"Beth In Alaska" wrote in message
...

"buglady" wrote in message
...

......I don't think you can make any commercial food that is one size
fits
all.

I don't think you can make any home diet that is one size fits all.

..........the point of a home prepared diet is that you can tailor it to the
individual.

buglady
take out the dog before replying

"Suja" wrote in message
...

This particular food grading system is really popular on some of the other
forums I visit. Wondering what y'all thought of it. Maybe it's safe to
post now that the great kibble/raw wars seem to be over (yeah, I've jinxed
it).

Food Grading System - How to Grade Your Dog's Food

You will need your kibble's list of ingredients, as found on the bag (or
oftentimes their website). Please note, however, this is for ingredients
ONLY.... so before feeding a pup be sure to look at the protein and fat
and
calcium and calories in the Guaranteed Analysis.

Start with a grade of 100:

For every listing of "by-product", subtract 15 points

For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or
fat) reference, subtract 10 points

If there are no specific meats or meat meals, subtract 25 points

For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source, or grain
"middlings", subtract 10 points

If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 15 points

If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five
ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer's rice", "rice flour" are
all
the same grain), subtract 5 points for each occurrence

If the protein sources are not (specific) meat meal and there are less
than
2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points

If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 5 points

If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points
(subtract
5 if corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients)

If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 3 points

If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to
other protein sources), subtract 2 points

If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 5 points

If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to
wheat), subtract 2 points

If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to
beef),
subtract 1 point

If it contains salt, subtract 3 points

If it contains corn syrup, molasses, or other added sweetener, subtract 10
points

Extra Credit:

For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first
one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but
"chicken" and "turkey" as 2 different sources - do not count egg, cheese,
or
other similar ingredients), add 1 point

If the food contains 3 or less different mentions of grains (or other
high-carb plant-based foods like potatoes), add 5 points

If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points (if the number 1
ingredient is organic meat, add 10 points)

If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 3 points

If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points

If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points

If the food contains fruit or vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3
points

If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free,
add 1 point

If the food contains barley or oats or oatmeal, add 1 point

If it contains sunflower, hemp, flaxseed, or other polyunsaturated
vegetable
oils, add 3 points (add 5 if it is the #1 fat)

If the vitamin and mineral sources are chelated, add 5 points

94-100+ = A

86-93 = B

78-85 = C

70-77 = D

70 = F

I wasn't sure if I should post the results of this sort of analysis for
various foods. Might be considered inflammatory by some.

Suja


Although I was fairly certain that the Orijen puppy food I've chosen to feed
was good quality, I was delighted to have it score 120, higher than any
other listed!

Phyrie
--
Kiba the Cav's Pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phyrie/...758930/detail/