[Cassie C]

I’m very confused by the misinformation on what is considered “quality” dog food ingredients. I see that this site considers meat by-products to be of lesser quality as well as corn and wheat. The part I’m hoping to have some light shed on is why the veterinary prescription diets mostly use these forms of ingredients. I have talked to these companies and they claim that by-products and protein meals are the preferred choice in nutrition because when they are procured through reliable sources they contain the nutrient rich organs (not feet/beaks). They also say that when a company uses “chicken” or another whole meat product on a label that is when it contains ALL parts of the animal including beaks (According to aafco definitions). These companies (royal canin, hills, purina) also stand behind using corn as an acceptable ingredient. So I guess what I’m asking is why these companies that pride themselves on providing the “best” in nutrition don’t coincide with your quality standards on his site?

[Mike Sagman]

From a purely analytical standpoint, the nutrient content of many dog food ingredients can be quite similar.

However, when also considering price value and the quality level of ingredient sources, there are a number of noteworthy differences.

For example, there’s a huge difference between anonymous (unidentified) “meat” by-product meals and (named) chicken by-product meals.

These and many other differences are discussed in numerous articles published throughout this website.

Here are few links to get you started:

/choosing-dog-food/animal-by-products/

/dog-food-industry-exposed/dog-food-corn/

For many others, please be sure to visit our article library and our FAQ pages.

/helpful-dog-food-articles/

/frequently-asked-questions/

[Author]

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