Dog Food Ingredients

The dog food ingredients in the food you give your Boston directly affect the quality of the food as well as his health. The following guide will help you determine the general quality of your current brand of commercial dog food.

How to grade your dog's food:

Start with a score of 100:

1. For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points
2. For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points
3. If the dog food ingredients include 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", "brewers 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 dog food ingredients include 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 isn’t allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
14. If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn’t allergic to beef), subtract 1 point
15. If the dog food ingredients include salt, subtract 1 point

Extra Credit:

Grading Scale

100+ = A+
94-100 = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
69 or less = F


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 includes 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 " turkey" as 2 different sources), add 1 point
13. If the ingredients include Glucosamine and Chondroitin, add 1 point
14. If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point

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