Worst Dog Food Brands To Avoid (+5 We Recommend)! (2022)

We all know that feeding your dog can be a thankless task, especially when it comes to finding the right dog food for your beloved pet.

These days, there are countless dog food brands available, which means you have to be mindful of what you are giving your dog to eat.

Recognizing bad dog food is something that every dog owner should be able to do, although avoiding harmful ingredients is a lot easier said than done. 

While many human food products try to conceal the ingredients they contain, many dog food brands prefer to showcase exactly what their product contains, even though this is not always indicative of the brand’s overall quality.

So if you want to know what dog food brands you should avoid, then you have come to the right place. 

In the following article, we are going to explain which dog food ingredients can be harmful to your pets and how you can avoid brands that utilize these products.

Beyond this, we will also recommend some of the best dog food brands currently available on the market, so that you can make sure that your dog is eating a balanced and nutritious diet.

Now let’s get started…

What Dog Food Ingredients Should You Avoid?

We all know that feeding your dog can be a thankless task, especially when it comes to finding the right dog food for your beloved pet.

These days, there are countless dog food brands available, which means you have to be mindful of what you are giving your dog to eat.

Recognizing bad dog food is something that every dog owner should be able to do, although avoiding harmful ingredients is a lot easier said than done. 

While many human food products try to conceal the ingredients they contain, many dog food brands prefer to showcase exactly what their product contains, even though this is not always indicative of the brand’s overall quality.

So if you want to know what dog food brands you should avoid, then you have come to the right place. 

In the following article, we are going to explain which dog food ingredients can be harmful to your pets and how you can avoid brands that utilize these products.

Beyond this, we will also recommend some of the best dog food brands currently available on the market, so that you can make sure that your dog is eating a balanced and nutritious diet.

Now let’s get started…

Meat By-Products 

Because dog food is not usually held to the same standards as human food, many dog food brands use questionable ingredients to make their products, with one of the most notable additions being meat by-products. 

This term refers to meat products that encompass the leftovers found in a slaughterhouse, which means your dog’s food contains a mixture of organs and limbs.

Although there are some people who testify that these products are high in protein, this does not mean that they are a viable substitute for actual meat. 

When it comes to providing your dog with a well-balanced diet, it is imperative that you give them a decent supply of protein, which is why you should only purchase dog food brands that utilize real cuts of meat. 

4D Meat Products 

Although meat by-products are best to be avoided, this does not mean that they are the worst ingredient that dog food can contain, as some brands have been known to utilize controversial 4D meats. 

Whereas meat by-products are usually leftovers taken from slaughterhouses, 4D meats encompass any meat products collected from across the country, which means your dog could be eating dead zoo animals, roadkill and even other dead pets.

So you can only imagine how dangerous this can be for your dog’s health. 

However, the worst thing about 4D meats is that dog food manufacturers don’t have to say where they acquired the meat from, which means that many brands will often label the waste as meat by-products.

Because of this, you will never know if the meat in your dog’s food came from the slaughterhouse or the local motorway. 

Filler Products

Another way that dog food manufacturers cut costs is by using ingredients such as corn, wheat and soy to fill up their products. 

Not only do filler ingredients work to make the food look more substantial, but they also increase the calorie count and make it appear as if your pooch is eating a full and nutritious meal. 

And although these ingredients can help to fill up your dog, this does not mean that they are beneficial for your dog’s health.

In fact, some filler products can even make your dog feel very sick, as ingredients such as soy and corn can be very difficult for your dog to digest, which can result in serious problems.

Artificial Products

While some dog food manufacturers have been known to use cheap and diseased meat, others choose to utilize food dyes and preservatives to make their products more visually appealing. 

Although these additions can work to make the food more flavourful for your dog, you need to consider why they are needed if the product already contains meat and protein. 

Beyond this, it is best to avoid dog food brands that utilize artificial products, as it demonstrates a lack of quality and passion on the part of the manufacturer. 

7 Worst Dog Food Brands

Now that you understand what ingredients you need to avoid, let’s take a look at some of the worst dog food brands currently available on the market:

1. Kal Kan Complete Adult 

Like many dog food brands, Kal Kan Complete Adult uses various filler products to create their recipes, with corn often featuring as a primary ingredient. 

Whereas corn is not known for its nutritional value, the ingredient is also treated with harmful chemicals that could find their way into the food, which can lead to serious repercussions for your beloved pet. 

Beyond this, the company also utilizes bone meal as another key ingredient, which is essentially a combination of ground-up animal bones and cartilage.

While these ingredients can provide your dog with some protein, they are still no substitute for dog foods that use real meat as the main ingredient. 

To top it all off, this particular brand has been known to contain other fillers such as soybean and wheat, with some chicken by-products added for good measure.

2. IAMS Dog Food 

Upon first glance, IAMS Dog Food may seem like a sufficient brand for your beloved pooch, with the product featuring chicken as its main source of protein. 

However, a closer inspection will tell you that the dog food also contains a large amount of cornmeal and sorghum, which are filler products that provide limited nutritional value. 

Whereas the package boasts real chicken as the main ingredient, the recipe itself features a combination of chicken and chicken by-products, although it is still unclear where the latter actually comes from. 

Finally, IAMS Dog Food features beet pulp as a key ingredient, which is high in sugar content and could result in obesity. 

3. Kibbles ‘N Bits 

When it comes to dog food, there is a notable difference between raw and kibble products, with the latter being a less than ideal option for your pet. 

Although many kibble brands market themselves as containing delicious meat-based products, Kibble ‘N Bits does not feature any real meat at all, with meat by-products such as bone meal being used as the main source of protein. 

Kibble ‘N Bits is also notorious for its use of filler products, with the brand utilizing corn and soybeans to add some much-needed weight to the final product. 

Add to that a combination of food dyes and preservatives and you have one of the worst dog foods brands currently available for your pooch.

4. Ol’ Roy Dog Food 

Produced by Walmart, Ol’ Roy is yet another dog food that purports to contain everything that your dog needs to maintain a healthy diet. However, in this case, the brand fails to deliver on almost every conceivable front. 

Currently, Ol’ Roy can be purchased in a range of different flavors, with each recipe containing vast amounts of corn and wheat to pad out the content. 

However, the brand will also contain fillers and meat by-products, which can greatly outweigh any natural ingredients that it claims to contain. 

What’s more, this particular brand of dog food is well known for its notable shelf life, which is enhanced through the addition of preservatives such as citric acid, which has been linked to both dental and digestive problems in dogs.

5. Pedigree Dog Food 

Pedigree is now considered to be one of the most popular dog food brands in the world, with many of their products becoming best-sellers. 

However, this does not mean that their products are beneficial for your dog’s health, as many contain fillers that offer limited nutritional value. 

For example, most Pedigree products contain whole grain corn as the primary ingredient, even though this substance can cause allergic reactions and is also difficult to digest. 

Beyond this, Pedigree is not above utilizing meat by-products and artificial flavours to cut costs, which helps to demonstrate why you should be wary of this brand.

6. Cesars Filets 

In contrast to the other products we have discussed, Cesars Filet does not contain any fillers or artificial ingredients. 

Instead, the brand should be avoided due to its high salt content, which can lead to serious problems regarding your dog’s health. 

There is also the addition of some meat by-products to be wary of, as the small amount still outweighs the natural meat content.

7. Gravy Train 

Like other dog food brands on this list, Gravy Train does contain some real meat in their products, although the amount is still considerably small when compared to the level of meat and poultry by-products found in the final recipe. 

Beyond this, there is also a noticeable amount of filler products such as soy and cornstarch, with the brand also utilizing artificial colorings and preservatives. 

So if you have been searching for a dog food brand that uses real meat, then there are other nutritional options that promise to meet your needs.

5 Best Dog Food Brands 

Now that you understand which dog food brands to avoid, let’s take a look at the ones you should buy instead.

In the section below, we have compiled a selection of the five best dog food brands currently available, so why not take a look and see which product catches your interest: