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What should I feed my pet for best health?
Aim for the Ideal, diet decisions are not a matter of right or wrong. If you understand
what is ideal, you can then create a feeding program that will help move your pet
closer to the healthiest diet options.
In general, the more real food your dogs eat, the healthier they will be. The chart
below outlines how our feeding choices for our pets (companion carnivores) can
affect their health. The closer to the upper level choices, the better the chance for
optimal health. You will likely be in the middle ranges most of the time. That is
fine, as long as you always press toward the ideal.
I am very hesitant to feed any large scale commercial dog food so chose a smaller
producer which I felt has quality in mind.
The info below was provided by David Leavitt.
Ideal - Healthiest
1. Hunted, raw prey (not realistic in modern society)
2. Fresh raw meats, bones, organ meats with very small amounts of fresh
vegetables. Include a well-rounded vitamin/mineral mix and omega 3 essential fatty
acids (salmon oil). You can prepare your own raw diet using meat/bone pieces and
parts, or you can use pre-prepared ground products such as Bravo! or Nature’s
Variety.
3. Fresh cooked meats, calcium, organ meat, with very small amounts of fresh
vegetables. Include a vitamin/mineral mix, and omega 3 essential fatty acids (salmon
oil). There are several books on the market that help you create your own home-
cooked diet. It’s best to follow the recipes in these books.
4. Ultra Premium commercial canned foods and augmented with some fresh, raw
foods. Canned foods, which are lower in carbohydrates, are much better for your
pet than dry kibble. Some of the brands I like are Nature’s Variety, Merrick, and
Evanger’s. These products are mostly meat, are usually grain-free, and very low in
carbohydrates. The meat they use is human quality and they do not use by-products
or chemical preservatives.
5. As in #4 above, but adding fresh cooked foods
6. Ultra Premium canned commercial foods WITHOUT fresh raw or cooked foods
added
7. Super Premium canned foods are very much like the brands above, but they use
more grains. They still use good quality meats and don't contain by-products. Brand
examples: Solid Gold,
Innova, Pet Promise.
8. Super Premium grain-free dry food (kibble) like Instinct by Nature’s Variety
9. Premium canned foods. These brands use substantially less meat. Water is often
the number 1 ingredient (in the Ultra Premium brands meat is the number one
ingredient), they use meat by-products (poor quality waste parts) and they usually
contain significant amounts of grains and chemical preservatives. Often, if all the
grains are added together, they would equal or exceed the meat. The meat quality is
OK, but just barely.
10. Super Premium kibble like Innova, Prairie, Canidae, and Timberwolf
11. Grocery store brands – canned or dry. These contain very little meat,
are made with substantial amounts of meat by-products, and primarily consist
of grain and grain by-products. The rendered meat used in these products
came from condemned animals, ie – animals that were deemed unfit for human
consumption. These products normally contain artificial colors, flavors
and chemical preservatives.
Worst - Unhealthy
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", "brewers 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 3 points
9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
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 isn’t allergic to wheat),
subtract 2 points
14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn’t 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
100+ = A+
94-100 = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
<70 = F
Here are some foods that have already been scored. If you don't see your dog's food
here, Score it and email us the results to add to our list.
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+
Flint River Ranch Lamb Millet and Rice / 115 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
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
Aim for the Ideal, diet decisions are not a matter of right or wrong. If you understand
what is ideal, you can then create a feeding program that will help move your pet
closer to the healthiest diet options.
In general, the more real food your dogs eat, the healthier they will be. The chart
below outlines how our feeding choices for our pets (companion carnivores) can
affect their health. The closer to the upper level choices, the better the chance for
optimal health. You will likely be in the middle ranges most of the time. That is
fine, as long as you always press toward the ideal.
I am very hesitant to feed any large scale commercial dog food so chose a smaller
producer which I felt has quality in mind.
The info below was provided by David Leavitt.
Ideal - Healthiest
1. Hunted, raw prey (not realistic in modern society)
2. Fresh raw meats, bones, organ meats with very small amounts of fresh
vegetables. Include a well-rounded vitamin/mineral mix and omega 3 essential fatty
acids (salmon oil). You can prepare your own raw diet using meat/bone pieces and
parts, or you can use pre-prepared ground products such as Bravo! or Nature’s
Variety.
3. Fresh cooked meats, calcium, organ meat, with very small amounts of fresh
vegetables. Include a vitamin/mineral mix, and omega 3 essential fatty acids (salmon
oil). There are several books on the market that help you create your own home-
cooked diet. It’s best to follow the recipes in these books.
4. Ultra Premium commercial canned foods and augmented with some fresh, raw
foods. Canned foods, which are lower in carbohydrates, are much better for your
pet than dry kibble. Some of the brands I like are Nature’s Variety, Merrick, and
Evanger’s. These products are mostly meat, are usually grain-free, and very low in
carbohydrates. The meat they use is human quality and they do not use by-products
or chemical preservatives.
5. As in #4 above, but adding fresh cooked foods
6. Ultra Premium canned commercial foods WITHOUT fresh raw or cooked foods
added
7. Super Premium canned foods are very much like the brands above, but they use
more grains. They still use good quality meats and don't contain by-products. Brand
examples: Solid Gold,
Innova, Pet Promise.
8. Super Premium grain-free dry food (kibble) like Instinct by Nature’s Variety
9. Premium canned foods. These brands use substantially less meat. Water is often
the number 1 ingredient (in the Ultra Premium brands meat is the number one
ingredient), they use meat by-products (poor quality waste parts) and they usually
contain significant amounts of grains and chemical preservatives. Often, if all the
grains are added together, they would equal or exceed the meat. The meat quality is
OK, but just barely.
10. Super Premium kibble like Innova, Prairie, Canidae, and Timberwolf
11. Grocery store brands – canned or dry. These contain very little meat,
are made with substantial amounts of meat by-products, and primarily consist
of grain and grain by-products. The rendered meat used in these products
came from condemned animals, ie – animals that were deemed unfit for human
consumption. These products normally contain artificial colors, flavors
and chemical preservatives.
Worst - Unhealthy
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", "brewers 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 3 points
9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
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 isn’t allergic to wheat),
subtract 2 points
14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn’t 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
100+ = A+
94-100 = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
<70 = F
Here are some foods that have already been scored. If you don't see your dog's food
here, Score it and email us the results to add to our list.
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+
Flint River Ranch Lamb Millet and Rice / 115 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
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
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