Canine Nutrition: You Are What You Eat
The Dog Place: Dog Food Defined - explaining dog food labels and the sources of each type.
We currently feed Fromm, Go!, Natural Balance, and Country Vet Naturals. I am planning on bringing in a new dog food line, made in British Columbia, called FIRST MATE. It will be available at Thunder Pet (Red River Road). All ingredients are sourced in Canada.
We currently feed Fromm, Go!, Natural Balance, and Country Vet Naturals. I am planning on bringing in a new dog food line, made in British Columbia, called FIRST MATE. It will be available at Thunder Pet (Red River Road). All ingredients are sourced in Canada.
Dog Food Ingredients Test
Use this test to figure out the score of your current dog food.
Start with a grade of 100 on the ingredients list:
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, Glyceryl Monostearate, Propylene Glycol, Propyl Gallate or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points. If all of them are in the food, subtract 50 points.
4) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 5 points
5) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 4 more points
6) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source,subtract 5 points
7) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "brown rice hulls", ground brown rice", "brewer's rice", "rice flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points.
Keep in mind though that brown rice hulls and brewers rice are a filler and not the same as brown rice. Brown rice alone is a good thing; see below. Rice flour is white rice.
8) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
9) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 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 is not allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
14) 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 baked not extruded, add 5 points
3) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
4) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
5) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points
6) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points
7 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points
8) if the food contains brown rice without the other "rice fillers", 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 seed oil, add 1 point
12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; do not include any meat "meal" as one protein source, i.e. "chicken" and "chicken meal" would be as 1 source), 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
94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
69 = F
Start with a grade of 100 on the ingredients list:
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, Glyceryl Monostearate, Propylene Glycol, Propyl Gallate or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points. If all of them are in the food, subtract 50 points.
4) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 5 points
5) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 4 more points
6) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source,subtract 5 points
7) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "brown rice hulls", ground brown rice", "brewer's rice", "rice flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points.
Keep in mind though that brown rice hulls and brewers rice are a filler and not the same as brown rice. Brown rice alone is a good thing; see below. Rice flour is white rice.
8) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
9) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 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 is not allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
14) 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 baked not extruded, add 5 points
3) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
4) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
5) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points
6) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points
7 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points
8) if the food contains brown rice without the other "rice fillers", 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 seed oil, add 1 point
12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; do not include any meat "meal" as one protein source, i.e. "chicken" and "chicken meal" would be as 1 source), 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
94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
69 = F