If the food contains any of the following preservatives (BHA - butylated hydroxyanisole, BHT - butylated hydroxytoluene, TBHQ - tertiary butylhydroquinone, ethoxyquin, or sodium metabisulfite), subtract 15 points.Why: These products are known to accumulate and cause cancer and other illnesses. It doesn’t matter how much or little is required to do this. There are natural, beneficial, non-toxic alternatives available, like tocopherols and herbal extracts.
If the food contains added sweeteners like cane molasses (not blackstrap molasses), corn syrup in any form, sugar, glucose, fructose, sucrose, sorbitol, ammoniated glycyrrhizin, propylene glycol, subtract 10 points.Why: Dogs, like humans, like the taste of sugar. Processed sugar is as bad for dogs as it is for humans. Aside from damaging the teeth, most sugars are empty calories with little or no nutritional value.
If the food contains any form of menadione (menadione sodium bisulfate, menadione sodium bisulfate complex, menadione sodium bisulfite, menadione sodium bisulfite complex, menadione dimethyl-pyrimidinol bisulfate, menadione dimethyl-pyrimidinol bisulfite, artifical vitamin K3, vitamin K supplement), subtract 10 points.Why: Natural vitamin K is normally produced in a dog’s intestinal tract. A supplement isn’t needed if a dog is getting a complete, nutritionally-balanced diet, because the dog makes its own. Menadione interferes with the natural production of vitamin K, and has been proven to be toxic to the liver and kidneys, and is not approved for long-term use in food. However, testing of this ingredient remains incomplete, and until a final determination is made, manufacturers are allowed to continue using it. Why they would, given what is known or suspected about the ingredient, should be a cause for concern.
If the food contains Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, or other numbered dyes, subtract 5 points.
Why: Dyes are unnecessary, sometimes toxic, sometimes carcinogenic, and the colors aren’t there for the dogs, but to make the food more appealing to the people who buy it, so they will feel better about serving that food to their dogs.
If the food contains onion, subtract 5 points.
Why: Onions cause Heinz body anemia, a hemolytic anemia. Even if they like the taste, this isn’t good for dogs.
If the food contains any of the following additives (propyl gallate, gallic acid, propyl ester, glyceryl monostearate), subtract 5 points.
Why: Anti-oxidants, emulsifiers, and anti-caking agents, known to be toxic when ingested in quantity. Natural, non-toxic alternatives are available.
If the food contains salt, sea salt, or sodium chloride as more than a trace ingredient, subtract 3 points.Why: Excess sodium is as bad for dogs as it is for humans. Salt enhances the flavor of foods for dogs, just as it does for humans. Reducing added sodium in the diet is better for your dog.
If the food contains apple pomace, grape pomace, or citrus pulp, subtract 2 points.
Why: Pomace is the pulp left after squeezing everything useful out of apples, grapes or citrus. It is mostly undigestible cellulose and of little nutritional value.
If the food contains generic flavorings (artifical flavoring, natural flavoring), or flavoring ingredients of unknown origin (like "meat broth" or “poultry flavor”), subtract 1 point.Why: Manufacturers list generic ingredients when they don’t know, or don’t want to say, what the ingredient contains or where it came from. The word “natural” has no definition in labeling terms, and so does not necessarily mean what the average reader thinks it means. It is better to know where the flavors come from.
If the food contains poorly-utilized sulfate- or oxide-based mineral supplements (e.g., zinc oxide, iron oxide, magnesium sulfate), subtract 1 point.
Why: Although mineral oxides and sulfates are commonly used, chelates and proteinates are better utilized by a dog, Chelates and proteinates are only fractionally more expensive than oxides and sulfates in quantity, so using the less expensive, less useful ingredients is a point against the product.
If the food contains artificial vitamin E (di-alpha tocopherol acetate), subtract 1 point.
Why: Artifical vitamin E is not readily used by the body, and about half as effective as natural vitamin E. Better utilized natural sources are readily available.
Things that distract from your kibble:
If the food contains sugar beet pulp, subtract no points.
Why: Contrary to common opinion, sugar beet pulp is not a significant source of digestible sugar, being what remains after most of the usable sugar has been removed. It turns out to be a high-quality source of digestible fiber that is important to beneficial bacteria in a dog’s intestinal tract. The presence of sugar beet pulp should not count against a dog food.
For every occurrence of the word "natural", add no points.
Why: In terms of labeling, the word “natural” has no defined meaning on a pet food label. Its use is purely to influence the consumer’s perception of quality, without actually meaning anything.
For every occurrence of the word “holistic”, add no points.
Why: See “natural”. The word “holistic” has no defined meaning on a pet food label. Its use is purely to influence the consumer’s perception of quality, without actually meaning anything.
If the food contains fruit or vegetables, add no points.
Why: Fruits and vegetables are ok, as ingredients in a dry dog food, but not necessary for a dog’s nutritional needs. Their presence in a dry dog food doesn’t hurt anything, but they don’t add much, either.
Things that improve your kibble:
If the food contains one or more specifically named fresh meats (chicken, lamb, pork, beef, turkey, duck, salmon, etc.), in combination with one or more specifically named dry meat meals (chicken meal, lamb meal, pork meal, beef meal, turkey meal, duck meal, salmon meal, etc.) as main ingredients (appearing before the first listed fat), add 1 point.Why: a food that has this combination of meat and meat meal as main ingredients is likely to have higher-quality, highly digestible meat protein as the principal source of protein in the food, and that is better and more useful for your dog.
If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 1 point.
Why: Meats free of added hormones and antibiotics are better for your dog.
If the animal sources are certified organic, add 1 point.
Why: While “natural” has no meaning “certified organic” does. A manufacturer that uses certified organic ingredients is actively taking steps to use ingredients that are healthier for your dog.
If the food contains whole ground grains, starches and legumes (rice, oats, barley, millet, potato, sweet potato, peas, etc.), add 1 point.
Why: Whole grains, starches and legumes contain more useful nutrition than fractions and flours.
If the grains are certified organic, add 1 point.
Why: While “natural” has no meaning “certified organic” does. A manufacturer that uses certified organic ingredients is actively taking steps to use ingredients that are healthier for your dog.
If the fats and oils are specifically named (chicken fat, canola oil, flax oil, herring oil, etc.), add 1 point.
Why: It is better to know what kind of fat is being used.
If the food contains high percentages of Omega6 (at least 2.2%) and Omega3 fatty acids, and a low ratio between the two (5:1 to 7:1 or lower), add 1 point.
Why: Omega Fatty Acids (OFA’s) are important anti-oxidants for the body, and help combat the effects of aging. Studies indicate that they are best utilized when they are in a specific proportion of 5-7 times as much Omega6 as there is Omega3.
If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point.
Why: Pesticide-free vegetables are better for your dog.
If the vegetables are certified organic, add 1 point.
Why: While “natural” has no meaning “certified organic” does. A manufacturer that uses certified organic ingredients is actively taking steps to use ingredients that are healthier for your dog.
If the food contains specifically-named broths or stocks (chicken broth, beef stock, etc.), or liver of specified animals (chicken liver, beef liver, etc.), add 1 point.
Why: Knowing where these ingredients come from is better than not knowing, and they are almost always of higher quality than their generic counterparts.
If the vitamin and mineral sources are chelated or proteinates, add 1 point.
Why: Chelates and proteinates are better utilized minerals and indicate an effort to provide a food with greater nutritional value.
If the food is preserved with mixed tocopherols, rosemary-, sage- or clove extracts, ascorbic acid, ascorbyl palmitate, vitamin C, add 1 point.
Why: Natural preservatives are non-toxic and nutritionally useful.
If the food contains non-acidic, time released versions of Vitamin C (such as Ester C, Calcium Ascorbate, Stabilized Vitamin C or L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate), natural Vitamin E (Tocopherol, Natural Tocopherol), natural sources of Vitamin K (egg yolk, liver, oats, kelp, alfalfa), add 1 point.
Why: These are better utilized forms of these nutrients, and indicate an effort to provide a food with greater nutritional value.
If the food contains therapeutic levels of glucosamine and chondroitin, or MSM, add 1 point.
Why: Many foods now include glucosamine and chondroitin, but their presence is not meaningful if the amounts are insufficient to have the desired effect. Their presence doesn’t hurt anything, but they need to be present in therapeutic levels in order to be a plus. Consult a veterinary nutritionist or veterinarian to determine the therapeutic dose for your dog.
If the food contains probiotics (various strains of bacillus, lactobacillus, bifidobacteria, streptococcus and enterococcus) and/or prebiotics (e.g., sugar beet pulp and chickory root extract), add 1 point.
Why: Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that colonize the gut and improve the digestion of nutrients, inhibiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria, and are vital to a dog’s immune system. Prebiotics serve as the nutritional media for probiotics, and contain complex sugars not broken down by the regular digestive process. Prebiotics are key to maintaining healthy levels of probiotics in the gut. Active cultures in yogurt are often misidentified as probiotics, but while they aid in the digestion of dairy products, they do not survive long in the intestinal tract, and their benefit is different from true probiotics.
Grading Scale
(Any score below zero can become zero.)
>92 = Highly Recommended
86-92 = Recommended
78-85 = Acceptable
70-77 = Marginal
<70 = Not Recommended
I think Bakers and Tescos dog food comes out at -100 whereas Arden Grange is about +90 or something
Sorry had to split this as it was too long to post in one go!!