Rate your dog food

RATE/GRADE YOUR DRY DOG FOOD

Here's the dog food grading system. It is pretty straightforward. You'll have to have a list of ingredients available to you to do this. That info should be available from Pet Food Direct or your chosen food's web site or package. After the grading instructions there is a list of foods that people have already tabulated a grade for.

Just like in school:
94-100+ = A  Excellent
86-93 = B  Good
78-85 = C  Average
70-77 = D  Below average
69 = F Bad

Start with a score of 100:
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, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source,subtract
5 points
5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first
five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer's rice", "rice
flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points
6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than
2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points
9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more 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 isn't
allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't
allergic to beef), subtract 1 point
15) 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 endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist,
add 5 points
3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3
points
7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2
points
8 ) If the food contains barley, 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 oil, add 1 point
12) 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 "" as 2 different sources), 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

Below are just a few commercial dog foods that already have been scored. Please figure the score on your food and be sure that you know as much as possible about the food that you are feeding.

ALPO PRIME CUTS / SCORE 81 = C
ARTEMIS LARGE/MED BREED PUPPY / SCORE 114 = A+
AUTHORITY HARVEST BAKED / SCORE 116 = A+
AUTHORITY HARVEST BAKED LESS ACTIVE / SCORE 93 = B
BEOWULF BACK TO BASICS / SCORE 101 = A+
BIL-JAC SELECT / SCORE 68 = F
BLACKWOOD 3000 LAMB AND RICE / SCORE 83 = C
BLUE BUFFALO CHICKEN AND RICE / SCORE 106 = A+
BURNS CHICKEN AND BROWN RICE / SCORE 107 = A+
CANIDAE / SCORE 112 = A+
CANINE CAVIAR / SCORE = 121 A+
CHICKEN SOUP SENIOR / SCORE = 115 A+
DIAMOND MAINTENANCE / SCORE 64 = F
DIAMOND LAMB MEAL & RICE / SCORE 92 = B
DIAMOND LARGE BREED / SCORE 99 = A
DIAMOND PERFORMANCE / SCORE 85 = C
DICK VAN PATTENS NATURAL BALANCE ULTRA SUPREME / SCORE 122 = A+
DICK VAN PATTENS NATURAL BALANCE VENISON & BROWN RICE / SCORE 106 = A+
DICK VAN PATTENS DUCK & POTATO / SCORE 106 = A+
EAGLE PACK HOLISTIC / SCORE 102 = A+
EUKANUBA ADULT / SCORE 81 = C
EUKANUBA PUPPY / SCORE 79 = C
FLINT RIVER SENIOR / SCORE 101 = A+
FOUNDATIONS / SCORE 106 = A+
HUND-N-FLOCKEN ADULT BY SOLID GOLD / SCORE = 93 B
Iams ProActive Health Mini Chunks/ 69 F
IAMS LAMB MEAL & RICE / SCORE 73 D
INNOVA DOG / SCORE 114 = A+
INNOVA EVO / SCORE 114 = A+
INNOVA LARGE BREED PUPPY / SCORE 122 = A+
Karma Organic Dog Food  - Score   120 = A+ Kibbles N Bits/ 50 F
KIRKLAND SIGNATURE CHICKEN,RICE,VEG. / SCORE 110 = A+
MEMBER MARK CHICKEN & RICE / SCORE 84 = C
MERRICK WILDERNESS BLEND / SCORE 127 = A+
Natural Balance Potato & Duck Dog Food Allergy Formula  - Score 106 = A+
NATURE RECIPE / SCORE 100 = A
NATURE RECIPE HEALTHY SKIN VEN. / SCORE 116 = A+ Newman’s Own Organics   - Score 122 = A+
NUTRO MAX ADULT / SCORE 93 = B
NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE OATMEAL / SCORE 101 = A+
NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE LAMB & RICE / SCORE 98 = A
NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE LARGE BREED PUPPY / SCORE 87 = B
NUTRO ULTRA ADULT / SCORE 104 = A+
Pedigree Lamb and Rice / 50F
PURINA BENEFUL / SCORE 17 = F
Purina come-n-Get It/ Score 16 F
PURINA DOG / SCORE 62 = F
ROYAL CANIN NATURAL BLEND ADULT / SCORE 106 = A+
SCIENCE DIET ADVANCED SENIOR / SCORE 63 = F
SCIENCE DIET PUPPY / SCORE 69 = F
SOLID GOLD / SCORE 99 = A
Solid Gold WolfKing Bison Dry Dog Food  - Score 109 = A+
TASTE OF THE WILD, PACIFIC STREAM DRY - SCORE 103 = 103 A+
TIMBERWOLF ORGANICS / SCORE 120 = A+
Wellness Super5Mix Dry Dog Food Chicken 30 lb. Bag  - Score 110 = A+

Glossary
Animal Digest: This is the dry by-product of rendered meat. During rendering, all usable animal parts (including fetal tissues and glandular wastes) are heated in vats and the liquid is separated from the dry meal. This meal is covered with charcoal and labeled "unfit for human consumption" before processing it into pet food. Digest can also include intestines, as well as the contents of those intestines, such as stool, bile, parasites and chemicals.

Animal Fat and Tallow: Animal fat is a "generic" fat source that is most often made up of rendered animal fat, rancid restaurant grease or other oils that are deemed inedible for humans. Tallow is low quality hard white fat that most animals find hard to digest, not to mention the cardiac risks resulting.
Chemical Preservatives: Chemical preservatives include BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole), BHT (butylated hydroxytolulene), propyl gallate, propylene glycol (also used in automotive antifreeze and is suspected of causing red blood cell damage) and ethoxquin , are all potentially cancer causing agents that your pets are eating every day.

Chicken By-products: These are ground parts from poultry carcasses such as feet, heads, feathers, intestines, necks and undeveloped eggs and can included any rendered material.
Corn Products: Corn products including corn meal, gluten and grits are cheap, allergy causing fillers and are very difficult for animals to digest.

Food Fragments: Lower end by-products of the food manufacturing process, examples include wheat bran and brewers rice which are a waste product of the alcohol industry.
Ground Whole Grain Sorghum: The feed value of grain sorghum is similar to corn and is grown primarily as a feed grain for livestock.

Meat and Bone Meal: “Meat” and bone meal are inexpensive sources of animal protein. Note that these companies do not clarify the source of “meat”, nor are they human-grade meat. The protein in Meat meal containing a large amount of processed bone may not be digestible and fail to provide adequate nutrition.

Meat Based: A label that say "meat based" may also include blood vessels, tendons, organs and other parts of the rendered animal. Note again that these companies do not clarify the source of “meat”, nor are they human-grade meat products.

Meat By-products: Pet grade meat by-products consist of organs and parts not desired or not fit for human consumption. This can include organs, bones, blood and fatty tissue. It can also include brains, feet, heads, intestines and any other internal parts. Unbelievably, by-products can also contain cancerous or diseased tissue containing parasites, euthanized animals.