Pat C,
Merrick — Not a fan of this company, independent of the current concern with DCM and legumes (and to lesser extent potatoes)/GF. I think that they repeatedly have not maintained good quality control (and standards) in a number of areas, from sourcing to manufacturing to labeling, creating undue risks of harm.
Dr. Tim’s line is not for me, not what I want or need to feed. But my impression/research is that it’s a very solid, trustworthy brand, thoughtfully formulated and maintained, with many longtime members here who’ve had a good experience with it and the founder/owner and customer service.
Farmina — newer on the market scene in US & I am less familiar with them. Could be a good choice; could be a risk. I’d want to personally research the company before feeding. At a glance, the formula looked fine.
EaglePak — part of Wellpet (Berwind) &, in my opinion, is one of the more longstanding, trustworthy companies I’d at least consider. The specific formula likely received a 4 vs 5 due to lower protein % and meat content, as this site’s rankings skew in favor of more meat/animal protein and higher protein period; I am actually surprise to hear that it ranked a 4 (vs 3 or 3.5).
Canidae — I don’t like the company’s relationship with Diamond (manufacturing), esp. if you are east coast (SC facility).
Annamaet — good company; (just stay away from their GF for now)
Re performance/athlete — disregard, won’t hurt your dog & may be beneficial. They’re just noting dogs that might especially NEED the formula (vs their other ones). Basically a 30/20 formula, which also breeders & show dogs often have used for coats & condition.
I wouldn’t get so caught up in or obsess over the 5 star vs 4 star, vs seeing it a a starting point for research/consideration. There are many 5 star foods here I would not feed for reasons not captured by the scoring criteria.
If you are saying Annamaet’s GF line didn’t rank 5 here, I would disagree that they are inferior (although I would avoid brands’ GF legume heavy formulas for now); if you mean the other ones, it’s likely because other grain inclusive ones are too low in protein & meat.
