Best Dog Foods Reviewed 2024 | Dog Food Advisor (2024)

FAQs

What is the 25 rule for dog food? ›

The 25% Rule

The named ingredient(s) must comprise at least 10% of the total product by weight and at least 25% of the product by weight not including the added water. Additional descriptors, such as “dinner,” “entrée,” “platter” and so on, appear in the name.

In addition to Blue Buffalo, the brands cited by the FDA are Acana, California Natural, Earthborn Holistic, 4Health, Fromm, Merrick, Nature's Domain, Nature's Variety, Natural Balance, NutriSource, Nutro, Orijen, Rachael Ray Nutrish, Taste of the Wild and Zignature.

Four major dog food brands are frequently recommended by veterinarians, and they include Purina, Hill's Science Diet, Royal Canin, and Iams.

Blue Buffalo dog food is touted as a healthy and holistic brand. It contains high-quality ingredients without unnecessary additives. Complete and balanced, it contains all the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that your dog needs to stay healthy. It's made in the USA, though from globally sourced ingredients.

Yes, Blue Buffalo Dog Food is good. The quality of ingredients used to produce the Blue Buffalo dry dog food and wet dog foods is excellent. All recipes feature real meat as the main ingredient, with no filler or poultry by-products used.

It is very important NOT to mix different brands of dog foods together, or even mix the same brand name, but different products within the line. An example of this would be mixing an adult and senior food of the same company, or mixing two brands i.e. Innova and Eagle together.

My dog training clients often ask whether it's okay to leave a bowl of dog food out all day or if they should feed their dog on a schedule. It's a reasonable question with a fairly straightforward answer: absent a few particular scenarios, scheduled feeding is nearly always the better choice.

The 16 ounce bag has approximately 36 scoops per bag. For a 45 pound dog you'd be feeding 8 scoops a day, it'd last approximately 5 days.

Why do vets recommend Purina Pro Plan? ›

The Purina Pro Plan dog food formulas are scientifically backed up. They are made of high-quality ingredients and carefully crafted by top field experts – scientists, nutritionists, and veterinarians.

Purina Pro Plan does have more formulas that cater to dogs with specific needs. So, dogs with chronic illnesses can benefit more from this brand. Hill's Science Diet also has many recipes that contain a lot of grains. So, if your dog needs a high-protein diet, Purina Pro Plan will be the better option.

Just as you wouldn't judge a book by its cover, don't be too quick to judge a pet food by its price. Premium dog food is held to the same minimum standards for nutrition as cheap dog food. But if it doesn't meet AAFCO standards, it's best to keep shopping. It's also worth doing a little digging into the brand.

All of our recipes are developed by on-staff, board-certified nutritionists, and recommended by thousands of vets. Because dog people want to feed their canine companions the healthiest food possible, it's natural that they look for products recommended by the most important partners in their pets' care: their vets.