Researchers Study 3,009 Different Dog Formulas And Find Only 593 To Be Satisfactory

When the team at Reviews.com began researching and studying 3,009 different formulas of dog food, they probably weren’t expecting only 593 to be satisfactory. Here is how they narrowed it down.

Ingredients

Any foods without an ingredients list were removed. This left 2,969.

Toxic Ingredients

The team started by cutting out any dog foods with toxic ingredients to dogs, such as onions or garlic. This left 2,791.

Low-Quality Meals

The team then cut out any dog food that did not specify the meat type used in its meal, and any food that did not list the protein as their first (and therefore most plentiful) ingredient. This left 2,354

Plant Proteins

While acceptable, these proteins are not the best quality sources for dogs, so they were cut. This left 1,817.

Additives

Any foods with harmful additives, including propylene glycol, were cut. This left 1,293.

Natural Flavors

While “natural” makes any ingredient sound great, this indicates a lack of transparency as the flavors are not specified. What is being hidden? This left 954.

Gravy and Added Water

These components greatly dilute foods, making them more nutritionally empty. This left 810.

Inconsistent Quality

If a food brand had only some good foods in its line while others were not acceptable, they were removed. This left 593.

Feature Image Source: Pixabay