Good articles (online) regarding choosing a brand of dog food.

Could someone point me to some helpful information.

So much of what I come across seems to have underlying ideology and
secondary motivation. I would love some unbiased third party type
comparison reviews.

missmoushoes...

Yes sure, I will tell you what has worked for me.

Firstly, Eukanuba - costs a bit but i'm always told it's pretty good by
vets and pet stores and when I feed it to my two it makes their coats
nice and thick and healthy.

Dan...

Oops. 30% of calorie intake does not equal 30 % of weight. Therefore:

My Dog Chow states:

Crude Protein 21 % (min)
Fat 10 % (min)
(assuming the all remaining calories come from carbs)

I found this on the net at --
http://www.nutristrategy.com/nutrition/calories.htm

Fat: 1 gram = 9 calories
Protein: 1 gram = 4 calories
Carbohydrates: 1 gram = 4 calories
Alcohol: 1 gram = 7 calories

So,

100 g of Dog chow =

Protien 9 calories x 100 grams x 0.21 = 189 calories from Pro.
Fat 4 calories x 100 grams x 0.1 = 40 calories from fat

Dan...

Carb 4 calories x 100 grams x 0.69 = 276 calories from carbs
Total = 505 total calories per 100 grams

Dan...

and, my point remains the same.

Carb 1 calories x 100 grams x 0.69 = 69 calories from carbs
Total = 298 total
calories per 100 grams

Thus, fat, in terms of caloric intake in this off-the-shelf dog food is
40/298= 13%

Still, very much within healthy nuturtional ranges.

buglady...

......You need to know what DOGS need, not people. Dogs are not 4 legged
people. Their digestitive tracts are shorter. They don't have issues with
clogged arteries and heart and cholesterol problems.

Fats:
"Fats should be incorporated into a dog's diet in sufficient amounts to
make up between 25 and 30 percent of the calories in the food." Collins
Guide to Dog Nutrition, Donald R. Collins DVM

.......Dogs use fat for energy
........Unless the dog is pregnant or lactating, they have no physiological
need of carbs. (from Vet Merck Manual)

Proteins:
"There are 3 common causes of protein deficiency in a dog's diet:
1. Insufficient total protein in the diet
2. Imbalanced, poor-quality dietary protein
3. Bulky, low-energy diets which cause the marginal amounts of protein
present to be converted to energy
The nutritive value of a protein depends on its distribution of amino acids,
and on its digestibility. For the dog, both of these factors seem to be
more satisfactory in proteins from animals than in proteins from plants." -
Collins Guide to Dog Nutrition, Donald R. Collins, DVM

.......and last but not least that number on the bag says nothing, zero,
zip, nada about bioavailability of the nutrients to the dog. Poor quality
protein does not get used.

buglady
take out the dog before replying

Yours,
Dan

I know there is also a pet food called "Barf" that is meant to be
really good but i've never tried it. The website is www.barfworld.com.
Not sure where you live but I think Eukanuba and Barf are widely
available. Another is Science Diet, my dogs don't think much of it, a
bit of a tin food smell but it is also meant to be quite good.

With the Eukanuba by the way, I have two small dogs, Maltese Terrier X
and Scottish Terrier X and they prefer the small dog variety dry food
to the larger sized dry. Probably easier for them to chew.

Some good info can be found here in the forums section
http://www.dogzonline.com.au/