the first 5 ingredients matter A LOT because label ingredients are always listed in descending order by weight - and in most dog foods, the first 5 ingredients may easily take up +/- 80% of the total volume of the food already.
case in point: science diet - puppy large breed, the first 10 ingredients are:
(1) Ground Whole Grain Corn, (2) Chicken By-Product Meal, (3) Corn Gluten Meal, (4) Dried Beet Pulp, (5) Chicken Liver Flavor, (6) Animal Fat, (7) Fish Oil, (8) Flaxseed, (9) Soybean Oil, (10) Iodized Salt
how many grams all in all of (7) Fish Oil, (8) Flaxseed, (9) Soybean Oil, (10) Iodized Salt do you think is in an 18 kilogram sack? no more than a few grams i bet (or the kibbles will be oozing with oil and will be saltier than dried fish), thus proving our point.
so what about the first 5 ingredients?
(1) ground whole grain corn - nature didn't intend for dogs to be vegetarians, they need a lot of protein from a meat diet. so why is this the main ingredient in science diet? because its cheaper than real meat. would you pay Php 2,500 for an 18kg sack of corn?
(2) Chicken By-Product Meal - by definition, by-products may contain anything from the specified animal except, (for chicken), feathers and feces and, (for beef), hoof, hide and feces. meat and fat are separated out first because they are costlier (and sold at a high price to Jolibee instead) and are therefore not present in any appreciable quantity. what's left is the bones, tendons, cartilage, beaks, feet and innards - proudly displayed and masqueraded as meat. a pet food bag should NEVER be used as a dumping ground for leftover stuff of unknown nutritional value - yet that's what SD is doing.
(3) Corn Gluten Meal - from: http://eartheasy.com/article_corn_gluten.htm
Code:
Corn gluten meal is a powdery byproduct of the corn milling process. Used for years
as a supplement in hog feed, this natural protein is very effective for lawns and gardens
as a plant food as well as a weed supressor. Corn gluten meal products offer a non-toxic,
yet effective alternative to traditional, chemical-based weed and feed products for weed
control in gardens and lawns, paths and driveways.
As a plant food, corn gluten has a N-P-K ratio of 9-1-0, or 10% nitrogen by weight.
As a weed suppressant,corn gluten acts as a natural "pre-emergent" - it inhibits seed
germination by drying out a seed as soon as it cracks open to sprout. These qualities make
corn gluten an ideal 'weed n feed' product.
i can go on, but i think you get the point. i wouldnt give my dogs science diet even if its the last dog food left on earth.