[Dori]

Thanks so RescueDaneMom for the info. Appreciate it.

[SAMANTHA S]

Am curious as to why Blue Buffalo line of products is not on your list, so I will nominate it to be so. Thank you.

[Dori]

Samantha S. Please read through a number of the reviews on Blue Buffalo and also google Blue Buffalo and it will become apparent why Blue Buffalo is not on the Editor’s Choice of preferred foods. There have been a lot of gastrointestinal issues with BB. It’s been happening for a while now to a number of dogs as reported by their owners. From what I’ve read, BB is denying any issues with their food and that no one has called them to complain. What that means to me and others is that they are refusing to take responsibility for any changes they may have made with their food.

[Ivchister]

I would nominate a brand called Brit Care. I’m very curious about your opinon. A lot of people say that it is the best low budget grain free food but I haven’t found it in your database.

[Mike Sagman]

Hi Ivchister,

Due to differences in labeling regulations from country to country, we only consider dog foods for Editor’s Choice that are widely distributed within the US or Canada. So, unfortunately, Brit Care is not eligible for consideration at this time. Thanks for your suggestion.

[Nancy B]

Samantha S.
See http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/blue_buffalo.html?page=2
for the posted 866 major dangers about feeding dogs Blue Buffalo.

[NANCY C]

Earthborn Holistic Great Plains Feast — my dogs love it and when I was not an Editor’s Choice member, I was so pleased I had found a food that my dogs LOVED and that had still garnered 4.5 stars from Pet Food Advisor. Previously, I had fed them Acana Ranchlands exclusively, but they were still “fussy” about it and I had to mix with wet food to get them to eat it…and it was expensive! Twice the cost of Earthborn. Now I don’t know whether to switch them all back or what! I do know that on Acana, their coats were so shiny! I have four huge pitbulls, and two with skin issues, and both the Acana and the Earthborn have been good choices for us.

I guess my biggest concern with foods is whether they contain euthanized cats and dogs, or have ingredients from china or unsanitary factories. Do we get info on that as members?

[weezerweeks]

I fed earthborn canned tubs to my yorkie or at least a couple of cans and all he did was go to the bathroom. It was too high in fiber for me but I’ve never used the kibble but I don’t use kibble.

[Patricia B]

Wild Calling, any of the dry formulas

[Nancy T]

I have tried “Grandma Lucy’s freeze dried pure formance”, dogs like the rabbit a lot but need your expert evaluation. Also, they make a pure formance “pre-mix” where you can add your own fresh or cooked protein. I would like to add bison and this sounds like a good food choice for my three 12 lb Havanese. It is a little pricey but made in the USA and would be worth it. Thanks for your eval.
Nancy Thomas

[ELISSA M]

In the last few days, I have gone from being an avid promoter of BBW foods to getting rid of all that was here & purchasing the Merrick Dog Food that was recommended by this site.

Now I have another problem. Where can I find a list of the best & safest CAT foods?

I’m pretty sure that it was the BB Indoor formula that caused my Gigi to develop cancer & has to be assisted in crossing the Rainbow Bridge just a few weeks ago & now Xena, who was my late Mom’s baby is now losing weight & testing high on Liver enzymes.

Please help me. Thank you!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Elissa-
Typically if a brand is safe for dogs, it will be a good choice for cats as well. Us cat lovers that also have dogs are patiently waiting for a cat food advisor that hopefully will be available in the future. In the Meantime, check out these sites. They are my favorite cat resources. I believe that all four of them have a recommended list or chart of cat foods. All of them suggest feeding as much canned, raw or homemade food as possible. They believe that kibble is not species appropriate for cats as they are carnivores.

I’m sorry about the loss of your pets and best of wishes with getting your current pets healthy.

Home

http://www.naturalcatcareblog.com/

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition

http://www.felinecrf.org/

Good luck!

[Paul S]

Please Rate Orijen Red

[DogFoodie]

Regional Red has already been rated, Paul. Look here: /dog-food-reviews/orijen-dog-food-adult/

Here’s the EC page for Champion: /reports/champion-petfoods/

[aimee]

Hi Nancy T,

I contacted my state feed control official over the concerns I had about Grandma Lucy’s products. The company claims the diets are complete and balanced yet according to their label they are deficient in phosphorus. The caloric information also appeared inaccurate.

The State Official opened an an investigation, the conclusion of which was to issue an immediate stop sale order on the foods. The food is not allowed to be offered for sale in the state.

[Kristin C]

Aimee-what state are you in?

[Patricia B]

I think Paul meant on the Editors Choice list, not the ratings list. Besides, that listing used the Adult, not the Red as the example.
The Blue Buffalo I use has 5 stars there but I was told will never make it to the Editors Choice.
The ONLY reason I started my puppy and the adult dog I adopted on Blue was because of the 5 Star rating I got on the ratings list. Now everyone is complaining how awful Blue is and how it’s making pets sick and even die. I have 0 problems with my dogs, always healthy check ups, no vomiting no diarrhea etc. I also haven’t found any formal complaints followed by investigation (other than the Nestle/Purina one) and that complaint was about by-products found in a batch of food, while Purina uses by-products as the norm and no one is saying Purina is killing their pets.
I do question just how Purina knew which batch to test, from which manufacturer and when. BB used 5 or 6 manufactures and only 1 was found to occasionally use by-products. Hmmmm, sounds kinda sketchy.

[DogFoodie]

The EC list for Champion links back to the Orijen product review. Regional Red has been rated. It received a five star rating.

[aquariangt]

@Patricia B
I would say the fact that they use 5 or 6 manufacturers and I don’t know who they are is a bit more sketchy than Purina’s lawsuit. I’m sure Purina used some power that they have as a company with the amount of money they have to figure out which batch to test-good on em. I’ve not trusted BB for a while, and I dislike their marketing tactics. For the record, I don’t use Purina either

[Patricia B]

Not sketchy at all (5-6 manufacturers) likely because of sheer volume. Bet other well known companies do the same.

[aquariangt]

Which is a major reason why the editor’s choice brands don’t include most of those well known companies. The closest thing to a company that size would be wellpet, who are very clear on who manufactures what.

[Reinoud K]

I’m baffled that ziwipeak is not on the list for January 2015. Is disappeared without a note or warning. I still believe it’s one of the best dog foods that exit.

[Heather E]

I’d like to nominate Zignature

[Dori]

Hi Reinoud K. If you click on the Editor’s Choice above their is a section called Product and Recipe Monitor. At present their on comments on about 44 foods that have had possible changes to their products and also gives reasons as to why a food may have been removed from the list. They are not in alphabetical order (I don’t recall) so you just have to scroll through the pages. Ziwipeak is there and the reason for it’s exclusion. Hope this helps and everyone else that’s wondering about Products and the Recipe Monitors. I’m happy they’ve included that section.

[Belva H]

Why are people talking against Blue Buffalo

Is Blue buffalo grain free healthy weight a good food?

[Nancy B]

Belva: Read the 866 very sad stories about animal owners feeding Blue Buffalo that are on the Consumer Affairs accreditation site.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/blue_buffalo.html

[lisa W]

I am starting to see a lot of marketing of the DFA rating on pet food packages in stores or on signage at certain retailers. Can any company use the DFA rating as part of their marketing campaign or are they paying a fee? IandLoveandYou has the 5 star rating as a sticker applied to the packaging and Pure Balance has the 4 star rating on their website.

[Mike Sagman]

Many pet food companies use our logo or our star ratings to promote their products on their packaging or their websites without our permission.

Occasionally, some manufacturers do ask for our consent to use these graphics — and in most cases, we will grant conditional permission.

However, as I mention in every review on this website: “We do not accept money, gifts or samples from pet food companies in exchange for special consideration in the preparation of our reviews or ratings.”

To learn how we support the cost of operating this website, please be sure to visit our public Disclaimer and Disclosure page.

[Janine S]

Anyone have thoughts on Hound & Gatos chicken

[Z B]

I like Hounds and Gatos a lot, this is one of the foods I use in rotation for my cat. I had to take her off raw due to constipation issues and this is one of the few premium canned foods she will eat. At 13 yrs she is doing very well. I would feed it to my dogs, too, if I could afford to.

[Sandy S]

Our dog has done very well on Nutrisca (Salmon and Chickpea).

[Paul S]

How about Origen Red dry

[pugmomsandy]

Champion Pet Foods is already on the Editor’s Choice list.

[DogFoodie]

Paul S,

You’ve asked this same question several times, but you’re ignoring the responses to your question, which has been answered.

Regional Red has already been rated here: /dog-food-reviews/orijen-dog-food-adult/

Here’s the EC page for Champion: /reports/champion-petfoods/, which includes Regional Red and links to the product review.

[Peggy]

Mike, Walmart does this for their Pure Balance brand.

[JANIS F]

I’VE BEEN USING EVANGER’S…MADE IN ILLINOIS. I VARY THE DIFFERENT VARIETIES SO THE DOGS DON’T GET BORED WITH IT AND IT’S AN ALL STAGE DOG FOOD, FROM PUPPY TO SENIOR, WHICH SURE HELPS WHEN YOU HAVE 5 DOGS RANGING FROM PUP UP TO 15 YEARS! THEY ALSO MAKE A GRAIN FREE. ANYONE ELSE USE THIS FOOD?

[DogFoodie]

Hi Janis,

Although I think you’re referring to their kibble which is co-packed for them by a third party, rather than their canned products which they can themselves, Evanger’s has a terrible track record and has firmly established themselves as unethical and criminal at best. I don’t think it’s possible for Evanger’s to ever clean up their act enough to find themselves graced with the distinction of being named an Editor’s Choice brand.

I’d never use any of their products, including the kibble made by someone else for them, on principle alone.

[Daren S]

I would like to nominate the following brands for using human grade ingredients.

Evermore, Just Food for Dogs, Natures Kitchen by Maverick, and My Perfect Pet.

Best Regards –
Daren Swatek

[Keith H]

What about “Zignature”, or “Innova”, or “Lotus”?

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by Keith H.

[Patricia B]

Innova?

[Karen S]

I have never had to contact Ziwipeak for support, but the price keeps going up and is unsustainable. How about Real Meat lamb and Real meat beef-both state that meat is sourced from US and New Zealand. They lack green lipped mussel which ZiwiPeak has

[Doug D]

Dr. Gary’s Best Breed

[joan a]

I would also like to nominate nature’s Logic. It’s one of the few dry foods my Tibetan Terriers will eat. I would like to know if there is a reason that it hasn’t been included.

[Joni P]

I was interested in your opinion of Flint River dry dog food, both for adult and large breed puppy?
Thx

Joni Poole

[Tera M]

Honest Kitchen.

[Nancy B]

Tera: After 2 years I am priced out of Honest Kitchen, although it’s a great food. Sudden $8 increase for 10 lbs was costing me $225/month for 2 dogs. Now with Orijen (Champion Foods) I pay $75.99 for 2 ounces less than a month’s worth of Honest Kitchen and it’s the same good, natural food. Watch the Champion canine food video introducing the guy who supplies the fish, farmer who supplies the meat, farmer who supplies veggies, fresh eggs. etc. Way out there in Alberta, it’s an impressive facility, 5 stars. Also sell Arcana. I am getting free shipping by Chewy.

[Debra R]

Canada Naturals looks like a good product.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Joni –

The review for Flint River Ranch foods can be found here. You’ll see the overall the brand has been rated 3.5 stars which the individual formulas ranging in rating from 2 stars to 4 stars.

As far as appropriateness for large breed puppies, I quickly did out the math for the original puppy/adult formula and at 3.3 g calcium per 1,000 kcal. it looks okay. I’m not going to go through all the formulas but if there’s another formula you’re interested in just multiply the % calcium by 1,000 to get grams of calcium per kg and the kcal. per lb. by 2.2 to get kcal. per kg. Then divide the grams of calcium per kg. by the kcal. per kg. Multiply that by 1000. You’re looking for 3.5 or less.

[Linda S]

I was shocked not to see Darwins on the list…I Would like to nominate Darwins…LOVE THE FOOD!

[Dori]

Linda S. The reason that Darwins would never be on the list is that it is considered a food that is not readily available to all. Because it has to be ordered and delivered, it makes it not readily available and shipping for raw dog foods is incredibly expensive. Most people don’t have the money to feed commercial raw foods and pay for the shipping. I understand that it pretty much has to be expensive to ship raw because of the packing and speed of delivery that are involved but it’s not economically feasible for everyone. I’m a commercial raw feeder myself but I buy them at my local “boutique type” dog food stores.

[Author]

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