[Laura R]

I was given dog food from Beaverdam pet food. I got a lab pup and the mothers owner gave me some when I picked pup up. I didn’t see that brand on your site. Can you advise if it is good to continue?

[Michelle R]

Nature’s Logic Pet Foods are amoung the top out there and a best of the best list is not complete without their name on the list. They are one of the most transparent companies out there and I don’t see why they have been overlooked.

[Dori]

Michelle R. I agree with you completely about Nature’s Logic. Nature’s Logic is the only kibble in my rotational diet for my three dogs. Everything else I feel is commercial raw and home made raw. ☺️

[aimee]

Hi Michelle R.

My experience with Natures Logic was /is very different. I considered using the brand as my dog is on a diet of venison. I went to the website and was very concerned by what I found. The company inserted words into quotes which changed the meaning of the quotes, and it appeared that they only had one product analyzed and then posted those results for all the products.

I’ve talked with Mr Freeman on the phone and in person. In person was very telling!! I asked him about inserting words into quotes and he looked up and off into the distance, stroked his chin and in with a long drawn out affect said as best I remember “Oh… did I? Gee… I’ll have to look into that” When I asked about the nutrient analysis all looking the same he looked down and started to chuckle and said well yes, he only had one product analyzed, the chicken formula and then just changed some numbers here and there for the others. I asked him about the low Vit D levels in his diets and he told me to let my dog sit at the windows when the sun came through and my dog would make all the Vit D she needed. When I reminded him that dogs only make insignificant amount of Vit D and it is a requirement of the canine he said something like “Of course they make Vit D, probably when the researchers tested them they had the dogs locked up in a room in the dark without any windows.

Pressing onward, I asked him about the calcium levels in his diets and the effect on growth for large breed pups. He said you can feed a puppy all the calcium you want they would only absorb what they needed. When I reminded him that puppies can’t regulate calcium absorption which is why they need a controlled level in their diet he told me to feed a high calcium food and measure the calcium level in the blood .. it would be fine. YIKES !!! So I tried again and reminded him that yes the calcium level in the blood would be normal despite the effect the diet had on the C- cells and calcitonin levels. He didn’t know what those were. Then he handed me a copy of Dog Naturally magazine to use as a reference instead of the NRC Nutrient requirement of dogs and cats. I found that downright scary!

I asked who formulated his diets and what that person’s education was. He formulates the diets and his degree is in marketing. Suddenly it all became very clear!!! He doesn’t know anything about nutrition because he is in the business of marketing not in the business of nutrition!!

Combing that with him telling me he doesn’t do any type of ingredient testing and he didn’t seem sure of what post production testing was done as far as quality control pretty much lowered the boom of doom onto that company for me.

He is good at what he is educated in .. marketing. Well except for promising things he never follows through on. Like posting correct nutritional information on his website. I think it was last year that he told Dr. Mike he had each individual product analyzed and the data would be posted shortly. But the information really hasn’t changed much…. except for a few numbers here and there.

After talking with Mr. Freeman and evaluating his company I can see why the company isn’t on Editors Choice. The food has a great concept but poor execution in my opinion.

[theBCnut]

As a small part of a rotational diet, I like Nature’s Logic, but I have to agree with aimee that it really should have no part of the EC list right now. They are not transparent if their website has inaccurate info that they know is inaccurate and has had that info as long as they have been listed here. If they aren’t transparent, you really don’t know that their food is what they say it is. And in fact, we do know that at least as far as the GA is concerned, it IS NOT what they say it is.

[Dori]

Thanks Aimee and BC. As it is a minute part of my rotational feeding (too icky for my husband to feed raw), I often forget about all the people that feed one food for long periods of time or possibly for the life of the dog. I take back my suggestion. You are both correct that Nature’s Logic obviously has no business being on the EC food list. I continue to use Nature’s Logic as the only kibble fed to my girls but it is so rarely fed that it doesn’t concern me. I rotate every day, sometimes every meal, every other day. Whatever. The only time they get Nature’s Logic kibble is if I’m out and I’m desperately calling my husband to feed the dogs. He won’t feed raw. As it’s the only kibble, to date, that I have found that doesn’t affect Katie with all her food insensitivities that’s the one that’s in the pantry.

[Janine S]

Evangers organic chicken canned food

[InkedMarie]

Janine,
Do a google search for problems with Evangers canned. Very doubtful it’ll ever be here. They’re a shady company.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by InkedMarie. Reason: Can't spell correctly

[Dori]

Janine. I agree with Marie regarding Evangers canned food. I would be shocked, as I’m sure others would be, if Evangers were ever to make it on the EC list. Please do as Marie suggested and google Evangers.

[Sally K]

A little surprised to not see Nature’s Logic on the list. Any particular reason?

[aquariangt]

Read the previous page about Nature’s Logic

[julie j]

How about Life’s Abundance puppy and adult dry formula dog food? I am currently feeding this. How are you feeling about this food?

[Joanne R]

I would like to know what you think of Petkind Tripe Dry dog food.
Thank you.

[pugmomsandy]

Petkind Tripe dry food reads like a very good quality dog food that includes both fresh meat and meat meal. But tripe is best fed raw, so if you are looking to feed tripe for it’s health benefits, then I wouldn’t recommend a kibble since kibble can be cooked with high temperatures. I consider cooked tripe just another “meat”. Raw tripe is another story.

[Nancy B]

How about The Honest Kitchen and Sojo’s? Both use human grade ingredients with carefully chosen providers of ingredients. Check them out.

Atlantica14

[Karen R]

What do you think about Evanger’s Food for Dogs? Particularly Cooked Chicken and Cooked Turkey?

[InkedMarie]

Evangers as a company is very sketchy. They got in trouble because what was supposed to be in a canned food was not or vice versa, they got in trouble for stealing electricity, for not paying workers overtime….. not a company worth giving your money to.

[theBCnut]

Evanger’s is also known for under reporting the fat content of their food, which can be deadly to some dogs. And they’re known for leaving meat out in semi trucks to rot(no idea if the rotting meat eventually makes it in to their cans) and other extremely unsanitary practices.

[Ryan Y]

I’m curious why wild calling dry food isn’t on here yet whole earth farms is?
Whole earth smells like rotten cardboard (I know that makes no sense, but that’s what it smells like!)
And even the ingredients aren’t amazing. The only good thing about WEF is that it’s made by merrick.

Sorry if this subject has been brought up!

[Ron A]

I just bought an Editor’s Choice membership and at first glance I am confused. My own choice, based largely on reading this web site years ago, is the Blue Wilderness line and though you continue to give it five stars in your regular reviews you do not seem to show it as an “Editor’s Choice.” Like I said, I am confused. Unless there is something at play that doesn’t meet the eye I would think Blue Wilderness belongs on this elite list. And I so nominate it.

[pugmomsandy]

If you haven’t read the FAQ’s on Editor’s Choice, it might help to answer your question.

/frequently-asked-questions/about-editors-choice/

Also, this article about reviews in general:

/choosing-dog-food/dog-food-reviews-problems/

The reviews are based on the government regulated label only.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[Ryan Y]

Blue wilderness is good on paper, but there are problems. Them being sued by purina could turn out to be a huge problem.

Also, for the price of the food, you are better off buying a different food. Like Merrick.

I’ve fed blue wilderness plenty of times, but there are some fishy things going on at Blue Buffalo.

[Mike Sagman]

Hi Ron,

Just because a dog food gets a good review (based on its label), a high star rating alone doesn’t necessarily make any brand eligible for Editor’s Choice designation.

True, a high star rating can indeed make a product eligible for consideration. However, there are currently more than 330 dog foods rated 4 or 5 stars on our website. And fewer than 25 have made it onto our elite Editor’s Choice list.

Here’s an article that explains what we’re looking for:

/choosing-dog-food/brand-guidelines/

Hope this helps.

[Ron A]

Well, it seems to me that your Editors Choice designation needs work. It is more than a little confusing to find five-star dog foods not on the list and those with fewer stars on it. It seems to me that a five-star rating should be required for any food to be selected for Editors Choice.
As for the Blue Wilderness legal battle with Purina, I would point out that Blue Wilderness is vigorously opposing that lawsuit, which is probably filed mainly for competitive reasons in order to squeeze a growing, much smaller competitor. I would also remind everyone that anyone can sue anyone for any reason but winning a lawsuit is a very different matter.

[DogFoodie]

You do realize that Blue Buffalo has officially admitted that they used chicken by-product as alleged by Purina, as opposed to chicken, as stated on their product labels.

http://bluebuffalo.com/about-us/whats-new-at-blue/wilbur-ellis-texas-plant/

Surprising Statement from Blue Buffalo Pet Food

You should read the links that Dr. Mike and Sandy provided on how the process of selecting Editor’s Choice products works.

Blue Buffalo obviously lacks the integrity and transparency that Dr. Mike demands when selecting brands for his Editor’s Choice list.

It seems that you’re upset that Blue Buffalo isn’t on the EC list because you wanted to validate your choice as opposed to being open-minded to considering other options. I’d never feed my dogs one single food from one single manufacturer no matter how much I liked it in the first place, but I’d never feed Blue Buffalo.

[Kristin C]

Ron-sounds like Blue Buffalo works for you. I thought it worked for me too. I fed my older dog Blue Puppy and then Blue Wilderness over the course of 4 years. I thought it was a premium food, and maybe it was at one point. When we got a new puppy Dec 2013 I naturally transitioned her to Blue Puppy and the shit literally started flying, and the barf. And for several weeks I tried everything I could think of to get her used to the food but it stumped me, never had an issue with my older dog. As I read more about kibble in general it horrified me and I tried the new pup on raw. Voila, no more diarrhea and barfing. So I transitioned my older dog to raw and not only did she lose weight taking her off the Blue Wilderness, but her coat got better and she doesn’t even smell like a dog anymore:) In fact, I feel terrible that I fed my older dog only kibble for as long as I did.

So my point is, maybe you have a dog with a great constitution and it works for you, but The Editor’s Choice is just that, it is The Editor’s Choice and there’s specific criteria he looks at. I signed up for a membership so I could keep track of how the kibble I feed a couple times per week ranks on a regular basis, and to see when any new raw foods make the list. If the kibble I use comes off the list I will most likely look at making a change. The information I have found on the forums, and the answers the other members provide, have been invaluable to me for keeping my fur babies healthy.

[Nancy B]

And I recently found this on a Consumer Complaint list re: Blue Buffalo:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/blue_buffalo.html?page=2

[Kristin C]

In the future is it possible to identify whether The Editor’s Choice raw picks are treated with HPP? It would be helpful if that’s something you think is important. I was looking at purchasing some Primal and found on their website that some of their products are treated with HPP and some are not. Thankfully the ones I’d like to purchase are not HPP products.

[Janine S]

Farmina grain free, I recently started rotating it with Orijen as I have read very positive reviews.

[D M]

I would be interested in having your opinion on Taste Of The Wild & the Blue Buffalo line.

Member

[aquariangt]

If you read through the rest of this thread, you will see that neither of these brands will likely ever make editor’s choice

[weezerweeks]

I would like to nominate Weruva and Dr. Harveys..

[Pam P]

I would like to nominate Trupet TruDog food.

[aquariangt]

@weezerweeks I like Weruva, but I believe 2 of their lines are still canned by evangers, so I wonder if that would disqualify them from editor’s choice

There aren’t any canned only brands on the list though. What about Petropics (tiki)?

[Daren S]

Can you nominate any cooked frozen diets? I am looking at Mavericks Nature’s Kitchen grain free beef recipe or any of their recipes. Also Evermore cooked frozen.

[susan s]

I’ve just joined your editors choice. I see a number of people of nominated Darwin’s and I’m wondering why it’s not on your list. I’ve been using Darwin’s and I’m very happy with it but I would like to know what you may have found.

[Dori]

Susan, the reason, I believe, and from what I recall reading in the past is that Darwin’s is not on the EC list is because it is not readily available in any stores. Darwin’s is an on line order and only from darwins.com. Making it not easily available for everyone. I questioned this early on because I thought being that anyone could order it on line, anyone could order the food. But….Darwin’s is not only available only from their website but you must order it on an auto order basis. Anyway, it’s the only answers I’ve been able to come up with. I used to order Darwin’s for my dogs but once they upped the fat, upped the price and because my dogs are so small and I feed in rotation I dropped it from my rotation menu.

[theBCnut]

Yes, that’s why.

[Lisa E]

Just curious why Zignature does not make the editors choice list? It is rated 4.5 stars…

[Janine S]

I order Farmina thru Pet Flow and receive it monthly so it is easily available.

[Janine S]

I would like to nominate Hound & Gatos

[james s]

While searching the pet food aisle of Kroger (Denton, TX) I came across a new brand, Abound. Label claims boned chicken and brown rice. Bought a bag to study it here at home. The product is Inter-American Products, which is owned by Kroger. If possible, please check it out. I lost the price for the 7 lb bag.

[Rita G]

Why isn’t Honest Kitchen an Editor’s Choice brand?

[deborah d]

Tuckers raw Turkey and Pumpkin is not on here yet. I had been going between Primal turkey and sardine and Bravo turkey. I have two cockers on raw and wanted to find something good but not crazy expensive. So far am loving the Tuckers. Can’t wait to hear your reveiw

[Dori]

Tucker’s carb count is too high for my liking. How long have you been feeding Tuckers? Have you fed their Pork and Bison? My girls can’t have any poultry in their diet.

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi Dori,

I feed Tucker’s occasionally. They make single source foods now. They have Turkey/Pumpkin and Beef/Pumpkin. I have tried both and Max seems to like them. I also have used the Pork/Lamb. It’s not something I would want to feed all the time but it works for me if I need something to feed quickly because I can get it locally and it defrosts quickly in it’s 0.5lb pouch.

[Dori]

Thanks RescueDaneMom. I’m always on the lookout for foods to add into rotation but have never known anyone that fed Tucker’s. If I can find it locally I might give it a try but it does seem high on carbs. No??? I feed a high protein, probably pretty high fat (higher than I would like) but really low carb rotational diets. I was concerned with the high carb % on the DFA’s dry matter review. Any thoughts? Thanks again.

[Paul S]

Orijen Red

[RescueDaneMom]

Dori,

I don’t mind the high carbs because it comes from the pumpkin as there are no grains in it. Again, I wouldn’t feed it all the time but I don’t mind it in my rotation.

[theBCnut]

Paul S
The list is for brands/companies. Champion is the company that makes Orijen and Acana. They are on the list.

[Author]

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