Chew-Rific Bacon & Cheese Flavored Dog Treats

• Animal Digest - Plus 1 point = No Animal Digest
• Corn - Minus 2 points = corn gluten meal, corn starch
• Wheat - Minus 2 points = Ground wheat, wheat flour
• Soy - Plus 2 points = no soy
• Gluten - Minus 2 points = corn gluten meal
• The Goodies - Minus 1 point = bacon fat preserved with BHA, sorbic acid (a preservative), added color (red 40, yellow 5, yellow 6 and other color), artificial smoke flavor.

Total Score = 1/10

Ask Susan Peters Dog Food Review

Along with all the grains (dogs and cat don't need) there is a trace of beef.

Because manufacturers need to ensure that dry foods have a long shelf life (typically 12 months) to remain edible through shipping and storage, fats used in pet foods are preserved with either synthetic or "natural" preservatives. Synthetic preservatives include butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate, propylene glycol (also used as a less-toxic version of automotive antifreeze), and ethoxyquin.

Use of by-products. By-products are ingredients used which are not fit for human consumption. By-products are often floor sweepings from a rendering plant. "Animal by-product" is rendered product from animal tissues, exclusive of any added blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices." Pet food labels contain the words "meal" or "byproduct" on the ingredient label. Inedible byproducts such as bone, fat, heads, hair, feet and condemned offal are used in commercial pet food. These materials are sent to a rendering plant for processing into pet food products.