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I know, I know – this is mostly a blog about cooking with kids for a better body, planet and community.  But when our immediate family became involved in the foster program at the Marin Humane Society, dog food became a topic of conversation in our house.  Yes, it IS strange.

Kids would approach our puppy and ask why she was so skinny.  We simply explained that she was found as a stray and that she “came that way.”  But one month later, when her ribs still showed, we knew it was time to switch from the food that the Humane Society was providing us (Science Diet) to something that was more nutritious.

Much like selecting healthy foods for people, navigating the bulky list of ingredients on dog food bags can be a bit daunting.  After finding some fantastic resources, I put together the following summary, originally posted on our 4H Dog Project website.

What to Look for in Dog Food:

• Any ingredients listed before the first source of fat or oil are the main ingredients of the food. Any other items are present in much smaller amounts to add flavor, function as preservatives, help with the manufacturing process or provide dietary benefits (e.g. probiotics, vitamins and minerals).
• Look for specifically named fats and oils such as chicken fat, herring oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, flax oil etc.
• Ideally, the first ingredient of a food should be either a specified meat meal, or a specified fresh meat type followed by a meal. Contrary to what many people believe, meat sources in “meal” form (as long as they are from a specified type of animal, such as chicken meal, lamb meal, salmon meal etc.) are not inferior to whole, fresh meats. Meals consist of meat and skin, with or without the bones, but exclusive of feathers/hair, heads, feet, horns, entrails etc. and have the proper calcium/phosphorus ratio required for a balanced diet.
• Good carbohydrate sources include: whole ground grains such as rice, oats, barley, millet etc., potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas

What to Avoid in Dog Food:

• Dog Foods that include these as main ingredients: “fresh byproducts” indicating a specific species (e.g. beef/chicken/turkey/lamb byproducts), corn gluten, corn gluten meal.
• All generic meat ingredients that do not indicate a species (meat, meat byproducts, meat byproduct meal, meat meal, meat & bone meal, blood meal, fish, fish meal, poultry, poultry byproducts, poultry meal, poultry byproduct meal, liver, liver meal, glandular meal etc.)
• Any food that contains corn as a first ingredient
• Corn gluten or soy(bean) meal as main ingredients.
• Sweeteners (really people – consider if ancestral wolves needed sugar in their food to make it taste better?)
• Any dyes that are “numbered” (psst – YOU should avoid eating those, too!)

Based on the information above, which of these two dog foods would you select for your dog? (The main ingredients are in bold) The names of each of these foods are at the bottom, in case you might be biased. Don’t peek yet!

Dog Food A
Corn, soybean meal, ground wheat, beef & bone meal, animal fat (BHA and citric acid used as preservatives), corn syrup, wheat middlings, water sufficient for processing, animal digest (source of chicken flavor), propylene glycol, wheat, salt, hydrochloric acid, potassium chloride, caramel color, sorbic acid (used as a preservative), sodium carbonate, choline chloride, minerals (ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), vitamins (vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, vitamin A supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), calcium sulfate, titanium dioxide, yellow 5, red 40, yellow 6, BHA (used as a preservative), dl-methionine

Dog Food B
Chicken, chicken meal, whole grain brown rice, cracked pearled barley, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and Vitamin E), egg product, beet pulp, potatoes, fishmeal, flaxseed, natural flavor, brewers dried yeast, millet, carrots, peas, kelp, apples, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, rosemary extract, parsley flake, dried chicory root, glucosamine hydrochloride, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, chondroitin sulfate, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite (source of vitamin K activity), riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid

Don’t forget: If you decide to share some of your food with your dog, be sure not to give her any onions, raisins, grapes or chocolate!

A) Kibbles ‘n Bits – Original
B) Kirkland Signature – Chicken, Rice & Vegetables Formula (Costco Brand)