Which Dry Dog Food Is Best for Your Dog? You've Got to Read the Ingredients List!

There’s a huge amount of confusion over dry dog food. And, no wonder, there are over 70 types of “specialty” dog foods just from one maker!

Do you really think cocker spaniels, shih tzus and dachshunds all need different types of foods?

Or, is this just another way for the pet industry to dominate the shelves at the stores so you’re more likely to buy one of their brands?

3 Sample Dry Dog Food Labels

In this case, it’s chicken followed by brown rice and then whole grain wheat. After that, it’s cracked pearled barley.

Looking like a lot of grains at the top of the list for my taste. It’s not until the 6th ingredient that chicken shows back up in the form of chicken meal.

Hmmm… What else is there?


2) Well, look at that! There’s a special cocker spaniel dog food. What’s in it?

The first ingredient is chicken meal, followed by brown rice, oatmeal, rice flour, corn gluten meal….NEXT— that’s just a lot of grains. Brown rice and oatmeal are considered “good” grains to be sure.

But I think for the price point of this brand, (approx.. $40 for a 25 lb. bag) we can do better.

3) Let’s look at this 3rd candidate.

The 1st ingredient is organic chicken, followed by chicken meal and then brown rice, millet and peas. There’s even some salmon meal in there!

Out of the three, this is the one I’d choose because it’s chockfull of healthy protein and fruits and vegetables.

So, there you are. A quick trip down the dog food aisle at the local pet superstore. There’s a whole lot I didn’t touch on here but we’ll save that for another time.

Such as grain free foods, dogs who need low protein diets, senior formulas and more.

Tip: As a general guide, the guaranteed analysis will tell you the amount of crude protein, fat, etc.

The minimum levels for adult dogs is 16.2% protein and 4.5% fat. If your dog needs to put on weight or has dry coat and skin, you’ll want to look for a little more fat.

Here's some Recommended Dry Dog Food Brands: