How Does Your Pet Food Rate?
    Check out these online resources to see how your pet food measures up against our consulting veterinarian's criteria

    In the summer of 2001, Animal Ark teamed up with Consulting Veterinarian, Dr. Linda Wolf to evaluate a number of commercial pet foods. Each of the pet foods was measured against a strict set of criteria and was then rated on a scale from 1 - 4 stars, with 4 stars being the best rating possible.

    The criteria used to evaluate the foods included the following:
    • Pet foods should contain whole meat and grain sources. Pet foods that used meat or grain by-products received lower ratings.
    • Use of chemical preservatives like BHT, BHA and Ethoxyquin resulted in reduced ratings.
    • Products that included unidentified animal products were docked for this.
    • A meat-based protein source should be the first ingredient listed on the packaging. If this was not the case, the product received a lower rating.
    • Products which list separate parts of the same ingredient as different ingredients (a practice known as ingredient splitting) got a reduced rating. This practice is often used to make grains like corn appear as though they are a smaller percent of the total food formula.
    • Preference was given to pet foods that offer human-grade meat and grain sources. A growing list of pet food products, like Azmira, use only USDA Grade A meats and USDA Grade 1 grains.
    • Preference was given to pet food companies that offer at least some organic ingredients.
    • Preference was given to pet food companies that have expressed a commitment to increasing the number of organic ingredients in their foods.

    As part of this project, pet food labels and ingredients lists were photographed and a booklet was compiled containing the most common, and some not so common pet foods. Animal Ark has then created on online, interactive database to allow you to look for pet foods to see how they stacked up.

    Check out the ratings online

    We currently have many of the dry dog foods in the online database. That should not be interpreted to suggest that we believe entirely in the concept of feeding our pets dry, processed kibble. As a general rule, we believe that fresh, unprocessed foods are better than highly processed foods. Therefore, we believe that some of the best foods available are the foods that are natural, whole and full or their original moisture. The next best to fresh and unprocessed foods are probably the canned foods. Generally, foods are less processed. They also, generally, contain less chemical preservative, because there is no need to chemically preserve canned foods. Dry, processed kibble is the lowest general category of food. The reason so many vitamins and minerals are added to dry food is that much of the natural nutrition has been dried, steamed, boiled and extruded out of the original ingredients. We, therefore, believe that if you are going to rely on a commercial, dry pet food as the primary source of nutrition for your pet (as many people do) that you should choose one of the best.

    It should be noted that Hill's Science Diet was not formally evaluated. At the time this project was taking place, they were in the process of reformulating some of their diets. During a period of about 3 weeks, we encountered three different formulations for their Canine Maintenance product, for example. This made evaluation difficult. It should be noted, however, that none of the formulations we evaluated would have rated above a "2." We found their formulations to be heavy in grains, included unidentified animal products, and were preserved with BHA/BHT.

    Since the time this project conducted, some of the products evaluated have been reformulated. Rather than relying on the ratings provided here, we hope that readers may use this site to help them to read and evaluate pet food labels.

    Have something to say about this article? Share Your Comments with our readers. Or, leave a message on the Animal Wise Radio Comment Line by calling toll-free (888) 668-0687.

    Comments from readers:
    On 09/02/2008 mary said: dog food

    well I have been searching for another kind of dog food for my dogs I have been feeding them lifes abundance for over a year I never new what was in dog food really. This dog food never gave my dogs problems but the price having if delivered from fl. has been hiting my pocket. Well I went to www.dogfoodananylis.com and found that that dog for had alot of fillers and they would not recommend I have been trying others is there any someone would recommend. I've tried wellness core, solid gold I don't want anything that has grain.

    On 07/28/2008 ryan eisenbrei said: DIY

    ok so i keep seeing people posting the same thing over and over, "i like blah blah brand but you havent rated it. they look good but i need you to rate it." i dont really understand why people dont do it themselves. The proceedure she uses is at the top of the page and the ingredients she looks for are on the bag. dont be lazy people! just do a little research and youll be "rating dog food" in no time. however if your already knowledgable on the subject and need or want a professionals advice i would suggest going to www.dogfoodproject.com and talk to Sabine. she is very smart and can tailor a food that is perfect for your dog. Plus im pretty sure that she is doing it for half the price right now. (oh and no im not like a solicitor for this lady. i just really appreciate her site and the info she gives.) ok thats the end of my rant!!

    On 05/19/2008 Wendy said: Extra Eliminations

    That could mean that there is more filler in the Wellness than in the Proplan. Be very careful with internet dog food rating systems - they are not all they are cracked up to be and as you can see in this case - often not true!

    On 05/10/2008 Larissa said: Wellness Dry Food

    I switched my dog over from Purina ProPlan to Wellness Super 5 Mix and though it is s great food I noticed that she now eliminates about 5 times a day. Has anyone noticed greater elimination with the better dry foods? Is it the grains that make them go more often?

    On 03/19/2008 walter rogg said: best dry dog foods

    When rating the best dry dog foods, I would recommend looking at Orijen dry foods, made by Champion Pet Foods in Canada. I think once you check what their foods are made with, you will recommend them as the better foods for dog and cats. I switched last year for my two dogs, and they are doing fantastic. No problems with them, whatsoever. Thank you

    On 01/07/2008 Lauren said: Canidae, and another food review site

    We switched both dogs over to Canidae last year when our Corgi was consistnetly stinky and had GI problems. It worked wonders on both accounts and now both dogs have beautiful coats.

    This is another food analysis website that I have found helpful;http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

    On 12/14/2007 Pam said: Beware Nutro Ultra

    I have had my dogs on Nutro Ultra Holistic (not rated on your site) for some time. I rescued a dog 6 months ago with a beautiful coat. After six months on this food he has hair loss, dry itchey skin, anal glad problems. He had blood work done that shows his health fine so I think it is the food. In researching I found many problems with this foods quality...like fillers, too much grain, low meat content, beet pulp which causes many allery issues, etc. I have switched to Canidae. Hoping it does the trick.

    On 11/09/2007 Mari Morin said: Kirkland dry dog food

    We have been feeding our 2 year old female golden retriever the dry dog food from Costco, Kirkland brand. I'm concerned because its manufactured by Diamond (recalled several foods). She's doing well on it as far as we can tell. Please do a rating for this food. Thank you for having this rating info. available.

    On 11/04/2007 Barbara J. Nekola said: cat food, dry and moist

    Hello Mike and Beth,
    I have an update on what I feed my cat, Isabella (last posting 2/27/06). She is now being fed, tah-dah! Solid Gold Katz-N-Flocken. It pays to advertise, eh? In addition, she is regularly fed Fancy Feast Turkey Feast. She is one happy kitty!
    Barbara

    On 11/01/2007 Ann C. said: Natural Balance Rating?

    I have been reading a lot about Pet foods and am very interested in how Natural Balance is rated. I have been using it for 4 years and have been especially pleased in the results I got with the Allergy Formulas. One of my dogs was being treated for years without success for what was identified as a 'grass allergy'. It wasn't until I switched that the so-called 'grass allergy' went away. My poor dog suffered needlessly with huge raw patches of skin inside both of his thighs to his groin that he litereally licked the hair off of. Please rate this food. Thank you.

    On 10/28/2007 Linda said: More Ratings

    I would like to see your ratings for Merrick, Nature's Recipe and Orijen. They all seem to be very good brands, but I would like you to rate them.

    On 10/18/2007 Princess said: Royal Canin Rating?

    Pls rate Royal Canin Special 30. Thank you...

    On 09/30/2007 cheryl rennie said: Azmira Dog Food Formula

    I have been feeding our 10 dogs Azmira dry dog food. We found that my 12 year-old pug has numerous crystals in his kidney comprised of ammonium sulphate. My vet says that I need to change the dog food to Innova because Azmira's formula is causing these crystals. He said that there have been numerous complaints about this. Any insight? My pug now needs surgery to remove the crystals because there are too many to dissolve. I am worried about my other dogs getting the same problem. Is it the dog food?

    On 07/09/2007 JoAnn said: rate Innova - Puppy

    Could you please rate Innova Puppy? My dog seems to have trouble digesting it. I added a teaspoon of pumpkin & that helped.

    On 07/04/2007 JoAnn K. Evanger said: Closest Location in Florida

    With a name like Evanger's it has to be wonderful for our animals !!!

    Actually my nephew found your website and sent my mom a case of dog food in Florida. Do you also have cat food? I have a Norwegian Forest Cat and another mixed cat. Do you sell your pet food in Florida stores anywhere?

    P.S. My father's name was Harold Kenneth Evanger (son of Hannah Myhren and John Peder Evanger (settled in North Dakota and then Washington State). My Dad's Dad had many brothers that came over at the same time he did. They entered the U.S. at Ellis Island on
    May 25, 1804. My grandfather was 17 at the time.

    Anyway, since there are so few Evanger's in the U.S. I figure we might be related somewhere down the line.

    Great job !!!

    On 06/19/2007 Brett said: Evanger's

    You guys should have a post for the dog and cat food brand Evanger's. They are a privately owned cannery, USDA and AAFCO approved, they don't use by-products, fillers, or anything artificial in their products. Just check out their web site, evangersdogfood.com. You and your dog will be glad you did. I had my dog on a food that was involved in the recall, and after I switched him to Evanger's, his coat looked so much better! I won't use anything else, and neither will my dog.

    On 06/04/2007 Amanda said: Eukanuba dry food

    I'd like to know how Eukanuba Natural Lamb & Rice Dry Food for medium sized dogs would rate in this system. I've been using it for awhile, but I would consider switching if I knew that it was not the healthiest option for my Westie. Anyone know how this would be rated? Thanks!

    On 05/05/2007 Lisa said: Organix

    Could you rate Organix by Castor & Pollux? Also, how does it compare to Innova? Thanks!

    On 04/09/2007 Kimberly R said: Wellness

    Would love to see how Wellness stacks up to these others.. thank you so very much for making this information available!

    On 03/20/2007 Maria said: Calories for pet food

    Interesting article. Those that are interested in nutritional information and calories per cup for cat food might food the following links helpful.

    Canned Cat Food Nutritional information: www.geocities.com/jmpeerson/canfood.html

    Dry Cat Food Nutritional information: www.geocities.com/jmpeerson/dryfood.html

    On 02/20/2007 Dilly said: Blue Buffalo

    If you have the time could you please evaluate Blue Buffalo. I believe it's sold in all PetSmarts, it looks better than Nutro looking at their label on their website, www.bluebuff.com what do you think? Looking at your site you definetly seem to have a better understanding on the ingredients of dog foods than most sites I've seen lately looking for reviews of this and other products.

    Thank you!

    On 02/13/2007 Sandie said: Dick Van Patten Food

    Dick Van Patten makes the absolute best dog and cat food I have seen on the market. I had an overweight Doxie who would not eat anything slightly resembling a "lite" formula, but he LOVES the Van Patten "Reduced Calorie" formula and has lost 8lbs. since July. He is now on the regular formula and loves that every bit as much.
    Plus Van Patten doesn't animal test like Iams, profits from the sale of his food go to benefiting animals, not torturing them. I highly recommend this food!

    On 01/17/2007 LJ said: GREAT ARTICLE

    RECENTLY STARTED USING INNOVA DOG FOOD,GREAT IMPROVEMENT IN MY DOGS COAT, GLAD TO SEE IT WAS RATED 4 STARS ON YOUR LIST, HOPE ALL INNOVA AND INNOVA EVO PRODUCTS WILL BE RATED SOON

    THANKS
    LJ

    On 01/10/2007 Ben said: Pure Woof

    Hi Mike,

    Did you recieve the dog food, "Pure Woof" yet? I'm excited to see how it compares to the other products you have reviewed.

    Thanks again,

    Ben

    On 12/13/2006 Mike F said: Sure, Ben.

    . . . I would be interested in seeing this product.

    You can send it to:

    Mike Fry
    Animal Ark
    2600 Industrial Ct.
    Hastings, MN 55033

    Thanks much!

    On 12/13/2006 Ben said: Pure Woof

    Hi Mike,

    Can I send you a bag of Pure Woof to review? I'm very excited about this product and would be more than happy to donate a bag to the shelter.

    Thanks again,

    Ben

    On 12/11/2006 Mike F said: Ratings of Other Foods

    Hi All,

    I have noticed several requests for us to rate other or new foods. As a general rule, we are probably not going to rate new foods, unless a very unique, new product comes to market.

    We hope the information we have provided here encorages people to read pet food labels on their own, and to do their own evaluations. Since we have published the criteria we use to evaluate foods, we have provided the basic tools needed to do that.

    One new food I have looked at online is the Pure Woof. It is really difficult to evaluate for two primary reasons. . . 1) I have never seen the product and 2) the ingredients list on the web site is an image file that is very difficult to read.

    I believe I can just make out the first five ingredients listed on the Pure Woof label, and it looks like it could hold some real promise. But, it is hard to say with much confidence without being able to read the rest of the label, or without seeing the food itself.

    As for Joanne's comments about her desire to see the calorie count (Kcals) listed for each food, all I can say is, "So would I." Unfortunately most pet food manufacturers do not provide this very basic information. I have gone so far as to request it from some, and almost always hit a dead end, with the manufacturers not providing the data.

    On 12/11/2006 Ben said: Pure Woof

    Hi,

    Can you review the dog food, (Pure Woof) and cat food, (Pure Purr)? They are made by Petlane, www.petlane.com/twincities/aspx I am a Pet Advisor and highly reccomend this product but would like an independent reviewer to back up this claim.

    Thanks!

    On 12/04/2006 lisa said: natural balance

    do you know what the rating foe natural balance the ultra and venicin with rice?

    On 11/26/2006 Joanne said: request to analyze

    Can you do the Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul adult dog formula?

    On 11/24/2006 Joanne said: Calories

    I would like to see the calorie count per cup included in your information.

    On 11/19/2006 Linda Cosnert said: Brands of dog foods

    I was wondering if you tested Life's Abundance or Premium Edge foods?

    Thanks

    Linda

    On 05/30/2006 Stacy said: Canidae - dry dog food

    With 5 dogs and 4 different formulas of dog food I was desperately looking for a new brand of dry dog food that would fit all of their sizes/ages/skin & health needs. I checked out your Dog food survey and noted a few brands that rated high so I checked more into them. I found that the Canidae brand - Chicken and Rice formula - was what I needed for my beloved pups. One dog has sensitive skin, one is a large-breed puppy, another is a younger puppy (not large breed) and two of my dogs are adults -- they've been on it now for about 2 months and all of them enjoy and are doing great. This formula is relatively new and can be hard to find but go to any Chuck and Don's Pet Food outlet and they will order it for you (at no add'l charge). Thanks Animal Ark for providing this info.

    On 02/27/2006 Barbara J. Nekola said: Adult cat food

    Hello Mike-

    I found a cat food that my cat seems to like. I believe part of her (Isabella) preference to Nutri-Source Adult Complete Cat food is the smaller size of the kernels. She is a small cat and has a smaller mouth. The first ingredient listed is chicken. So far the only place I can purchase it is Chuck and Don's store and online at www.nutrisourcedogfood.com which is Tuffy's in Perham, MN Check it out.

    Love your radio program! I listen every Sunday.

    Sincerely, Barbara

    On 02/06/2006 Mike Fry said: Reply to Nancy

    Hi Nancy - glad you found a food you like, and that your pets do well on.

    The effort to review and rate these goods was very time-consuming. It is not our plan to do it again. It is our hope that the information on the site will help people evaluate their own foods. By publishing some examples of what we consider good and not so good foods, and the criteria we used, we believe we have provided tools you can use to assess your pets food.

    So much contributes to longevity. Nutrition is part. And what might keep one cat alive for a long time might not work for another. We are still learning a lot about feline longevity. Animal Ark has a member with a cat that is more than 30-years-old.

    On 02/06/2006 Nancy deWinter said: Nutro Ultra Holistic dog food

    Nutro foods include natural choice and Ultra, which I use. I believe afer reviewing their ingredients, that they are superior foods; My dogs have lived to be 17yrs.I have 3 cats,ages 21,20 and 18 all in good health,which have been exclusively been on Max cat,and now natural choice indoor. Please review the newer products and rate them for me. Thank you.