Dog Food Reviews

The top reviews and information on the best dog food come from owners and others who are motivated by their love of dogs rather than their desire to sell something. The most credible advice and test reports we could find are from humane societies, veterinarians, breeders, discussion boards, dog clubs, trainers and pet owners.

In 1998, Consumer Reports magazine tested dog and cat foods, but the results caused an uproar when it was discovered that the testing methods weren't scientific and the results weren't accurate. In response to manufacturers refuting these findings, Consumer Reports published a correction, stating that it had incorrectly measured some minerals and fatty acids in pet food, and editors promised to redo the test. However, Consumer Reports hasn't published a dog food comparison since 1998.

The dog lover sites and articles generally fall into two categories: sites that tout an alternative idea, such as feeding raw or homemade dog food, and sites that make an honest attempt to review and rate commercial dog foods, primarily relying on an analysis of the ingredients. An example of the first type is an article on NJBoxers.com called "BARF for Beginners," which explains the basics of a raw dog food diet (BARF is an acronym for Bones And Raw Food). Websites that rate foods by the quality of their ingredients include DogFoodAnalysis.com, DogAware.com and AnimalArk.com. GoodDogMagazine.com features reviews of selected products that are tested by the magazine staff's own dogs, but most products rate highly and no comparisons are made.

Dog food recall

Since March 2007, dog owners have been watching with concern as dozens of varieties of national, regional and store-brand dog foods have been recalled following the discovery of melamine-tainted wheat gluten in certain products. Melamine is a chemical used in making plastics, but it was being used in wheat gluten imported from China to boost the apparent protein level. The initial recall occurred in mid-March 2007, and additional recalls related to wheat gluten took place through early May. In mid-April, melamine was also discovered in rice gluten, leading to further dog food recalls. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) are maintaining websites to keep the public informed both about recalled pet foods and the ongoing investigations. Those web addresses can be found in the Best Research section further below.

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

This chart doesn't reflect the large amount of information we found on dog food ingredients. Even if they don't recommend specific products, many sources go into great detail about what proteins and carbohydrates you should look for. We used these guidelines, along with review recommendations, to perform our own analysis. Once you start reading labels, you may identify other good dog foods.