Dog Nutrition (.com) on the surface is a self-explanatory website, a place for caring dog owners to get the information they need in order to make smarter choices when buying dog food.

Below the surface, however, you’ll find our deeply rooted love for dogs. It is the engine powering us on a daily basis, in researching and publishing quality material to help you raise a safe and healthy dog. Specifically, we’re passionate about canine nutrition and keeping the manufacturers honest.

Pet Nutrition Principles Continue to Evolve

It wasn’t too long ago that vet clinics all over the United States were regularly frequented by sickly dogs, with metabolic imbalances among other things. Resulting directly from them being fed “all meat” products, which were then nationally advertised:

. . .and it was common to think that since dogs themselves were carnivores, then an all meat diet must be the best thing for them.

We know now, that dogs actually cannot survive on an 100% meat diet for an extended period of time; we also know that they’re technically omnivores. The point is, nutrition principles for feeding dogs, continue to evolve; and to keep your pets safe, you must stay informed now more than ever.

Thankfully, in the past 30 years the pet food manufacturers have proactively gained more knowledge regarding superior ingredients, their combos, the right ratios, and putting it all together for a properly nutritious diet. Unfortunately, there are still many harmful products out there.

So, even though we have learned how to better products by bettering the ingredients and the ratios, many companies simply choose to ignore this knowledge. Supplying innocent pet owners with harmful products whose labels blatently misrepresent the actual quality and adequacy.

Researching, Reviewing, Rating

This is where we come in. We’re simply tired of hearing about earnest pet owners who buy into misrepresented labels and innocently believe their claims, only to find themselves at the veterinarian in distress and blaming themselves for the situation and their dogs pain.

. . . dog food with labels proclaiming things such as: “complete and balanced”, “premium”, “high protein”, and so on; some of which actually turned out to be harmful.

We’re against deceptive labeling, period. We’re not so fond of ambiguous labels either. We’re also not waiting around for the FDA to take care of things for us, by implementing strict guidelines for pet manufacturers and putting tougher restriction on the product labeling, which may take decades.

Factors We Take Into Consideration:

  • Company’s recall history
  • Company’s safety practices
  • Label claims and interpretation
  • Product’s nutritional content
  • Where the ingredients come from
  • Ingredient digestability
  • What additives are used (if any)
  • . . .dozens of other important factors

We like to dive into the products claims and truly see if they’re to be believed or not. For example, we give much more weight to nutritional claims that resulted from feeding trials as recommended by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). This means the product was actually tested on live dogs, as opposed to the claims being made simply on paper.

. . . in order to keep up with shady business practices we strive to be as alert as possible, picking up all signals and information within the dog nutrition industry.

Following the Action

  • We pay attention to what pet food company executives say
  • We listen to whistlebolowers
  • We respect and attentively listen to nutritionists
  • We pay attention to industry thought leaders

This has resulted in a respectable reputation within the industry, and often in obtaining valuable information you won’t find elsewhere online.

We Do the Digging – You Do the Feeding

You want to know what’s inside the food before you part with your money. We know it’s not just about the money for you, its about your dog receiving quality nutrients and staying healthy and happy. You want to buy and feed, without worrying about causing pain to your beloved dog.

You don’t have the time to carefully examine every product label you come across. Being that the pet food industry in the United States alone does almost $30 billion dollars in yearly sales. Meaning there are a ton of products to sift through. You need reliable help you can trust.

Resources We Use to Conduct Research

The articles and reports you’ll find on our website are personally aggregated and published in a presentable format, utilizing public information from sources such as the ones listed above.

Why Should You Trust What We Have to Say?

We don’t expect you to take everything we say as the unquestionable truth. We’re no doctors, we’re simply seasoned advocates of proper dog nutrition who have nothing but your dogs best interests at heart. We’ve seen too many dogs leave us too early, simply due to either poor nutrition or false advertising.

. . . our information is for informational purposes only; you should always check with your neighborhood vet before following through with anything you find on this site.

Not all dogs are created equal, so it’s always best to ask your vet their opinion. Especially if you plan on introducing them to a diet your dog has never been on before, or food they’ve never digested before.

Privately Owned & Independent of the Pet Food Industry

That being said, there are reasons to take what we publish into consideration. Dog Nutrition (.com) is a privately owned site. We have no affiliation with the pet food industry. Nor do we accept samples or money from the dog food companies or manufacturers out there, in exchange for special treatment.

. . . our reviews and rankings are independent of any industry bias. The only thing we’re biased toward is your dogs health.

Naturally, every website has it’s costs, ours is no different. In the spirit of full transparency and honesty, head on over to our Disclosure and Disclaimer page to learn about how we stay operational, keep the gears turning, and the thoughtful quality research you require coming.

Your Experience Matters

We all have one thing in common, the love for our canine friends. Which is why we need to help and learn from each other. Staying on top of the huge pet industry is no easy task. It’s a job only a community effort can tackle.

Your contribution to the community matters more than you know. You may save someone from experiencing the emotional distress you yourself may have gone through. By sharing what you personally know about the dog food reviewed on our site, you’re helping us update the information and others who read it.

Please feel free to comment with your experience or opinion after reading the reviews and rankings. Or just shoot us a message if you prefer to do it in private.

Contributing Team

Dr. Joanna Hardy

Dr. Joanna de Klerk, BVetMed (hons) MScTAH MRCVS or simply, Jo. Graduated from the prestigious Royal Veterinary College in London and works as a veterinarian for dogs, cats and horses. She has a particular interest in nutrition, pain management, neurological disorders and welfare.

She has written two books ‘Tales from a Young Vet’ and ‘Tales from a Wild Vet’, and enjoys volunteering as a vet for various charities, from which tales are recounted in the books. She has two dogs, a nutty Springer Spaniel, and a shy little Yorkshire Terrier, and in her spare time enjoys walking, horseback riding and music.

Claudia Bensimoun

Claudia is a hard working, animal loving, dog journalist from sunny West Palm Beach, and specializes in veterinary content. A long-time contributing features writer for Animal Wellness magazine, Fido Friendly magazine, and the United States Dog Agility Association.

She’s also the author and ghostwriter of more than 50 dog eBooks. She’s passionate about canine nutrition, canine health and wellness, and animal rescue/adoption. Her interests include wildlife conservation, animal welfare, disaster/ humanitarian relief, and veterinary research.

Erika Seidel

A respected pet writer, lover of dogs, the outdoors, traveling, and multi-cultural adventures. Throughout her world travels, she has met many, many dogs. But none of them compare to her Welsh Corgi, Juno. The love for whom has fueled a passion of hers for writing science-backed, informative, and eye-opening articles on responsible pet nutrition.

Hyo Song

Our intern Hyo loves dogs, plain and simple! She holds a Bachelors of Science in Biology, and a Masters in Molecular Targets and Drug Discovery; as well as a degree in Music. Loves spending time with her beautiful 11-yr old Siberian Husky named Hero, has been featured in several scientific publications and is active in providing help to dogs in need.

Goran Gogsi

By fusing a passion for animal health with an extensive background (bachelor’s degree, 10+ years) in marketing and finance, Gogsi helps caring pet-owners navigate through false advertising and make financially savvy, informed buying decisions (when it comes to providing exceptional care & daily nutrition to their beloved dogs).

Rhoda Jane P.

Rhoda is a front-end developer who is obsessed with pets. She is also a piano teacher on the side and loves to work with non-profit organizations such as ones helping out dogs in need. By helping these organizations boost their message and online presence, Rhoda fulfills her passion of helping animals get the help they rightfully deserve.