Below is a rating system for pet foods that may be
helpful in showing you where your current brand lies and what are considered
quality ingredients. We are not surprised to see that the brands that we
carry rated highest on this grading because we are very careful about the
foods that we offer our clients to ensure optimum health and wellness for
your pet. Not surprising to see Purina and Iams at the bottom, with an F
(Failed) rating. Don't be fooled by advertising that you see on T.V. Quality
food companies put their money into quality ingredients for your pet, not in
mass advertising. And when you see the big name brands introducing "new and
improved natural formulas" don't be fooled into believing that a lack of
artificial ingredients means the rest of the food is good quality. Corn is
natural, but because it is merely a cheap source of protein many companies
use instead of meat, yet can cause a host of problems in your pet, being a
high sugar carb.
How to grade your pet's food:
Start with a grade 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 -not actual protein source stated such as chicken, lamb,
turkey etc) reference, subtract 10 points
3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points for each
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", "brewers rice", "rice flour" are all
the same grain), subtract 5 points
6) If the meat protein sources are not in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3
points
7) If it contains any artificial colorants or preservatives, subtract 3
points for each
8 ) If it contains corn (ground corn, corn gluten, whole grain corn etc)
subtract 3points
9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
10) If the food contains any added animal fat other than fish or flaxseed
oil, subtract 2 points
11) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
13) If it contains wheat or a component of wheat such as gluten, subtract 3
points
14) If it contains "digest" subtract 5 points
15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point
Extra Credits:
Bonus credit-If the food contains NO grains, add 10 points
1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
2) If the protein source is meal vs meat, add 5 points
3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
4) If the food contains probiotics or prebiotics, 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
(these may be hard to determine as many manufacturers of natural holistic
food use these products without actually printing the information on the
bag)
8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points
9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2points
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 are pesticide-free, add 1 point
Score:
100+ = A+ 94-100=A 86-93 = B 76-85 = C 75 or lower= Failed
Some of our Dog Food scores (not in order of points):
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 100 A
Innova Evo / Score 129 A+
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 102 A+
Orijen-not yet rated-high score guaranteed
A sample of "popular" store brands scored:
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 F
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
Purina Beneful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F