Dog Food Classes

General information

Today, each of the types of dog food – dry, semi-moist, wet, canned – has its own classification. It cannot be called unified, uniform for all leading manufacturers of ready-made dog food, but it is conditionally divided into the following components: economy-class, premium-class, super-premium and holistic feeds. Each of them is characterized by sufficiently specified parameters:

• by category of meat products;
• sources and quality of protein – special concentrated protein;
• vitamin palette;
• quantity and assortment of mineral substances, their ratio;
• the presence of flavors, food colors, preservatives;
• the presence of additives that positively affect the work of individual organs of the dog;
• cost.

Economy class Feed

The basis of the feed of this price line is food production waste. Of course, you will not find dietary meat in the assortment of meat ingredients included in this ready-made food. Very often in such products, meat as such is generally absent, and it is replaced mainly by animal fats, tendons and bone meal. The dominant source of protein is vegetable proteins obtained from soybean meal, wheat and other crops (usually the producers of ready-made food of the specified class of plant components are characterized by the word "cereals"). The overall composition of the product is not balanced enough, the amino acids, micro- and macroelements present in it do not differ in diversity. The energy value of such feed ranges from 240 to 310 kcal / 100 g.

Judging by the fact that most dogs like economy-class food, its taste qualities are quite tempting. But such piquancy of the product is due only to the flavors and artificial flavors present in it. The external attractiveness of the food is due to food dyes. The dog himself hardly pays attention to this quality, but the owner, of course, will be pleased to buy an appetizing-looking product.

Actually, this type of food includes all the components that are minimally necessary for a dog, but there is little benefit from such food. If an alternative to economy-class food is a menu of noodles and sausages, then it is better to stop at the first option, but choosing between the finished product and, for example, buckwheat porridge with a good piece of meat, of course, preference should be given to a natural treat.

Regular and long-term nutrition with economy-class dog food is contraindicated, since the low quality of the meat component and the minimum amount of nutrients in the product will sooner or later affect the health of your pet and its appearance, in particular the condition of the coat.

The following brands are in the list of the most popular economy-class feeds in Russia:

• "Pedigree";
• «Darling»;
• "Our brand";
• «Chappi»;
• "Caesar";
• "Kennel yard";
• «Stout»;
• "Oscar";
• "Meal".

Premium Feed

In the Russian Federation, dog owners most often prefer premium-class feeds. Their range is very wide and heterogeneous. Some of them almost do not lose in their qualities to a super-premium product, while others, on the contrary, do not exceed the level of economy class by much.

Premium-class feeds, along with meat, contain by-products of the II-th category, however, as a rule, there is no information on the packaging of the goods about which meat products were used in the production process. The amount of meat ingredients is up to 30%, the dominant component in this feed is most often rice.

The described product contains more animal proteins than in economy class products, vitamins, macro- and microelements are much more widely represented in it, while the complex of all nutritional ingredients is fairly well balanced. However, there are also such undesirable chemical compounds as dyes, flavors, preservatives. The energy value of the product is 310-350 kcal/ 100 g.

Since the components of various premium-class feeds are distinguished by an impressive variety, percentage of meat, and, as a result, price, when choosing a product, seek advice and recommendations from a veterinarian or breeder. You can also consult with the owners of dogs of the same breed as your pet, read reviews about the food you have chosen online. Among the most famous premium-class feeds are the following:

• "Royal Canin";
• «Hills»;
• «Probalance»;
• «Pro Plan»;
• «Purina One»;
• «Dog Chow»;
• «Natures Protection»;
• «Brit Premium»;
• «Advance»;
• «Chicopee»;
• "RosPes".

The first three of the above-mentioned feeds tops the rating of the most popular dog food by Russians.

Super Premium feed

Feeds of this category, which have the status of elite, contain exclusively first-class and highly nutritious components. Among them are chicken and chicken meat, turkey, lamb, chicken eggs, boiled rice, which is the most easily digested cereal by dogs, beet pulp rich in fiber. As part of the product, you can also find meat offal of the I-th category (liver, tongue, kidneys, heart), all of them meet the highest quality standards. The goods of some companies contain only those food components that are certified as suitable for human nutrition. The energy value of this product is 360-470 kcal / 100 g.

A dog who regularly eats such wonderful food does not need to expand the menu, because such food satisfies not only his nutritional needs. The food is designed taking into account the peculiarities of the animal's digestion, metabolism in its body, the need for vitamins and minerals. This balanced food is perfectly digested: the digestibility exceeds 80%. There are also various product variants designed for pets of different age categories.

In the production of feeds belonging to the elite group, certain technologies are involved with the use of gentle heat treatment, which allow you to keep proteins and fats in the most natural state. High-quality fats are stabilized with vitamin E. In such dog food there are no dyes, preservatives, it has a natural aroma, taste, and dogs enjoy it with an appetite. In some cases, pets who have been eating inexpensive food for a long time, where concentrated artificial flavor and aromatic additives are present, do not immediately get used to natural flavors and "turn up their nose" from good, high-quality food. By the way, dogs accustomed to natural food and high-class feeds are suspicious of artificial additives.

The line of super-premium products also includes therapeutic and dietary feeds. They are introduced into the diet of a pet that needs specific nutrition due to illness, or for the prevention of genetic diseases peculiar to a particular breed. This kind of food has been developed for four-legged pets suffering from gastritis, pancreatitis, kidney failure, obesity, experiencing digestive problems caused by a violation of the microflora of the stomach. They are saturated with ingredients containing the optimal amount of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in each individual case. In some of them, the amount of phosphorus is reduced, the caloric content is somewhat reduced. A distinctive feature of such products is hypoallergenic.

Therapeutic feeds are not included in the dog's menu for a long time – only during the illness, and food for the prevention of possible diseases in most cases can be included in the pet's permanent diet. Before purchasing food for this purpose, dog owners need to get advice from a veterinarian.

In specialized stores, super-premium products of the following brands are presented:

• «1 st Choice»;
• «Trainer»;
• «Josera»;
• «Monge»;
• «Brit Care»;
• «Gina»;
• «Porcelan»;
• «Barking Heads»;
• «DailyDog»;
• «Eukanuba».

Some manufacturers of super-premium goods focused on the sale of dog food in this category, in order to attract more customers, supply products to the market that are identical in price terms to economy class goods. The quality of the food that attracts the customer in most cases exceeds that offered by traditional manufacturers of inexpensive dog food.

Holistic class feed

Feed of this class is called an extraordinary achievement in the food production system for animals. Translated from Greek, the word "holos" means "whole", "complete", "self-sufficient". Actually, the philosophy laid down in these terms underlies the development of products in this category. A holistic approach to the creation of feed, according to the producers of the product, is able to work wonders. Managers of these companies claim that an animal that has been feeding on holistic feeds since childhood is practically not susceptible to diseases. For this reason, there are fundamentally no therapeutic and dietary feeds in the holistic line. In fairness, we note that products of this class have appeared on the market not so long ago, and its miraculous properties are still difficult to assess.

Holistic class feed is a kind of assorted natural, environmentally friendly products. They contain from 65 to 80 percent of high-quality meat, including poultry, cereals (mainly rice), vegetables, fruits, berries. Herbal preparations, vitamins, minerals have been added. Meat offal, meat and bone meal, soy, sugar, preservatives, flavors, dyes in this feed are taboo.

Some of the components are identical to the gifts of nature, which an animal could eat while living in a natural environment. They are selected in such a way that the pet receives the necessary substances that would not interfere with each other to be absorbed, and in their entirety harmonize the natural biochemical reactions occurring in the body.

Holistic class feed in the Russian Federation is represented by the following trademarks:

• "Acana";
• «Now Fresh»;
• «Canidae»;
• «Applaws»;
• «Summit»;
• «Holistic Blend»;
• «Pronature Holistic»;
• «Savarra»;
• «Orijen»;
• «Grandorf».

Price and Quality

The cost of economy-class dog food ranges from 70-180 rubles/kg, premium-class products – from 180 to 500 rubles/kg. This product, in view of its particular popularity, can be purchased not only in specialty stores, but also in chain supermarkets.

Super premium food and holistic categories are presented in pet stores. The cost of the first varies from 520 to 800 rubles / kg, the second can be purchased at a price of 800 to 900 rubles / kg.

It should be borne in mind that super-premium and holistic feeds are more nutritious and caloric than lower-class products, respectively, the daily rate of their consumption is lower. For example, a formed dog weighing 40 kg per day will need 300-400 g of an elite class product (super premium or holistic) or 550 g of economy class feed. Such indicators somewhat offset the difference in the cost of feeds of budget and elite categories.

The more prestigious the class and cost of the product, the higher the quality of protein sources in it. In budget products, the main suppliers of dietary protein are vegetable proteins extracted from soy, corn, and other legumes, processed using cheap technological processes and poorly digestible. The share of the meat component in economy and premium class feeds is low and, as a rule, it consists of connective muscle tissues, as well as low-quality offal. With an increase in the class of feed and, accordingly, its cost, the presence of first-class meat in the product increases and the presence of preservatives, flavors, flavor enhancers is leveled.

Expensive super premium and holistic feeds contain additional ingredients that have a beneficial effect on metabolic processes in the body, the work of individual organs. Among the components included in some animal feeds of large breeds, there are such expensive drugs as chondroprotectors used for the prevention and treatment of joint diseases.