Dog Food Comparison

Read Your Pet Food Label!

The best way to determine the quality of your pet food is to carefully read and understand the label. While reading the label, ask the following questions: Does the food use high quality ingredients? Is there a quality meat source as one of the first two ingredients? Better yet, are the ingredients human-grade? Is the bag dated for freshness?

There are literally hundreds of brands and varieties of dog food. Below is a table listing a few popular dog food brands, with the less desirable ingredients highlighted in red. Keep in mind that ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. For example, corn listed as one of the first three ingredients is less desirable than if listed as the eight ingredient.

Dog Food Comparison Chart

Dog Food First Eight Ingredients Human
Grade

Bil-Jac Select Fresh chicken by-products¹ (organ meat only), fresh chicken, corn², chicken by-product meal¹, dried beet pulp (sugar removed), fresh chicken liver, brewers dried yeast, cane molasses⁷ No

Eukenuba Adult Chicken, chicken by-product meal¹, corn meal², ground whole grain sorghum, ground whole grain barley, chicken fat, fish meal, Brewers rice³ No

Flint River Ranch Chicken meal, whole wheat flour, ground rice, lamb meal, poultry fat, ground wheat, flax seed, dried whole egg Yes

Flint River Ranch
Lamb/Millet/Rice Lamb Meal, Ground Whole Millet, Ground Whole Rice, Rice Bran, Menhaden Fish Meal, Grapeseed Oil, Flaxseed Meal, Lecithin Yes

Iams Adult Chicken, corn meal², ground whole grain sorghum, chicken by-product meal¹, ground whole grain barley meal, fish meal, chicken fat, dried beet pulp No

Kibbles 'N Bits Corn², soybean meal, ground wheat, beef & bone meal⁴, animal fat⁵ (BHA⁶ and citric acid used as preservatives), corn syrup⁷, wheat middlings, water sufficient for processing No

Nutro Max Chicken meal, wheat flour, ground whole wheat, rice bran, poultry fat, corn gluten meal², ground rice, lamb meal No

Pedigree Ground yellow corn², meat and bone meal⁴, corn gluten meal², chicken by-product meal¹, animal fat⁵ (preseved with BHA/BHT⁶), wheat mill run, natural poultry flavor, rice, salt⁷ No

Proplan Adult Chicken, Brewers rice³, whole grain wheat, poulty by-product meal¹, corn gluten meal², beef tallow⁸, whole grain corn², corn bran² No

Purina Beneful Ground yellow corn², chicken by-product meal¹, corn gluten meal², whole wheat flour, beef tallow⁸, rice flour, beef soy flour, sugar⁷ No

Purina Dog Chow Ground yellow corn², poultry by-product meal¹, corn gluten meal², soybean meal, beef tallow⁸ preserved with mixed-tocopherols , brewers rice³, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate No

Purina One Chicken and Rice Chicken, brewers rice³, whole grain corn², corn gluten meal², poultry by-product meal¹, whole grain wheat, beef tallow⁸ preserved with mixed tocopherols , natural flavors No

Science Diet Natures Best Chicken Brewers rice³, ground wheat, turkey meal, corn gluten meal², soybean meal, animal fat⁵, chicken, vegetable oil No

Science Diet Original Chicken, corn meal², ground grain sorghum, ground wheat, chicken by-product meal¹, brewers rice³, soybean meal, animal fat⁵ (preserved with BHA⁶, propyl gallate⁶ and citric acid) No

¹Meat by-products: Pet grade meat by-products consist of organs and parts either not desired, or condemned, for human consumption. This can include bones, blood, intestines, lungs, ligaments, heads, feet, and feathers.

²Corn: Corn products are difficult for dogs to digest.

³Food Fragments: Lower cost by-products of another food manufacturing process. Examples include wheat bran and brewer's rice (a waste product of the alcohol industry).

⁴Meat and bone meal: "Meat and bone meal" and "beef and bone meal" are inexpensive sources of animal protein. The protein in a meal containing a large amount of bone may be poorly digestible and fail to provide adequate nutrition.

⁵Animal Fat: Animal fat is a "generic" fat source that is most often made up of rendered animal fat, restaurant grease, or other oils too rancid or deemed inedible for humans. Look for a named fat source, such as poultry or chicken fat, that is naturally preserved.

⁶Chemical Preservatives: Chemical preservatives include butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate, propylene glycol (also used as a less-toxic version of automotive antifreeze), and ethoxyquin. BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin are potentially cancer-causing agents. The long term build-up of these chemicals (that may be eaten every day for the life of your pet!) have not been thouroughly studied and may ultimately be harmful.

⁷Sweeteners: Sweeteners such as corn syrup, sugar, and cane mallases are usually added to lower quality foods to increase their appeal. Dietary sugars can aggrevate health problems, including diabetes.

⁸Beef Tallow: A low quality fat product.