Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul

February 2009. While other dog foods, such as Orijen Dry Dog Food (*est. $35 per 15.4-pound bag), are higher in protein, reports say Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul dog food doesn't do too badly in that regard. More significantly, it's free of low-quality fillers and by-products, and the majority of its carbohydrates come from better-quality sources, such as potatoes and whole grains. While more expensive than the very cheapest dog foods, it is price competitive with better foods sold in supermarkets and large pet food chains, such as Iams Healthy Naturals (*est. $24 per 17.5-pound bag), but rates considerably higher than most in terms of nutrition. It is a little harder to find, however.

The best reviewers evaluate dog foods based on ingredients. DogFoodAnalysis.com covers the most products, and offers detailed reviews on some of them. PetFoodRatings.com does the same thing, but covers fewer foods. Ask Susan Peters (a blog) is more controversial, and few dog foods escape unscathed, though Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul does better than most. Whole Dog Journal's list of "approved" foods is based on clearly defined criteria, but the article is only available for subscribers. You can find user opinions at Zootoo.com.