What criteria do I base my recommendations on?
1. Food contains no corn, wheat or soy. Grains limited in top 5 ingredients.
2. Company discloses where their food is manufactured.
3. Food contains a good amount of animal protein in the top ingredients (prefer a named meal as #1 or at least a named meat as #1 followed by a named meal in the top ingredients).
4. Food does not contain by-products.
5. Food does not contain synthetic Vitamin K (menadione).
6. Food does not contain ethoxyquin.
7. Food has only named ingredients.
8. Food does not contain gluten meals.
9. If food contains grains or fruits/vegetables, they are whole ingredients, not fragments.
10. Food does not contain artificial colors, preservatives, flavors or sweeteners.

If your food is not on this list, but passes the above criteria, then your food is likely fine. Should you have questions about an individual product, please feel free to email me and I will add it to this thread.

The listing contains the following information: Brand Name, Manufacturing Info, Company Website. These are not listed in order of preference, they are listed alphabetically.

Grain Free Dog Foods

• Addiction Foods – *Salmon Bleu and Viva La Venison ONLY* – [made by Taplow Ventures, Vancouver BC; Pied Piper, Hamlin TX; and Texas Farm Products, Nacogdoches TX] – www.addictionfoods.com
• Champion Pet Foods, *Acana Grain Free and Orijen* – [made in their own plant, BC Canada] – www.championpetfoods.com
• Diamond Pet Products, *Taste of the Wild* - [made in their three facilities in Lathrop CA, Meta MO and Gaston SC] – www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com (Best By date of May 15, 2011 or later ONLY)
• Firstmate Pet Foods, *Firstmate Grain Free* – [made in their own plant in Chilliwack BC Canada] – www.firstmate.com
• Fromm Family Foods, *4 Star Surf N Turf* – [made in their facility, Mequon WI] – www.frommfamily.com
• Horizon Pet Nutrition, *Horizon Legacy* – [made in their own plant, Rosthern, Saskatchewan, Canada] – www.horizonpetfood.com
• Merrick Pet Care, *Before Grain* – [made in their own plant, Hereford TX] – www.merrickpetcare.com
• Natura Pet Products, *EVO* – [made in their own plant, Fremont NE] – www.naturapet.com
• Nature’s Variety, *Instinct* – [made by Pied Piper Mills, Hamlin TX] – www.naturesvariety.com
• Petcurean Pet Nutrition, *Now! and Go!Natural Grain Free* – [made by Elmira Pet Products, Ontario Canada] – www.petcurean.com

USE CAUTION IN FEEDING GRAIN FREE FOODS TO GROWING DOGS! Many grain free foods (for instance, EVO) have calcium and phosphorus levels that are too high for growing giant pups. Feeding those foods can harm your puppy. So the general rule is steer clear of those foods until your dog’s growth plates have closed (usually around 2 years of age). If you have any questions, please email me for further information.

What criteria do I base my recommendations on?
1. Food contains no corn, wheat or soy. Grains limited in top 5 ingredients.
2. Company discloses where their food is manufactured.
3. Food contains a good amount of animal protein in the top ingredients (prefer a named meal as #1 or at least a named meat as #1 followed by a named meal in the top ingredients).
4. Food does not contain by-products.
5. Food does not contain synthetic Vitamin K (menadione).
6. Food does not contain ethoxyquin.
7. Food has only named ingredients.
8. Food does not contain gluten meals.
9. If food contains grains or fruits/vegetables, they are whole ingredients, not fragments.
10. Food does not contain artificial colors, preservatives, flavors or sweeteners.

If your food is not on this list, but passes the above criteria, then your food is likely fine. Should you have questions about an individual product, please feel free to email me and I will add it to this thread.

The listing contains the following information: Brand Name, Manufacturing Info, Company Website. These are not listed in order of preference, they are listed alphabetically.

Dry Dog Foods

• Addiction Foods - [made by Taplow Ventures, Vancouver BC (salmon); Pied Piper Pet & Wildlife, Inc, Hamlin, TX (venison); and Texas Farm Products, Nacogdoches, TX (pork)] – www.addictionfoods.com
• Blue Buffalo - [made by Chenango Valley Pet Foods, Sherburne NY; CJ Foods, Bern KS; Dad’s Pet Foods, Meadville PA; and Triple T Foods, Frontenac KS]- www.bluebuff.com
• By Nature and By Nature Organics - [made in their own plant, Arcade NY and Chenango Valley Pet Foods, Sherburne NY] – www.bynaturepetfoods.com
• Canine Caviar Pet Foods - [made by Ohio Pet Foods, Lisbon OH] – www.caninecaviar.com
• Castor & Pollux Pet Works – [made by CJ Foods, Bern KS and Crosswinds Petfoods Inc, Sabetha KS] – www.castorpolluxpet.com
• Champion Pet Foods - [made in their own plant, Alberta Canada] – www.championpetfoods.com
• Dogswell LLC – [made by Tuffy’s Pet Foods, Perham MN] – www.dogswell.com
• Evanger’s – [made either by Ohio Pet Foods, Lisbon OH or Fromm Family Foods, Mequon WI] – www.evangersdogfood.com
• Firstmate Pet Foods - [made in their own plant, Chilliwack BC Canada] – www.firstmate.com
• Fromm Family Foods – [made in their facility, Mequon WI] – www.frommfamily.com
• Horizon Pet Nutrition, *Horizon Complete* – [made in their own plant, Rosthern, Saskatchewan, Canada] – www.horizonpetfood.com
• Laughing Dog, Inc. – [made by Taplow Foods, Chilliwack BC Canada] – www.laughingdoginc.com
• Life4K9 Pet Food Corp. - [made by Bio Biscuit, Saint-Hyacinthe Quebec Canada and Hampshire Pet Products, Joplin MO] – www.life4k9.com
• Merrick Pet Care - [made in their own plant, Hereford TX] – www.merrickpetcare.com
• Natura Pet Products – [made in their own plants in Fremont NE and San Leandro CA] – www.naturapet.com
• Nature’s Variety – [made by Pied Piper Mills, Hamlin TX] – www.naturesvariety.com
• Petcurean Pet Nutrition - [made by Elmira Pet Products, Ontario Canada] – www.petcurean.com
• SmartPak, LiveSmart – [made by Chenango Valley Pet Foods, Sherburne NY] – www.smartpakcanine.com
• Tuffy’s Pet Foods Inc, *Natural Planet Organics and Pure Vita ONLY* – [made in their own plant, Perham MN] – www.nutrisourcedogfood.com