I
'm sure it applies to cat food as well: How to grade your dog'
s food: Start with a grade of 100: 1) For every listing of «by - product», subtract 10 points 2) For every non-specific animal source -LRB-» meat» or «poultry», meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points 3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points 4) For every grain «mill run» or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points 5) If the same grain ingredient
is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. «ground brown rice», «brewerâ $ ™
s rice», «rice
flour»
are all the same grain), subtract 5 points 6) If the protein sources
are not meat meal and there
are less
than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points 7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points 8) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points 9) If corn
is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points 10) If the food contains any animal fat
other than fish oil, subtract 2 points 11) If lamb
is the only animal protein source (unless your dog
is allergic to
other protein sources), subtract 2 points 12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points 13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog
is not allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points 14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog
is not allergic to beef), subtract 1 point 15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point Extra Credit: 1) If any of the meat sources
are organic, add 5 points 2) If the food
is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points 3) If the food
is baked not extruded, add 5 points 4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points 5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points 6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or
other grains), add 3 points 7) If the animal sources
are hormone - free and antibiotic - free, add 2 points 8) If the food contains barley, add 2 points 9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points 10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point 11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point 12) 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 «'' as 2
different sources), add 1 point 13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point 14) If the vegetables have
been tested for pesticides and
are pesticide - free, add 1 point