Why You Should Never Trust Dog Food Advisor

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?

However, even with no credentials of any form in animal science, he would be fine to create a website citing credible academic sources and peer-reviewed research to back up his ratings and reviews. The problem is that he does the complete opposite.

Dog Food Advisor Defies Veterinary Nutritionists

One common claim you will frequently hear—especially among those who promote “alternative” information like that on Dog Food Advisor—is that vets have little or no training in animal nutrition. People who make this claim will then go on to trust various websites and blogs that they find on Google, including Dog Food Advisor, despite the writers having little or no veterinary training and certainly nothing in animal nutrition.

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.

Dog Food Advisor Beliefs

• While DFA claims to be science and fact-based, the site actively promotes non-evidence-based claims, such as the myth that corn is a suspect ingredient in dog food. This apprehensiveness is partly based on anecdotes (unreliable testimonials) of pets allegedly contracting allergies despite the site's admission that studies suggest corn allergies are the least common allergy.
• Also "debunked" is the claim the site says has been made by the pet food industry that corn has a low glycemic index (GI), but this hasn't been claimed, rather, individual ingredients do not have baring on the GI of the developed food, and whether or not GI is important to assess in dogs is also questionable. DFA is fixated on ingredients rather than the finished product that has been shown to be, through feeding trials and other research, safe and healthy for pets.
• Also focused on is the notion that dogs should be fed some form of "ancestral diet." Not only are dogs not wolves, but they also do not live a wild wolf lifestyle. In addition, wild wolves do not have ideal diets in the wild.

It should also be noted that general veterinarians who promote non-evidence-based claims exist. They often describe themselves as “holistic” or “wellness” veterinarians, and they will often embrace therapies for pets that have little or no evidence. Dr. Karen Becker is a well-known advocate of non-evidence-based medicine for pets and her website is an offshoot of Dr. Mercola’s, considered to be a “quack” by medical professionals for reasons such as promoting his products as cancer cures (which resulted in warnings from the FDA).

Changing Ratings

It is notable that DFA has dramatically changed its rating of Hill’s Science Diet Adult Dog Food from one star in 2010 (not recommended) to 2.5 stars, and as of 2019, the diet is rated 3 stars (recommended) [12], even though little has changed with the formula in the ingredients list and guaranteed analysis. Why?

I speculate that a few years ago, myths about pet food were more rampant and veterinarians were not speaking out against it so overtly online, and DFA follows trends, not science. The 2010 DFA page contains easily debunked claims such as:

• The ingredient “animal fat” in the recipe could possibly include “restaurant grease, slaughterhouse waste, diseased cattle… even euthanized pets.”
• In 2010, by-products were 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 nearly useless and amateurish method of judging dog food.

DFA has significantly changed its language as well as its take on some ingredients it previously labeled as bad, perhaps to try and maintain some credibility. The foundation of its claims has, however, remained the same and defied those who have nutritional expertise. Consider reading a board-certified nutritionist’s take on ingredient analysis.

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.

While Dog Food Advisor has posted an "Important FDA Alert" [4] on the site, the page it links to seems to downplay the issues. Written in bold letters is the statement, "Link to grain-free dog food still not conclusive—no recalls". While this is technically true, it is misleading. Some dogs without a genetic disposition for DCM have reversed their heart disease when they were switched to diets that adhere to WSAVA guidelines (for which DFA gives lower ratings).

Some DFA Ratings (2019)

• Orijen Dry Dog Food: 5 Stars. Made the "Best Dry Dog Foods" [5] list due to "above average meat content", moderate carbs, "no high-risk preservatives," "no anonymous meat," "safe fat to protein ratio," and supposedly "superior safety practices." Yet this brand does not meet WSAVA guidelines, and in addition, it was listed by the FDA in the DCM warning. Blue Buffalo also made the site's 'best' list and was listed by the FDA.
• Purina Pro Plan Focus: 3.5 Stars. Controversial ingredients cited include whole grain wheat and whole grain corn, which it says is an "inexpensive and controversial cereal grain of only modest nutritional value to a dog". This brand meets WSAVA guidelines which means it was formulated in consult with board-certified veterinary nutritionists,
• Hill's Science Diet Adult Dog Food: 3 Stars. Controversial ingredients cited include brewer's rice (claims modest nutritional value), wheat, corn gluten meal (claims lower "biological value" than meat), and dried beet pulp. While the brand is designated a "recommended" label, its score is lowered for "below average protein" and "above average carbs." The manufacturers meet WSAVA guidelines.

Scroll to Continue

Four Reasons Why I Think 2025 Is the Year of the Rapture

Confessions of a Former Love Addict: Gaga For Guys; Sorry, Not Sorry

100 Best Songs About Starting

More Information

• Questions You Should Be Asking About Your Pet
  More about WSAVA criteria and how to choose a dog food, according to the experts
• The 16 Dog Food Brands Named by the FDA
  Sixteen brands of dog food may be associated with a heightened risk of heart failure in dogs, according to the FDA.

As can be seen in this post by Mike Sagman, he claims the ratings and selections on his site have been chosen with verifiable facts, not "unproven claims." The fact is, this is false, and that is verifiable.

The foundation of DFA's information idealizes a so-called "ancestral diet" for dogs, and the reference for this diet is a book entitled See Spot Live Longer by Steve Brown and Beth Taylor, a book that was not only written by two people who are not veterinary nutritionists, but they also are not even vets or appear to have any credentials in nutrition, animal or otherwise.

"Written by Steve Brown, developer of best selling training treats and natural dog foods, and Beth Taylor, who has taught thousands of veterinarians and dog lovers how to properly feed dogs."

One of the reviews: "If you love your dog, please read this book!"...is by Dr. Mercola. As for Beth Taylor, she has a publication with the aforementioned Dr. Karen Becker...Dr. Mercola's website's non-nutritionist veterinarian.

"Beth Taylor, formerly the Director of Veterinary Programs for Steve's Real Food, has spent the last 15 years teaching dog trainers, owners, and veterinarians how to train, exercise and feed their dogs."

Why is Beth, a non-vet, teaching vets about nutrition? She and Steve developed a non-WSAVA-compliant brand of dog food (which has received 5 stars on DFA, of course).

Missing References

In this article, Beth and Steve outline their beliefs about pet food. There are zero references, which suggests the entirety of it is made up, assumed, or perhaps based on their intuition. This article is also hosted on a page that hosts other pseudo-scientific topics, such as mobile phones causing brain damage and vaccines causing autism.

Suspiciously, as of July 2020, I have noticed there are references on the page that I did not see before (and it is the only page on the site that has them that I can find now). All of the references, which again, suspiciously, come from valid (although older) sources that I criticized the site for lacking previously, do not support their ultimate conclusion that:

"A highly processed, grain-based diet fed to an animal designed to thrive on a meat-based, fresh food diet is very likely to produce symptoms of ill-health over time."

The references listed only show that carbohydrates are not essential nutrients in dogs (some people don't even technically consider them essential for humans), however, they are still proven to be highly digestible and beneficial for dogs. No references are given for the article's claim that grains are harmful to dogs.

There is a pattern here. It is notable that the sources that make claims that go against the information provided by credible researchers, scientists, and medical professionals are often those severely lacking credentials. This flies in the face of their claim that vets have little training in nutrition when they themselves promote information from unqualified individuals. This reveals a special kind of hypocrisy.

Such unsubstantiated claims get a boost from outlier vets like Dr. Becker who are not specialists, and the information is further spread by pet owners and their anecdotal evidence. These claims influence the decisions of pet owners and are more than likely directly responsible for the rise in nutritional DCM, a terrible disease that has caused pets and their owners suffering and grief.

The Bottom Line

Dog Food Advisor is a website that is owned and operated by an individual who does not fully understand pet nutrition or the development of pet food because he is not trained in animal nutrition. His website sprung forth during a time when myths were rampant, and resistance to misinformation among vets online was nil.

While the founder continues to update his site with increasingly accurate information, it is still thoroughly grounded in a layperson's perception of how to feed dogs. Dog Food Advisor's rating system is based on a non-scientific publication written by two unqualified individuals. The misinformation it promotes is inaccurate, potentially harmful, and has likely contributed to poor health in some dogs.

Works Cited

1. Adolphe, Jennifer. "Is Glycemic Index a Relevant Tool for Evaluating Pet Food?". Petcurean.
2. Barret, Stephen. "Dr. Joseph Mercola Ordered to Stop Illegal Claims". Quackwatch.
3. Brown, Steve and Taylor, Beth. "Do Dogs and Cats Need Grains"?. Facts are Facts.
4. Dog Food Advisor. "FDA Investigating Potential Link Between Diet and Heart Disease in Dogs".
5. Dog Food Advisor. "Best Dry Dog Foods".
6. Dog Food Advisor. "Steve’s Real Food Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)"
7. Freeman, Lisa. "It’s Not Just Grain-Free: An Update on Diet-Associated Dilated Cardiomyopathy". Cummings Veterinary Medical Center.
8. Freeman, Lisa. "Questions You Should Be Asking About Your Pet’s Food". Cummings Veterinary Medical Center.
9. McKenzie, Brennen. "One More Time: Dogs are not Wolves!". Skepvet.
10. McKenzie, Brennen. "What do Veterinarians Know About Nutrition?". Skepvet.
11. Sagman, Mike. "Hill’s Science Diet Adult Dog Food (Dry)". Dog Food Advisor (2009).
12. Sagman, Mike. "Hill’s Science Diet Adult Dog Food Review (Dry) ". Dog Food Advisor.
13. Taurine DCM. "Frequently Asked Questions".
14. Welton, Roger. "Why Is Corn So Bad As An Ingredient In Pet Food?". Web DMV

This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. It is not meant to substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, or formal and individualized advice from a veterinary medical professional. Animals exhibiting signs and symptoms of distress should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.

© 2019 Melissa A Smith

Comments

Melissa A Smith (author) from New York on September 01, 2020:

Suzy Weibel: That's why it's important to listen to the consensus of experts instead of single veterinarians. Dr. Becker is also a vet yet she promotes dubious alternative "remedies" in concert with the very dis-credible Dr. Mercola. Your veterinarian is more than likely not board certified in nutrition, so why would they tell you to listen to go against the experts in nutrition? Clearly education in nutrition doesn't matter to them, so why complain that vets don't have that extra training?

https://discover.hubpages.com/animals/What-are-the...

Suzy Weibel on September 01, 2020:

Actually, it was a veterinarian who a) Suggested I feed raw and armed me with Dr Becker’s “Real Food For Cats and Dogs” book and b) Told me that unless a veterinarian had chosen nutrition as an area of specialization, the amount of time spent on that area of study was minimal. My take is as follows: People love their pets very much. Everyone should research and do what they feel is best without feeling the need to destroy the person who has made a different decision. We are sold on raw feeding and the benefits we have seen in our dogs. But I never berate anyone for choosing a different path.

Melissa A Smith (author) from New York on August 28, 2020:

Ben: I would recommend listening to veterinary nutritionists and consulting with your vet. You won't gain much from online reviews and testimonials. Please see here:

https://discover.hubpages.com/animals/What-are-the...

Ben on August 27, 2020:

what site would you reccomend that gives accurate reviews?

Tym on August 27, 2020:

Are you big mad or little mad? Still a well written article until you started referencing the extremely flawed FDA.

Melissa A Smith (author) from New York on August 15, 2020:

Barbara B.: No, I'm certainly not a vet, and since you care so much about true veterinary credentials, you should advocate what I'm saying here with zeal. Dog Food Advisor was created by a dentist, and in collaboration with vets that go against the consensus of most vets and researchers, including those with specialized training in nutrition. So if you think your double standard of scrutinizing my credentials protects your faith in DFA, I can assure you it does the complete opposite.

Barbara B. on August 15, 2020:

This article is written by a veterinary assistant...how reliable is that? According to this article , you only have a certificate, not a full veterinary school degree.

Melissa A Smith (author) from New York on August 06, 2020:

Thanks Nick, I didn't know there was a DFA site for cats, what a sad thing.

Nick on August 05, 2020:

I made an account just to thank you for this well-research, well-argued criticism of Dog Food Advisor. I'm going to switch my dog food.

I've been following their advice (and cat food db, which seems to be the evidence-lacking cat equivalent site) because it makes sense on the surface that the big, highly advertised pet food companies cheap out as much as they can and feed you pet junk. That's what the big human food companies do, after all. Even if the big brands are fine, I wanted to know, if similar to human food, there's a higher cost option that is above and beyond "adequate".

There's a compelling argument that "only the big brands have enough money to get studies done, so if there's a healthier alternative out there we wont get studies to prove it."

You've convinced me that I'd prefer to trust the consensus of a body of experts with peer reviewed, high quality data, even if that data is somewhat limited. Individual doctors can be quacks.

Melissa A Smith (author) from New York on July 25, 2020:

Susanna: So you don't eat any foods that contain corn and rice? Why would you make a ludicrous and irrational comparison of eating a balanced pellet with many ingredients that happens to include corn to a gigantic bowl of corn and other byproducts? This is why people need to listen to the experts in nutrition who actually understand what they are talking about. There is nothing wrong with those ingredients, and this food for dogs is undoubtedly more healthy for dogs than the typical American diet for humans. And who said humans and dogs should eat the same foods? If you actually read this article, you would see that I am "angry about Dog Food Advisor" completely because of this misinformation that you have just proudly displayed.

Susanna on July 24, 2020:

It's very clear that you're quite angry about the Dog Food Advisor website. I would hope you and others who use this site for reference, as I have multitudes of times, would realize it's a time saving guide meant to be used thoughtfully in combination with vet consultation or others. The site has never steered me wrong and I have found quality foods for my dogs that have allowed them to thrive using the information on the DFA site. While you can be mad about it all you want, it's an incredibly helpful site. With all the information in one place, it's simple to compare ingredients and make choices. Just like anything you read on the internet, take it with a grain of salt and do more research.

Would you set yourself up with a big bowl of brewer's rice, corn gluten meal, dried beet pulp, unspecificed animal by-products, or other ingredients he's listed as questionable for dinner? I don't think so, so why would I find those to be quality ingredients to feed my dog?

Kenster on June 23, 2020:

So some of the prominent premium/healthy brands have gone the way of introducing new line of pet food with Wholesome or Ancient Grains.

This can be a good compromise for those on the fence about a Grain-free option with lots of legumes --- so recently more options have launched with good & high animal protein options + grains and are legumes free. For example, ACANA and NULO traditionally had been GRAIN-FREE and were considered good, high-quality and premium tier "boutique" pet foods.

But if Legumes were a concern for you and you were fond of their brand and overall protein-rich quality - that's not a problem - ACANA and NULO in my example have a number of relatively newer Wholesome/Ancient GRAIN options without containing any legumes.

Terry Mullineaux on May 23, 2020:

Jon Townsend,

I fail to see the point of your statement that WSAVA is mainly funded by the pet food manufacturers one of which is Purina, who manufactures Pro-Plan. There are 16+ organizations that partner to fund WSAVA for its work around the globe. Their work is vast and includes so much more than nutrition. Like everything, someone has to pay the bills. Kudos to these companies for their willingness to support this important work. In relation to this article, there are five brands that currently meet all the guidelines for choosing a pet food set forth by WSAVA, eg Purina, Royal Canin, Hills Science Diet, Eukanuba and Iams. WSAVA makes no recommendation as to brands of food. Anyone can ask any manufacturer the questions set forth in the guidelines. Many esteemed vets, veterinary nutritionists, behaviorists , scientists/researchers did just that and came up with these brands. As to Mike Sagman, the name of his LLC is Clicks and Traffic and that speaks volumes to me as to his motivation .

Melissa A Smith (author) from New York on May 11, 2020:

Raw feeders often brag about their dogs pooping less, but what they can't do is provide evidence this means a dog is healthier.

Melissa A Smith (author) from New York on May 11, 2020:

These companies do feeding trials and good science. Mercola, Becker, DFA and the other entities that speak ill of them do not.

Jon Townsend on May 11, 2020:

WSAVA is funded mainly by 3 pet food companies. One is manufacturer of Pro-Plan

Kimberly Bragg on May 10, 2020:

I have always heard the dogs poop is how yiu derermine if the food is a high quality food and one to feed.

Melissa A Smith (author) from New York on April 27, 2020:

Perhaps then, John, that is why I tell people to listen to experts in ANIMAL nutrition and not people with blogs telling you the experts are lying. I have singled out names of the individuals doing this. You should be questioning them. Since you demand these credentials you must agree with my article.

John on April 27, 2020:

Let's start from the author. We have here: "certificate in veterinary assisting and has a bachelor's degree in biology." WOW that impressive credentials and expercience in pet nutrition! Really. Veterinary assistant, wich course you can do online for 1000 bucks, and biology bachelor's degree gives you no permission to talk about animal treatment and all the more nutrition!!! Period. This the most ridiculous article I've recently read!

Melissa A Smith (author) from New York on April 09, 2020:

Any WSAVA-compliant brand. Proplan is a popular choice.

Rob on April 09, 2020:

What food brand you recommend?

Shaun on March 14, 2020:

Our dog has six pups to feed, can we give her a flee and worm pill

Maren Elizabeth Morgan from Pennsylvania on December 08, 2019:

Many of the "lay people" advisor sites can easily be stacked or manipulated by businesses. They can enter false reviews to make themselves look good.