Here they are folks, the top 8 dog foods that are claiming to be holistic and oh so healthy for your dog. This info comes from Whole Dog Journal.
Don’t you wish David Letterman would do a top ten worse dog food list?

And the losers are:

Eukanuba Nautrally Wild Turkey & Multigrain

Iams Healthy Chicken Naturals

Nature’s Best Science Diet Chicken & Brown Rice

Rachel Ray Nutrish Beef & Brown Rice

Chef Michaels Purina Chicken

Purina ONE Smart Blend Chicken & Rice

Are you ready for this one?
Whole Foods 365 Performance
ingredients: chicken-by-product, rice, corn meal, corn GLUTEN, wheat, dried beet pulp, natural flavors, flaxseed and dried egg product
More proof that not everything you buy at Whole Foods is good for you or your pets!

And drum roll please.. the absolute worst dog food claiming to be holistic and nutritious is….
Beneful Purina Healthy Harvest
corn, corn gluten, whole wheat flour, animal fat, soy protein, soy flour, water, rice flour, pearled barley, and sugar
(Do you think you could add any more allergens or junk to this! No animal protein is in this food at all. Yet people buy this for their dogs because the healthy picture on the bag. I think the bag would be more nutritious for your dog than the ingredients.)

Please note that wheat, corn, and soy can be the cause of allergies in dogs. Wheat and all gluten exacerbates all pain and arthritis and auto-immune disorders. It has also been proven to bring on seizures in dogs.

We just received our last issue of the Whole Dog Journal. I am not sure if my pet human, Beta-chic will renew it. She has a love-hate relationship with the journal. But that is a blog post for another day. Right now i am very busy and important while chewing on my Lucky Antler Deer Horn so i will turn this blog post over to her. (Oh by the way- i ate her reading glasses so please excuse any html blips!)
xoxoox
Quan Yin

The Whole Dog Journal’s Dry Foods of 2011 in alphabetical order- not in order of best dog food. Some of these companies make several brands of dog food. Please check their websites for more info.
drum roll please…

Addiction Foods New Zealand addictionfoods.com

Annamaet petfoods Sellersville PA USAwww.accamaet.com”>

Artemis Pet Foods N. Hollywood CA www.artemiscompany.com

Back to Basics Meadville PA www.backtobasics.com

Bench & Field Pet Foods Grand Rapids Mi www.benchandfield.com

Blue Buffalo Company Wilton CT www.bluebuff.com

Blue Seal Feeds (By Nature )Londonery NH www.bynaturepetfoods.com

Breeders Choice (AvoDerm) Irwindale CA www.apdselectchoice.com

Burns Pet Health Val. IN www.burnshealthpet.com

Canidae Corp San Luis Obispo CA www.canidae.com

Canine Caviar Pet Foods (Organix) Costa Mesa CA www.caninecaviar.com

Castor & Pollux Pet Works www.castorpolluxpet.com

Champion Petfoods (Acana & Orijen) Alberta Canada www.championpetfoods.com

Della Natural Commodities (Wenawe) Bayside NY www.dellanaturalpet.com

Diamond Pet Products (Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover Soul, Taste of the Wild) Meta MO chickensoupforthepetloversoul.com

Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Pacoima CA www.naturalbalance.net

Dogswell LA CA www.dogswell.com

Dr G’s Pet Food Company Sedona AZ www.drgsfreshpetfood.com

Dr Tim’s Pet Food Company Marquette MI www.drtims.com

Drs Foster & Smith WI www.drsfostersmith.com

Earthborn Holistic Evansville IN
www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com

Since this list is very long i will not be posting the html for the rest of the websites. So sorry!

Evangers Dog & Cat Food www.evangersdogfood.com

FirstMate Pet Foods BC Canada www.firstmate.com

Fromm Family Foods Mequon WI www.frommfamily.com

Horizon Pet Nutrition Canada www.horizonpetnutrition.com

Laughing Dog INC Lodi CA www.laughingdogorganic.com

Linocoln Biotech East Bend NC www.lincolnbiotech.com

Lotus Natural Food Torrance CA www.lotuspetfoods.com

Merrick Pet Care (Before Grain, Whole Earth Farms) Armarillo TX www.merrickpetcare.com

Mulligan Stew Pet Food Jackson Wy www.mulliganstewpetfood.com

Natura Pet Products (California Naturals, Innova, Evo, Karma, Healthwise) Davis Ca www.naturalpet.com
From Four Paws Acupuncture : Please note that this company has been bought out by Proctor and Gamble which tests on animals. There is no guarantee that the quality will remain the same in the future.

Nature’s Variety (Instinct & Prairie )Lincoln N.E. wwwnaturesvariety.com

Omnipro Pet Foods Madison MS www.omnipropet.net

Perfect Health Diet Products Elmsford NY www.phdproducts.com

Pet Chef Express New Westminister Canada www.petchefexpress.com

Petcurean Pet Nutrition BC Canada www.petcurean.com

Pet Valu Ontario CA

Precise Pet Products TX USA www.precisepet.com

Smartpak Canine Plymouth MA www.smartpakcanine.com

Solid Gold Health Products. El Cajon CA www.solidgoldhealth.com

Tuffy’s Pet Foods Inc Perham MN www.nutrisourcedogfood.com

Verus Pet Foods Abingdon MD www.veruspetfoods.com

WellPet Tewsbury MA (Wellness) www.wellpet.com

Next post we will tell you the foods they did NOT recommend!

You are what you eat applies to us dogs too. We like variety and need both crunchie and moist food.

My pet humans have finally figured out a combination of foods that my delicate body likes. Being an abandoned dog and being fed unhealthy food for so long has had an odd effect on my intestines. I now enjoy the Artemis kibble along with a piece of baked chicken each meal. (Sometimes with pumpkin or potatoes on Monday since the trash trucks give me diarrhea.) I take my herbs and supplements in Greek yogurt. And if i am good there are healthy treats such as the Solid Gold cookies or an egg. Since i have been on this new diet i have gained 7 pounds and even grew a bit taller!

Here are a few dog food brands that we feel good about recommending. Every dog’s needs are different so do some research on the ingredients before feeding your dog anything new. It also takes time to adjust to a new brand.

Happy helthy meals to all!
Quan Yin

Artemis
“Whole Dog Journal” rated Artemis Pet Food as one of the best new dry dog foods in 2003. As of 2010, Artemis dog food no longer contains Ethoxyquin, nor does the food contain any by-products or harmful artificial additives. Artemis uses ingredients like potatoes, apples, spinach and cranberries.

Orijen
Orijen dog food contains a high meat content, meaning plenty of protein for your dog. Potatoes provide its primary source of carbohydrates instead of filler grains, and the food uses human-grade meats certified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Solid Gold
Solid Gold uses no wheat gluten or rice protein concentrate, only whole, unprocessed grains and bran. Most ingredients come from the United States, with the only exceptions coming from New Zealand and Europe. The company designs its allergy-free food to contain no wheat, corn, soy or animal fat.

Taste of the Wild
Taste of the Wild uses a combination of bison, lamb meal, chicken meal and venison to provide high grade protein sources. Egg products and sweet potatoes, a renowned source of vitamins A, C and B6, and potassium, also appear on the ingredient list.

Merrick
Merrick manufactures all products in its own United States facility and uses only ingredients grown and processed the United States. Their food is tested on-site and contains human grade components, chelated minerals, probiotics, and omega three and omega six fatty acids while remaining free of chemical preservatives.

There are more excellent dog foods such as:
Timberwolf
Halo
Organix
and many more that we have not had the time to research.

Pet foods that we do NOT recommend include all foods that contain WHEAT, CORN, SOY and BY-PRODUCTS and come from companies such as Proctor & Gamble that allows testing on animals such as:
Purina
IAMS
Eukanuba
Beneful
Science Diet
Pedigree
Nutro (it has wheat and rye!)
Wysong (has wheat)
Rachel Ray
There are several more foods to add to this list!

Blue Buffalo Dog Food Recalled
Excess Vitamin D in Some Lots of ‘Blue’ Brand Dog Food
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Katherine Scott, DVM, DACVIM

Oct. 12, 2010 — The Blue Buffalo Company Ltd. is recalling several lots of its “Blue” brand dog food, which may have excessive amounts of vitamin D.

So far 36 dogs have had symptoms, which include lethargy, unusually frequent water consumption and urination, and, in some cases vomiting. All recovered with no long-term effects noted to date.

Blue Buffalo CEO Bill Bishop says consumers whose dogs show any adverse reaction to the recalled products should have their pet checked by a veterinarian. He promises to reimburse consumers for any veterinary or testing expenses related to illness caused by company products.

Bishop says the company’s ingredient supplier had produced a vitamin D supplement immediately before preparing ingredients for the Blue brand dog food. The company thinks that some of this vitamin D was “carried over” into the Blue Buffalo products.

In a news release, Bishop says the “increased vitamin D presents no serious health risk, and any negative reaction to these products has been confined to a very small segment of the canine population who appear to be sensitive to higher levels of vitamin D.”

No other Blue brand dry or canned pet foods are involved in this recall, and only the specific code dates of these products are involved: Click here to see the recall list

Spread the word to all those you know who use this dog food:
Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Chicken Dry Dog Food
with the “Best By” date of June 17, 2011, in 5-lb. and 28-lb. bags
because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

It is shocking that the FDA still allows the pet food industry to add harmful and disgusting ingredients in their products after all the recalls in the industry. These are the same brands that have the wonderful commercials on TV, sponsor ACK Dog Shows, and have full page ads in most dog magazines. Advertising at its best.

These are just a few of the ingredients found in some well known brands of pet foods. A warning to those with weak stomachs please read with caution!

*Animal meat meal and animal by-products: this is what is left of the slaughtered animal after the meat is removed. It can include things like beaks, feet, blood, intestines, bones, and tissue.

*Beef and bone meal: another by product of beef which can include hair, hooves,horn,manure, entrails and blood.

*Chicken Byproduct Meal: Consists of the dry, ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, and intestines — exclusive of feathers except in such amounts as might occur unavoidably in good processing practices.

*Corn bran: which is the outer layer of the corn kernel. It has no nutritional value.

*Corn Gluten: is the residue from corn which can be used as a protein but can cause allergies in many dogs just like wheat gluten.

*Wheat Gluten: The tough, viscid nitrogenous substance remaining when wheat is washed to remove the starch. An inexpensive byproduct of human food processing with almost no nutritional value left, serves mostly as a binder.

Wheat also exacerbates pain in dogs and humans.

Take the time to research your pet’s food before buying a pretty package. Most of the smaller pet supply shops carry the healthy brands. It is difficult to find those in most grocery chains unless it is a natural health food store.

If you would like to learn more about the best commercial dog foods on the market please visit the link below. Your dog will thank you!
www.dogaware.com

For Immediate Release:
Nutro Products Voluntary Retrieval of Select Puppy Foods

Q: I heard that there may be plastic in some NUTRO® products. Is this
true?
A: Small pieces of melted plastic were recently found in the production
line of select varieties of NUTRO® dry dog and cat food products. We
immediately retrieved the affected pet food from our distributors, and only
three sku’s reached retail stores. These were delivered to a small number
of PetSmart and Petco stores. The specific products are listed below.

Upon discovery of the melted plastic, we immediately halted manufacturing
and performed a thorough search of all equipment. We identified the source
as a worker’s “bump cap,” similar to a hard hat, which inadvertently made
its way into our manufacturing process.

Based on our extensive review, it is highly unlikely that any pieces of
plastic made it into finished product. However, upon learning of the
incident, we voluntarily retrieved all potentially affected products.

We strive to produce pet food of the highest quality and safety standards.
Consumers who believe they have purchased potentially affected product
should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for another
NUTRO® product, or contact the Nutro Products Consumer Care team at
1-800-833-5330.

Thank you for your continued loyalty and support for Nutro Products.

PRODUCT THAT MADE IT TO SELECT PETSMART STORES IN CA, AZ, CO, TX and NM ONLY

Product Name
UPC
Size
Best by Date
NUTRO® ULTRA™ Puppy food for dogs
79105 51313
4.5 LB
09/10/10
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® Chicken Meal, Rice and Oatmeal Formula Small Bites
Puppy
79105 23050
5 LB
09/10/10

PRODUCT THAT MADE IT TO SELECT PETCO STORES IN CA, NV, HI and UT ONLY

Product Name
UPC
Size
Best by Date
NUTRO® ULTRA™ Puppy food for dogs
79105 51315
30 LB
09/10/10
# # #

For all of you who feed your dogs peanut butter biscuits please note the following recall news.
I would advise not giving your dog any peanut butter products while this scare in on. There are several great brands of dog cookies that are free of wheat, corn and soy that are much healthier for your dog such as Solid Gold Cinnabones or the Wellness Ocean fish and sweet potato cookies.

Pet Food Recall: Peanut Butter Salmonella Scare, Grreat Choice Dog Biscuits

By Karen Diaz
Jan 21, 2009
www.nationalledger.com

The peanut butter scare is now moving towards pet food items for dogs and there is now a voluntar pet food recall involving dog treats as well. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, at least one company has a recall on dog food and biscuits that contain peanut paste.

The pet food recall includes PetSmart Grreat Choice Dog Biscuit products.

In a release PetSmart noted that even though they were not aware of any reported cases of illness related to these products they would go ahead and voluntarily put out the order to recall the items that contain the peanut paste.

The recalled products include packages ranging in size from 32 ounces to 10 pounds, sold between Aug. 21, 2008, and Jan. 19, 2009. Customers can visit www.petsmartfacts.com for more information or contact PetSmart Customer Service at 1-888-839-9638.

The list:

Small Assorted 32 oz., UPC 73725702900

Small/Medium Assorted 4 lb., UPC 73725700601

Small/Medium Assorted 8 lb., UPC 73725700605

Small/Medium Assorted 10 lb., UPC 73725702755

Large Assorted 8 lb., UPC 73725700638

Extra Large Assorted 8 lb., UPC 73725700779

Peanut Butter 4 lb., UPC 73725700766

Recall: Hartz Mountain rawhide chips

SECAUCUS, N.J. – The Hartz Mountain Corporation has voluntarily recalled a specific lot of its Hartz chicken-basted rawhide chips for dogs due to concerns that one or more bags within the lot are potentially contaminated with Salmonella.

The company announced the recall Friday, saying the two-pound plastic bags of chips with lot code JC23282, UPC number 3270096463 were distributed to a national retail customer it did not identify.

Hartz said the normal testing it conducts through an independent outside laboratory did not detect the presence of Salmonella in any of its rawhide products, but sample testing conducted by another laboratory did indicate the presence of the bacteria in a single bag of the chicken-basted rawhide chips.

Salmonella can cause serious infections in dogs and _ if there is cross-contamination caused by handling of the rawhide chips _ in people as well, especially children, the aged, and people with compromised immune systems.

Hartz is investigating the difference in test results and the potential source of the problem. It said there have been no reports of any animals or humans becoming ill.