Best Dog Food Ratings? - Other

The first thing I know about you is that you are a great dog owner - one of the very best, in fact. How do I know this? I know this is true because you found this article while looking to settle the question about who provides the best dog food ratings once and for all.

Now, here's a question I want to ask you. Whose dog food ratings are you interested in? Were you going to get the answer to which commercial pet food maker makes the best product compared to the rest of the commercial pet food companies? You can find plenty of information about which one makes the best product.

The problem is that none of it will be accurate.

Are you going to question what each company says about itself vs all the others? Are you going to compare ads and articles in print in the dog magazines? Are you going to accept the dog food ratings of the person reading off the sales copy on the TV or Radio commercial? How about going to the store and reading all the ingredients and nutrition information on all the different brands of cans and bags?

Are you going to go and visit as many dog or pet related websites as you can find and see who they recommend? This last one will at least give you a small chance of finding out the real facts. The chance is small because you're probably not looking for the right dog food ratings information.

Here's the thing. The commercial pet food makers definitely rate each other (and naturally the one doing the rating wins out). However, they ONLY rate their competitors that are trying to crowd them on the shelf in the store. This includes the so called 'higher quality' foods that cost more and tell you that they are worth more.

It's a formula and a technique used by all of the best magicians in Las Vegas. They distract you with a beautiful girl or an explosion or a fancy passing of one hand while the other hand or stage hand is doing something they don't want you to notice.

Now you ask, "Glenn, what on earth are you talking about? Can you please just get to the point?"

It's this. They only recognize each other as competitors and want you to think that there are no other dog food ratings to take into account; so, they never ever mention them. It's easy and effective because they have the advertising budgets and the competitors they ignore don't.

So, one more time. Who's rating are you interested in? Have you tried this approach?Go to your favorite search engine and search "homemade pet food testimonials" and prepare yourself to be horribly shocked at what you'll learn about commercial pet foods and what a fantastic alternative is available in creating your own recipes in your own kitchen.

After you do a little exploring on the internet; find a local Veterinarian of good reputation and ask his or her opinion about commercial dog foods vs homemade dog food.

Important information all pet owners should know:Commercial dog food products (among the worst dog food ratings) are known to be responsible for a wide variety of debilitating, crippling and life shortening diseases and medical conditions including severe malnutrition, impacted immune systems, stunted growth, reduced vitality, kidney and liver disease, cancer, reduced ability to recover from illness or injury and a greatly fore-shortened life span that can be as much as 50%.

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Dog Food Ratings: Know What You're Feeding Your Dog - Family - Pets

The recent recall of a variety of commercial dog food has highly affected dog food ratings. It has been stated that the lives of dogs across the United States of America have been claimed due to them eating commercial dog food. Some commercial dog foods are tainted with aminopterin, which is a rat poison, and melamine, which is a chemical used for making plastic and fertilizer. Because of these dog food ratings, many dog owners are choosing to make their very own homemade dog food as a safe and nutritious alternative for their canine companion.

Some of the regular ingredients that are placed into commercial dog foods which are manufactured in the United States, Europe and worldwide include:

* Euthanized dogs - Euthanizing agent is what is used to inject dogs to kill them on a daily basis at dog shelters. The dogs may still be wearing a collar which ends up in the plastic bag of dog food.

* Blood

* Downed, dying, diseased and dead animals

* Feathers

* Hooves, beaks, feet and hide

* Undeveloped eggs

There are also many unhealthy and toxic products that go into commercial dog food which can slowly kill your dog. The way in which these dog food ratings have affected the nation are immense.

What is the alternative? Well the best alternative, if you are prepared to spend the time and a little money, is to prepare your very own homemade dog food. The daily toxification can be stopped, and you can provide your dog with a nutritional and healthy diet to increase his lifespan.

There are a wide variety of homemade dog food options to choose from. Some of these include completely natural ingredients that are backed by The Bones and Raw Food (BARF) nutrition experts. These diets include a variety of uncooked foods such as:

* Bones with meat attached* Cereals* Eggs* Enzymes* Fruit* Herbs* Muscle* Organs* Supplements * Vegetables* Yogurt

There are, of course, vegetarian diets for dogs also. Even though primarily dogs were carnivores in the wild 10,000 years ago, dogs would take down their prey and eat not only the meat of the carcass, but also the contents of the stomach, which included undigested berries, grains and grass.

Therefore, a dog's vegetarian diet can consist of:

* Apples* Baked beans* Bread* Brown rice* Carrots* Cottage cheese* Dog biscuits* Eggs* Lentils* Sprouting grains

You could also prepare a combo homemade dog food diet which would include:

* Brown pasta* Brown rice* Eggs* Meat* Vegetables

Therefore, if you choose to do something about the dog food ratings that are present in today's day and age, then why not select to prepare homemade dog food and avoid potentially dangerous commercial dog food.

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The Fatal Weakness of All Dog Food Rating Systems - Family - Pets

Introduction

There are various dog food rating systems on the Internet that claim to provide a listing of the best to worst dog food available on the market.

One popular method assigns points to "good" and "bad" ingredients in dog food to arrive at a final rating for pet food. Other methods allow consumers to rate food based on their pets' preferences or the experience one has had with a particular brand. Still other methods rate food for their meat content or whole vegetable or whole grain content. Some rating entities even contact the manufacturer to determine the sources of their ingredients.

The major weakness of most dog food rating systems

Each one of these methods could be critiqued on their own merits; however even without their proper downsides, most suffer from one overriding weakness: - A majority of the dog foods they rate are not genetically appropriate for your pet.

For starters we must contend with the fact that most conventional pet food is made under highly processed conditions. The resulting kibble, which has gone through an abnormal heating and cooling process, differs dramatically from natural food in its normal state.

You don't need a dog food expert to corroborate this fact for you. You know it instinctively from the foods you prepare daily for human consumption.

For example, if you've ever made lemonade by squeezing the lemons yourself you know it tastes qualitatively different (and is better for you) than some processed concoction you buy at the supermarket (a smiling actor notwithstanding).

Secondly, for all of the positive points or ratings that are given to foods with whole grains, they are still nevertheless starches. Starches are wonderful for plant eaters, but are not a natural food for carnivores. Yet many companies routinely use starches as fillers or as protein substitutes or because it helps the ingredients in the kibble to adhere.

The wonderful carnivore's anatomy (i.e. your dog's body)

Think about your dog's anatomy for a second.

First, it bears repeating often that your dog is a descendant of the wolf, a carnivore if there ever was one. I suspect that if a wolf in the wild came across some splattered kibble left by a camper with a dog, they would not know what to do with it.

Secondly, a dog's teeth are sharp and jagged, which means they are primed to tear through flesh, bones and fat. In addition, they have what is known as a hinged jaw, allowing them to swallow large chunks of food (i.e. the whole tiny, crunchy, pellet thing goes against their very nature.) Finally, there are no flat molars in a dog's mouth, making the grinding of vegetable matter quite difficult.

Thirdly, a dog's digestive system is short, and its powerful stomach acids, allow for the easy digestion of protein and fat. (This is why good homemade recipes call for lots of meat.) Grains, vegetables and other starches, however require further breakdowns which a short digestive tract is not able to handle as well. The result of all the starch in most pet foods is gas and smelly stools.

Conclusion

Dogs are incredible creatures, with amazing anatomies, whose real need is genetically appropriate food. The problem with most dog food rating systems is that they are giving high marks to a manufacturing process that ultimately fails to address this need.

Only a diet of fresh, natural, homemade dog food recipes begins to reverse this critical shortcoming.

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What is a High Dog Food Rating Really Worth - Family - Pets

Introduction

Hello my friend. And thank you for reading this article.

If you have somehow made it to this particular page or site, my guess is that you are looking for the healthiest and most nutritious options for feeding your precious dog.

And I don't blame you! Dogs are a truly special breed (in many homes they are considered part of the family); but if you are truly concerned about your pet's health, you may want to think twice before relying on brands with a high dog food rating.

What is a high dog food rating really worth?

Recently, I ran across a site that rated the top 10 dry dog foods on the market. This site (which shall remain unnamed) had a long list of criteria by which they rated each brand. It was the usual: brands with a high named meat source, whole grains and vegetables and no harmful additives received high marks. Those with meat by-products, high (and substandard) grain content and harmful additives received low grades.

But what was truly shocking is that since their last update, this site had removed four of their top ten pet food brands from their list.

Doesn't that give you pause? Here were four brands, which previous to my hitting this site, had received the highest marks any dog food could receive. We're not talking one out of 100, or 50 or even 25. We're talking about 4 OUT OF THE TOP 10 BRANDS of dog food!

The real problem with dog food ratings

Upon closer inspection, the rating entity had really done nothing wrong in terms of their criteria, their research and their grading of a particular dog food. The real problem is that they were relying on the published ingredients contained on the manufacturer's pet food label. And therein lies the real problem with many of the raters.

Apparently, the manufacturer whose food was removed from the high rate list was under investigation by the Food And Drug Administration for "misbranding" their pet food. A food that was labeled as containing duck, had no such ingredient and one labeled lamb contained bovine material. The pet food company denied the reports, but the FDA continued with their investigation.

The other three brands were also deleted from the top 10 list because the manufacturer was bought out by another pet food maker with a not so great reputation.

The real problem is trust

Let me step back for a moment and ask you. Are you really confident that a giant conglomerate, that makes everything from soap, to motor oil, can do a better job of feeding your dog than you can? Do you know what the sources of the ingredients in your dog food are? Do you even know what those ingredients on the label mean? When did feeding our pets become so complicated that we must now rely on pet food formulas that only a chemist would love?

Are we that sold on convenience that we would turn over our pet's health to an industry that has serious credibility issues. How convenient are those vet visits you constantly make, which are likely caused by the processed food your pet is consuming daily.

The true highest rated dog food

There is one sure fire way to escape the ratings madness, and that is to make your own dog food recipes.

Once you truly take control of your dog's nutrition you will never go back to feeding them processed food day after day. And I can promise you that anything you put together yourself, made with only the freshest ingredients will always have a 10 top rating and will never be struck from the list.

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Dog Food Choices - Family - Pets

Our dogs are our special friends, our companions. They rely on us to provide them with a loving home where they can feed safe, and they can get the best care we can afford. To do this, we need to feed them good food.

There are many opinions about dog food, what is good and what is bad. The media often provides us with huge amounts of advertising regarding just what is best for our pets. However, do they really have our dogs as a top priority or do they have their bottom line, as their priority? You decide after this brief review.

I believe we most often find ourselves at the supermarket, realize we need dog food, look for a name brand commercial food, check the price or see what is on sale, grab a bag and take it home. I have found that I have read the advertising on the label like 'nutritious', 'top quality', 'high protein', 'high energy', or any other leading slogan, and those slogans catch my eye. I feel that I am purchasing something good for my dog, and I don't take the time to read the ingredients because the slogans wouldn't lie. I feel I am an educated shopper because I have seen the ads in magazines or on TV. Most of the time, however, these supermarket specials are not the high quality dog food we are lead to believe they are and we should take the time to understand just what the ingredients really are.

In my research, I have discovered what some of the terms of ingredients actually mean. On the surface, they sound good; however, they are not as good as we think they are. Here are a few of the most common and important ingredients that we need to be aware of when purchasing good quality dog food.

Meat or Poultry: These sounds good, but ask yourself, "What kind of meat or poultry?" Meat and poultry are general terms without using any specifics, so you really don't know what is in the dog food. Is it beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey, geese, or duck or some other animal? Is this ingredient human grade or leftovers from some processing source? The meat source is unknown. Meal: Meat meal or poultry meal still does not specify the protein source. Meal means the water has been removed so you get a more condensed product, but the animal is not specified, and is the animal source palatable for our pets? If it says 'chicken meal', 'turkey meal', or some other specific animal meal, that is good quality. Rendered meat: These meats can be any meat from animals that are dead, diseased, dying or disabled. The animals may have some medicines or chemicals in them before they are processed. These should not be eaten by our pets. By-products: This term is misleading because you don 't know what the by-products are from. It could be hoofs, beaks, ears, etc. It is unknown. Not too edible! Grains: Grains are often fillers and they do not have good protein value for our dogs. Our pets need more meat, such as beef, chicken, turkey, salmon, etc. Grains like corn, wheat, corn gluten, or wheat gluten are not good for dogs because dogs can be allergic to these grains. Other grains such as oats or barley are okay. The grains, however, should not be listed within the top 4 or 5 ingredients. Animal fat: Again, from which animal? From fish and chips? Skimmed off of the top of a processing source? Dogs need fat, and chicken fat is good. Brewer's yeast: Brewers yeast is a good ingredient, but don't get it confused with brewer's rice. They are 2 different things, and brewer's rice is not very nutritious. Preservatives: What kind of preservatives? BHA or BHT are often linked to cancer. Vitamin C and vitamin E are good sources of preservatives.

You can do further research and make your own decisions. I was in a nationally known pet store recently, and they had several well known commercial pet foods that you would see at your supermarket, so don't be fooled. Read the ingredients.

Remember also, that a puppy food is often quite different from adult dog food, and puppies and dogs should not usually be fed the same food. They have different needs.

If you decide to change your dog's diet, do it over a period of 7-10 days so it doesn't upset his system. Slowly introduce his new food in small quantities, at first, with his current diet. Increase the new food every couple of days, and decrease his current food until you have made the switch completely.

Dry dog food is the most convenient way to feed your dog, and always have plenty of water available for him to drink. Using a combination of dry and canned food is a very acceptable decision, and you don't need to use the same brand for both. As long as you feel you are selecting good quality food and your dog likes the flavor, you have made a great decision! Changing occasionally to another high quality food for variety is also a good choice.

If you find a dog food that has human grade ingredients, you have found a quality product. Don't be afraid to check out the manufacture on their website. The price tag may be more, but you will have healthier dogs and fewer visits to the vet. Also, a dog eating a high quality dog food will not have a desire to eat as much, so you will save there. Your dog will have more energy, be healthier, and have a more beautiful, shiny coat.

Happy shopping! Your dog will appreciate feeling better and looking better. You will know you are providing excellent care for your special dog.

Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian nor do I have any formal training in any medical field. This article is not to replace the advice of your veterinarian. I am only providing options and ideas that you may want to discuss with your veterinarian

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Dog Food Rating Systems: A Critique of the Points / Formula Method - Family - Pets

Introduction

When searching for the term "dog food rating" on Google recently, I was flabbergasted to receive over 55 million hits.

Since it is no longer possible to live without information overload, I thought it would be helpful to provide a review / critique of the point / formula grading method.

This is one of the more popular dog food rating systems used by many of these aforementioned websites.

The Point / Formula Grading Method

Essentially, one begins with a grade of 100 for each pet food. Points are then subtracted for ingredients that are considered substandard.

For example, a listing of "by-product" on the dog food label would reduce the above score by 10 points, as would foods that contain BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin.

On the flip side, points would be added for meat sources that were organic or food that contained probiotics, as examples.

Major Strength of The Point Method

One of the aspects that is commendable about this dog food rating system is that it has brought attention to many of the substandard ingredients in our pets' food.

Foods that use by-products instead of whole meats, unnamed meat sources, harmful additives, protein from grains instead of from meat and artificial ingredients are essentially downgraded.

Thus, the points / formula system teaches dog owners how to begin spotting these ingredients in the dog food labels, and avoid foods that contain them.

Major Weaknesses of the Point Method

In my estimation, however, there are some major weaknesses with the points / formula approach to rating dog food:

1. The criteria for the subtraction and addition of points are far too numerous.

On one website, I counted 29 different calculations that I would need to perform to receive a final score. Only the hardiest souls (or math majors) would be able to sit down with pen and ingredient label and carry out that many additions and subtractions. (And what if someone missed a number?)

Granted, many dog foods had already been rated using this method, which would save time; however, many others had not been rated and new pet foods are being developed all the time.

In addition, there are other weaknesses which go beyond being able to save time.

2. The presence of a few bad ingredients can be masked by many good ones

Even if a dog food contains 95% whole meat sources, few grains, lots of pro-biotics and no additives, the presence of several substandard ingredients would not tip the scale towards an unfavorable rating.

Why would you want to feed your dog 95% good stuff and 5% junk?

3. Some of the criteria do not go deep enough and can yield a false rating

Many of the dog foods that were rated using the points / formula method received scores well over 120, an A+ rating. Yet upon closer inspection, these foods did not deserve their high rating.

As an example, one brand in particular had a named meat source as its first ingredient (chicken). This is a huge plus, both because it is a named meat source (vs. a by-product) and because it is the first ingredient, signifying that this is the largest ingredient the food contains.

However, the meat was inclusive of its water content, which once removed, slid this ingredient further down the list.

Secondly, even though the grain ingredients were whole (considered a plus in the rating system), once the chicken slid down the list, these grains made up a larger portion of the food.

This is a big no-no in feeding dogs, since their digestive systems are set up to feed on meat, not grains. In addition, many dogs are allergic to wheat, which became one of the main ingredients in this particular dog food now that it made up a larger percentage of the content.

Conclusion

As you can see, the cons of the dog food rating system based on points easily outweigh its strengths.

In the future, I hope to review / critique some of the other systems that exist for rating dog food.

Til then, give your dog a hug for me!

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Ingredients in Dog Food: Additives to Avoid - Part 1 - Family - Pets

Introduction

Reading a typical dog food label can leave most pet owners feeling mentally exhausted.

Once you are past the recognizable ingredients in dog food (which says nothing about their quality) you are often left with various chemical components, which can be difficult to pronounce and decipher: BHA, BHT, propylene glycol, propyl gallate, ethoxquin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, dl methionine, and so on.

To assess every ingredient in your pet's food would require several pages of explanation, and would be about as fun to read as an actual dog food label. Thus, in this article, I will only highlight very specific additives that should be avoided.

Some Important Caveats

Before jumping in, I wanted to share two important items:

1) First, I am a huge, huge fan of feeding your dog a diet of homemade recipes. Testimony after testimony confirms the dramatic changes that occur in dogs when owners make the switch from commercial to homemade recipes. However, since not everyone is inclined to prepare meals for their pets, then the next best option is to be aware of the ingredients in your pet's food.

2) Secondly, we should have a healthy skepticism regarding the ingredients in dog food, but not an overstimulated one. Not everything that has a strange-sounding name is harmful or even potentially dangerous. Pyridoxine hydrochloride, for example, is simply another name for vitamin B6. We should be informed consumers not easily scared ones.

Some Additives to Avoid

All right then, the five additives that you should avoid in pet food are: BHA, BTA, ethoxquin, propylene glycol and propyl gallate. Many dog food rating systems will downgrade any food that contains these ingredients.

In this first article, we will concentrate on BHA & BHT together, since they have similar functions. Let's take a closer look at each:

BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) & BHT (butylated hydroxytolulene)

BHA and BHT are antioxidants used to keep the fat additives in pet food from becoming rancid. (Again, we will set aside this unpleasant notion of having to spray fat on dog food to make it taste good.)

The U.S. National Institute of Health reports that BHA is reasonably expected to be a human carcinogen. (See Report on Carcinogens, CAS No. 25013-16-5) In high doses, it has been linked to cancer in rats and hamsters. Thus far, BHA remains on the FDA's Generally Accepted As Safe list (GRAS).

BHT is a controversial ingredient, which has been linked to elevated cancer risks (See Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)", IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, 1986;40:161-206.)

Both BHA and BHT have been banned as food additives in many countries for decades.

Conclusion

Even this cursory review of these preservatives should give any dog lover pause when feeding their pet a steady diet of processed commercial pet food.

As I continue to mention, homemade recipes put you in charge of the ingredients in your dog food and will steer you clear of so many damaging additives. But barring that, it is imperative that you read your dog food labels and avoid the above-mentioned chemicals.

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