Shopping can be overstimulating, especially when you’re picking out a new diet for your pup. You love your dog and want to find something they’ll enjoy, not just anything off the shelf. The recipe should also be healthy, but affordable for your budget. With so many factors to consider, dog food comparison can feel like a never-ending battle. 

Stop wasting time searching store aisles and learn how to compare dog food fast. Read on to discover our tips for dog food comparison. For even faster results, head to our dog food comparison tool and see how the best dog food brands stack up against Sundays. 

Step 1: Buzzwords

Reading the nutrition label is the best way to find high-quality dog food. But since most stores display products from the front, the nutrition label might be hard to see. Separate the best dog food brands from the worst by looking for these buzzwords on packaging. 

Good Dog Food Buzzwords

• Human-grade
• Organic
• All-natural
• Meat-first
• Made in the USA
• Vet-recommended dog food
• Grain-inclusive
• Allergy-friendly
• Limited-ingredient diet (LID) 
• Nutrient dense
• Small batch

Be on the lookout for bad buzzwords, too. Steer clear of products that use the word “meal” or “by-product” to describe their protein. There’s hardly any real meat in meals and by-products, but many brands use them as a cheaper protein source. Avoid products with buzzwords like “grain-free” and “vegan”, unless your dog has a specific allergy to such ingredients. 

Bad Buzzwords

• Grain-free
• Meat meal
• Formula
• Flavor
• Added vitamins, minerals, and amino acids
• Synthetic
• By-product
• Vegan

Step 2: Check the Nutrition Label

The front of dog food packaging can only show so much. But the most effective dog food comparison method is checking the back of the product. This is where you’ll find the ingredient list and nutrition label. Don’t be intimidated by the big names and tiny text – we’ll teach you how to properly read a nutrition label. 

Calorie Content

At the top of a label, you’ll usually find the caloric content. This states how many kilocalories (kcal) are in each metric cup and kilogram of food. The fewer kcals per cup, the bigger the serving size. Pet parents with bigger pups may want a more nutrient-dense dog food with more kcals per cup. 

Guaranteed Analysis

The guaranteed analysis is one of the first things you’ll see on a nutrition label. This outlines the specific amount of nutrients that the recipe contains. Unless your dog needs a specific protein or sugar content, you can ignore this part of the label. Consult your vet if you have any questions or concerns about nutrient content. 

AAFCO Approval

Below the guaranteed analysis is a small bit of text or an AAFCO logo. AAFCO is the Association of American Feed Control Officials. The text should state that the food is “complete and balanced” by AAFCO standards. 

It may also specify if the food is intended for All Life Stages, Growth (puppies), Gestation (nursing or pregnant dogs), or Maintenance (adult or senior recipes). Be sure your dog fits into one of these life stages before buying a new food. For example, you don’t want your large breed puppy eating a Gestation dog food. 

All the best dog food brands are AAFCO-approved. If the food doesn’t have AAFCO approval, it’s not a safe diet for your dog. The words “complete and balanced” mean the recipe has complete nutrition for your pup in balanced ratios. If your pup isn’t eating AAFCO-approved dog food, they may be nutrient deficient. 

Step 3: Ingredient List

Once you’ve confirmed calorie content and AAFCO approval, you can move on to ingredients. This is perhaps the most important step in dog food comparison. Ingredients matter, and there are a lot of brands that use cheap or artificial additives that can be harmful to your pup. 

First things first: real meat should always be the first ingredient listed on a dog food label. The FDA requires brands to list ingredients in order of quantity. That means the first ingredient makes up the most of the recipe. Since dogs need a lot of protein to thrive, real meat (not meat meals) should be the first ingredient. 

Here are a few common dog food ingredients you’ll want to avoid. Some of these foods have been linked to DCM or other health issues in dogs: 

• Corn
• Soy
• Peas
• Lentils
• Chickpeas
• Beans
• Potatoes
• Rice
• Meat meals or by-products

Avoid recipes with artificial flavors, added supplements, or synthetic ingredients. Even some of the best dog food brands use artificial ingredients. Kibble and other processed dog foods use harsh cooking methods that deplete ingredients of their natural vitamins, minerals, and flavor. Synthetic additives are a cheap way to replace the lost nutrients and meet AAFCO standards. 

The problem with synthetic vitamins and minerals isn’t the nutrition, it’s the way that dogs process them. Though they are meant to be identical, synthetic ingredients aren’t the same as the actual nutrients. Often, a dog’s body can’t identify and absorb synthetic nutrients. This can cause vitamin deficiencies and other potential health issues. 

Choose recipes that only have ingredients you recognize. The best dog food brands don’t need artificial ingredients to be complete and balanced. Instead, they rely on whole food ingredients to provide your pup with the nutrition they need to thrive. Sundays for Dogs is an example of 100% human-grade dog food recipes. 

Step 4: Storage & Serving Instructions

After scanning the ingredient list, the hard part of dog food comparison is over. Products that pass the first three steps to compare dog food are likely to pass the fourth step, as well. All that’s left to do is check the storage and serving instructions. 

Most dry dog food is ready to serve. Some fresher recipes might require refrigeration, prep, or other ingredients. It doesn’t matter how dog food is served, as long as the recipe is complete and balanced. So, just make sure the product meets your serving and storage needs before purchasing. 

To save fridge space and time, go with fresh dog food like Sundays. Their vet-recommended dog food recipes are air-dried and shelf-stable. This means you can store the food in any cool, dry location and serve it without any additional prep. It’s the easiest way to give your dog fresh food ingredients. 

Sundays’ Dog Food Comparison Chart 

Looking to save time? Skip the pet store and head to Sundays’ dog food comparison tool. 

Search from over 3,000 recipes from the best dog food brands. You’ll see a side-by-side dog food comparison chart that highlights ingredients, manufacturing, serving methods, and more. It’s the fastest way to compare dog foods right from your phone, laptop, or tablet.