Pedigree Adult

My Mom's dogs were fed Pedigree from when we first got them just under 6 years ago.  At the time we didn't know anything about dog food or nutrition and figured it was one of the better brands. 

Ingredients:  GROUND WHOLE CORN, MEAT AND BONE MEAL, CORN GLUTEN MEAL, ANIMAL FAT (PRESERVED WITH BHA AND CITRIC ACID), GROUND WHOLE WHEAT, CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL, BREWER'S RICE, DRIED PLAIN BEET PULP, NATURAL FLAVOR, SALT, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, VEGETABLE OIL (SOURCE OF LINOLEIC ACID), VITAMINS (dl-ALPHA TOCOPHEROL ACETATE [SOURCE OF VITAMIN E], L-ASCORBYL-2-POLYPHOSPHATE [SOURCE OF VITAMIN C*] VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], BIOTIN, d-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT [VITAMIN B2], VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT), CHOLINE CHLORIDE, MINERALS (ZINC SULFATE, ZINC PROTEINATE, COPPER SULFATE, COPPER PROTEINATE, MANGANESE PROTEINATE, POTASSIUM IODIDE), ADDED FD&C COLORS (RED 40, YELLOW 5, BLUE 2)

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein  Min 21.0%

Crude Fat  Min 10.0%

Crude Fiber  Max 4.0%

Moisture  Max 12.0%

Linoleic Acid (omega 6 Fatty Acid)  Min 3%

Copper  Min 10 mg/kg

Zinc Min 200 mg/kg

Vitamin E  Min 300 IU/kg

Ascorbic Acid (Vit. C*)  Min 70 Mg/kg

There is no mention on Pedigree's website or the bag on how many calories there are per cup. 

First off, sorry for the all caps.  It's like that on Pegidree's website.
Anyways, the first ingredient is corn.  This is a controversial ingredient for dogs and I personally feel is not a good one so high on the totem pole.  Next up we have meat and bone meal, but from what animal?  Corn gluten meal is third, a low-quality source of protein.  Animal fat (again unspecified source) that is preserved with controversial chemical preservatives.  Ground whole wheat isn't too bad, neither is ground whole corn but many dogs have sensitivities to both grains. 

Generally the ingredients flat-out suck.


Juneau and Sasha did "okay" on this food.  Their poops were huge and super smelly but that is to be expected with a food compromised of mainly fillers.  Their coats were very shiny but it wasn't a good shine.  They were slick, greasy and smelled bad. I did not enjoy petting them and if you got them wet... run for cover, the smell wouldn't go away for days.
Sasha licked and chewed her front feet while on Pedigree, a common sign of allergies in dogs.
One of the varieties we fed was the "teeth cleaning" kind.  According to Pedigree's site, 

...our PEDIGREE® kibble helps clean teeth down to the gum line. Look for the patented X-shaped kibble.

Juneau and Sasha were on this food for almost six years, they had substantial buildup of plaque/tartar.  They ate the "special" Pedigree teeth cleaning kibbles for a while as well.  Their teeth did not show any signs of being cleaned, so in my opinion, Pedigree is guilty of false advertising here.  (But honestly, what kibble company isn't?)

Plus, though she was overfed, Sasha was very overweight on this food.  Before I switched them to a different brand I could not get Sasha to drop weight even after I cut her portion to under a cup a day.  She was getting that amount for over a month with no significant weight loss.  According to Pedigree's feeding instructions, she should have been getting 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 cups a day based on weight.
Juneau and Sasha weren't very excited to eat this.  They looked forwards to dinnertime but Juneau hardly ever finished her portion, which again according to the bag was the "correct" amount for a dog her weight.  When I began to switch them to a different brand they ate all the new stuff first and didn't want to finish the old.

In my opinion, Pedigree is not a good choice.  I am not trying to be biased against it but after feeding it to Juneau and Sasha for nearly 6 years and seeing the drastic changes in their health after switching brands, I can honestly say it barely classifies as food, and I cannot recommend it.