If you want to know how good a dog food is, look for the following:
1) Read the AAFCO statement. Is the food "formulated", whereby someone copied a recipe or plugged some numbers into a computer and called it a day, or was it actually tested according to AAFCO protocols to prove its claims?
2) Look for brands that meet WSAVA standards.
3) Look at the nutrients of the food. At a minimum, compare the kibble's protein, fat, calcium, and phosphorus percentages an a DRY MATTER BASIS to the standards set out in Small Animal Clinical Nutrition (SACN) for your dog's life stage. You will probably have to ask the company for this information, but some of them put it on their website.
Here are some of the nutrient recommendations for a "normal", healthy adult dog:
Protein: 15-30%
Fat: 10-20%
Calcium: 0.5-1.0%
Phosphorus: 0.4-0.8%
Sodium: 0.2-0.4%
Vitamin E: >400
There are different recommendations for the remaining life stages - if you would like to know the above recommendations for a different lifestage, I can provide that info. Even a 0.1 deviation in minerals is a BIG difference. Stay within SACN's recommended ranges.
Oh, and just because the nutrients are good for one formula doesn't mean all formulas that brand makes are good. It's important to check this information on any food you consider feeding - even WSAVA recommended brands.
5) Did a board certified veterinary nutritionist formulate the food? Companies, like Wellness, are very good at manipulating words to make it seem like they have veterinary nutritionists on staff when they do not. Side note: Wellness also skirts around the issue of whether they test their food. They don't, but they really manipulate what they say to make it seem like they do.
Avoid the influencers who focus on ingredients and not nutrients - they have fallen for the marketing trap too and don't know actual nutrition. Most of them also misrepresent themselves and focus more on demonizing large corporations and scaring/guilting people.
6) Look for a food specifically formulated for your dog's life stage. Avoid "all life stages" foods. It's very difficult to make a food that provides optimal nutrition for every life stage - the nutrient recommendations for each life stage are too different. One size does not fit all when it comes to dog food.
Anyways, this is this is a way to see past the marketing BS and evaluate a food to see if it delivers optimal nutrition. If it doesn't meet the above criteria, move on and evaluate a different food.
Edited to add: Note that, even if following the above recommendations, not all foods will work well for all dogs. You may have to try different formulas to find the right one, but that does not negate the importance of the above.
1) Read the AAFCO statement. Is the food "formulated", whereby someone copied a recipe or plugged some numbers into a computer and called it a day, or was it actually tested according to AAFCO protocols to prove its claims?
2) Look for brands that meet WSAVA standards.
3) Look at the nutrients of the food. At a minimum, compare the kibble's protein, fat, calcium, and phosphorus percentages an a DRY MATTER BASIS to the standards set out in Small Animal Clinical Nutrition (SACN) for your dog's life stage. You will probably have to ask the company for this information, but some of them put it on their website.
Here are some of the nutrient recommendations for a "normal", healthy adult dog:
Protein: 15-30%
Fat: 10-20%
Calcium: 0.5-1.0%
Phosphorus: 0.4-0.8%
Sodium: 0.2-0.4%
Vitamin E: >400
There are different recommendations for the remaining life stages - if you would like to know the above recommendations for a different lifestage, I can provide that info. Even a 0.1 deviation in minerals is a BIG difference. Stay within SACN's recommended ranges.
Oh, and just because the nutrients are good for one formula doesn't mean all formulas that brand makes are good. It's important to check this information on any food you consider feeding - even WSAVA recommended brands.
5) Did a board certified veterinary nutritionist formulate the food? Companies, like Wellness, are very good at manipulating words to make it seem like they have veterinary nutritionists on staff when they do not. Side note: Wellness also skirts around the issue of whether they test their food. They don't, but they really manipulate what they say to make it seem like they do.
Avoid the influencers who focus on ingredients and not nutrients - they have fallen for the marketing trap too and don't know actual nutrition. Most of them also misrepresent themselves and focus more on demonizing large corporations and scaring/guilting people.
6) Look for a food specifically formulated for your dog's life stage. Avoid "all life stages" foods. It's very difficult to make a food that provides optimal nutrition for every life stage - the nutrient recommendations for each life stage are too different. One size does not fit all when it comes to dog food.
Anyways, this is this is a way to see past the marketing BS and evaluate a food to see if it delivers optimal nutrition. If it doesn't meet the above criteria, move on and evaluate a different food.
Edited to add: Note that, even if following the above recommendations, not all foods will work well for all dogs. You may have to try different formulas to find the right one, but that does not negate the importance of the above.