Dog Food Ratings

Dog Chef
Ready?!? In alphabetical order,
here's our pick of the best rated
dog food brands on the market. We use and recommend Fromm.
Organic chicken breast
  • Acana Dog Food
  • Addiction Dog Food
  • Artemis Dog Food
  • Back to Basics Dog Food
  • BLUE Dog Food
  • BLUE Organics
  • BLUE Wilderness
  • Dog Whisperer - Cesar Milan Dog Food
  • Eagle Pack Dog Food
  • Evangers Dog Food
  • Fromm Dog Food
  • GO Natural Dog Food
  • Holistic Blend
  • Honest Kitchen Dog Food
  • Horizon Legacy Dog Food
  • Mulligan Stew
  • Nature's Variety Instinct Dog Food
  • Merrick Dog Food
  • Dick Van Patten - Natural Balance Dog Food
  • Nature's Logic
  • NOW
  • ORGANIX (Castor and Pollux)
  • Orijen Dog Food
  • Party Animal (Canned Only)
  • Nature's Variety Prairie
  • Solid Gold Dog Food
  • Taste of the Wild Dog Food
  • Timberwolf Dog Food
  • Wellness Dog Food
  • Weruva Dog Food (Canned Dog Food Only)
  • Wysong Dog Food
  • ZiwiPeak Dog Food
Kibble

Calculate your own score on your favorite kibble using this scoring rubric. 

Start with 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
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
94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
69 = F
Click here for an informative article on how to select the best commercial dog food at a glance. 

Unfortunately, dog food recalls are frequent.  Animals can be sickened due to salmonella and listeria monocytogenes as well as other problems. Just in the last month there have been two recalls of very popular brands of dog food.  Use this link to access the FDA list of animal product recalls.