Rating: 
Doggy Bag dog food receives the Advisor’s lowest rating of 1 star.
The Doggy Bag product line includes just one dry dog food… claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance.1
Doggy Bag
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Wheat middlings, ground yellow corn, meat and bone meal, soybean meal, calcium carbonate, animal fat (preserved with BHA and citric acid), animal digest salt, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, zinc oxide, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, vitamin B12 supplement, niacin, biotin, vitamin A acetate, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), calcium iodate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), riboflavin supplement (source of vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, cobalt carbonate, folic acid
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 13.6%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 18% | 6% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 21% | 7% | 65% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 20% | 16% | 64% |
The first item in this food is wheat middlings… better known as “wheat mill run”. Though it may sound wholesome, wheat mill run is actually an inexpensive by-product of cereal grain processing.
In reality, middlings are nothing more than milling dust and floor sweepings.
The second ingredient includes corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
For this reason, we do not consider corn a preferred component in any dog food.
The third ingredient lists meat and bone meal… a dry “rendered product from mammal tissues, including bone, exclusive of blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents”.2
Meat and bone meal has a lower digestibility than most other meat meals.
Scientists believe this decreased protein quality may be due to the ingredient’s higher ash and lower essential amino acid content.3
What’s worse, this particular item is anonymous. It doesn’t even specify the source animal.
Even though meat and bone meals are still considered protein-rich meat concentrates, we do not consider a generic ingredient like this a quality item.
The fourth ingredient is soybean meal. Soybean meal is actually a useful by-product. It’s what remains of soybeans after all the oil has been removed.
Soybean meal contains 48% protein. However, compared to meat, this item is considered an inferior plant-based protein providing a lower biological value.
The fifth ingredient is calcium carbonate, used here as a dietary mineral supplement.
The sixth ingredient is animal fat. Animal fat is a generic by-product of rendering… the same high-temperature process used to make meat meals.
Since there’s no mention of a specific animal, this item could come from almost anywhere… restaurant grease, slaughterhouse waste, diseased cattle… even euthanized pets.
What’s worse, this fat is preserved with BHA… a suspected cancer-causing agent.
We do not consider generic animal fat (especially when preserved in this way) a quality ingredient.
The seventh ingredient includes animal digest. Animal digest is a chemically hydrolyzed concoction of unspecified body parts… from unspecified animals. This product is usually sprayed onto the surface of a dry kibble to improve its taste.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.
With three notable exceptions…
First, we find no mention of probiotics, friendly microorganisms applied to the surface of the kibble after processing.
Next, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Non-chelated minerals are usually associated with lower quality dog foods.
And lastly, Unfortunately, Doggy Bag also contains menadione… a controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.
Doggy Bag Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Doggy Bag looks to be a below-average dry dog food.
But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 21%, a fat level of 7% and estimated carbohydrates of about 65%.
Low protein. Low fat. And very high carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
In addition, when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the soybean meal, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing only a limited amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Doggy Bag Dog Food is a grain-based dry kibble using a limited amount of meat and bone meal as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 1 star.
Not recommended.
A Final Word
This review is designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food. However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in specific health benefits for your pet.
For a better understanding of how we analyzed this product, please be sure to read our article, “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews”
Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult a veterinarian for help.
Have an opinion about this dog food… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.
Notes and Updates
08/10/2011 Original review
08/11/2011 Last Update
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.