Ok, this seems to be a subject I can't get enough of because Tinkerbelle only likes Cat food!  They should make dog food taste like cat food and life would be great.  I had her on Iams first, but you guys talked me out of it, then Nutro Lamb & Rice...she hated it...tried Nutro Max puppy...not thrilled....tried Canidae...hated it...and now we are eating Nutro Ultra puppy...she likes it OK if she is really starving.  She loves to jump on my table and get my cat food(yes I feed my cats on the table because Tink loves their food so much), snatch any food from my 3 year old's plate(which she readily gives up), she likes eggs which I make her sometimes, and I think she likes all people food.  Any suggestions...I've already tried the Canidae and the Nutro products plus I sometimes put the vitamin gravy on her food.  Did I mention she did like canned food before the recalls...that was what i was mixing with the Iams and she seemed most happy back then, but I think it was the canned food she likes not so much the Iams dry.

That's great!  I'm glad that the Canidae is working for her.  Apollo and Emma LOVE it!  I'm happy that Izzy likes her new food!  YAY!!!!

Maybe because cat food usually has more protein (that's why it costs more) than dog food. My dogs go insane for Innova EVO (reduced fat). It's got a ton of protein from meat sources, and no grains at all. The first 4 ingredients are meat (the 5th is potatoes) and I like that it's a very low carb food. Lucky has done especially well on it, shedding fat and gaining muscle tone.  But if all else fails, eating Iams is better than not eating at all and there's nothing wrong with giving her some people food.

You know, I never really realized just what my dogs were eating, till I started reading this thread and then went and looked up whats in their food. It makes me feel terrible for not having seen how bad it is for them before now. I am definitely going to be switching them to either Canidae or Innova Evo(whichever they prefer better). I don't want them to have to eat anything that I myself wouldn't eat. Thanks for the great thread!

Hmmm...  I can zip my lips pretty good.. just sometimes not before I say something wrong  

I'm also posting this "How to Grade your Dog's Food" that I had posted to the old message board. This has been posted to MANY dog related message boards, blogs. There some "flaws" in this grading system according to "The Dog Food Project" but on the other hand (and Ski and I talked about this on the old board) if someone is just questioning the food they now feed, and don't want to do the "math" involved in checking for a better food... even if someone read from this list that the Science Diet they are feeding is an "F" (and those of us that know about Science Diet WOULD give it an "F" as an example) and decide to switch from this chart to another food with an "A" rating... then this chart has helped... even in a small way. 
(Of course this was before the "food recalls"... so not all foods listed would be considered "okay" at this time either! I also tracked down the woman that created this chart, and I posted her message (below the chart) on how it came about etc.

How to grade your dog's food: Start with a grade of 100:

1) For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points
2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points
3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points
5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (I.e. "ground brown rice", "brewers rice", "rice flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points
6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3points
9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points
11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog is not allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog is not allergic to beef), subtract 1 point
15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point

Extra Credit:
1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points
3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points
7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points
8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points
9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points
10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point
12) 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 "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point
13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are
pesticide-free, add 1 point

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

Here are some foods that have already been scored.
Dog Food scores:

Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal &Rice / Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
Foundations / Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 B
Iams Lamb Meal &Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb &Rice / Score 23 F
ProPlan Natural Turkey &Barley / Score 103 A+
Purina Beneful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

I originally got this test off of a Rat Terrier breeders board, but had also seen it posted on MANY dog related websites online.. all without listing where it actually came from. I did some research and found a post made to a blog at: http://pets.families.com/blog/grade-your-dog-food that had posted the test, and someone had asked where it came from there.

~~~ From the creator of this grading system~~~
A woman named Sarah Irick posted to the blog saying she is the creator of the test. http://pets.families.com/blog/grade-your-dog-food 

Here is what she said in her post there:

Hi, i've never actually posted here or even visited this site before, but i thought i'd step in and say that *i* am the original poster of this dog food grading system.

My name is Sarah Irick and i am a Great Dane owner and rescue volunteer. i am a Civil/Industrial Engineer, not a veterinarian or animal nutritionist by education or employment. i do not work for a pet food manufacturer nor am i affiliated with one. i am just an individual who is concerned about what i feed my dogs and wants to help others decide what to feed their own. i cannot remember the exact date i designed this system, though i know it's been more than a year (probably 2-3 years ago). i was concerned with the way people sometimes throw out names of "good" dog foods that maybe aren't so good, and others take their words for it. Foods that maybe used to be good before their ingredients were changed for the worse or before better options became available are still being touted by some as being super-premium and i disagree. Since many pet owners do not have the time or inclination to do as many hours of research into pet (specifically dog) nutrition as i and many of you have, i wanted an *easier* way for them to compare labels. Unfortunately it is still a bit cumbersome (sometimes 2 people calculate the same food and get different scores even) but it's better than nothing in my opinion.

Is it exact science? No. i don't claim for it to be. In fact i've had to make a couple of changes over time (which the above don't reflect) for new circumstances i've run across, such as the food that contained NO MEAT (not a special diet just one that was so cheap it didn't contain any meat at all) and needs a steep penalty IMO but still scored a decent grade on the original or the newer kibbles that contain no grain and IMO if it still has sufficient fiber and carbs then it deserves extra credit that wasn't previously reflected. Also i've gotten comments and opinions that i take seriously and incorporate if it seems appropriate.

i don't have a permanent site host for this although seeing how hugely popular it is and how widely spread without accreditation it has become perhaps i should do so. It isn't that i care so much about credit but many people will ask the questions that your posters have about my affiliations and biases, etc.

i don't officially support any one food; anywhere that i personally posted grades on specific foods it was to give an idea of where these foods fell so people didn't always have to do the math.

Sarah Irick aka fredalina If you want to e-mail me with questions or comments, you can at fredirick @ hotmail.com. This is my "spam" address, so put "Dog Food Grading" in the subject line or i'll probably delete it mistakenly.

Um, Karen? That site may have been set up to sell food but anyone with some intelligence can use it to their advantage. For example, it lists most dog foods sold in one place plus their ingredients (which can be verified independently by going to that specific food's website) AND most have a review with them.

Is the "review" subjective? Yes. But it also confirmed what I already thought about the foods I was interested in researching! In other words, it backed up what I had learned from sites like the Dog Food Project site.

It was not suggested as a site to replace www.dogfoodproject.com . Just as another research tool. I'm one who doesn't regard any website as absolute "gospel", I like some backup/confirmation.

We feed Purina Puppy Chow.

I just almost had a heart attack.
I been wondering about the food ordeal as well and been feeding my two girls 'Purina Beneful'.
I didn't think too much of it, because they seem to love it.
They're almost out of their food; I’m totally going to switch them over to something much healthier.

Thank you all very very much!

I'm wondering why you guy mix their food before you switch them over to something new?

Is it a bad thing for them to switch over automatically?

I tried to switch Jack gradually, but he picked out all the Canidae!!   Slight loose  stools for a couple days, but did pretty well.

It probably won't be listed in the ingredients. Pet foods with "fish meal" in the ingredients are usually preserved with ethoxyquin.  The higher quality foods can provide a certificate showing they don't contain it (Eagle Pack for instance), or will mention it on their website,  but your basic foods will have it. It's definately a toxin.  If your pet food contains fish, it should list what type of fish, not just fish meal.

During the recall period, I started reading what actually goes into commercial dog food.  Buster only gets homemade food now.  I'll never feed him that "cr_p" again.  Within a day of starting his new diet, his energy increased 10 fold and he smiles now.  He dances and prances while he's wating for his food.  When it's time to eat, you need to get out of his way......fast.

In my opinion it is bad.  I don't see any meat in the food.  The meat and bone meal can contain parts from diseased animals,  euthanized pets, and roadkill.  I'm sorry, but I just see too many unacceptable ingredients.  Check this site for more info on ingredients to avoid.

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients