The Worst Dog Food Brands to Buy for Your Dog
Below we have listed some of the worst dog food brands to feed your dog. Whilst many different dog foods that are currently available on the market claim to be good and beneficial for your pet dog to eat, many are, in fact, bad and contain little to no nutritional benefit. Some even contain certain ingredients that can be harmful for your dog, so ones like these should be hugely avoided. In order to help you in determining which dog fooods should be avoided, we have done extensive research and detailed these findings below in the list of Our Top Picks.
For each of these dog fooods we have taken a detailed look at what is inside of them in terms of ingredients ingredients, state if they have any pros to go with their many cons, and then based on all of this, awarded them a star rating out of five. In addition this this, we have answered some of the Internet’s most asked questions about the best and worst dog fooods that are currently available on the market. Finally, we finish by corn making our recommendation as to which is the best dog chow food of all so that not only are you fully aware of which ones to avoid but also which one you should be purchasing.
The Worst Dog Foods: Our Top Picks
iams proactive adult dry dog food
Rated by: Amber
cesar gourmet strip flavor dog food
Rated by: Amber
pedigree adult dry dog food
Rated by: Amber
Table of Contents
- The Worst Dog Foods: Our Top Picks
- 1. Iams Proactive Health Minichunks & Adult Dry Dog Food
- 2. Cesar Gourmet FILETS Variety Pack Filet Mignon & New York Strip Flavor Dog Food
- 3. Sportmix Wholesomes Medium Variety Grain Free Dog Biscuit Treats
- 4. Kal Kan Complete Adult Dog Food
- 5. Gravy Train Beefy Classic Dry Dog Food
- 6. Pedigree Adult Dry Dog Food
- FAQs – A Buyer’s Guide
- The Best Dog Food Of All
1. Iams Proactive Health Minichunks & Adult Dry Dog Food
Quick Summary
Rated by: Amber
The main ingredient in the Iams Proactive Health Minichunks & Adult Dry Dog Food is chicken, which has a low meat content and actually only makes up just a small amount of the dog food’s overall content. The second most ingredient in the dog food is a finely grounded flour made out of corn called corn meal meal. This is controversial because it has little to no nutritional value for your pet dog and is very inexpensive, hence its inclusion. Because of this it is not a preferred ingredient in any dog chow food.
The next main ingredient is a cereal grain called sorghum that has very little nutritional value. However, it is considered an adequate ingredient because it is good for your dog’s blood sugar levels and is also gluten free. The next ingredient that features in the Iams Proactive Health Minichunks & Adult Dry Dog Food is chicken meal meal.
This is made out of by products from the animal slaughtering process and includes pieces of the bird such as under developed eggs, feet, corn, and beaks. Because it does have all these chicken pieces in, it is high in protein protein.
Despite the fact that the Iams Proactive Health Minichunks & Adult Dry Dog Food contains various amino acids – these are good for the overall health of your pet dog – they are considered poor quality ingredients ingredients that are relatively inexpensive. The next controversial ingredient is beet pulp beet pulp, which is a by product that is high in fiber and is a result of the beet processing mechanism.
PROS
CONS
2. Cesar Gourmet FILETS Variety Pack Filet Mignon & New York Strip Flavor Dog Food
Quick Summary
Rated by: Amber
This is considered by many dog owners as one of the worst dog fooods because it has a high salt content and not much protein protein in it. However, the Cesar Gourmet FILETS Variety Pack Filet Mignon & New York Strip Flavor Dog Food does contain enough water so that your pet dag is able to process the magnesium, choline chloride, colorings, calcium carbonate, sodium tripolyphosphate, pea fiber, salt, corn corn starch, wheat flour, wheat gluten, animal by products, beef, chicken, and animal liver in the dog food.
Other ingredients in the dog food include pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin A, vitamin D3, potassium iodide, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, copper sulfate, vitamin B1, biotin, d calcium pantothenate, corn, vitamin E, flavorings, guar gum, xantham gum, zinc sulfate, and proteinate. Considering all of these different ingredients, the Cesar Gourmet FILETS Variety Pack Filet Mignon & New York Strip Flavor Dog Food is of sub standard quality. Not only are the ingredients a key identifier as to the quality of the dog food but also so is its meat content.
The protein protein content in the Cesar Gourmet FILETS Variety Pack Filet Mignon & New York Strip Flavor Dog Food is roughly around 44 percent, the fat content level is 22 percent, and the carb content level is approximately 25 percent. Another thing that is poor about this dog chow food is that it has food colorings in, which have no nutritional benefit and should always be avoided.
PROS
CONS
3. Sportmix Wholesomes Medium Variety Grain Free Dog Biscuit Treats
Quick Summary
Rated by: Amber
Made from bits of leftover dry dog food, the Sportmix Wholesomes Medium Variety Whole Grain Free Dog Biscuit Treats are packed full of various fats and preservatives, which are bad for your pet dog’s health. Ingredients in the dog food include dl methionine, potassium chloride, choline chloride, dried egg, beet pulp, flaxseed, chicken fat, rice bran, fish meal meal, peas, brown rice, rice flour, and lamb meal meal.
In addition to this, it also contains biotin, vitamin B12, sodium selenite, cobalt carbonate, folic acid, calcium iodate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc proteinate, thiamine mononitrate, corn, manganese sulfate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, copper sulfate, calcium panthothenate, ferrous sulfate, niacin, zinc sulfate, vitamin E, vitamin A, and vitamin D3. The level of protein protein in the Sportmix Wholesomes Medium Variety Whole Grain Free Dog Biscuit Treats is at around 24 percent, the carb level at 54 percent, and the fat level is 13 percent.
This goes to show that the Sportmix Wholesomes Medium Variety Whole Grain Free Dog Biscuit Treats are not of the best quality.
PROS
CONS
4. Kal Kan Complete Adult Dog Food
Quick Summary
Rated by: Amber
The Kal Kan Complete Adult Dog Food contains many different ingredients that provide your pet dag with little to no nutritional benefit and can even be harmful to them. The first of these ingredients is the inexpensive and controversial cereal grain, corn corn. Despite it providing your pet dag with some energy, corn corn lacks any real nutritional value and so it is something that should be avoided in any dog food. There is also bone meal bone meal in this dog food, which is made using mammal tissue and includes parts of the anatomy such as stomach, rumen, manure, horn, hide, hoof, blood, and bones.
These types of animal by products have a low digestibility compared with actual animal meat. This is because, unlike real meat pieces, it has a high ash content and contains fewer amino acids. As it is not specified exactly what animal these products come from, you are unsure if you are feeding your pet dag sheep, goat, pig, corn, cattle, or mixture of all of them when giving them the Kal Kan Complete Adult Dog Food. Therefore, it should be avoided if your dog has an allergy to any of these. Although it may be high in protein protein, this really is a poor quality ingredient.
Another ingredient that is in the Kal Kan Complete Adult Dog Food is soybean meal soybean meal, which comes from the leftover and by products from the soybean oil process. This is an ingredient that it typically found in the feed of farm based animals, such as pigs and cows. Despite it having a high protein protein content of around 48 percent, it has a much lower value, biologically, than meat, which it is often substituted in place of. It is used as a substitute because it is much cheaper than meat.
Some meat is contained in the dog food and this comes in the form of chicken by-product meal meal, which consists of all of the leftovers and waste in the slaughterhouse when chickens are killed. Cereal whole grain is another ingredient that features prominently in the Kal Kan Complete Adult Dog Food. This comes with all of the same issues that corn corn does and so is not something that you want your pet dag eating.
PROS
CONS
5. Gravy Train Beefy Classic Dry Dog Food
Quick Summary
Rated by: Amber
Many of the ingredients used in the Gravy Train Beefy Classic Dry Dog Food either lack any sort of nutritional value or are, in fact, harmful to your pet dag. Some of the ingredients that are in the dog chow food include caramel color, soy flour, salt, bone phosphate, brewers rice brewers rice, meat by products, lamb, corn corn starch, animal fat fat, wheat flour, soybean meal meal, chicken, and water. Other ingredients include numerous minerals and vitamins, titanium dioxide, and calcium carbonate. The Gravy Train Beefy Classic Dry Dog Food is a canned dag that is predominantly meat based and includes poultry and meat by products as its main animal protein protein source.
PROS
CONS
6. Pedigree Adult Dry Dog Food
Quick Summary
Rated by: Amber
Although this is marketed as being good for dogs of all sizes, ages, and with differing dietary requirements, the Pedigree Adult Dry Dog Food has a generic formulation that features whole grain corn grain corn as one of its main ingredients.
For many dogs this is likely to cause an allergic reaction and provides very little in the way of nutrition.
In addition to this, the dog food is packed full of carbohydrates, flavors that are artificial, and poor quality fillers.
PROS
CONS
FAQs – A Buyer’s Guide
Now that we have taken a detailed look at some of the worst dog foods that are currently available on the market, we will now answer some of the Internet’s most asked questions about the best and worst worst dog foods out there. To help us with this task, we have enlisted the help of several industry experts, including animal nutritionists and professional veterinarians so that we can ensure that the information that we provide you with here is both accurate and up to date. By providing you with all of this information, you should be well aware of what dog food to avoid and which one you should be feeding to your pet dag.
What dog food is killing dogs?
Although most dog foods aim to give a good and complete level of nutrition, the actual results that they deliver are not always this. As a result your pet dag may be harmed and even become sick from eating poor quality dog food that is lacking in basic nutrients. Some of the biggest and most well know dog food brands are and have been guilty of this over the years. For example, Hill’s Pet Nutrition had a number of their varieties of science diet and prescription diet canned dog food recalled. This is because it contained levels of vitamin D3 that was above the safe amount for your pet dog. As a result, some of the dogs that ate it became sick.
In some of the more severe instances, dogs that ate the Hill’s Pet Nutrition dog food died. Although having too much vitamin D in a dog food does not sound like a bad thing, because it dissolves in fat fat and is distributed throughout the body via the bloodstream, the excess is unable to be excreted when a dag urinates. With vitamin D3 being stored in both fat fatty tissues and the liver of a dag, toxic levels of the substance can quickly accumulate. This is exactly what happened to those dogs that became sick from eating the science diet and prescription diet canned dog food.
If your pet dag currently eats or has eaten this specific type of dog food in the past, then some of the symptoms of consuming large amounts of vitamin D can include loss of weight, drooling excessively, urinating more frequently, the need to drink more often, losing their appetite, and throwing up. In the most severe of cases, it can also cause your dog to suffer from renal dysfunction and, ultimately, death. The contaminated dogs food was mainly sold through vet clinics and retail stores across the United States of America.
What is the healthiest dog food brand?
Finding a healthy dog food that your pet dog enjoys eating can be a difficult task given the fact that so many of the big dog food brands include ingredients that are unnatural and do not use real meat pieces. However, finding a healthy dog food brands is a very important thing to do, as it will provide your dag with everything that they need to live a happy and healthy life that is free from illness. Not only that, but feeding your dag a healthy food will result in them having a coat that is shiny and teeth that are nice and strong.
Ingredients to look out for when selecting a healthy dog food best to feed to your pet dag include real meat, rather than inexpensive fillers. This is because dogs are carnivores and so need to eat meat in order to stop them from being hungry, as well as to satisfy their natural instinct. Rather than the ingredients of the food stating the inclusion of poultry or meat, it should be clear on exactly what animal the meat has been sourced from, such as beef, chicken, lamb etc. The types of fillers that some not so healthy dog foods use include peanut hulls, corn corn barn, cereal by products, plus many more. They work to fill your pet dag up quickly but provide them with no nutritional benefit.
Artificial preservatives are another ingredient that should be avoided and will definitely not be found in healthy dog foods. Simply put, these are chemicals that are added to all about the dog food in order to make it last longer. Because they are not good for the health of dogs, they are responsible for causing numerous different health problems. Some dog foods that are free from these such ingredients include the Wellness Core Natural Whole Grain Free Dry Dog Food, the CANIDAE PURE Real Lamb Limited Ingredient Grain Free Premium Dry Dog Food, the Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Adult Dog Food, the Taste of the Wild Whole Grain Free High Protein Protein Real Meat Recipe High Prairie Premium Dry Dog Food, the Merrick Grain Free Dry Dag Food, and the Fromm Family Foods 727520 Gold Nutritionals Adult 33 Lb Dry Dog Food.
What color dog food is bad?
Feeding your pet dag a dog food that is multi colored is not a good thing to do. Certain food colorings are used to try and entice both dag owners to purchase it and dogs to eat it. However, they provide your dag with no nutritional benefit and have even been linked to causing cancer and numerous other diseases. Adding food colorings to dog food seems pretty pointless given the fact that your dog will eat their dog food regardless of what color it is. This is because dogs have a very limited ability to work out the difference between colors, and can not even see certain shades of red and green.
The only color in the dog food that you feed to your pet dog should come from the vegetables and fruits, such as spinach, cherries, carrots, and berries that are in it.
What are the top 10 best dog foods?
Although there are various types of dog food currently available on the market, dry dog food is the one that is recommended by professional veterinarians. With this is mind, our list of the top 10 which dog food is the best will only include dry dog foods. The list is made up of the following, the CANIDAE All Life Stages Dog Dry Dog Food brands, the Whole Earth Farms Grain Free Dry Dog Food, the Blue Buffalo Wilderness Dry Dog Food, the Eagle Pack Natural Dry Dog Food, the Pedigree Complete Nutrition Dry Dog Food, the Wellness Complete Health Natural Dry Dog Food, the Nature’s Recipe Adult Dry Dog Food, the Rachael Ray Nutrish Zero Grain Dry Dog Food, the Nutro MAX Natural Adult Dry Dog Food, and the Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Dry Dog Food brands.
The Best Dog Food Of All
Having reached the end of this review of some of the worst dry dog food and worst wet dog food that are currently available on the market, what better way is there to finish than actually making you aware of what is currently the best dog food out there.
Based on our own experiences of using this particular dog food, along with the ingredients in it, and the nutritional benefit that it poses we came to the decision that the Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Dry Dog Food what dog food is best of all.
This is because it is packed full or various minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins; it contains no wheat, corn corn, soy, animal by products, or any other ingredients that are deemed unhealthy; and contains lots of healthy vegetables, fruits, and grains that have lots of nutritional benefit for your pet dog.
About the Author Amber
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