What dog food brand should you feed your dog? Ultimately this will depend on your dogs needs and your budget needs. Here is a list of dog food brands pros and cons, in no particular order.
Taste of the Wild
Taste of the Wild is one of the most popular and highly trusted brands in its category. It comes highly recommended by most online reviewers and is available at most pet food stores, even if it is not quite as available at regular grocery stores you may get lucky.
Pros
- High Quality Ingredients
- Widely Trusted and Popular
Cons
- Higher Price Point
Purina
Did you know that Purina has been around for more than 90 years? On their website, they claim to be the first pet food company to create what's known as "kibble" today. Purina is a very common and popular dog food for the budget-conscious and is loved by many dogs. Some of the things to keep in mind is that the price does come at a cost -- animal byproducts and artificial ingredients as well as controversial grains are used in many of their dog food products. Keep in mind that there are many controversial dog food theories, and not all are supported by science, the one most recently coming to light being the grain-free controversy. Many dog food brands will sell grain-free versions of their dog food at a higher cost, leading consumers to believe that grain-free is better. However, this is not necessarily the case, and in fact, whole grains can be beneficial to dog's diet.
Pros
- Widely Available
- Budget-Friendly
- Dogs love it
Cons
- Lower Quality
- Controversial Ingredients
Blue Buffalo
Blue Buffalo is a well-trusted and respected dog food brand due to the quality ingredients. Unfortunately, there have been several recalls in the last ten years, which is why we docked their trust level from high to medium.
Pedigree
Pedigree is another widely-available dog food brand that is not without controversy. They have experienced a few recalls in the past ten years. One of the most controversial ingredients that they use is corn, which provides little nutritional value. However, if budget and availability are your primary concerns, they offer numerous different options for dog food.
Hills Science Diet
Hills Science Diet claims to be US veterinarians #1 choice for dog food. However, they have had several recalls in the past ten years, including two recalls in 2019.
Pros
- Veterinarian-approved
- High Quality Ingredients
Cons
- Several Recalls
Diamond Naturals
Diamond Naturals is another well-trusted dog food brand that offers both grain-free and grain-inclusive options. There were a few recalls in 2012, but since then, they have come back as a well-trusted dog food brand.
Pros
- High Quality Ingredients
Sophia Zey has two large rescue dogs.