The Right Stuff - How to identify the healthiest dry dog foods on the market

Last month, in “A Super (But Secret) Industry,” I discussed the difficulty of getting into a factory where wet pet food is made – a task I have not yet managed to accomplish. Happily, I have been able to tour a few facilities that manufacture dog treats and dry food. This hasn’t resulted in any huge surprises to me, but sure helped me understand the many challenges facing manufacturers who want to produce the very best dog food possible.

As we have described in our annual food reviews since 1998, this task starts with top-quality ingredients. To mix a metaphor, you really can't make a silk purse out of sows' ears, chicken heads, bovine tumors, restaurant grease, rendered fat from animals that died on farms, and cheap grain by-products left over from the human manufacturing industry. Many people say, "Oh, for goodness sakes, they are just dogs! Why can't they eat guts and stuff?" Well, they can, and most dogs do! The vast majority of pet food produced in this country is made with what we would consider to be poor-quality ingredients.

For optimal health...

To read the whole article and see the list of approved dog foods pick up your own copy of The Whole Dog Journal at The Brookside Barkery and Bath or have it delivered to your home by subscribing on The Whole Dog Journal website.