Living in the rural area that I live in it is difficult to find quality dog food.  I am feeding Canidae All Life Stages, but i have noticed with the last bag of food that I got, the pellets seem to be kinda powdery.  I assume that this is related to the last change that Canidae had to it's formula.  I found another dog food that I can get locally called "Maximum Nutrition". 

Listed ingredients: Lamb, chicken meal(natural source of glucosamine), ground whole grain sorgham, brewers rice, ground barley, chicken fat(preserved with mixed tocopjerols and citric acid), dried beet pulp, carrots, natural flavor, ground flaxseed, peas, potassium chloride, dried egg product, brewer's yeast, salt, blueberry pmace, monocalcium phosphate, taurine, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, choline chloride, proteinated minerals,(zinc, manganese, copper), niacin, copper sulfate, Vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganous oxide, Vitamin B12 supplement  thiamine mononitrate(source of Vitamin B1) pyridoxine hydrochloride(source of Vitamin B6) menadione sodium bisulfite complex(source of Vitamin K activity), riboflavin supplement(source of Vitamin B2) sodium selenit, calcium iodate, folic acid, Vitamin D3 supplement, cobalt carbonate.

I used the following scale and the food got a score of 103 (if I did it right)

Start with a grade of 100 points, then …


For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points

For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points

If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points

For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source subtract 5 points. If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer's rice", "rice flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points

If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points

If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points

If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points

If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points

If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points

If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points

If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points

If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points

If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to beef), subtract 1 point

If it contains salt, subtract 1 point



Extra Credit:



If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points

If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points

If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points

If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points

If the food contains fruit, add 3 points

If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points

If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points

If the food contains barley, add 2 points

If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points

If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point

If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point

For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but "chicken" and "fish" as 2 different sources), add 1 point

If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point

If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point

Scoring

94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
69 = F

Doesn't score as high as Canidae, but I may be using this in conjunction with the Canidae.  I will just have to see.  I bought the 20 lb bag just to try out.  We shall see....Anybody else seen this food?  It's available at Walmart.  I've heard nothing about it, no advertising, nothing so I really don't have an opinion about it yet.

this is something I found:

NaturalNews) While it’s a little noticed pet food ingredient, Menadione Sodium Bisulfate (and its many named variations) is one ingredient to look out for and avoid. This ingredient is commonly found in many dog foods, cat foods, and treats. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the best reputation for being a safe or useful pet food ingredient. Since there are alternatives for pet food makers to use, it makes you wonder why some put our pets at risk.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfate is a synthetic version of vitamin K. You’ll see it within the fine print of many pet food ingredient lists. In addition, of course, it’s not as simple to find as it should be. Some pet food ingredient lists will say ‘menadione’, some will say ‘sodium bisulfate’, and some will mention vitamin K3 in parenthesis -- and these are just a few of the possible variations you have to look for.

This ingredient is added to pet foods and treats as an inexpensive source of vitamin K. In people, deficiencies of vitamin K can lead to blood clotting, particularly in the stomach, and can lead to intestinal complications. An example in reference to pets, veterinarians will administer an injection of K1 (not the synthetic K3) to a pet who has consumed a rat poison which causes internal bleeding. Food sources of natural vitamin K (K1) are green leafy vegetables; which are not on the ‘top ten’ list of many pets. Pet food ingredients that could provide natural sources of vitamin K are alfalfa and kelp. However, as you probably have figured out, synthetic vitamin K or menadione is a great deal less expensive than the natural sources of alfalfa and kelp.

Knowing that a pet food company would opt for a synthetic ingredient in contrast to a natural ingredient is bad enough, but it goes one step further on the ‘bad scale’ with Menadione Sodium Bisulfate. This ingredient can be highly toxic in high doses. Hazard information regarding menadione lists “carcinogenic effects” and states “the substance is toxic to kidneys, lungs, liver, mucous membranes. Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage.”

Yes, Merrick is a brand of high quality dog food: http://www.merrickpetcare.com/store/dry_dog_food.php

Others would be:  Innova/EVO/California Naturals, Nature's Variety, Taste of the Wild, Natural Balance, Wellness, Orijen and a bunch of others I can't remember.

Any of these are fine? Equally fine?? 

Thanks so much for the names. I will let you know what we pick.

IMO they are all good foods.  Best thing to do is research foods and choose one based on the quality plus what is good for your dogs (for example I don't feed grains in food because I have a little girl who is grain-sensitive).  You can go to http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients and find a list of ingredients to avoid in foods...like by-products, preservatives, wheat/corn/soy gluten and other things.  This site will also explain how to read dog food labels. 

Most foods found at grocery stores will be heavy on corn/wheat fillers and grain in general.  The worst ones also have the preservatives, by-products (this can even be euthanized pets, road kill, feathers, beaks, etc.)  Examples of some bad foods would be Pedigree, Eukanuba, Iams, Science Diet, etc.   Not all of these have all the bad stuff but do have a lot of corn and wheat fillers....a cheap way to fill up a dog without providing enough nutrition.

Good luck!

Thank you for all the info!!! I am going to research this weekend and pick a new food. Yippee!