Kibble Ingredients
(Reprinted with permission by the Author)
So many of us ask for recommendations on what to feed our furkids. To help YOU decide, what is best for YOUR fuzzbutt, I have listed the top 5 ingredients of some major kibbles below. If the product uses ethoxyquin, BHA or BHT as a preservative it is also shown. The list includes:
- Adult dry dog food
- Premium and Super-premium brands; no supermarket kibbles
- Address, phone #, e-mail and web site info
I have asterisked certain ingredients that can, but not always, denote inferior sources of nutrition. The AAFCO definition of these ingredients, along with further explanations, is after the kibble list.
This list is strictly meant as a starting point. One of the big things missing from any ingredient list, is the quality of the ingredients. For example, two products could list chicken or chicken meal but you would not know from the list, if it is pet grade chicken, meaning unfit for human consumption. Pet-grade could include the diseased-ridden, e.g. salmonella-infected, rejects.
Another thing to think about when reading labels is that the ingredients are supposed to be listed in weight order. However, "creative" labeling does occur. For example, the Science Diet Lamb Meal and Rice kibble shows Lamb meal first, so you might think that there was more lamb than any other ingredient. Well..... note that the second, third and fourth ingredients are brewers rice, rice flour, and rice gluten. It is quite possible that there are more substandard rice derivatives in this product than lamb.
At the end of the list are my personal opinions and recommendations on what to feed.
| Best In Show (All human grade) |
Chicken Chicken Meal Barley Brown Rice Millet |
PO Box 850, Jupiter FL 33468-0850 1-800-DOG-EATS (1-800-364-3287) Local 561-747-3287, FAX 561-745-0283 bisfood@aol.com http://www.bestinshowpowerfood.com |
| California Natural (All human grade) |
Lamb Meal Ground Brown Rice Ground Rice Sunflower Oil |
Natura Pet Products P.O. Box 271 Santa Clara, CA 95052 408-261 0770 800-532-7261 natpetfd@aol.com http://www.naturapet.com |
| Diamond Premium | Lamb Meal; Brewers Rice* Brown Rice Rice Flour* Turkey By-Product Meal* |
Diamond PO Box 156 Meta, MO 65058 1-800-442-0402 http://www.diamondpet.com |
| Eagle Natural Pack | Lamb Meal Ground Brown Rice Ground Yellow Corn* Ground Whole Wheat Chicken Meal |
PO Box 506 Mishawaka, IN 46546-0506 1-800-286-4849 ameagle@bccom.com http://www.eaglepack.com/ |
| Eukanuba Adult | Chicken Chicken by-product meal* Rice flour* Ground corn* Ground grain sorghum* |
The IAMS Co 7250 Poe Ave Dayton OH 45414 1-800-525-4267 http://www.iamsco.com and http://www.iams.com customer.service@iams.com |
| Eukanuba Natural Lamb & Rice |
Lamb Rice flour* Ground corn* Fish Meal Ground grain sorghum* |
The IAMS Co 7250 Poe Ave. Dayton OH 45414 1-800-525-4267 http://www.iamsco.com and http://www.iams.com customer.service@iams.com |
| Flint River Ranch (All human grade) |
Chicken Meal Wheat Flour Ground Rice Lamb Meal Poultry Fat |
1243 Columbia Ave, B6 Riverside, CA 92507 909-682-5048 Fax: 909-682-5057 Distributor Sites: http://www.flintriverranch.com/ |
| IAMS Chunks | Chicken By-Product Meal* Ground Corn* Rice Flour* Ground grain sorghum Animal Fat* |
The IAMS Co 7250 Poe Ave. Dayton OH 45414 1-800-525-4267 http://www.iamsco.com and http://www.iams.com customer.service@iams.com |
| IAMS Lamb Meal and Rice |
Lamb Meal Rice Flour* Ground Corn* Ground Grain Sorghum* Fish Meal |
The IAMS Co 7250 Poe Ave. Dayton OH 45414 1-800-525-4267 http://www.iamsco.com and http://www.iams.com customer.service@iams.com |
| Innova (All human grade) |
Turkey Chicken Chicken Meal Ground Brown Rice Whole Steamed Potatoes |
Natura Pet Products P.O. Box 271 Santa Clara, CA 95052 408-261 0770 800-532-7261 http://www.naturapet.com natpetfd@aol.com |
| Natural Life Lamb & Rice Lamaderm |
Lamb Meal Whole Brown Rice Ground Grain Sorghum* Oatmeal Poultry Fat |
Natural Life PO Box 943 Frontenac, KS 66763-2391 1-800-367-2391 http://www.nlpp.com/ |
| Nature's Recipe Lamb & Rice |
Ground Whole Wheat Lamb Meal Ground Rice Wheat Bran Animal Fat* |
Nature's Recipe 1 Riverfront Place Newport, KY 41071 1-800-843-4008 http://www.petsmart.com http://www.naturesrecipe.heinzpetproducts.com/pages/index.asp |
| Nutra Nuggets Lamb and Rice |
Lamb Meal Brewers Rice* Brown Rice Rice Flour*, Turkey By-Product Meal* |
Nutra Nuggets PO Box 204 St. Thomas, MO 65076 1-800-544-3959 http://www.diamondpet.com |
| Nutro's Lamb Meal & Rice |
Lamb Meal Ground rice Rice Bran* Rice Flour* Sunflower Oil |
Nutro 445 Wilson Way City of Industry, CA 91744 1-800-833-5330 http://www.nutroproducts.com/ |
| PetGuard | Chicken Chicken Meal Ground Whole Brown Rice Ground Whole Yellow Corn* |
Pet Guard, Inc. PO Box 728 Orange Park, FL 32067-0728 1-800-874-3221 http://www.petguard.com/ customerservice@petguard.com |
| PHD (All human grade) |
Lamb Meal Poultry Meal Brown Rice Whole Corn* Poultry Fat |
PHD PO Box 8313 White Plains, NY 10602 1-800-863-3403 http://phdproducts.net/ bonnie@phdproducts.net |
| Precise Foundation |
Chicken Meal Ground Brown Rice Ground Whole Wheat Ground Yellow Corn* Poultry Fat |
Precise PO Box 630009 Nacogdoches, TX 75963 800-446-7148 http://www.precisepet.com/dogprod.asp debbie@netdot.com |
| Precise Sensicare formula |
Lamb Meal Ground Brown Rice Ground Oats Rice bran* Linseed meal |
Precise PO Box 630009 Nacogdoches, TX 75963 800-446-7148 http://www.precisepet.com/dogprod.asp debbie@netdot.com |
| ProPlan Natural | Turkey Barley Corn* Corn Gluten Meal* Animal Fat* |
Ralston Purina PO Box 1606, St. Louis MO 63188 1-800-778-7462 http://www.proplan.com http://www.purina.com/products/products.asp?item=ProPlan oteam@ralston.com |
| Quality Care Plus | Chicken Chicken Meal Ground Brown Rice Corn Gluten Meal* Oatmeal |
Quality Care Plus PO Box 1475 Battle Creek, MI 49016-1475 1-616-965-2275 1-800-915-PETS http://www.qcplus.com |
| Science Diet Canine Maintenance |
Corn* Poultry By-Product Meal* Soybean Meal* Animal Fat* Natural Flavors BHA, PPG, Citric Acid |
Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. PO Box 148 Topeka KS 66601-0148 1-800-445-5777 http://www.hillspet.com |
| Science Diet Lamb Meal & Rice |
Lamb Meal Brewers Rice* Rice Flour* Rice gluten* Poultry Fat |
Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. PO Box 148 Topeka KS 66601-0148 1-800-445-5777 http://www.hillspet.com |
| Solid Gold (All human grade) |
USDA Lamb Meal Whole Ground Millet Ground Brown Rice Whole Ground Barley Amaranth |
1483 N. Cuyamaca El Cajon, CA 92020 1-800-DOG-HUND 619-258-1914 Fax - 619-258-3907 East Coast 1-800-521-0010 E-mail: dane@electriciti.com http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/ |
| VIP (All human grade) |
Chicken Meal Turkey Meal Whole Brown Rice Brewers Rice* Whole Oats |
Sirius Pet Food Co., Inc 408 Wilson Ave Mingo Junction OH 43938-1552 1-800-BARK-MEOW |
| Waltham | Rice Ground Corn* Chicken by-Product Meal* Ground Wheat Corn Gluten Meal* |
Kal Kan Pet Care PO Box 58853 Vernon, CA 90058-0853 1-800-525-5273 http://www.petsource.com/WALTHAM.HTM |
| Wysong (All human grade) |
Chicken Ground Whole Corn Grain* Ground Whole Wheat Grain Ground Whole Brown Rice Ground Extruded Whole Soybeans* |
1880 N Eastman Midland, MI 48640 800-748-0233 517-631-0009 http://www.wysong.net |
*Animal Fat
- AAFCO - Animal Fat is obtained from the tissues of mammals and/or poultry in the commercial process of rendering or extracting.
- Natura - A byproduct of meat meal processing. The origin of the contributing animals is never known, and the resulting oil is very low in linoleic acid — an essential fatty acid that is important for skin and coat health.
*Beet Pulp (Sugar) - CONTROVERSIAL
- AAFCO - Beet Pulp is the dried residue from sugar beets which has been cleaned and extracted in the process of manufacturing sugar.
- Natura uses it because - "it as a good source of fiber and a stool hardener". However, it is not found in their Innova or California Natural products.
- Solid Gold doesn't use it because they believe it is: "Added to pet food to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats (think toxic waste). This holds the waste in. Kidneys and liver work overtime. Dogs may chew their lower backs. Feet may swell, so the dogs lick their feet. Sugar is a contributing factor to ear infections and cataracts".
Beet pulp is rather controversial, many think that it is an excellent additive and source of fiber and that all sugar has been completely extracted before being added as a pet food ingredients. If this is the only "problem" ingredient in a kibble, other factors will have to help you decide.
*Beef Tallow
- AAFCO - Beef Tallow is obtained from the tissue of cattle in the commercial process of rendering.
- Natura states: "Although this is a very palatable source of fat, it is low in linoleic acid,which is necessary for skin and coat health"
- Wendy Volhard in "The Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog" also shows that beef tallow is a saturated fat whose main purpose is flavoring and palatability of food. Linoleic acid is a polyunsaturated fat and the acid should should constitute about 1% of diet.
*Brewers Rice
- AAFCO - Brewer's Rice is the small milled fragments of rice kernels that have been separated from the larger kernels of milled rice.
- Natura will not use it because they state it is a "lower quality rice product that is missing many of the nutrients found in Ground Rice and Ground Brown Rice." Solid Gold says that is the sweepings from the floor of the mill.
*Chicken By-Products
- AAFCO - Chicken By-Products consist of the rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, beaks, feet, undeveloped eggs, and intestines -- exclusive of feathers except in such amounts as might occur unavoidably in good processing practices.
- Natura states that they do not use it because it is an inconsistent ingredient because of the multiple organs used and their constantly changing proportions. Chicken By-Products are much less expensive and less digestible than Chicken Meal.
*Corn Gluten Meal
- AAFCO - Corn Gluten Meal is the dried residue from corn after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of the bran by the process employed in the wet milling manufacture of corn starch or syrup, or by enzymatic treatment of the endosperm.
- Solid Gold states that it is: "Added to pet food to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats (think toxic waste). This holds the waste in. Kidneys and liver work overtime. Dogs may chew their lower backs. Feet may swell, so the dogs lick their feet. Corn is thought to be the #3 common cause of food allergies in dogs.
- Natura uses it in cat foods because "Corn Gluten Meal is a plant protein source that is low in ash. It is used in Natura cat foods to balance the natural ash in chicken."
*Ground Corn
- AAFCO - Ground Corn is the entire corn kernel, ground or chopped.
- Neither Natura nor Solid Gold use it since: "Although Ground Corn is a good quality source of carbohydrates, it is thought to be the #3 common cause of food allergies in pets.
*Poultry By Product Meal
- AAFCO - Poultry By-Product Meal consists of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered poultry, such as necks, beaks, feet, undeveloped eggs, and intestines -- exclusive of feathers except in such amounts as might occur unavoidably in good processing practices.
- Natura and Solid Gold feel that it is an "Inconsistent ingredient because of the multiple organs used and their constantly changing proportions. The origin is from any fowl (turkeys, ducks, geese, buzzards, etc.) instead of a single source, like chicken. Poultry By-Product Meal is much less expensive and less digestible than Chicken Meal."
*Rice Bran
- AAFCO - Rice Bran is the outer coating of the rice kernel, with little or none of the starchy part of the germ.
- Natura and Solid Gold reject it because it is "an inexpensive source of fiber that is considered a filler ingredient", i.e. devoid of nutrient value.
* Rice Flour
- AAFCO - Rice Flour consists principally of the soft, finely ground and bolted meal obtained from milling rice (containing essentially the starch and gluten of the endosperm) together with fine particles of rice bran and the offal from the 'tail of the mill.'
- Not used by natura or Solid Gold because "This is a highly pre-processed ingredient. All of the naturally occurring vitamins have been leeched out by the processing. Ground Rice with its natural nutrients intact would be preferable."
*Rice Gluten (Glue)
- AAFCO - Rice Gluten Meal is the dried residue from rice after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of the bran by the process employed in the wet milling manufacture of rice starch or syrup, or by enzymatic treatment of the endosperm.
- Natura does not use Rice Gluten Meal, a poor quality protein filler. The 'Crude Protein' analysis on pet food labels is only a measurement of the amount of nitrogen in a food -- not the quality of the protein.Because of this, pet food companies can use the cheaper by-products of human food production, such as Rice Gluten Meal. Meat is always the best source of quality protein. Meat protein is better absorbed and retained and is higher in essential amino acids like methionine, arginine, and taurine. Rice Gluten Meal has a biologic value less than 50% of Chicken Meal.
- Solid Gold states that any gluten is "Added to pet food to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats (think toxic waste). This holds the waste in. Kidneys and liver work overtime. Dogs may chew their lower backs. Feet may swell, so the dogs lick their feet.
*Sorghum
- AAFCO - Sorghum is the ground grain of the sorghum plant.
- Natura alleges that although sorghum is good source of carbohydrates, it is low in digestibility.
*Soybean Meal
- AAFCO - Soybean Meal is the product obtained by grinding the flakes which remain after removal of most of the oil from soybeans by a solvent or mechanical extraction process.
- Natura and Solid Gold state that it is "a poor quality protein filler. The 'Crude Protein' analysis on pet food labels is only a measurement of the amount of nitrogen in a food -- not the quality of the protein. Because of this, pet food companies can use the cheaper by-products of human food production, such as Soybean Meal. Meat is always the best source of quality protein. Meat protein is better absorbed and retained and is higher in essential amino acids like methionine, arginine, and taurine. Soybean Meal has a biologic value less than 50% of Chicken Meal. Some allege that soybeans are the #1 allergy of dogs."
Recommendations
My two goldens get 30% Solid Gold, Innova or California Natural with supplements and 70% natural (human) food, including meats, raw finely grated veggies, some grains/starches, limited dairy/fish.
I could recommend any of the kibbles that use only human grade products. You would need to investigate further to determine accesibility, cost and ascertain that your dog had no allergic reactions to any of the ingredients. I believe that no matter which kibble you choose, you will need a supplement. No kibble, since it is processed at over 120 degrees, can contain all the vitamins,minerals, enzymes that are needed for a well-nourished dog.
If you would like me to send you a scanned message about the top seven foods that I recommend and the specific reasons why, please email me.
Can You Stomach This - You Ask Your Dogs to Do So
The Truth about Commercial Petfood
What's Really in Pet Food
More In Depth Ingredient Listings
There is also a book entitled The Dry Dog Food Reference by Howard D. Coffman that compares almost 200 foods. Besides giving the complete ingredients list, it also has information on understanding pet food labels, nutrient descriptions, AAFCO Official Feed Term & Ingredient Definitions, Primary Ingredient comparisons. It is available from Direct Book Service - 1-800-776-2665
Alternatives to Processed Dog Foods
Processed dog food is just that - processed. While many of the above manufacturers have developed significant expertise in developing the best possible processed dog food, there is not getting away from the fact that raw and natural (just as with homo sapiens) is of much more beneficial quality.
For any questions about this page, please e-mail Mary Ellen R. Lunde at melunde@erols.com
Last Modified 3/7/99
Note: This section of the Canada's Guide to Dogs website is intended as a source of information only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional care. Always consult with your Veterinarian about health related matters.
