plus. Top ingredients include chicken, brown rice, duck and lamb meal.
Some of Natural Balance’s products were affected by the rice gluten recall in 2007, but Natural Balance Ultra Premium dry dog food was not. However, in response to that, and to other recalls that have taken place, Natural Balance has instituted an extensive product-testing program. Each date-code batch of the company’s foods is tested for a variety of contaminants — testing for E. coli and salmonella was added to the program in September 2008 — and the results posted for pet owners to see.
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul dog food(*Est. $ 23 for an 18-pound bag) also gets recommendations as a dog food that uses premium ingredients, and it’s also a relative value. The ingredient list leads off with chicken, turkey, chicken meal and ocean fish meal, and meat products such as salmon and duck are found further down. The only thing that keeps it from being rated even higher is that it also contains a bit of grain, but again, at least those are higher-quality grains such as barley and brown rice, along with oatmeal, millet and white rice. DogFoodAnalysis.com gives it a reserved four-star score because of the number of grain ingredients and where they are placed in the ingredient list. Other reviewers are more impressed. PetFoodRatings.com gives it a top grade as both a great food and a good value. Few dog foods escape unscathed at Ask Susan Peters, but Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul does very well, and site owner Susan Peters adds, “Wow, my dog really liked this stuff. I liked reading the label.†Peters also considers the price “very affordable.†Like many premium foods, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul dog food earns a spot on the Whole Dog Journal list of approved dry foods.
AnimalArk.com is among those that give Canidae All Life Stages (*Est. $ 21 per 15-pound bag) a good grade, although that review is now a little dated. While this food does include grains, the meat/protein content is excellent, and the ingredient list includes whole eggs. It also gets good ratings at Zootoo.com, although several owners blame a revised formula for their dogs’ upset stomachs . Even with the change, Canidae appears — on paper — to be a quality food, with chicken meal, turkey meal and lamb meal being the first three ingredients. The Whole Dog Journal includes Canidae All Life Stages in its list of recommended dry food.
Blue Wilderness(*Est. $ 23 per 12-pound bag) is another food with some grain content, though that’s kept to a minimum. Although some oatmeal is included, the primary source of carbohydrates is potatoes, which is preferable. The top ingredients are deboned chicken, chicken meal, potato starch, turkey meal, fish meal, tomato pomace), chicken fat (preserved with natural mixed tocopherols), natural chicken flavor, oatmeal, whole carrots, whole sweet potatoes, blueberries, and cranberries. The food earns top grades at DogFoodAnalysis.com and PetFoodRatings.com. The only caveat is that Whole Dog Journal declined to include the food on its list of “approved†brands because the maker, The Blue Buffalo Company, did not respond to a request for information about where the food is made.
Whether or not they include grains, any of the dry foods discussed above are a far better choice than most supermarket dry foods. Premium brands lead off with meat, and have additional meat high in the ingredient list. Contrast that with a popular supermarket choice such as Purina Dog Chow(*Est. $ 18 per 20-pound bag). Its top ingredient is ground yellow corn, and things actually go downhill from there as the following ingredients are poultry by-product meal, animal fat, corn gluten meal, meat and bone meal, brewers rice and soybean meal. While we use Purina Dog Chow here as an example, it’s ingredients are typical of those found in many mainstream dry dog foods.
Some brands with a premium profile that can be found in supermarkets and large pet stores don’t fare that much better. Iams Healthy Naturals(*Est. $ 24 per 17.5-pound bag) lists its top ingredients as chicken, chicken by-product meal, brewers rice, corn meal, ground whole grain sorghum and ground whole grain barley. Science Diet Adult Advanced Fitness Original (*Est. $ 31 for a 20-pound bag) is much the same, as its ingredient list leads off with chicken, ground whole-grain corn, ground whole-grain sorghum, ground whole-grain wheat, chicken by-product meal, soybean meal and corn gluten meal. While both are better than typical supermarket foods, they are as or more expensive than some higher-quality choices. While we did see some complaints about a change in formulation in Canidae’s dry variety in the summer of 2008, the canned food seems to still be well regarded.
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