Probably the single biggest decision that you will make relating to the overall health
and well-being of your dog/puppy is the food that you choose to feed him/her. Since
advertising claims can be misleading, and fancy packaging does not always mean better food,
we have attempted to introduce a scientific grading scale that can be applied equally
to all foods so that anapples-to-apples comparison can be performed.
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Start with a grade of 100 points...
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| 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 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 |
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Extra Credit
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| 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 "fish" 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 |
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Numerical Order (By Score)
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| Grade A+ |
| Life's Abundance Premium Health Food | Score 141 A+ |
| Timberwolf Organics Lamb and Venison | Score 136 A+ |
| Solid Gold Bison | Score 123 A+ |
| Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium | Score 122 A+ |
| Eagle Pack Holistic | Score 119 A+ |
| Wellness Just for Puppy | Score 117 A+ |
| Authority Harvest Baked | Score 116 A+ |
| Chicken Soup Senior | Score 115 A+ |
| Eagle Pack Holistic Chicken | Score 114 A+ |
| Innova Dog | Score 114 A+ |
| Innova Evo | Score 114 A+ |
| Natural Balance Duck and Potato | Score 114 A+ |
| Canidae | Score 112 A+ |
| Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables | Score 110 A+ |
| Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken | Score 110 A+ |
| Kirkland Signature Puppy Chicken, Rice and Vegetable | Score 108 A+ |
| Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato | Score 106 A+ |
| Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult | Score 106 A+ |
| Foundations | Score 106 A+ |
| ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley | Score 103 A+ |
| Grade A |
| Royal Canin Bulldog | Score 100 A |
| Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula | Score 99 A |
| Royal Canin Dachshund 28 Formula | Score 97 A |
| Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice | Score 97 A |
| Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold | Score 97 A |
| Eagle Pack Large and Giant Breed Puppy | Score 94 A |
| Eagle Pack Natural | Score 94 A |
| Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold | Score 93 A |
| Grade B |
| Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice | Score 92 B |
| Flint River Ranch | Score 92 B |
| Eukanuba Natural Lamb and Rice | Score 87 B |
| Nutrisource Lamb and Rice | Score 87 B |
| Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy | Score 87 B |
| Grade C |
| Nutro Chicken, Rice, & Oatmeal | Score 85 C |
| Nutro Natural choice Lamb and Rice | Score 85 C |
| Eukanuba Large Breed Adult | Score 83 C |
| Iams Large Breed | Score 83 C |
| Grade D |
| Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium | Score 73 D |
| Grade F |
| Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies | Score 69 F |
| Bil-Jac Select | Score 68 F |
| Pro Plan All Breed | Score 68 F |
| Diamond Maintenance | Score 64 F |
| Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ | Score 63 F |
| Purina Dog | Score 62 F |
| Science Diet chicken adult maintenance | Score 45 F |
| Pedigree Complete Nutrition | Score 42 F |
| Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice | Score 23 F |
| Purina Beneful | Score 17 F |
| Purina Come-n-Get It | Score 16 F |
| Pedigree Adult Complete | Score 14 F |
| Ol Roy | Score 9 F |
