I cant belive I've been feeding my dogs junk food!

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This is a dog food rating system created to help people find a quality food. This is not concrete but to be used as a guide. This was created by Fredalina of the GDR.


Giving Dry Dog Food a Grade:
Start with a grade of 100:

For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points


For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points

If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points

For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points

If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer#%92s rice", "rice flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points


If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points

If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points

If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points

If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points

If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points

If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points

If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points

If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn#%92t allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points

If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn#%92t allergic to beef), subtract 1 point

If it contains salt, subtract 1 point

Extra Credit:

If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points


If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points

If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points

If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points

If the food contains fruit, add 3 points

If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points

If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points

If the food contains barley, add 2 points

If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points

If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point

If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point

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 "turkey" as 2 different sources), add 1 point


If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point

If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point



94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
<70 = F   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

Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+

Natural Balance  Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+

Hund-n-Flocken Adult Pet (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 B

Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D

Innova Pet / Score 114 A+

Innova Evo / Score 114 A+

Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+

Merrick Grammy Pot Pie/ Score 118 A+

Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B

Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F

ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+

Purina Beneful / Score 17 F

Purina Pet / Score 62 F

Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F

Royal Canin BullPet / 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+

Wolf King Adult Pet (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

Some foods that have all ready been rated:

And this lists some of the flaws in that system:http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=grading_kibble

You'll never find two people who agree on everything concerning dog nutrition.

As I read the original post, the OP was glad that s/he had gotten some information that altered his/her thinking and is grateful to have found that information.
 
In response to that, all I can say is "glad we could help"
 
And welcome to the forum.
 
At the risk of adding fuel to another fire, if you wish to discuss the pro's and cons of SD and Ol Roy, start another thread.

Welcome to the forum from me too!! [] And don't feel bad about feeding Science Diet. No one is born knowing about nutrition. When I was younger we fed our family dog grocery store brands. When I got my first dog I fed him Nutro, thinking it was one of the best foods out there. I did a little more research and found even better foods IMO.

ORIGINAL: sooner

And this lists some of the flaws in that system: [linkhttp://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=grading_kibble]http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=grading_kibble[/link]

You'll never find two people who agree on everything concerning dog nutrition.

I think the list is a pretty good general quide of the relative qualities of the dog foods that are available.  Let's face it, most people are not up to wading through the multitude of pages at the Dogfood Project Site to try and find a good food. The list I posted is a fairly  accurate ranking of many of the popular foods, and more importantly will show the novice that they can probably get a excellent food like Canidae or Natural Balance for the same , or less money, than some of the  poor foods like Science Diet and Purina. I have given this list  to quite a few people at the dog park, and many of them have switched  to Canidae, and NB , and their dogs coats and energy level have improved considerably, according to them. 

ORIGINAL: jenns

ORIGINAL: sooner

I think this gets asked every time you post that - but I guess I've missed the answer... How does she recommend choosing a food?

 My point is simply, "any product having passed an AAFCO feeding trial is worthy of being tested on your dog if you are looking for another product."

from her site - here is a link to the whole article [linkhttp://www.petdiets.com/faqs/display_faq.asp?ID=589]http://www.petdiets.com/faqs/display_faq.asp?ID=589[/link]

Aafco is an organization that is run by the industry. Kind of like the inmates running the jail.  They have approved some pretty poor foods.  There standards are pretty low, and not in any way, a measure of the quality of the food. 

[linkhttp://home.att.net/%7Ewdcusick/04.html]http://home.att.net/~wdcusick/04.html[/link]


Below is a quote from this website.  [linkhttp://www.puppyanddogbasics.com/pn4.asp]http://www.puppyanddogbasics.com/pn4.asp[/link]


The American Standards:
The statement of nutritional adequacy, which starts with "Formulated to meet Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) standards for...)” is a government regulated phrase, and means that the diet is formulated to meet specified minimum nutrient requirements for that particular life stage. Think of this as a laboratory standard — animals haven't been tested with this food, but from a chemical and scientific point of view, this food is safe and meets basic requirements. The formula that meets these qualifications is submitted once and never followed up unless there are complaints or the formula is substantially changed. When the package says that it "passed AAFCO feeding trials” and meets the requirements for a particular life stage that means that the company that makes the food has tested the food according to AAFCO standards. This doesn't mean that the government or even AAFCO have tested the food, but it means that the company is claiming to have tested it on real dogs. Still, this is not 100 percent foolproof: AAFCO offers a loophole in which the company can feed test one food and then ask for similar foods to be given the same approval. Also, AAFCO has no continued monitoring of the diet or the company once it has met the standards.

Wow is all I can say! Surely didn't mean to start anything. The reason I am so glad of finding out that SD isnt high quality is that my Great Pyrenees often doesnt eat her food unless we add cheese,eggs etc. Our GSD however eats anything you put in front of him. Our GSD's coat is not glossy or soft, but often dry and brittle feeling. He deserves to feel good and be soft and loveable too!  I chocked a lot of that up to old age. ( He will be 10 in Feb.) But watching Shiloh not eat and turn her nose up, is not a pleasant feeling. Pyrenees grow until they are 3 and she has 13 more months till she reaches 3! I want her to be happy and healthy. I wouldn't want to have to eat something I dont like, thats for sure! Anyway, ty everyone for the words of encouragement and yes I do know to add new brands of food gradually to avoid stomach issues, but thanks anyway in case I didn't know. []

i think cita offers the best advice....

Dog food is a hot, hot topic around here, as you've seen! Don't feel bad for feeding one thing and not another, just educate yourself as much as you can, try what you think seems good, and stick with what works best for you and your dog.

the food we feed doesnt necessarily rank too high on a lot of those food quizzes. but it works well for our dogs and our budget.

ORIGINAL: jenns
Hmm...well I don't see the word 'opinion' in your post SD above , but I do see 'fact' !

 
Lacking evidence to the contrary and considering the fact that SD is a food recommended by many vets, I stand behind the statement as factual.  The OP's dog will likely experience no ill effects if fed SD.

And then when the other poster stated that others might disagree with your 'fact', you tried to drag them into a debate.

 
Isn't that really kind of the point?  [8|]

ORIGINAL: abbysdad
Contrary to popular belief, no one in the world can look at an ingredients list and tell you how your dog will do on a particular food,

 
Maybe, but it seems to me like a pretty good place to start.  Don't you consider the ingredients that are in food you feed your kids?  If that seems sensible for kids, why not dogs?
 

I would stick with professional advice. Dr. Remillard is one of the foremost independent experts in canine nutrition

 
Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the good doctor have an agenda...like, doesn't she work for PG or someone who produces a food using low cost ingredients?
 

In fact AAFCO and FDA guard against it.

 
Others have pointed out possible conflicts and reasons not to consider AAFCO as much of an authority so I won't repeat.

ORIGINAL: probe1957

ORIGINAL: abbysdad
Contrary to popular belief, no one in the world can look at an ingredients list and tell you how your dog will do on a particular food,

Maybe, but it seems to me like a pretty good place to start.  Don't you consider the ingredients that are in food you feed your kids?  If that seems sensible for kids, why not dogs?

Yeah, that seems a little odd to me too.  I have never had a human doctor or equine vet or any source on equine nutricion say "You know what, it makes absolutely no difference what the hay or grain you feed has in it.  As long as the horse is holding weight, knock yourself out."  Never.

In fact, there is much talk about not giving too much corn, starch overload, if you do feed corn make sure it is cracked, the purpose of beet pulp, etc.  In fact, in most of my horse books that touch on feeding, there is a great deal of discussion on the subject of ingredients, not just in the grains but what kind of grass makes up your hay.  When I was in 4-H Horse and Pony we had to take a written test and there where always questions on the test dealing with specific ingredients and their funtions.

Then again you don't have nearly as much politics in horse feed as in dog food, so you don't have people telling you things like "Oh, don't worry about it--ingredients don't matter"

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the good doctor have an agenda...like, doesn't she work for PG or someone who produces a food using low cost ingredients?

No she is independent and does not work for any dog food manufacturer.

Maybe, but it seems to me like a pretty good place to start.  Don't you consider the ingredients that are in food you feed your kids?  If that seems sensible for kids, why not dogs?

We control the fresh ingredients we serve our kids, we have no idea of the quality of the ingredients in kibble, that is the point. If you see chicken meal on one label, and chicken by-product meal on another, which is more nutritious.  The answer is no one knows, not me, not you and not Dr. Remillard, that is her point.  The chicken meal can be a very poor quality and poorly digestible chicken meal, and the by-product meal can be a very high quality and highly digestible by-product meal, and the same goes for every ingredient in the food, not to mention the numerous other factors that go into the nutritional quality of a food, like how well balanced the nutrients, vitamins and minerals are, how the ingredients are stored, processed, etc.   Many of the "premium foods" use novel carb sources, like potato, tapioca, are those really superior carb sources than wheat, soy or corn, if you look at the nutritional values of those products, I would say no. I would rather my kids eat corn or wheat everyday than tapioca or potato.

[linkhttp://www.wysong.net/PDFs/healthiergrains.pdf]http://www.wysong.net/PDFs/healthiergrains.pdf[/link]

ORIGINAL: abbysdad
No she is independent and does not work for any dog food manufacturer.

 
I am sorry.  I thought I saw a quote from you, or someone, where she was promoting Science Diet.  [:'(]

We control the fresh ingredients we serve our kids, we have no idea of the quality of the ingredients in kibble, that is the point.

 
So, you only serve your kids fresh food.  Why not do that for your dog?
 

If you see chicken meal on one label, and chicken by-product meal on another, which is more nutritious.  The answer is no one knows, not me, not you and not Dr. Remillard, that is her point. 

 
Well, the problem I have is with dog foods with ANY grain as the PRIMARY protein source.  I don't think dogs need much, if any, grain in their diet.  They most certainly, IMHO, do not need a diet that is MOSTLY grain.
 

I won't debate that fresh food is probably the best way to feed a dog, as long as you balance the nutrients, common sense tells me that is probably true.  I just think as far as kibble goes, some people have taken some rough guidelines on what to look for in a food, and tried to turn that into a science, which you just can't do because there are too many other factors, which don't appear on the package, that is Dr. Remillards point also. 

ORIGINAL: abbysdad
 just think as far as kibble goes, some people have taken some rough guidelines on what to look for in a food, and tried to turn that into a science, which you just can't do

 
And on that point, Tony, we are in complete agreement.