Review of the Dog food brands available in India

As a dog owner we all want to feed the best to our dogs, sadly there are not many nutritious food brands available in India. So here's the review of all the food brands in India so that you can feed your dog the best. This review is only for dry dog foods.

1. Pedigree ( NOT AT ALL RECOMMENDED)

Corn, gluten meal, chicken or meat byproducts, meat and bone meal are the main ingredients for pedigree. Corn and gluten meal are just cheap fillers and many dogs are allergic to it. Byproducts and bone meal are derived from the leftovers of carcass which includes bones, eyes, beaks, feet, nails, and feathers of the animal. There is no specified meat in any formula. Thus Pedigree is full of trash dog food.

2.Eukanuba(NOT RECOMMENDED)

It has fresh meat as its first ingredient which is a palatable and great source of protein but it reduces to 1/4th of its original proportion after cooking and thus most of the protein in Eukanuba foods is derived from corn, rice and byproducts which is less digestible and sometimes even allergic to some dogs.

3. Arden Grange (RECOMMENDED)

Being an European brand it has % written for initial ingredients. Rich in both fresh meat  and meat meal it has only 30% of grains, mostly rice which is far better than corn or wheat. Also there are lots of other helthy things added like beet pulp, eggs, fish oils etc. Its also low in fat which makes it a perfectly healthy option.

4. Science Plan (NOT BAD BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH AS WELL)

Its label ensures minimum 30% meat meal. But still it has lots of fillers. Tough being named science plan its not scientific enough to be recommended here. Bit of meat and rest of grains thus its not a good formula but its not bad either.

5. Royal Canin (OK)

Rice is the main ingredient in all formulas which is ok. Followed by poultry protein which according to AFFCO is derived from clean slaughtered meat. RC ensures quality of its ingredients and has age specific formulas. But again there are lot of grains and a lot of protein comes from vegetable protein isolates which does not break down easily in canine's body. Thus I can say that it is the most overrated food in the market.

6. Farmina's Chibau (OK)

Being an Italian brand it has % of almost all ingredients written on label. With 40% grains and 50% of meat it is an average dog food. Again just like RC good quality of ingredients is ensured by the company. Overall a decent food.

7. Farmina's Ecopet

Similar to science plan it has chicken meat meal but still is filled with lot of grains. And even tough its an European product no % are specified and thus its a below average dog food.

8. Farmina's N & D low grain (Highly Recommend)

No recalls ever; its one of the best dog food companies. Being Italian brand % of ingredients are specified. It has only 20% of oats and splets combined which are healthy substitutes to rice and corn, and are easy to digest. Rich in fresh chicken it has more than 60% of meat making it best so far. It also has 35% of crude protein which is highest in any dog food in India. One of the best available.

9. Drools(NOT RECOMMENDED)

Similar to eukanuba it has fresh meat on ingredient list which reduces to 1/4 th of its original size after cooking. Rest there are grains, unnamed meat, and byproducts etc. which are not very healthy.

10. Happy Dog (NOT RECOMMENDED)

Another dog food which has an unnamed meat meal at the top of the list. But total meat content is hardly 25-30% and rest all is filled with grains. Making it another not very healthy dog food.

11. Nutra Nuggets (NITHER GOOD NOR BAD)

An American dog food brand with AFFCO certification, suggests that its not a bad food. But it has a little meat and a whole lot of grains and thus I won't say it is a good food either. Tough ingredients quality is assured by AFFCO.

12. Nutra Gold (RECOMMENDED)

This is also certified by AFFCO. It has high quality and quantity of turkey, chicken and other premium quality meats. But it also has high quantities of grain as well. Its adult formula is really good whereas puppy one is slightly inferior. Overall a good dog food.

13. Taste of the Wild (HIGHLY RECOMMEND)

The only grain free food available in India. It has unique duck meat and various fish meats as well. Very high in % of meat. According to ingredients its the best available in India. But recently it has been recalled a few times as some of their bags were contaminated with salmonella. Overall its a good  dog food.

14. (CP, Simple Dog, fun dog) (NOT AT ALL RECOMMENDED)

CP (recommended by many people nowadays), simple dog, and fun dog are other super market brands which are again full of grains and byproducts not even a single good ingredient. Please if possible avoid these brands. Its made from the leftovers after human consumption.

So this is how every brand really is. Please let me know if any dog food is missing here. Also if you want a complete review about your particular food you can send me your food's ingredient list and list of guaranteed analysis on karandattani@gmail.com. Any suggestions, comments and doubts are also welcome on same email address.

I hope it was helpful for you'll.

Comments

1. Pedigree: The only good variety I find is the "non-professional" puppy kibble comprising of chicken

By: gspal | 17 Jan 2014

Excellent article Karan! I hope every dog lover should see your article and choose the best food for their pets. After all, our dogs should be healthy and live beyond their average lifespan. Way to go man!!

By: D.R. | 18 Jan 2014

Good one. ..but recently IIPTF showcased many new brands. .

By: jimmey dattani | 18 Jan 2014

Hi Karan... Good summary...You missed out on Solid Gold though. It is currently the only grain free gluten free product in India.

By: Vinod Sharma | 21 Jan 2014

Hi Karan, You missed out on Solid Gold

By: Vinod Sharma | 22 Jan 2014

And Mr. Deepakh my sincere thanks to you for taking this article so seriously.

By: karan hemant | 23 Jan 2014

Nice and crisp review. I was surprised to read about RC. I have a Beagle

By: Mahesh Nagavekar | 23 Jan 2014

Hello, I just got a notification regarding a beagle owner switching him to N

By: karan hemant | 23 Jan 2014

Hi Karan,Nice Article. Thanks

By: Nitin Goenka | 24 Jan 2014

Hello, I just got a notification regarding a beagle owner switching him to N

By: karan hemant | 24 Jan 2014

Anything that is free from corn,soy and wheat are good. Good sources of carbs are rice, barley, oats, sweet potatos. For protein go for the labels which states fresh meat and meat meal.Even poultry meal is a controversial ingredient because you will never know what type of poultry is in there even if the bag states that it is chicken formula.

By: D.R. | 25 Jan 2014

Hi I have 2 GSD 8 month old pups. I dont want to give them dry food. Currently we are giving them bread milk pedigree for BreakfastCooked rice vegetables beef with bones and stock for lunch and dinner.Can I substitute the Breakfast with Ragi/oats/broken wheat porridge 2 eggs each?Advice will be appreciated as most of the websites speak only of branded food or food non conducive to Indian conditions.Thankssudha

By: David Barun Kumar Thomas | 26 Jan 2014

Hello sudhaActually you would be doing a favour on your GSD by switching from milk pedigree bread to oats and eggs. Lunch and dinner that you are giving is superb for them. I would suggest you to talk to your vet regarding multivitamin supplements. Rest you dogs are having excellent diet.

By: karan hemant | 26 Jan 2014

Hello guys I found that any food available in India is not great enough. There are many great brands like orijen, ziwipeak, applaws, etc.

By: jimmey dattani | 28 Jan 2014

I kinda like it however curious on the source of this info for us or any body to follow ? Are you a Nutritionist by any chance ( curiosity again )

By: Pravin | 30 Jan 2014

Your opinion on Butch (India) Rolls for dogs

By: gspal | 25 Feb 2014

If all the best brands are routed into India via South-East Asian countries like Thailand they would be cheaper due to lower custom duty.

By: gspal | 25 Feb 2014

I have been ordering Farmina N

By: gspal | 23 Jun 2014