Battle of the Brands

The pet food recall of 2007 had several pet owners worried, and for good reason. Do we really know what goes into our dog's food? Are brands supported by veterinarians like Science diet necessarily better for your dog? Quite the opposite actually. Dogs are carnivores and the main ingredients in their food should be meat! Not fillers like corn and unnecessary grains. Out of the first four ingredients two should be meat or meat related (preferably the first two.) 
The first four ingredients in Science Diet "Adult Active" are Ground Whole Grain Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, Animal Fat, and Dried Beet Pulp. Chicken by-product meal is the only "meat source" named in the entire ingredients list. By-products of any animal are considered an inferior source of protein. Corn isn't very good for dogs either especially in high quantities (It is safe to say that it should not be the first ingredient.) It is very cheap for dog food producers to use corn as a filler which has made it quite popular in many brands. 
The first four ingredients of Iams Healthy Naturals are Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Brewer's Rice, and Corn Meal. Here we see corn again as well as Chicken by-product meal. And I know you are thinking, 'look how much better it is with Chicken as the first ingredient.' Chicken was the first ingredient, before it was dehydrated in order to make those nice dry kibbles. The dehydration process removes all the water weight and moves the ingredient much further down the list. It is safe to say that it is healthier to have a dog food without wheat, soy, corn, meat by-products, and artificial flavors and preservatives. Some canine nutritionists believe that dogs should not ingest grains at all. 
You should always look for "human-grade" food when you are looking at a brands website. Why would you feed your dog anything else? 
There are several "natural" brands out there... and some are better than others. Make sure you read the ingredients closely before you decide to buy. Also some foods may have great ingredients but might not be right for your dog. Its all a game of trial and error. 


tip: Make sure you transition your dog slowly from one food to the next to prevent shocking their system! 


Some examples of good dog foods:
Artemis Fresh Mix - Adult Dog Formula 
-first four ingredients: Chicken, Chicken meal, Turkey, Cracked Pearled Barley
Wellness Complete Health - Whitefish and Sweet Potato
-first four ingredients: Deboned Whitefish, Ground Barley (de-hulled), Rye Flour, Menhaden Fish Meal
Evo - Large Bites (grainless food)
-First four ingredients: Turkey, Chicken, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal




*** check out this Dog Food Analysis website for full and detailed reviews on tons of different brands! A fabulous source of information!