The Dog Food Comparison Blog

According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention nearly half the pets in the U.S. are overweight or obese. The association states that 43% of all dogs are overweight and that 13 percent are obese.  Not surprising since many dog owners are overweight themselves and many dogs do not get the exercise necessary to maintain good health.  Couple this with the poor quality of dog foods that are often purchased and you have a recipe for weight problems.

Veterinarians agree that the main contributors to making animals fat are “eating too much and lack of exercise — just like in humans.”  Overfeeding can occur with the dog’s regular food or with getting to many additional treats.  When giving treats to a dog, the dog’s regular diet should be cut back accordingly.

Health risks related to dog obesity include:

Arthritis, ligament injuries, spinal disc problems, hip dysplasia, heart failure, diabetes, kidney failure, blindness, liver disease, pancreatitis, cancer, respiratory difficulties and heat stroke.

Many dog owners don’t even realize their dog is overweight. If you can’t easily feel your dog’s ribs underneath a padding of fat and no waistline is showing, the dog probably needs to lose some weight.

Older dogs that move less don’t need as much food as active dogs and the feeding chart on the dog food package should be used only as a loose guideline.  If you dog needs to loose weight, cut back a little and help him or her to get more exercise.  If you give treats use treats that are low in calories, such as carrots, ice cubes or green beans.  If you do choose to use commercial dog treats, pay special attention to the ingredients to make sure that you are not making things worse.

Remember that your dog values your attention just as much as a treat, so spending time with you exercising will make him just as happy and much healthier.  An added benefit will usually be better behavior on your dog’s part and he or she will live longer, be healthier (which will save money on health care) and be a more enjoyable companion.

Additional Dog Health Resources

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Iams Adult Dog Food Review

The following are the top eight ingredient (by weight) used to manufacture Iams Adult Dog Food and a review of the ingredients nutritional value.

Chicken – Good start by Iams.  At least it is real meat, although not necessarily human grade.

Corn Meal – Corn is difficult for dogs to digest.  Not a good thing for it to be the second highest ingredient.

Ground whole grain sorghum – Another filler that is not particualarly digestable.

Chicken by-product meal- Low quality source of protein.  Mainly the parts left over after removing the meat.

Ground whole grain barley meal – Another difficult to digest filler.

Fish meal – Low quality source of protein.

chicken fat – Good source of protein.

Dried beet pulp – Another filler.

Overall, not a very impressive list from Iams Adult Dog Food

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When you compare dog food, protein is the food source that determines the quality of the dog food. You will normally see protein sources shown as meat, animal, and grain protein. 

Compare Dog Food Protein Sources

Meat Protein – This is muscle or organ meat and is superior to other protein sources and the best source of protein for your dog.  When you compare dog food this is the type of protein you want to see on the ingredient list.

Animal Protein – This is protein that comes from any type of animal and any part of the animal that has protein in it.  Stuff like hoofs, beaks, bones, hair, etc.  Not very pleasant stuff and not always digestable for your dog (which stresses the kidney). This is not the type of protein that you want as the main source of protein for your dog.

Vegetable and Grain Proteins – Grains and other vegetables have small amounts of protein.  Therefore, it takes a lot of vegetables and grains to supply the amount of protein your dog needs. Grains are hard for your dog to digest and may cause dog food allergies.  If the main ingredients of the dog food you are comparing are grains and vegetables it should be avoided.  

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Be cautious when feeding your dog people food.  A good example of items to be cautious about are sugar-free item.  Many artificial sweeteners are dangerous to you and your dog.

Aspartame, a common artificial sweetener is what is known as a neuro-excitatory chemical.  It can cause seizures in people and actually increases the appetite. I would not give it to a dog and frankly I don’t eat it myself.

Be extra cautious about another artificial sweetener called Xylitol.  It kills dogs by destroying their livers.

A natural alternative sweetener that should be safe for you and your dog is called Stevia.

Frankly, there shouldn’t be to many situation where you are feeding your dog something that might have an artificial sweetener in it, but in case you do, be careful and read the ingredients.

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I would like to switch from Natural Balance to either Solid Gold or Life's abundance since the Natural Balance recall. Both of the these dog foods seem nuturional however I would appreciate comments and comparisons from someone who has fed these to their dogs…. I have border collies

SOLID GOLD by far!!! I have fed my Rhodesian Ridgeback Sold Gold wolf king his whole life. It has real Bison (the top ingrediant) and Salmon and is very great for the coat. My sister also has a Chihuahua and I got her to switch to solid gold. Obviously not he wolf king, but you get the idea. It is a very Nutritious food and they only use the best ingrediants and it is packed with protien and no fillers. For Border collies, I can image they are very active and they need that protien for the reason alone. I would suggest the newer food Solid Gold came out with, I think it is called 'Over the Moon'…. It is a teal bag and has a little dog jumping over a moon (who'd have thought??). This is their new food that has more protien that their regular food and is aimed towards dogs with high energy. It packs the dogs full of usabe protien and instead of fat!!!! It may seem alittle more expensive, but since it is so full of protien, you may even end up feeding them alittle less then you have before since all you used to feed them were fillers so it evens out.

I am trying to get very good dry food for my dog (Shih Tzu) and cat(domestic short hair). I tumbled into some websites but all seem to be sponsored by manufacturers. Currently I feed my dog and cat Bluebuff. The ingredients “on the package” are good but the customer service is very bad. I got some that has sticks going through the kibbles and I tried to contact them. Never received any replies and then I found out that they only have a po box address. I don’t want to buy food from a manufacturer like this. They can put whatever ingredients they want but its the bigger companies that can’t lie because of potential law suits. So now I am looking for another brand to switch to.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ I like this site for dog food, sorry, don’t know one for cat food, but a lot of the dog food manufacturers make comparable cat versions. The foods rated between 4 and 6 stars are all high quality. Good luck!

I'm looking for a top quality 100% natural pre-mix dog food. I have previously used Dr. Harvey's, but would like to try another just for comparison. I don't mean a dry or canned food. Something that you mix with water, and cook yourself.

Have you looked at Oma's Pride or Steve's? Bravo? Do a google for premade raw diets. I don't know of many freeze dried add water type of diets that meet the criteria of being 'all natural'. Why not just feed raw?

ETA: I feed Dr.. Harveys brand Exotic Parrot to my African Grey. I have never tried any of Dr. Harveys for dogs but looked at it. We feed raw and it seems more like a BARF diet.

How and what you feed your dog has a big effect on you’re his/her health and over-all behavior. There are so many commercial dog foods to choose from that making the right decision can seem impossible. But let’s tackle the problem nonetheless.

Look beyond the marketing and advertisements and look into what exactly your dog food contains. A partial list follows to help you find out if your dog is getting what he needs in the right quantities.

If your dog has large, smelly stool, has a lot of gas, burps often, sheds constantly, is prone to ear and skin infections, is lethargic or hyperactive and if his immune system is weak,  your pet’s diet may be the problem.  Although any of these symptoms may occur occasionally, having them recur often is a cause for concern and reviewing your pet’s diet is one of the first things you should consider.

Your dog needs 45 nutrients to maintain his health.  Major groupings for these nutrients are protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, and of course water. These nutrients need to be in the right amounts and combinations to be properly digested and absorbed by the body.

Protein
Like it or not, your dog is a carnivore, meaning his body mainly uses meat.  It also means that vegetables and grains are not meant to be a major contribution to your pet’s diet.

The amount of protein in a commercial dog food is indicated on the package.  But knowing out how much protein is in the food is not as important as knowing what source the protein came from.

Dog food manufacturers have a wide choice of protein sources to choose from. Aside from meats (beef, chicken, lamb, etc.), plants and grains like corn, wheat and soy are used as sources.

To find what sources have been used most in the package you’re buying, look at the ingredients list. The largest amount of ingredient used is listed first and others follow in decreasing amounts. You should see at least three meat sources on the first 5 items mentioned. Any less than that and you may not be giving your dog the proper protein for his diet.

Carbohydrates
Your dog needs carbohydrates primarily for energy. But dogs do not need a lot of carbohydrates to be healthy. A diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates is ideal.

Since dogs are meant to be meat-eaters, diets that are high in carbohydrates will take a long time for your pet to digest and result in large, smelly stool and gas. The gums can also grow sore from excessive chewing and his breath can develop a bad smell.  Your dog’s diet should only use a small amount of a carbohydrate source such as grains.

Fats
Two kinds of fat exist; saturated (animal fat) and polyunsaturated (vegetable fat). Your dog needs both and taken together these fats supply essential fatty acids (EFA) needed to maintain good health.

Not having enough fat in the diet can cause your dog to have low energy levels, heart problems and dry skin. Don’t get carried away though.  Too much fat can cause obesity, tumors and cancer.  Look for products that have a good balance between animal and vegetable fats.

Vitamins
Vitamins are necessary to release nutrients from the food that the body can use. Your dog needs two types of vitamins: water-soluble vitamins and fat-soluble vitamins.

Vitamins B and C are water-soluble. Having too much of these will not harm the body much since it is urinated out in 4 to 8 hours. This is the reason they need to be in each meal. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble. They are stored in fatty tissues of the body and the liver.

It is important to remember that vitamins are easily lost in the making of manufactured dog food.  They also continue to break down more quickly as soon as you open the package and expose the food to light and air. Vitamins B and C are particularly sensitive.

Vitamin C is needed for healthy teeth and gums and a strong immune system. While dogs can produce their own vitamin C, it is not enough and therefore needs to be part of the diet. Vitamin B is needed for energy and breaking down protein and carbohydrates.

Minerals
Minerals are a critical component of a dog’s diet.  Since more than half of the necessary minerals are lost in manufacturing, adding mineral supplements to your pet’s food is recommended.

Water
Ready access to fresh, clean water is necessary to maintain proper body functions as well as to aid the body in breaking down foods like meat.

Whether you make your own dog food or buy it, it is necessary to make sure the proper nutrients in the correct amounts are given to your dog.  A little effort goes a long way in helping our dogs lead a healthy life.

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Common belief destroyed…amazing new comparison of pet food save big $$$

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Is menadione sodium bisulfate complex really as bad as people are making it seem? Are there more companies taking it out of their ingredients?

There is no scientific proof it is beneficial. Wise choice choosing switching to a more natural kibble!

fish meals, liver and green plant supplements (e.g. alfalfa, kelp and other seaweed, nettle leaf, blue-green algae, spirulina) are rich sources of natural vitamin K.

Actually, here are some adverse affects:
causes cytotoxicity in liver cells

causes formation of radicals from enzymes of leucocytes, with the consequence of cytotoxic reactions

considerably weakens the immune system

possible mutagenic effects

damages the natural vitamin K cycle

has no effect on coumarin derivatives, which are often present in commercial food due to mold contamination (toxic when ingested)

causes hemolytic anemia and hyperbilirubinemia, not just linked to large doses disturbs the level of calcium ions (Ca2+) in the body, which is an important factor fibrinolysis
is directly toxic in high doses (vomiting, albuminuria), unlike natural vitamin K builds up in tissue and has been detected in eggs, meat and milk of animals supplemented with menadione derivatives
causes irritation of skin and mucous membranes
causes allergic reactions and eczema