Best Dog Food According to Protégez-Vous

As a pet owner, you are probably looking for the best food there is for your dog. But how do you choose the food that will be best for them, the one that will perfectly meet their needs, knowing that this is the food they will eat day in and day out? Furthermore, with the vast array of dog kibble offered on the market, how do you know which one you should choose?

To help you make a choice, in July 2021, the Protégez-Vous magazine evaluated 296 kibble for different dog sizes (link offered in French only) from various brands such as Nutrience, Farmina N&D, Kirkland, Vetdiet, Pedigree and Purina One. Thus, they named 60 “Best Choices” and 17 “Good Choices” according to precise and predetermined criteria.

Best Dog Food Analysis Criteria

Protégez-Vous is an independent, non-profit organism entirely dedicated to informing and educating Quebec consumers by providing comparative tests (more than 2200 per year), annual guides and special issue practical guides.

To conduct its test on the best dog food, Protégez-vous purchased 296 bags of kibble for healthy adult dogs (without any special dietary needs) from pet shops, grocery stores, and vet clinics, and which were selling at a maximum price of $5.61/1000 kilocalories of metabolizable energy (ME kcal).

A panel of four experts in pet nutrition and metabolism, including a veterinary doctor and researcher, blind-tested product quality to rate them, taking into account various criteria, which mainly consisted of the following:

• Protein quality
• Fat quality
• Protein-to-fat ratio (PFR)
• Fiber content
• Humidity content
• Calcium and phosphorus content
• The amount of omega-3 and 6
• The presence of important nutritional elements in the guaranteed analysis
• The presence of the AAFCO statement

To be ranked as a “Best Choice”, products had to obtain a minimum global score of 87% in their category. Products that obtained a score between 80 and 86% were ranked as a “Good Choice”.

Nutrience products ranked as a “Best Choice”

During this study, several varieties of Nutrience dog kibble were given the “Best Choice” rank in their category, which makes it one of the best brands of dog food in Quebec.

For small dogs (10kg or less)

• Nutrience Grain Free – Pork, Lamb and Duck: best product in the test for small dogs and best product in the test with a global score of 93%. Strong points: good quality proteins and very good quality fats.
• Nutrience Infusion – Healthy Adult – Beef: 2^nd best product with a global score of 92%. Strong points: good value for money, good quality proteins and very good quality fats.
• Nutrience Grain Free – Ocean Fish: 3^rd best product with a global score of 91%. Strong points: good quality proteins and very good quality fats.
• Nutrience Infusion – Adult Small Breed– Chicken: in 9^th place with a global score of 90%.
• Nutrience Grain Free – Turkey, Chicken and Herring: in 11^th place with a global score of 89%.
• Nutrience Original – Adult Small Breed – Chicken with Brown Rice: in 15^th place with a global score of 87%.

For medium dogs (10-25kg)

In this category, the first four “Best Choices” were Nutrience products.

• Nutrience Grain Free – Pork, Lamb and Duck: best product in the test for medium size dogs and best product in the test with a global score of 93%. Strong points: good quality proteins and very good quality fats.
• Nutrience Infusion – Healthy Adult – Beef: 2^nd best product with a global score of 92%. Strong points: good value for money, good quality proteins and very good quality fats.
• Nutrience Original – Adult Medium Breed – Lamb with Brown Rice: 3^rd best product with a global score of 92%. Strong points: good value for money, good quality proteins, very good quality fats and relevant additional nutritional information on the packaging.
• Nutrience Original – Adult Medium Breed – Chicken with Brown Rice: 4^th best product with a global score of 92%. Strong points: good value for money, good quality proteins, very good quality fats and relevant additional nutritional information on the packaging.
• Nutrience Grain Free – Ocean Fish: 9^th place with a global score of 91%.
• Nutrience SubZero – Fraser Valley: 10^th place with a global score of 91%.
• Nutrience Grain Free – Turkey, Chicken and Herring: in 20^th place with a global score of 89%.
• Nutrience SubZero – Prairie Red: 28^th place with a global score of 87%.

For large dogs (25-35kg)

• Nutrience Grain Free – Pork, Lamb and Duck: best product in the test for large size dogs and best product in the test with a global score of 93%. Strong points: good quality proteins and very good quality fats.
• Nutrience Infusion – Healthy Adult – Beef: 2^nd best product with a global score of 92%. Strong points: good value for money, good quality proteins and very good quality fats.
• Nutrience Grain Free – Ocean Fish: 7^th place with a global score of 91%.
• Nutrience SubZero – Fraser Valley: 8^th place with a global score of 91%.
• Nutrience Grain Free – Turkey, Chicken and Herring: in 19^th place with a global score of 89%.
• Nutrience Original – Adult Large Breed – Chicken with Brown Rice: 23^rd place with a global score of 88%.
• Nutrience SubZero – Prairie Red: 30^th place with a global score of 87%.

If you want the best food for your dog as per the recommendations of the Protégez-vous magazine study, consult our website to see the recommended products and the contact info for retailers.