What Is Dog Food Advisor?
Anyone who has ever done a dog food-related Google search has likely stumbled on this pervasive and SEO-friendly website. To a layperson, at face value, the site appears to be an informative resource that dog owners can refer to and trust. Dog Food Advisor (DFA) evaluates over 950 dog food brands based on their ingredients, and guaranteed analyses, and ranks them with a star rating (5 stars being the best).
The Truth About Dog Food Advisor: It Was Created by a Dentist
Mike Sagman, creator, writer, and editor of DogFoodAdvisor.com, is a retired dental surgeon, as he states on the “About Dog Food Advisor” page. He also loves dogs, he says, and his undergraduate studies included a major in chemistry and a minor in biology. This is stated in such a way as to indicate that a background in any science gives someone more authority in the area of veterinary medicine and nutrition, but it doesn't.
What is missing from Dr. Sagman’s bio are any degrees in nutrition, human or animal. He vaguely states that he has done “professional studies in human nutrition” and that he is also interested in canine nutrition. These statements simply amount to Dr. Sagman being a former restorative and cosmetic dentist who has learned about pet nutrition at his leisure instead of undergoing the rigorous training of licensed professionals. Would Dr. Sagman condone a pet nutrition expert fitting a human for a tooth crown?
Dog Food Advisor Defies Veterinary Nutritionists
Even more concerning is that DFA defies the consensus recommendations of board-certified veterinary nutritionists who are the most qualified experts in animal nutrition when you would think that critics of those with little nutrition education would be inclined to favor their input. Instead, their contributions are often degraded, often claimed to be lies or manipulations controlled by a “Big Pharma” or "Big Pet Food" entity, and the opinions of vocal people with zero training are hypocritically favored instead. In fact, very few, if any, board-certified veterinary nutritionists recommend or don’t vehemently disagree with the claims that Dog Food Advisor confidently promotes.
- The ingredient "animal fat" in the recipe could possibly include "restaurant grease, slaughterhouse waste, diseased cattle… even euthanized pets."
- In 2010, by-products are lambasted: "we tend to dislike dog foods made with low-quality plant or animal by-products" even though the site favors meat and by-products are meat, just perhaps the parts of the animal that some human cultures find unappealing (organs). DFA no longer lists by-products as a controversial ingredient.
- It is plainly stated that the site studies the ingredient list, which certified nutritionists know and understand to be a near useless and amateurish method of judging dog food.
Potentially Harmful Foods Given "5 Star" Ratings
While Dog Food Advisor's methodology involves pointing out "controversial" ingredients of which the controversy often stems from myths and non-evidence-based claims, the website also downplays the very serious implication of DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy) and its association with "BEG" dog foods [7] (Boutique, Exotic, Grain-free) that do not meet the established criteria of WSAVA [8] (World Small Animal Veterinary Association, this organization outlines high-quality standards for pet food companies such as employment of a certified nutritionist, quality control measures, and others), even going as far as to grant one of the brands (Orijen) that have been specifically indicated in the FDA's report.
In case due to price constraints, you are unable to choose an expensive food like royal canin or farming, you can opt for economical food like drool or even home-made food like chicken and rice. If you are giving homemade food, be sure to incorporate at least one supplement with your dog's diet like Beaphar bone builder supplement or Beaphar Salmon oil which can be readily mixed with the food for enhanced nutrition. Although these supplements can be pricey, there are worth the money spent and also last for quite some time, unlike dry food.
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