Canned Dog Food

Label-reading is key to choosing a quality wet food

When evaluating canned dog food, scrutinizing ingredient lists is the best way to judge. We found the best recommendations for foods with high meat content. For example, Innova EVO's 95% Meat varieties (*Est. $1.75 per 13.2-ounce can), such as Chicken & Turkey get a top rating at DogFoodAnalysis.com and do well in user reviews. The top ingredients are chicken, turkey and chicken broth. Similar highly-rated products include Wellness 95% Meat varieties (*Est. $2.25 per 13.2 ounce can), such as chicken, which contains mainly chicken with sufficient water for processing. Likewise, Wysong Beef Au Jus Beef (*Est. $2.60 per 14-ounce can) contains beef, beef liver and beef heart, along with water for processing.

While these foods are high in protein, they are not necessarily ideal for use as an exclusive diet. For example, while user reports for Innova EVO are good, we've also seen reports of dogs that have had trouble adjusting to the higher protein content. Wellness says that their 95% Meat products are "intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only."

For everyday feeding, a food with less but still considerable amounts of meats balanced with other high-quality ingredients will be easier on your wallet. Natural Balance Ultra Premium dog foods (*Est. $1.45 per 13 ounce can) are less expensive than those above, but have less meat content, earning them less glowing reviews from some professionals. However, they are included in the Whole Dog Journal's latest list of approved foods and generally get good to great feedback from owners at sites such as Zootoo.com and Petco.com. For example, after 30 reviews, Petco.com's customers give the food a perfect five out of five rating, and all say they would recommend the food to a friend. While Natural Balance doesn't make DogFoodReview.com's list of top 10 brands, it does garner decent comments from the editors and the site's many contributors. The ingredients list for the chicken variety lists chicken, chicken broth, chicken liver, carrots, oat bran, brown rice, potatoes, dehydrated potatoes, chicken meal and canola oil as the top ingredients. The company's program of testing each date-code batch for a variety of contaminants and making those results available to owners adds a measure of reassurance for buyers and has been well received.

We also saw good recommendations for Canidae canned foods, including a plug at Animal Ark. Canidae's Chicken, Lamb and Fish All Life Stages formula (*Est. $1.30 per 13-ounce can) lists chicken, chicken broth, lamb, chicken liver, herring, brown rice and egg at the top of its ingredient list. The food has no corn, wheat or soy, and is free of chemical preservatives, by-products and fillers. Canidae garners a good (though not top) four-star rating from DogFoodAnalysis.com and is included in the Whole Dog Journal list of approved foods. As noted earlier, while this food includes some sources carbohydrates, including brown rice, and can be used as a sole food, the manufacturer recommends a 25 percent canned/75 percent dry mix for a balanced diet. Pricing is very reasonable for a premium-grade food, reports say. A change in formulation to the company's dry foods in the summer of 2008 has generated some concerns and customer complaints, but those don't seem to extend to the company's canned foods, which were not changed.

When it comes to inexpensive dog foods, you're likely to find high levels of less nutritious ingredients, including glutens, animal digest and meat by-products. Most experts say stay far, far away. We named Pedigree Choice Cuts with Beef (*Est. 88 cents per 13.2-ounce can) as an acceptable budget choice in our last update, but since then the company has altered the formula, reducing the beef content in favor of lower-quality ingredients such as meat by-products. Unfortunately, no other dog foods in its price class do much better in terms of ingredients.

Nutro MAX (*Est. $1.15 per 12.5-ounce can) is a bit more expensive, but is also a better choice among non-premium foods, at least on the strength of its ingredients. Its Chicken, Rice & Turkey Dinner contains primarily chicken broth, chicken, turkey, beef, cod and beef liver. Grain is present, in the form of ground rice and rice bran, but no corn, wheat, soy or gluten. That's good enough for the food to earn a three-star rating from DogFoodAnalysis.com, which is better than most other supermarket or pet-food-chain foods.

We've not included Nutro among our recommended foods for this update because the company has been the target of an unusually large number of user complaints on forums as well as at ConsumerAffairs.com, which is independent and not affiliated with any local, state or national consumer affairs agency. However, ConsumerAffairs.com reported in August that a review by Dr. Steven Hansen, a veterinary toxicologist who manages the Animal Poison Control Center for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) showed that illness reports are "not consistent" and not likely caused by the food." Nutro has addressed the controversy directly on its website and says that it has been proactive in reaching out to those who have expressed concerns. Still, some remain unconvinced. Susan Peters of AskSusanPeters.com gives Nutro MAX Chicken Rice & Turkey a good score based on its ingredients, but is highly critical of the company and does not recommend the food.