Best Dog Foods Ranked

Thanks for all the time you put into this site…..always lots of good knowledge to be found!!

Thanks for the information on top rated dog foods. It really helps with all the food recalls and those that are dangerous and have not been recalled. I have gone to a dehydrated cooked diet until I am able to get further recipes to make my own. One of my dogs was on Timberwolf. He did do well on the food. The food appears relatively good. Their customer service is alot to be desired. Would not respond to my e-mails. Very little information is shared in terms of who makes their foods, compared to other manufacrers.
I am very thankful for websites such as yours that have done thorugh investigations regarding dog food and can relay this information to the consumer. It is very scary on what goes on behind the scenes in terms of dog food manufacturers not divulging information about their product. They know there is a problem but continue to sell the product, until our precious pets get very sick or die. It is very difficult to trust any of them at this point.
Again, I thank you for your great website. It has helped put somewhat of confidence back into selected manufacturers.
Donna

In your six top ranked foods, how about Primal pet foods? I am in the process of trying myself but know and have read great things about it and what great results people have had using it and it was also on the Whole Dog Journal's List Might be one to consider, its a frozen raw.

I live on an outer island in Hawaii, Kauai, and it is very hard to get things here, including the dog foods you listed. I have been making my own food for my Beagle and Golden Retriever, supplementing the home-made food with a little bit of commercial dry food for the Retriever, and they are thriving! The Beagle had alot of health problems, over weight, breathing problems, yeasty ears, etc., he is 6 yrs old and is like a pup again. Making the food is time consuming but well worth it!

Thanks for all your informative articles,
Candy Sonoda

Bridget,

Have you ever heard of Happy Dog Food? It a dehydrated food and made in California. You cook it on the stove and add meat.
Also have you heard of Flint River Ranch dog food? Not sold in
stores. A smaller company. Delivered to your door.

Georganne Green

Hi Carolyn,

Thanks for your feedback. I really appreciate your kind words.

Regards,
Brigitte

Hi Donna,

Many thanks for your detailed feedback. I really appreciate it.

Thanks for pointing out the problems you had contacting the people at Timberwolf Organics. I agree absolutely that that is a concern. If that's a problem other people have had, I'll reconsider having that dog food brand on my list of best dog foods.

While great dog food ingredients and suitable manner of preparing the food (freeze dried, oven baked, etc.), are very important, customer service is of course something to take into account when compiling a list of top rated dog food.

And lack of information on sources of the ingredients is a major concern in view of the debacle with the dog food recalls in the recent past.

Regards,
Brigitte

P.S. If anyone else has any comment to make on Donna's experience with the people at Timberwolf Organics, please let me know - leave your comment below - thanks!

Hi Susan,

Yes, Primal food for dogs (and cats) is an excellent food. It's fairly similar in type to the Nature's Variety food - they're both freeze dried dog food - basically raw food combined so as to replicate the eating of prey in the wild, including components from all parts of the animal, plus some vegetable matter (which would be expected to be found in the stomach of prey).

Thanks for pointing Primal pet food out as another excellent dog food brand.

Regards,
Brigitte

Hi Candy,

Thanks for your kind words on the articles.

Well, it may not be such a bad thing that you can't access the foods on my list of top rated dog food, if you're using that opportunity to make your own food for your dogs!

My own preference is for fresh and raw food for dogs. It's followed by home cooked fresh food. And my third preference is the healthy dog food convenience foods listed above.

But last on my list of preferences (by a long way) are the vast majority of commercial dog foods.

If you can eliminate the commercial dog food you're feeding your dogs, they'll be even better off!

Regards,
Brigitte

Hi Georganne,

Yes, I've heard of Happy Dog Food. So far as I know, it's a pretty reasonable food. It seems to be similar in type to some of the Sojos foods and the Honest Kitchen foods that are on my list of best dog foods ranked.

And yes! I've heard of Flint River Ranch - it's on my list above!

In fact, all of the dog foods on my best dog foods ranked list can be ordered online and delivered to your door.  Some are also available in physical stores and a couple are not.

Regards,
Brigitte

I feed Solid Gold Holitix Blend, hope no one had heard anything bad it's working great for my girls, I get it at a Health Food store. It's also lower in Phosphorus than most top premium foods.

Hi Brigette,

I have enjoyed your site for some time. I find it very informative and thank you for the many valuable articles and all the information that you post. Keep up the great work, and,
Thank you,
Beverley

Hi Billie,

Thanks for your input!

If you're happy with the food you're using, then by all means stick with it. Solid Gold dog food is not one I'd try to dissuade you from using, although it's not near the top of my list - mostly I think because of the canned food - I just don't like it. Some of the Solid Gold food, though - the dry food - seems pretty good.

Regards,
Brigitte

P.S.  In case anyone's wondering about the phosphorous that Billie mentioned - I understand Billie uses low phosphorous products because of concerns with kidney failure in her dog.

Hi Beverley,

Thank you so much for your encouraging words. I really appreciate it!

Regards,
Brigitte

I understand Timberwolf was sold to Diamond and its now mfg. at their plant.

I recently tried Love Dogs Gold (orig England) and top it off with meat…it seems to be working. I like the limited ingredients, the food has been out for 10 years in England and is now starting to be marketed in the States…its also mfg. in the States, steroid free.

Hi Jan,

Thanks for your input.

I'm not familiar with the Love Dogs Gold brand, but no doubt readers from the UK like yourself are.

That's some disconcerting news about Timberwolf being taken over by Diamond dog food. I'll be looking into that further. I honestly would not feel comfortable recommending ANY dog food that had ANY connection to any of the recalled dog foods of recent months. As you're probably aware, Diamond recalled numerous of its foods due to the contamination of substandard dog food ingredients from China.

Regards,
Brigitte

Greetings,

Good ol' Google led me to find this blog and I thought I would clear up any rumors floating around.

We in fact have 2 full-time customer service reps that are more than welcome to answer your phone calls and e-mails. Please contact Joe or Kelly at customer.support@timberwolforganics.com or give them a call at their direct number which is 407-378-4600.

I work in research and development, so if you have questions pertaining to my department please e-mail Liz@timberwolforganics.com or call 407-378-4601.

Please note: We are a private independently owned company.

Thanks,

Liz

Well, Liz from Timberwolf Organics,

I see that you're trying to whitewash your company for the benefit of my readers.

It won't work.

PLEASE NOTE, EVERYONE:

I did some further research that seemed to indicate a connection between Timberwolf and Menu Foods - another of the notorious companies involved in the pet food recall scandall. 

I then took Liz's advice and contacted the Timberwolf Organics customer support people on 16 September 2007.

Following is a copy of my email to Timberwolf:

" Hello,

Please advise whether you have any affiliation with, or connection to, or agreement with, either Diamond Pet Food or Menu Pet Foods.

I understand from several different sources that your food is now being manufactured in the same plant as one of these foods?

Please provide me with information on any connection that you may have to either of these companies, and as to exactly what that connection is.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,
Brigitte Smith"

On 19 September 2007 I received the following response from Timberwolf, which you will note completely evades the actual questions that I asked, and addresses only the issue of ownership by Diamond Pet Foods, and completely ignoring my questions about Menu Pet Foods:

"Timberwolf Organics, Inc. wrote:

Hello Brigitte,

Is Timberwolf Organics, Inc. owned by Diamond Pet Foods, Inc.?

No. We are a private, independently owned company. At one time, Diamond Pet Foods manufactured our food; however, we have moved production to another facility owned by another company (we cannot give this information out, as it is proprietary). They specialize in manufacturing specialty formulas of pet foods and meet our high standards for exceptional quality production.

We are certain that Diamond Pet Foods, Inc. is a fine company, but to answer the above question, we have no business affiliation with them.

Hope this helps! Feel free to contact us with any more questions.

Kelly Gormley
Timberwolf Organics, Inc.
407-877-8779 "

On 19 September 2007, I sent the following email to Kelly:

" Dear Kelly,

Thanks, but you have not responded to the other half of my query - any affiliation with Menu Foods.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,
Brigitte Smith "

Here is the response that I received on 21 September 2007:

"

Update for Case #2145 - "Queries About Timberwolf Dog Food"

Hello Brigitte,

Where our food made is proprietary. Therefore, at this time, we are not allowed to release where our food is made, due to contractual agreements.

I'm sorry that I cannot answer the question in much further detail.

Thank you,
Kelly Gormley
Timberwolf Organics, Inc.
407-877-8779 "

What a load of nonsense - "proprietary" - how can information on where food is manufactured by "proprietary"? - It can't be.

And in view of all the debacle with the recalled pet foods earlier in the year, in my humble opinion, the public is ENTITLED to know EXACTLY who is manufacturing the pet food they are buying, as well as where the raw materials are being sourced from, so they can make an informed decision when buying food for their pets.

On 22 September 2007 I sent off the following email to Timberwolf:

" Dear Kelly,

Thanks. Information about where your food is made should be a matter of public record if you've got nothing to hide. It can't possibly be proprietary information. I've never heard of such a thing.

I take it from your response that you're affiliated with Menu Foods.

I will therefore no longer be recommending your food, and will notify my readers and my 11,000 subscribers of your response to my query.

If my assumptions are incorrect, and you're prepared to point out exactly in what respect they're incorrect, I'll reconsider.

I will hold off notifying my readers and subscribers until I hear back from you.

Brigitte Smith "

That was 18 days ago. I have not received the courtesy of a response.

If you wish to make your own enquiries of Timberwolf, then their contact details are in Liz's comment above.

I no longer recommend Timberwolf products.

Brigitte

Hi Brigitte,

Thanks for the info on all this food stuff. I give my girls raw meat but I mix EVO (Innova) with it and add a teaspoon of plain yogurt for the stomachs "good bacteria"

Thanks again for all your info it's informative and enjoyable reading.

Maruchy

Hi Maruchy,

Nice to hear from you again!

As you know, I prefer raw food myself. And Innova Evo is also a food that's pretty good. A little yoghurt is good, as is cottage cheese - particularly if mixed with a good quality flaxseed oil.

For anyone who doesn't know Maruchy, she's Bailey's "mom". Bailey nearly died from complications to vaccinations some time back.  Luckily, Maruchy was able to save Bailey, with the help of a holistic vet.

Her story is here - Pet Vaccinations - have a read - it's quite interesting.

Regards,
Brigitte

Hi Bridgette,
This is all interesting stuff about what and what not to feed our beloved companions, I have read a lot abot dog food and the vaccination thing of late and am horrified with the whole thing,I only feed my dogs fresh mince, fresh crunched chicken and garlic [they love that] some dry food and I will cook them a free range chook and they have veges , rice and pasta sometimes, they both have had their yearly vaccines, and they are not going to have any more, for a couple of years at least, this will cause problems if I need to put them in Kennels for some reason, but I am willing to take that chance. I have found a vet who is really into Herbal remedies, but is not quite convinced about the vaccination thing yet, although she would not be surprised about the dangers, she is very willing to listen and learn, she is not horrified about my decision about not vaccinating every year, she is quite interested in it all, so I am lucky to have found her, mind you I have to travel 50 ks to get to her,which is a problem in an emergency.

Hi Julie,

Bravo! You're doing everything I would advocate!

I have a fair bit of info on my Healthy Happy Dogs site about vaccination dangers. If you go to that page, you'll also see links to several other articles.

Maybe you could pass some of this info on to your vet. Also this site - http://www.immune-support-for-pets.com has a stack of info. on this topic.

Yes, 50 kms is a long way to go in an emergency, but just think - with all the right things you're doing, you're less likely to have an emergency.

Regards,
Brigitte

What do you think of EaglePak? Please let me know. I thought I did a lot of research and now I"m not so sure!

Hi Anita,

Sorry, I missed your comment until now.

Eagle Pack is okay. I guess it depends upon what you're comparing it with.

Eagle Pack seems to contain quite a lot of corn product which can cause allergy problems in dogs. I'm not certain of its type. Sojos dog food also contains corn, but it's whole corn, rather than a processed version. I'm not sure about the form of corn used by Eagle Pack.

Other than the apparently high corn content, though, if your dog does not have corn sensitivity, the other ingredients and the cooking process of Eagle Pack are good.

I prefer the foods I've recommended above, but for example in Australia I do recommend Eagle Pack as one of the better convenience foods, as the ones I prefer are not available.

Hope this convoluted explanation helps!

Regards,
Brigitte

Hi! My dog was recently diagnosed with diabetes. Tucker is a 9 yr old male schnauzer, who was very happy until two weeks ago. He started drinking tons of water, using the bathroom in the house, and throwing up. After two days in the "hospital" with iv's, antibiotics and insulin…we desperately want to find a good food for him. I was looking into the Sojo's. Any advice? We were feeding him Blue Buffalo. Thank you

Hi Jody,

Sojos is a great food.

I note that you're currently feeding Blue Buffalo. That's a reasonable food and in fact, a couple of my readers swear by it and wouldn't use anything else.

Because Tucker has been diagnosed with Diabetes, I think it's really important that you find out from your vet exactly what types of food you should not feed. Don't necessarily ask for recommendations on food, because many vets know little about nutrition and a lot about which particular pet food manufacturers are currently pressing them to recommend their foods.

But if there are certain types of food you should not be feeding, that's a really important thing to know.

It may be that grains are bad for Diabetes, for example, which would mean that you would not want to feed the standard Sojos, but the Sojos Europa would probably be good. This is just an example - not an indication that this is good or bad for Diabetes - don't take this example as advice.

By the way, there is a natural remedy for Diabetes in dogs that you might want to take a look at here.

As always, let me stress that I am not a vet and I have no veterinary training whatsoever. You should always take your vet's advice in relation to treatment for any specific illness or condition, but by all means discuss with your vet natural options.

Regards,
Brigitte

Hi Brigitte,
Do you have any knowledge of the puppy food Chicken Soup for the Puppy lover's soul. Some one told me it was a great natural food for Puppies. My Toy Poodle had puppies and I want a good food that I can recommend to the people that get the Puppies. When I recommand Sojo foods , they say they work and they want a food that they can feed that is easy. To me their is nothing that more important than you Puppy's health, but there are people that do not check dog food they just buy. I thought if I had a food that was available in the store that I can recommend. Thanks for you help. Darlene

Hi, I currently use Exclusive Dog Food, have you heard of it? If so, how does it compare to Life's Abundance Premium? Thanks for the info, I enjoy your comments! Bev

Hi Bev,

I'm not familiar with Exclusive Dog Food, so I can't compare it with Life's Abundance Food, or anything else.

If anyone else knows anything about Exclusive Dog Food, feel free to leave your comments.

Regards,
Brigitte

Hello,

I have a 7 mos old miniature pinscher and I'm ready to switch her from puppy food (I've been feeding her Eagle Pack Small Breed Puppy Dry Food formula) to adult dry food. My min pin is very small(only 5 lbs) and she really needs "small bite" sized dry food.

If anyone can recommend a good quality, healthy dry food that comes in "small bite" variety (i.e. is formulated specifically for small breeds), I'd greatly appreciate it!
Thanks, Hanna

Hi Hanna,

I am now a pug breeder who bred Min-Pins a few years back. I feed all our dogs Blue Buffalo & totally swear by it!!! I have found it to be a very healthy, holistic food, made with 23 essential vitamins and minerals a dog needs… and no other food has! Don't just take my word for it, do the research for yourself & go to bluebuff.com & see the ingredients that go into Blue. You will be surprised at how many ingredients their are and what they will do for your pet to live a long healthy life! All of Blue is small kibble it seems all dogs prefer a small bite over big chunks that are hard to digest. Check it out you & your Min-Pin will be glad you did!
A Bit of Friendly Advice…. PugTona Pug Breeder of NC

Darlene,

I'm so sorry I missed your post until now.

The Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul is a pretty good food that doesn't require any preparation, additions, etc.

Other good ones in this category from my list are Life's Abundance and Honest Kitchen.

Regards,
Brigitte

Hi I am getting a Westie puppy in August and I am very unsure of what food to give it. I looked into Lifes Abundance and saw it that it was for puppies and dogs. So, I was wondering if you recomende it for puppies too. They also make other dog products and I wanted to see what you thought of them. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards,
Christie

Hi Christie,

Yes, Life's Abundance dog food is suitable for puppies.

They also make some great gourmet treats for dogs - is that what you were referring to?  They also have a weight loss formula dog food, but that wouldn't be suitable for a puppy.

Regards,
Brigitte

You are the first web site that actually names products. Thank you for your time and expertise. We just got our first dog which is a Bichon Frise. She is 7 mos. old and we use Eukanuba Puppy which Vet recommended but this does not seem to be anywhere near the best per research on internet. Can you give us your advice on best food for Precious.
Thank you
Bob

Hi Bob,

Eukanuba is one of the dog foods often recommended by vets as a supposed premium brand.

It's not.

Possibly it's better than some supermarket brands, but not by much. They basically just have a smarter marketing strategy (market directly to veterinarians and get the vets to recommend and sell their products, so people perceive the products to be nutritious when that's far from the case).

My best dog foods, ranked, and recommendations, for my preferred dog foods are above. Here they are again:

1. Life's Abundance dog food

2. Sojos dog food (also known as Sojourner Farms)

3. Honest Kitchen dog food

4. Nature's Variety dog food

5. Flint River Ranch dog food

(Just click on any of the highlighted hyperlinks for more info on each product).

Any one of them would be a great food for your Bichon Frise.

Regards,
Brigitte

Timberwolf is still owned by Timberwold, Diamond makes a knock off called Taste of the Wild…..Remeber the huge pet food recall that Diamond had in 2005……of course you know Diamond makes Solid Gold!

Thank you for your help. I have 2 more Questions. 1 I cant find the serving size for puppies on their website. 2 I was refering to their treats but alo the grooming supplies and supplements. If you dont know what I am talking about you can type in people planet pes and look for trilogy.com. Then go pets then dogs and go to pet care for dogs and see what you think. Also for the supplements you just click supplements. I would very much appreciate it if you would tell me what you think of the products

Best Regards,
Christie
Thank You

Hi Chris,

I wasn't aware that Diamond make Solid Gold.

As for Timberwolf, read above my correspondence with them. Their food used to be manufactured by Diamond (Timberwolf says this themselves) and it now manufactured by some other company, but they refuse to say who.

I would never deal with a company that refuses to give information about where their product is manufactured.

The only conclusion that I am able to draw from this refusal is that they have got something to hide.

Regards,
Brigitte

Hi Christie,

Yes, I'm familiar with, and actively recommend, the Life's Abundance Treats, or better known as Healthy Pet Net treats.

And yes, I'm familiar with the dog care products that you mention - they're also very good. You can find them by going here - www.dog-health-care-information.com/hpndogcare

They also do some good supplements:

Skin and Coat Supplement

Pet Arthritis Supplement

and a Dog Vitamin Supplement.

Regards,
Brigitte

Thank you for your help

Thank you so much for this site! I have been going mad searching the internet trying to find a good dry food for my puppies. I intend to feed a mix of premium dry food, home made food and raw bones.

One more question what is the puppy serving size because i cant find it?

Hi Brigette,

I started a business last year selling the Timberwolf products. MY dogs have done wonderfully on the food. I am however worried about the fact they changed ingredients. Are you aware of the ingredinet change? What are your thoughts on Orijen? I have always had good luck with talking to Timberwolf. The food has helped many clients's dogs. I jst have concerns with the ingredients–especially since they are now adding the brewers yeast to the foods.

Thanks,

Barb

Hi Christie,

Sorry for the delay.

This is the instruction for feeding Life's Abundance dog food to puppies:

Feed the “Suggested Daily Amount” of dry kibble according to weight and add at least 25% more. Individual Meal Feeding: From 9 weeks to 4 months, divide the daily amount and feed 3-4 meals in a 24 hour period. From 4-6 months, divide the daily amount and feed 2-3 meals in a 24 hour period.

So use this as a guide, and add at least 25% more:

3 - 10 lb dog - 1/4 to 2/3 cup per day + 25%
10 - 20 lb dog - 2/3 to 1 cup per day + 25%
20 - 30 lb dog - 1 to 1 1/2 cups per day + 25%
30 - 40 lb dog - 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups per day + 25%

and so on.

Regards,
Brigitte

Hi Barb,

I'm really not sure about the change of ingredients with Timberwolf. It's their non-disclosure that worries me. I personally wouldn't deal with a company that refuses to divulge where their food is manufactured.

Regards,
Brigitte

Hi All,

Does anyone has any experience or comments regarding EAGLE PACK dry dog food?

I've been feeding my Min Pin the puppy formula and now that it's time to switch her to adult food, I don't know whether I should continue with Eagle Pack or look for a new brand?
Any comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Hanna

i have a bitch that im now mating and would like to give her and the puppies the best diet. alot of breeders in melbourne australia use pro plan. I brought innova, due to being more of a meat product and more natural. it is a lot more expencive, so was wondering do you think there is much of a difference between the two foods? is there another brand you recomend that is better thankyou cindy

Hi Brigitte,

I also had switched to Timberwolf Ocean Blue after I read that a grain free diet would be good for my 10 year old lab mix who has arthritis. He loved the first bag and gobbled it up but now not so much. He also started the habit of waking me up during the night to go outside. I was thinking about taking him to the vet but decided to switch his dogfood again. Is there a particular dogfood that is better than others for my arthritic senior dog?

Hi Brigitte

I really love your site and have been desperately searching in Australia (where I reside) to purchase one of your recommended dog foods. Unfortunately it seems that I can only order one brand and the freight costs are double the amount of the actual dog food. Do you know of anything in Australia that might be somewhat comparable with your recommended foods??

Can you tell me what meat to give my dogs. I have two border collies and a beagle. I currently give them what I thought was premium dog food and occasionally chicken wings. I would greatly appreciate your help

Thanks
Amanda

Solid Gold would be real good. Try it.

The Innova in the U.S is cooked too high, too long. Pro Plan is not quality by any means. Innova is. A better dog food you ask? Chicken Soup for the dog lover's soul, Wellness, or Solid Gold.

Eagle Pack has too much salt and beet pulp, and too little fat for the protein amounts. Try the Holistic brand or another brand.

Sincerely,
Anna

Yeah. I think it's too many ingredients, too much ash, too much protein. I'd try something different. If you haven't done it, you can go to www. timberwolforganics.com.

Sincerely,
Anna

I would say the best dog food around is Solid Gold. Certainly not Royal Canin because of soybeans, certainly not grocery store brands because of beet pulp and food coloring, certainly not California Natural, because, while organic, doesn't have enough nutrition, and certainly not Science Diet, because it's made of rancid restaurant grease and past-due-date meats.

Hey guys, Sorry I've missed all these comments and questions. Here goes:

Hi Hanna,

Eagle Pack is an okay food. In Australia the top foods that I recommend are not available, so the ones I recommend there are Orijen and Eagle Pack, in that order of preference. (Those links go to the same site - once you're there, click on the Dog Food/Services link and you'll see these foods.  Please note that I do NOT recommend any of the other foods sold on that site, with the exception of the BARF Patties, which are also great.
Regards,
Brigitte

Hi Cindy.

See my comments to Hanna, right above this comment.

Innova is a reasonable food.

Pro Plan definitely is not.

So yes, in my view Innova is certainly far superior to Pro Plan.

Regards,
Brigitte

Hi Simone,

Older dogs' bladders do start to weaken over time. It's an unfortunate function of age in many older dogs. But it shouldn't happen suddenly, which I think is what you're describing.

One good senior dog specific food you might want to try is the Flilnt River Ranch Senior Dog Food.

Another good one is the Merrick Senior Medley Dry Dog Food (there's also a canned version that I personally don't favor).

Regards,
Brigitte

Hi Amanda,

See my comments a couple above this one, to Hanna and Cindy, about dog foods available online in Australia.

Depending upon where you are in Australia the delivery cost varies. In Sydney I understand it's free delivery charges.

Thanks for your comments on my site. I really appreciate it!

As for what to feed your dogs - you don't say what food you're currently feeding, so I can't comment on that, but suffice to say that the vast majority of dog foods are absolute rubbish, and cause early degenerative disease of various types in our pets.

Raw chicken wings are great. So if your budget allows, I'd increase that. Raw meat (including chicken of course) is my personal preference for dog food, supplemented by some raw or lightly steamed veges, and a little fruit. My dogs have thrived on this diet their whole life. But if you're wanting a convenience type food as well, Orijen and Eagle Pack are the dog foods I recommend in Australia (in that order of preference).

Regards,
Bigitte

Thanks for all your comments, Anna!

For the reasons stated above, I do NOT recommend Timberwolf.

I agree with you on Hills Science Diet - it's complete rubbish, in my opinion. The same goes for Royal Canin.

Solid Gold and Innova dog foods are both pretty reasonable.

Someone else said above that Solid Gold is made at the Diamond dog food processing plant. I did some quick research on this, and it seems this may be the case. This may also be true of the Chicken Soup dog food line. This could be a similar complaint that I have in relation to Timberwolf, although my main issue with them is the refusal to disclose where the food is made - indicating that they do have something to hide.

I'll see if I can find out what Solid Gold and Chicken Soup have to say about this issue, and if I come up with anything, I'll post it here.

Regards,
Brigitte

Thanks Brigitte

I really appreciate your recommendations. I have now stopped feeding my dogs the dry food (unfortunately one of the brands was pro plan!!) I am now feeding them a mixture of chicken wings, raw meat and a fresh mixture of meat and vegetables that I buy in a pack at my local supermarket - it seems to be ok. I will now start trying them with some veg and some fruit with their meat that I will prepare for them at home. I'll also be getting some orijenn as a back up. Thank you!!

Hello,
Thanks for all of the helpful information. With regards to Natures Variety: Which do you recommend, the instinct formula or the prairie formula? I'm leaning toward the instinct but I'm unsure because of the high protein 42%. I have a French Bulldog puppy. Would it be okay to feed a food with such high protein?

You're welcome, Amanda!

Regards,
Brigitte

Okay, guys, here is the response from Diamond Pet Foods in relation to my request for information in relation to where Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul is manufactured, and as to whether any of the ingredients come from China (which was the origin of the contaminants that precipitated the pet food recalls last year):

" Brigitte,

We appreciate your interest in our products.

The Chicken Soup… dry dog and cat foods are produced at Diamond Pet Foods' plants in MO, CA, and SC.

The Chicken Soup… cat products do contain an ingredient from China Taurine.

Taurine is a nutritional need for feline diets and is only available from China. The taurine is put through an invitro toxicity test called ToxiScreen. This test screens for all toxins. By using ToxiScreen, we will have assurance that taurine is non-toxic prior to entry into our manufacturing facility.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Sincerely,
Cordell Schroeder
Quality Control Manager
Diamond Pet Foods "

I'm personally not terribly keen on a product that has an association with Diamond Pet Foods, but on the other hand, they're up front about it, and they don't use any ingredients from China in the dog food. They also have a quality control in place for the Taurine from China that they include in the cat food. I don't know whether what they say about Taurine only being available in China is correct or not (it seems a bit strange, but I haven't looked into this).

If you're using Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul and your dog likes it and is doing well on it, there may be no reason to change. The ingredients seem pretty good. But if you're looking for a good dog food, I'd try something else personally.
Brigitte

And following is the response I received from Solid Gold. They also say that Taurine is only readily available from China, and they include this component in their dog food as well as cat food.
" Thank you for your email,

We do not own and maintain our own mill and cannery, this is not economically feasible for a small company such as ourselves. Most other companies contract with outside manufacturers as well. The dry foods are made by Diamond Pet foods in their Missouri and California plants. They have been for several years, however we were not bought out by them. The company is still owned wholly by Sissy McGill, the founder of Solid Gold. However, there are no concerns over Solid Gold food because we do not use any protein concentrate or gluten products in our foods. Further, we did precautionary testing and all tests to date have shown the food to be free of melamine.

We maintain 100% control over the recipe and the formulations are our own.

Our canned foods are made by Simmons Foods, inc. they are a manufacturer of human foods as well, we maintain control over the formulation. The Blended Tuna is canned in Thailand by an American owned company.

Since the pet foods recalls, it has come to our attention that the
taurine used in our products is sourced from China . We have conducted an exhaustive search for a source of taurine manufactured in the United States, but unfortunately, there is none. To our knowledge, all taurine used in pet products and most human products is manufactured in China . Each shipment of taurine used in our foods undergoes a battery of tests for toxins, including melamine and cyanuric acid. All samples have been completely negative. We will continue our search for taurine manufactured in another country.

Taurine is an essential organic acid for cats. It is necessary and required to add it to cat food. Taurine is not considered an essential additive for dogs. However, recent research by UC Davis has shown that certain breeds of dogs, specifically certain large breeds, can develop dilated cardiomyopathy due to a lack of taurine. It is this research that prompted us to add taurine to our dry dog foods several years ago. Due to the extensive testing we perform, we feel the benefits of taurine far outweigh the risks of sourcing the ingredient from China , especially since there is no evidence that this particular ingredient has been contaminated at all.

The rest of the ingredients in our foods are sourced from the United States except for the three ingredients, specifically lamb meal from New Zealand , potato protein from Europe, and our grain free Blended Tuna canned cat food, which is manufactured in Thailand .

We are confident that our foods and treats are 100% safe. To date all testing has shown that our foods are melamine free

We continue to strive to produce the very best food for your pet. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any further questions.

Best regards,
Elisabeth Mulvany
Solid Gold "

Again, I'm not over the moon about products manufactured at the Diamond Pet Food plant, but if they're upfront about it, and keep their ingredients completely separate to those used by Diamond (they don't specifically say they do this - I might ask them that question as well, and let you know), then I suppose the foods are okay. Certainly the ingredients seem to be pretty good.

Brigitte

Hi Brigitte,

I almost bought the Orijen for dogs to replace the Timberwolf I am still feeding, but found out they too had a recall on some of their bags of food. It appears bone fragments were found in some of the bags. They did have it on their website for a couple of days–now the info is gone. They want us to forget about it. Hmmm…pretty scary. As far as Timberwolf goes–I will still be feeding it to my dogs. They have beautiful shiny coats and their poop is nice and firm. There is however a recall on the bison & ocean on certain dates only. I called them and they are working on the problem. I got a hold of someone in customer service right away–spoke to two people actually. They were nice and very helpful. Yes I am a bit nervous about feeding it to my 4 dogs, but they are doing so well on it I can't change. Who knows what the other companies are hiding–but I can tell you I will find out who manufactures TW. Bye for now.

Hi Barb,

Thanks for that heads up.

I wasn't aware of the problem with Orijen. But I've just done a bit of research to check up on it.

It seems that, as you say, the problem was with some sharp bone fragments being found in the food - apparently salmon bones, due, the U.S. Orijen manufacturer says, to a malfunction in the machinery that debones the salmon before Orijen adds the salmon to its mixtures.  (That's my understanding of what they said, anyway).

They also say they took immediate steps to stop the food from going to the retail outlets as soon as they realized the problem - but some food had already gone out.

Any problem with any pet food is a concern, although in this instance the problem does not relate to contamination of any kind. 

When feeding raw food, or homemade cooked dog food, bone fragments can be present and can even cause occasional problems.  I have always fed my dogs raw meat and bones, and I'm aware that some experts are not in favor of giving bones to dogs for the specific reason that bone shards can cause problems.

If you're happy with Timberwolf and your dogs are thriving on it, that's great. The ingredients are good.  I just really don't like their philosophy of refusing to answer very simple questions and obviously trying to hide something as basic as where they manufacture their food. If they had nothing to hide, why all the secrecy? Those are my thoughts on the matter.

Regards,
Brigitte

You must add Burns Real Food to the list it was the first holistic food which is why they are the only holistic food that dose not have to have the holistic symboy with the snakes and cross also NatureDiet which proberly compied Burns or anothr one that compied brns cas burns is the first true one all the holistic foods came from burns you see and aloght they are not all as good as the origanal some like naterdiet have done good copys

I searched a website called dogfoodanaylisis and it is quite informative, and it lists dog foods according to their quality. Life's abundance is listed there and it is questionable about the sources of protein. Check it out, it is worth reading the reviews.

Also check Dr. Marty Goldstein's website and he has listed some high quality dog foods that are as close to raw as possible. He was on Oprah Winfrey's show and it Martha Stewart's vet.

My dog eats Flint River Ranch, they ship it to your door for free and it's great food!!!
We lost our other dog (prior to this one) when they had the dog food recall , and unbeknownst to us were feeding him one of the recalled foods and he had major organ damage and had to be put down. Flint River was not associated ever with that recall and we have fed our newest dog this and he loves it.

BELIEVEABLE, ALL I READ IS, I'VE STOPPED FEEDING MY DOGS FOOD FROM ALL COMPANIES, AS I DON'T TRUST THEM, I HAVE A ROTTWIELLER AND A KELPIE, BOTH FEMALES. I'VE BEEN MAKING THIER FOOD FOR A LONG WHILE NOW, AS SHELF FOOD, LABLED DIET, MADE MY DOG PUT ON WEIGHT. MADDI IS NOW A HEALTHY 63K NOT 75, SO HOME MADE IS THE WAY TO GO AND CHEAPER..

I know I'm not talking much on here lately, but then, again, if somebody has a question, I'm all eyes and ears. I don't want to upset anybody with my ideas if they think they have a better answer; yet, I've seen so many problems in my life with dogs, humans and more, have been able to figure out over 75% of them and, actually, have only needed a veterinarian for about 9% of them!! I'm mostly talking 'dogs' here, yet, until Winter comes, I'm all eyes and ears.

Hi Brigitte,

I have just been reading your brilliant website! It is great to find a like minded person as regards your views on feeding dogs a natural diet and with no vaccinations! I arrived in Australia with our beloved Golden Retriever Benjie 5 years ago and was of course told that he must have his yearly vaccinations aswell as Heartworm tablets..Well from day dot I refused to give him them and found a holistic vet that takes his blood every year to check for heartworm and I also give him a homepathic remedy for heartworm and so far so good. The reason I am writing to you is I would be interested to hear your views on Eagle Pack Holistic and Organic dog kibble that is imported from the USA because I recently heard about the law suits that are currently going on in regard to the poisons found in the dog kibble that were using cereal from China and also that some companies were burning euthanised dogs from vets (including their collars and plasic chips etc which were highly toxic).

Can you assure me that this food is worth the money and is not contaminated or should I start using an Australian brand such as "Super Coat" which was recommended to me from a reputable Golden Retriever breeder in Perth? I feed him Organic Chicken or Beef (non-organic as it is v. hard to get hold of) with his biscuits with raw grated carrot or steamed broccoli with a teaspoon of Sashas blend for his arthritis that he has on one hind leg knee joint and he has had no problems since starting this 4 years ago! I also feed him tinned sardines in olive oil with his buscuits about twice a week.

Could you tell me if I should include anything else in his diet or revert to semi cooked or raw beef / chicken for the added benefit of the natural bacteria? He occasionally gets bouts of clostridium which the vet has told me always reccur once they have been infected but that acidophilus with bifidum sprinkled in his food was good or in a capsule (human dose) would you agree? His coat also lacks lustre would you agree that he perhaps might need more iron from beef?

Sorry to bombard you with questions but I really would appreciate it if you could answer some of my queries particularly regarding Eagle Pack safety,

Kind Regards

Fiona

Hi Fiona,

Thanks for your feedback. I appreciate it!

Yes, Eagle Pack is one of the few that I recommend in Australia. The other main one is Orijen. You can purchase either online here -

http://www.dog-health-care-information.com/petdeli

I see that Supercoat is made by Purina. Other Purina foods are, in my opinion, rubbish. I looked at the website to see whether Supercoat is any different, and they haven't got any helpful info there. I gather it must be a pretty new food.

Other than this, you seem to be doing all the right things!

(As always, please note that I am not a vet and I have no veterinary training whatsoever. Any health concerns in relation to your dog should be directed to your vet).

Regards,
Brigitte

What is your opinion on "Halo" dry dog food ? I use "Flint River" now.

Thanks, Teresa

Hello Teresa,

I looked on their website and couldn't see much pertinent information about precise ingredients for the Halo products(there are general statements there about the ingredients, but nothing specific that I could find), or cooking methods.

Flint River Ranch is an excellent line.

Regards,
Brigitte

Aloha,
Thank you for all your help in keeping our loved ones safe, happy and healthy. I, like Candy Sonada, live in Hawaii. It is super expensive to get things shipped here. We do not have regular pet stores here either. Dog food has gotten crazy expensive. Unfortunately,I too, add commercial dry dog food to my little girl's food. Is pedigree dry dog food horrible for her? I'm getting pretty worried after reading comments on different sites.
Thanks so much for your advise.
Natalie

Hi Natalie,

Personally, I would NOT feed my dog Pedigree dry dog food, even in small quantities. It's like eating fast foods every day, only worse.

You've no doubt read my response to Candy above. If you're also feeding a homemade diet to your dog, then that's great. Stick with that and cut out the Pedigree dog food.

Sorry, but that's my opinion, for what it's worth.

Regards,
Brigitte