What is the Best Dog Food?

Dog Food Ratings and Comparisons

Dog Food Ratings can be rather dry. What is the best dog food? Being a product reviewer may sound like a glamorous job (and it is), but I assure you it is also a lot of hard work. To review food, you really must have a stomach for it. If the massive amounts of dripping grease on an Anthony’s Pizza stretched my limits, this last foods-review takes the cake…or kibble. I’m so sick of eating dog food, I think I’m going to burst, but I digest…err digress. Fortunately, dog food ratings are not a matter of personal, human taste.

Dog food ratings is a dog’s job. When I was first asked to look into doing a review on dog food ratings or dog food comparisons, some quick research revealed to me how little I knew about dog food. Surprisingly, there are a number of excellent websites which analyze and rate the quality of commercial dog food. I’ve compiled some information from a few of these dog food ratings websites and presented the information on a few choice brands, and appropriately came up with the dog food ratings review.

Canned or Dry Food?

Which is the best dog food? The majority of animal nutrition and dog food ratings experts are recommending dog foods which contain more than 50% protein and fat, and far less grain and carbohydrates than are found in most dry dog food brands. Dry dog foods have to be formulated to keep their freshness and nutrition at room temperature, and therefore almost always contain 50% or more carbohydrates which don’t grow rancid as quickly as moist dog food. Just as was the case with humans at one time, experts were telling us more grain in our diets and less meat and fat was the best thing for us and our dogs. Nearly all pet nutrition experts agree now that too carbohydrates are not good for dogs, especially corn-based grains, which is frequently blamed for digestion problems in large breeds. There are still a few pet nutritionists recommending grain-based dog foods, just as there are a few human nutritionists recommending the same, bland low-fat diets for human beings. I believe the protein and fat are the way to go.. Another good reason is that the dry, crunchy dog food tends to stick in my teeth. So, for the purpose of this review, I decided to stick with canned foods for these particular dog food ratings. I believe the best dog food comes in a can.

Dog Food Ratings – The Brands

Evangers Canned Dog Food

Ratings
95
You will not find any grains, by-products, additives, preservatives in Evangers 100% Meat Canned Dog Foods. In fact, you won’t find much of anything, except exactly what it says on the can. 100% Beef Classic contains beef. The cooked chicken contains chicken. Beef & Bacon contains Beef & Bacon. You get the idea. The nutrition from these highly rated dog foods comes from real ingredients, not additives. The only other ingredient listed on the can is water, which is required to keep it moist. The average nutrition value on most of the can varieties is 12-13% protein, 4-6% Fat, 1-2% fiber, and about 75-80% moisture. In addition to its 100% classic meat products, Evangers offers three other lines of canned dog foods: Game Meats, which include Rabbit, Buffalo, Pheasant, Duck and Venison. Organic Meats, which include a 100% whole chicken simmered in natural well water and organic turkey with potatoes and carrots. The Classic line is the more familiar dog food with ingredients that include rice and additional vitamins and minerals. There are no by-products in any of their products. Some dogs may have dietary needs which require more minerals and vitamins than what is normally found in the 100% meat products. The Classic line even has special formulas for older dogs and puppies. Evangers makes an impressive line of canned dog foods and is among the very best of these Dog Food Ratings.
You will pay around $28 for 24ea, 13oz Cans of Classic meat products. This is a little more than $1.00 per can which is not bad, considering the quality meat and natural nutrition you’re giving your dog.

Innova Canned Dog Food

Ratings
93

Dog Food Ratings: Innova — Innova Canned Dog Food

Innova bills itself as the maker of the first, ‘holistic, true, health-care food’ for pets.. All of their dog food are made from 100% natural ingredients. Their website indicates that their meat products are free from hormones and antibiotics. Unlike the 100% meat products of Evangers, Innova’s Adult canned dog food includes a number of other ingredients; sunflower oil, carrots, whole eggs, apples, brown rice, potatoes, garlic, vitamin c, insulin, to name a few. There website does not indicate which of the Adult Dog canned products contain these ingredients and which do not, so I assume they all are roughly the same. The guaranteed nutrition analysis online indicates their canned foods are lower in protein, but higher than fat than Evangers meat products: 9% and 8% respectively. Fiber and moisture are the same at 1.5% and 78%. Innova does give you a very detailed breakdown of the vitamin and minerals on their website. They have a complete product line for Adult Dogs, Senior Dogs, Puppies and even ‘low-fat-diet’ dogs. A case of 12ea, 13.2 OZ cans of Innova Adult Canned Dog Food will set you back about $17 – $18.00. (As one of the best dog food brands, well worth the money)

By Nature Canned Dog Food

Ratings
92

Dog Food Ratings: By Nature — By Nature Canned Dog Food

The By Nature Pet Food Company claims their products will keep your pets healthier through a powerful mixture of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. None of their pet food contains wheat, corn or soy which most animal nutritionists agree are not healthy ingredients for dogs. Their food is 100% organic and claims to promote a healthy immune system for your dog and has won lots of dog food ratings contests. By Nature canned dog food products come in two varieties: 95% meat and 100% Organic. The 95% Meat Canned foods included four flavors: Beef Dinner, Beef-Liver & Chicken, Chicken-Dinner and Turkey & Bacon Dinner. The other 5% ingredients are listed on their website and include liver, broth and a good number of vitamins and minerals. By Nature, 95% Canned Meat foods consists of 10% protein, 8% fat, 1.5% fiber and 78% Moisture. The 100% Organic canned food entrees include Turkey, Chicken, Chicken-Carrots-with-peas, and Turkey-SweetPotato-with-peas. Organic Chicken and Turkey without the vegetables are 100% meat, and consist of 10% protein, 5% fat, 1.5% Carbohydrates, and .35% calcium. The organic products with vegetables include additional vitamins, 8% protein, and only 5% fat. 95% canned dog food sells for about $16 – $17.00 for a case of 12ea, 13oz cans. By Nature Organic canned food sells for about $19 – $20 for a case of 12ea, 13oz cans. ByNature is also ranked among the very best dog food in many of the popular dog food ratings.

By Nature Dog Food on Sale

Wellness Canned Dog Food Ratings: 89

Dog Food Ratings: Wellness — Wellness Canned Dog Food

Wellness emphasizes that their foods are grain-free, protein focused formulas.
Wellness Canned dog food comes in more than a dozen varieties and flavors:
There are several meat and vegetable entrees, four different 95%-Meat choices, and special formulas for Puppy and senior dogs. The mixed meat and vegetables provide 8% protein, 5% fat, 1% fiber, and 78% moisture. They also list calories of which there are 445 in a 12.5oz can. The 95% meat varieties include 8% protein, 6% fat, 1% fiber, and 78% moisture. Unlike By Nature, the remaining 5% have little in the way of additional vitamin and mineral supplements. They are: Cassia Gum and Carrageenan. Wellness, 95% Meat-based Canned Dog food goes for about $22 to $24.00 for a case of 12 13.2oz cans. Wellness is one of the very best dog foods you can buy for your beloved companion.

Wellness Dog Food Sales

Dog Food Ratings Conclusion

All of these are great, natural canned dog foods which include NO by-products, grains and other harmful ingredients for your dogs. I give Evangers the edge due to its lower cost per can, and 100% meat ingredients. Stay away from Alpo, Purina, Eukanuba, and the other commercial, brands, and your dog will be eating better than the majority of the human population. Once you go above Alpo, they all taste about the same to me.

Chicken Soup Dog Food

Dog Food Ratings: Chicken Soup — Chicken Soup Dog Food

Sometimes, your dog needs that old home remedy that has worked so well for humans over the last few centuries: Chicken Soup Dog Food is a specially formulated version of this popular home remedy. Chicken Soup For the Dog Lover’s Soul is not healthy for dogs, but they love it!

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