Dog Food Rating:  A Method for Evaluating Your Dog's Food

Dog food rating is a topic of interest to most health conscious small dog owners. Unless you provide an entirely homemade diet, you will most likely be purchasing a commercially prepared dog food for your small dog.  Knowing how to choose one brand over another is important if you want the best for your pet. 

Evaluating dog food based on a variety of criteria can be a difficult task when you are trying to determine what food to feed your small dog.  Are you wondering how your dog food brand rates based on others available online and in the stores?  Everyone who owns a dog wants to know that they are providing an adequate diet, but what exactly constitutes “adequate” in today’s marketplace? 

Choosing the best dog food for your pet may seem like a daunting undertaking but it doesn’t have to be impossible if you have the right tools at your disposal. 

The rating scale which is listed below was developed by Sarah Irick as a way to evaluate dog foods based on specific ingredients. 

Sarah was a Great Dane owner and rescue worker who wanted to provide the best diet for her dogs. 

She needed a way to evaluate different dog food brands and developed this scale based on her own research.  Coming from the field of engineering rather than veterinary science, this scale is not an exact science, but a useful tool for comparing one food over another. 

If you plan to assess your own food, you can use this dog food ratings questionnaire.  You will need the dog food package that includes the ingredients list and other information found on the food label.  If you have never read a dog food label, check out our introductory article on reading dog food labels. 

To do your own dog food ratings, begin with 100 points and then subtract or add based on the criteria below. 

Begin Your Dog Food Rating with a Score of 100

Begin with 100, then:

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
    If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn’t allergic to beef), subtract 1 point
14. If it contains salt, subtract 1 point

Extra Credit:

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

Dog Food Rating Scale

94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
69 = F

How did your dog food rate based on this scale?  Are you feeding an A+ food or something a little less?  Remember, before you immediately switching foods, consider the following:

Before You Switch Your Dog Food

• Is your dog in optimal health with not health related issues present? If your dog is doing fine on the food he/she is currently using, there may be no reason to switch brands at this time.

• Check the brand of food you are considering:  Have there been any recent recalls?

• Is the dog food you are considering readily available either online or at a local pet store?

• Is the dog food you are considering affordable and well within your budget?

• Is the dog food you are considering palatable to your dog?  Picky eaters may not like all brands of foods.
  

If you are making a change, purchase only a small amount and try it out before investing in larger quantities.  A high quality food that your dog will not eat is not an economically or nutritionally advisable alternative to your current food.

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