Actually, most dog foods are perfectly fine for your dog; it is good to want a high quality food for your dog, but the perception of “high quality” doesn’t always sync up. Corn, for example, is often portrayed as an inferior ingredient. The reason for this is primarily allergies; dogs are more likely to be allergic to corn than other sources of nutrition. If your dog isn’t allergic to corn, however, it is a fine ingredient (when used in moderation).

Consider some of the links people have provided. The Dog Food Project has a lot of information and a LOT of faulty conclusions. Under their list of ingredients to avoid you’ll find Wheat Glutton. Why is it to be avoided? Little nutritional value. But if you look at the purpose it serves in food, one shouldn’t expect nutritional value; it is a binder, it helps keep the food together. Avoiding Wheat Glutton, then, makes about as much sense as avoiding Baking Soda (it serves its purpose well, but the purpose isn’t nutrition). Then there is Feeding Oat Meal. Its crime? Not as nutritious as whole oats. An amazing observation, really. To offer a comparison to this logic, filet mignon is also not as nutritious as a whole cow. Take a look under fiber and the crime of those ingredients is that they are filler. Fiber being specifically non-digestible, all fiber is technically filler. Fiber is also necessary for colon health. Under supplements you’ll find Bone Phosphate. It’s crime? It is used to balance the calcium and phosphate content of the food. As dogs need such minerals, I am not sure what is so bad about it.

It is good to be informed of what ingredients do in a dog food, but it is better to be informed and analytical. Know what the ingredients are and determine for yourself if the role each plays in nutrition is acceptable. Use that, not some over-zealous conclusions found on the web, to base your decisions on.

If you just join in the mindless pursuit of “quality” dog food (without ever determining what is quality and what is excessive), then you’ll just be wasting your money and doing your pet little to no good.

Go here: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
You can find any food you want to research ingredients and go from there… unfortunately the better foods do cost more but it is worth it. See if there isn’t any way you can save money in another area so you can get what you want. Cost wise, it is about $15-$20 (apx) for the better foods… so maybe (if you do) don’t go to starbucks and set aside the money you would spend there…. or other places. $15-$20 adds up really quickly.

Hope this helps.

**Edit**

I appreciate and actually do understand ascribing to people believing “high quality” food advocates are “zealouts” however, bear in mind we just want to provide what we’re willing to pay extra for-higher quality.
I do not necessarily agree with everything listed here, but this will explain better than I can why I feel it is important, if you can afford to, to feed a higher quality and subsequently more expensive food:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=3&cat=7

This is just based on one review of a particular, popular “cheap” food… it explains what some of these “meat byproducts” consist of… this is why I feel feeding a better food is important.

I had trouble finding it where I live until I went online to their site and used their supplier locator and found one right up the street from the dog park we frequent…. Oh happy day!!! Healthier dog, and more money in my pocket!