Dog Food (Kibble) Grading Chart

[mimimomo]

Switching from low quality food to a premium quality food takes their digestive system some getting used to. Please switch gradually in 7-10 days, sometimes even longer 10-14 days. She's going to have upset stomach & that will cause more stress on top of coccidia. A bag of food wasted is better than your furbaby getting sicker.

[mimimomo]

Originally Posted by mismolly

Well... I guess I did pretty good then. I was coming on here to ask what you all thought about me just NOT opening the new bag of Eukanuba that I bought for Molly who is now 11 weeks old (that is what the breeder had her eating and gave me a sample bag of). Anyway, she really is not eating it now that I am feeding her canned food just to get anything in her. So, I tonight bought a bag of Canidae and decided to just start giving her that. She already has diarrhea thanks to the coccidia and isn't liking her dry, so I am just going to ace the "gradual switching" of food since I am out of the sample bag and go straight to this new stuff. I sure hope that is ok. Let me know if it isn't soon because I plan on feeding her it in about 1/2 an hour. I plan to take the unopened bag of Eukanuba back to the store soon.

I reread your post. Since she was on canned bc she wasn't eating the Eukanuba, try mixing a little Canidae w/boiled white rice & plain chicken. That way, you're weaning her off the canned & introducing her to the Canidae. Start off w/very small portions mix in some canned if you still have it. The white rice & chicken will also bind things up if she was having diarrhea from coccidia.

[mismolly]

Thank You! I froze a bunch of small packets of organic chicken that I boiled with organic Balsamic white rice (which she also would not eat) but I think I will try and blend it all together in my chopper and add some Newman's canned and pray that she will eat that!

[mismolly]

AWESOME!!! Thanks so much!!!!

[friscomom]

I shuffled the OP list in numerical order here, but do I need a new vet? He said Iams and Purina puppy chow were good foods, and he said it almost sincerely?

127 A+ Merrick Wilderness Blend
122 A+ Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium
122 A+ Innova Large Breed Puppy
122 A+ Nature's Variety Raw Instinct
120 A+ Timberwolf Organics Wild & Natural Dry
116 A+ Authority Harvest Baked
116 A+ Nature's Recipe Healthy Skin Venison and Rice
115 A+ Chicken Soup Senior
114 A+ Artemis Large/Medium Breed Puppy
114 A+ Innova Dog
114 A+ Innova Evo
112 A+ Canidae
110 A+ Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables
110 A+ Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken
109 A+ Premium Edge Chicken, Rice and Vegetables Adult Dry
107 A+ Burns Chicken and Brown Rice
106 A+ Blue Buffalo Chicken and Rice
106 A+ Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Venison and Brown Rice
106 A+ Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato
106 A+ Foundations
106 A+ Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult
104 A+ Nutro Ultra Adult
103 A+ Pro Plan Natural Turkey & Barley
103 A+ Royal Canin Boxer
102 A+ EaglePack Holistic
101 A+ Beowulf Back to Basics
101 A+ Flint River Senior
101 A+ Nutrience Junior Medium Breed Puppy
101 A+ Nutro Natural Choice Oatmeal
100 A+ Royal Canin Bulldog
100 A Nature's Recipe
99 A Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula
99 A Solid Gold
99 A Summit
98 A Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice
97 A Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice
97 A Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold
95 A Nutro Natural Choice Senior
94 A Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach
93 B Authority Harvest Baked Less Active
93 B Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold
93 B Nutro Max Adult
92 B Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice
87 B Nutrisource Lamb and Rice
87 B Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy
86 B Nutro Natural Choice Puppy Wheat Free
85 C Diamond Performance
84 C Member's Mark Chicken and Rice
83 C Blackwood 3000 Lamb and Rice
81 C Alpo Prime Cuts
81 C Eukanuba Adult
81 C Nutra Nuggets Super Premium Lamb Meal and Rice
80 C Pro Nature Puppy
79 C Eukanuba Puppy
73 D Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium
69 F Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies
68 F Bil-Jac Select
64 F Diamond Maintenance
63 F Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+
62 F Purina Dog
62 F Purina One Large Breed Puppy
23 F Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice
17 F Purina Beneful
16 F Purina Come-n-Get It

[friscomom]

Well I saw on another website that Ol Roy totalled 9 points, go figure, and I went to Tractor Supply to get something from near the top of this list, and they didn't have many matches, and they didn't have so I came home with Nutromax puppy in a light brown bag with purple. Frankly, my mouth started watering over the packaging for the Wild 'Pacific Smoked Salmon' and Bison type stuff, till I gave my head a shake and remembered I wasn't trying to feed wolves. Hoping Nutro is a step up from Iams, but haven't done the math.

I also found on pets.families.com this '06 post apparently from the woman who devised the grading method behind those numbers, and will copy it here for convenience' sake, from Grade Your Dog Food - Pets - Families.com :

Hi, i've never actually posted here or even visited this site before, but i thought i'd step in and say that *i* am the original poster of this dog food grading system.
My name is Sarah Irick and i am a Great Dane owner and rescue volunteer. i am a Civil/Industrial Engineer, not a veterinarian or animal nutritionist by education or employment. i do not work for a pet food manufacturer nor am i affiliated with one. i am just an individual who is concerned about what i feed my dogs and wants to help others decide what to feed their own. i cannot remember the exact date i designed this system, though i know it's been more than a year (probably 2-3 years ago). i was concerned with the way people sometimes throw out names of "good" dog foods that maybe aren't so good, and others take their words for it. Foods that maybe used to be good before their ingredients were changed for the worse or before better options became available are still being touted by some as being super-premium and i disagree. Since many pet owners do not have the time or inclination to do as many hours of research into pet (specifically dog) nutrition as i and many of you have, i wanted an *easier* way for them to compare labels. Unfortunately it is still a bit cumbersome (sometimes 2 people calculate the same food and get different scores even) but it's better than nothing in my opinion.
Is it exact science? No. i don't claim for it to be. In fact i've had to make a couple of changes over time (which the above don't reflect) for new circumstances i've run across, such as the food that contained NO MEAT (not a special diet just one that was so cheap it didn't contain any meat at all) and needs a steep penalty IMO but still scored a decent grade on the original or the newer kibbles that contain no grain and IMO if it still has sufficient fiber and carbs then it deserves extra credit that wasn't previously reflected. Also i've gotten comments and opinions that i take seriously and incorporate if it seems appropriate.
i don't have a permanent site host for this although seeing how hugely popular it is and how widely spread without accreditation it has become perhaps i should do so. It isn't that i care so much about credit but many people will ask the questions that your posters have about my affiliations and biases, etc.
i don't officially support any one food; anywhere that i personally posted grades on specific foods it was to give an idea of where these foods fell so people didn't always have to do the math.
Sarah Irick aka fredalina If you want to e-mail me with questions or comments, you can at fredirick@hotmail.com. This is my "spam" address, so put "Dog Food Grading" in the subject line or i'll probably delete it mistakenly.

[mimimomo]

Thanks for posting this. The main thing poeple should do when choosing a food is look at the ingredients. The 1st 5 ingredients are what makes the bulk of the food. If it contains too much fillers such as corn, soy, wheat, (in any form, be it gluten or meal) bypass it. Also bypass foods that contain animal by-products, as those are parts that's unfit for human consumption.

[friscomom]

Well I've run the math on NutroMax puppy and it came out a C grade down around 87 or 83. Tractor Supply took it back and I was going to swap it for a pretty new brand they have called 4health which is lamb based and scores pretty high, but wound up getting some Taste of the Wild to try. Frisco LOVES the fowl, but isn't big on the salmon. Taste of the Wild says 'for all ages' including puppy. Can that be true?

[mimimomo]

Originally Posted by friscomom

Well I've run the math on NutroMax puppy and it came out a C grade down around 87 or 83. Tractor Supply took it back and I was going to swap it for a pretty new brand they have called 4health which is lamb based and scores pretty high, but wound up getting some Taste of the Wild to try. Frisco LOVES the fowl, but isn't big on the salmon. Taste of the Wild says 'for all ages' including puppy. Can that be true?

Good choice, Taste of the Wild is an excellent food. About your question concerning all life stages, from puppies to adults, here's what I found in the Natural Balance site: In Nature, your pets would not have the choice of puppy or kitten formulas; they would simply live on a diet of mostly meat and and some grain. In a natural free environment, animals instinctively eat more or less, depending on their age and activity level. Puppies will require a higher caloric intake as an adult, therefore we suggest feeding puppies, up to 6 months of age, two or three times a day. Natural Balance Products are scientifically formulated to provide all-natural, complete, and balanced nutrition for all stages of your pet's life. We recommend that you do not add vitamins, minerals or any other supplements, except upon the advice of a veterinarian.

For puppies, you would feed more than you would for adults. Hope that answers your question.

[bella_mia_hairy]

This list is great I like to mix my foods for the babies they just get soooo bored eating the same thing everyday.... I know when to add when they just barely touch their food.

Right now the babies are on NB venison and sweet potato, EVO red meat, and Canidae... they all seem to love it even my pickiest of eaters is going back every couple of hours to get another little bite

[friscomom]

Originally Posted by mimimomo

Good choice, Taste of the Wild is an excellent food.

Well, I've been reading up, it sure would be a great food if it weren't for the caution relating to Ethoxyquin used to preserve supplier fish meal. Same with the 4health lamb - it also has fish meal and is manufactured by Diamond as well, but would otherwise probably be a decent food. I'm perplexed; Frisco likes that wetland fowl so much he tries to drag it off to his den if he can reach it. Anyway adios Nutro Iams and Purina, we won't be back!

About your question concerning all life stages, from puppies to adults, here's what I found in the Natural Balance site: In Nature, your pets would not have the choice of puppy or kitten formulas; they would simply live on a diet of mostly meat and and some grain. In a natural free environment, animals instinctively eat more or less, depending on their age and activity level. Puppies will require a higher caloric intake as an adult, therefore we suggest feeding puppies, up to 6 months of age, two or three times a day. Natural Balance Products are scientifically formulated to provide all-natural, complete, and balanced nutrition for all stages of your pet's life. We recommend that you do not add vitamins, minerals or any other supplements, except upon the advice of a veterinarian.

For puppies, you would feed more than you would for adults. Hope that answers your question.

This makes total sense to me, thanks.

[friscomom]

You can get a $5 coupon in the mail for Blue Buffalo here:
Blue Buffalo - Compare Dog Food with our Dog Food Comparison Test

[motherhen]

Thank you for posting this -- just sent in for mine!

[motherhen]

I sent the grading report to the company that does the Rachael Ray Nutrish dry dog food, and asked them to do it, and send the results back to me.
They did it, and replied that according to this grading it was a 90. So, that is pretty good! I had rated it higher then that when I tried to figure it out -- so I was glad I sent it to them.

[mismolly]

www.dogfoodanalysis.com
seems to be a pretty good site also. Mine rates at 5 stars out of 6!