What makes them different?

Proponents of super-premium dog foods offer some strong arguments in favor of paying extra for better food. They argue that it's better for the dog and can end up being cheaper in the long run than serving bargain kibble. Why? According to Good Dog Magazine, there's so many more nutrients in super-premium foods that you can actually feed the dog much less food to get him basic nutritional requirements. Testing done by the magazine showed that super-premium foods from brands like Nature's Variety and Merrick dog food offered an average of 27 percent crude protein and 15 percent crude fat, while bargain foods offered only 20 percent and 8 percent respectively. So even though the super-premium food costs more to start, you end up with a lower cost per-meal because of the higher nutritional power. What else makes them different? There's the flavor. It's no secret dogs like meat. Anything with a higher meat content and smell is going to be a big hit with the four-legged members of the house.