Most dog owners have stood in front of a wall of dry dog food, wondering which one is really best for their pet. Believe it or not, there is someone who has done the homework for you -- the Dog Food Advisor.
Mike Sagman, founder and editor of DogFoodAdvisor.com, created the site when he lost a beloved pet to complications from a poor diet of commercial dog food. This personal tragedy led him to create the website as a place to post unbiased reviews and nutritional analysis of almost every dog food brand in the U.S. and Canada. This private project has flourished over the past decade and now includes member forums, star ratings, and up-to-date recall notices. On a personal note, I have used this site for years with three different dogs and pass the information along to anyone else I see standing motionless in front of the dry dog food section.
Courtesy of Pet Plate
What does the site do?
You can use this site two ways: to determine if your food is acceptable, or to research the best foods on the market at any time. The site will always have a "best of" list for you to browse in the following categories:
- puppy food
- dry dog food
- wet dog food
- grain-free dog food
- raw dog food
- weight loss dog food
- dog food for allergies
The thing I like best is that every type of food will have a star rating and a complete explanation of why the rating is docked points. If you can live with your dog having pea protein, for example, instead of meat protein, then you could be fine with a 4-star food.
In a nutshell, the site takes all of the guesswork out of buying dog food. The current industry regulations are so lax that it would be pretty impossible for a consumer to do this level of research on their own. For example, dog food companies can buy key components of their food from foreign countries with no regulations and not disclose that anywhere on the packaging.
Courtesy of Pexels
Why should I take the advice of this website?
This is a privately owned and run website. There are no ties to any dog food companies, and the site actually has several industry whistleblowers to help with research. All analysis is done by a group of people trained in nutrition and overseen by a veterinarian.
Okay, so you've got my attention. What now?
Start by looking up your dog's current brand of food. Think about any sort of health issues he might have. In our case, Charlie was REALLY gassy so we used the site to find the best grain-free dry dog foods on the market. Believe it or not, it did the trick. No more burning tire-scented toots to deal with -- yay! Consult with your vet if you have specific questions about dry vs. wet foods, or grain-free vs. regular kibble. Get your answers and come back to the site to see what ranks highest and look online to rank pricing. Voila! Your dog has a dietitian!
How does your brand of dog food rank on the dog advisor list? Let us know in the comments below!
