http://petwithallergies.blogspot.com/2009/02/are-you-feeding-your-dog-best-dog-food.html

First ingredient is meat, type doesn’t matter. Just make sure it’s not vague description that makes you wonder the type. More meat in the first 5 ingredients the better. Fresh meat is best, but a lot of moisture (could be less protein than originally thought after moisture is removed), dried meat is call meal. I personally avoid by-products, they are generally cheap remnants that are not normally consumed by humans (organs mostly) hearts and livers are okay imo, but by-product could have less desirable parts too.

Avoid corn, wheat, and soy. Find a food that uses whole grains. I like oats, barley, brown rice (not brewers rice). Corn, wheat, and soy are common allergens, hard to digest, and lack much nutritional value. Watch for grain splitting (listing the same grain multiple times noting every part like corn, corn gluten meal, corn meal, etc) that can raise the amount of that grain to exceed the amount of meat.

Stay away from artificial colors, flavors and preservatives (BHT, BHS, ethoxyquin are common preservatives that are banned in human food because they are carcinogenic). Mixed tocopherols are a natural preservative that you can find.

The lowest quality food I recommend is Nutro Max. Get the best you can afford. I like Blue Buffalo, Solid Gold, and Timberwolf Organics.

Hope that helps
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