Rating: 
Advanced Pet Diets Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.
Currently, the Advanced Pet Diets Dog Food brand is marketed by Breeder’s Choice Pet Foods and includes six kibbles.
- Advanced Pet Diets Lamb Meal and Rice Senior
- Advanced Pet Diets Chicken Meal and Rice Puppy
- Advanced Pet Diets Lamb Meal and Rice Skin and Coat
- Advanced Pet Diets Chicken Meal and Rice Lite (3 stars)
- Advanced Pet Diets Chicken Meal and Rice Skin and Coat
- Advanced Pet Diets Lamb Meal and Rice Skin and Coat Renew
Advanced Pet Diets Select Choice Chicken Meal and Rice Skin and Coat was chosen to represent the others in the line for this review.
Advanced Pet Diets Select Choice Chicken Meal and Rice Skin and Coat Formula
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken meal, brown rice, ground rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), pearl barley, natural flavor, salmon meal, canola oil, flax seed, potassium chloride, yucca schidigera, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation product, dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation product, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, zinc oxide, zinc amino acid chelate, iron sulfate, vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3, manganous oxide, vitamin E supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, copper sulfate, manganese amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, riboflavin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, folic acid, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, d-biotin, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, cobalt carbonate
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 3.9%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The second ingredient lists brown rice. Brown rice is a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
The third ingredient is ground rice. Since the word “rice” doesn’t tell us much, it’s difficult to judge the quality of this particular item.
The fourth item includes chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken… a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid… an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Though it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is a quality ingredient.
The fifth ingredient details barley. Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. Unlike rice (which has a higher glycemic index), barley can help maintain more stable blood sugar levels. This is another quality grain ingredient.
After the listed natural flavor, we find salmon meal. Salmon meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than even fresh salmon.
Unfortunately, the controversial chemical, ethoxyquin, is frequently used as a preservative in many fish meals.
But because it’s usually added to the raw fish before processing, ethoxyquin’s presence does not have to be reported to consumers.
Based upon the published ingredients list, there’s no way to know whether or not ethoxyquin is present in this product.
The eighth ingredient is canola oil. Most applaud canola for its favorable omega-3 content… while a vocal minority condemn it as an unhealthy fat.
Current thinking (ours included) finds the negative stories about canola oil more the stuff of urban legend than actual science.1
The ninth item mentions flaxseed… one of the best vegetable sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. And it is naturally rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber.
However, we find it strange to see flaxseed here in its whole seed form. Whole flax seeds are almost impossible to digest (at least for us humans) unless they are first ground to a usable powder before they are consumed.
The company also appears to have added back some of the live bacteria lost during the cooking process. These special probiotics are used to enhance a dog’s digestive and immune functions.
This dog food also contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to amino acids. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are generally found in better dog foods.
Advanced Pet Diets Dog Food
The Bottom Line
With the exception of the lite formula (just 3 stars), the rest of the Advanced Pet Diets Select Choice product line contain very similar ingredients.
But there are (of course) differences… mainly in the proportions.
To perform a fair analysis, it’s important to consult the example product’s nutrient profile.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 28%, a fat level of 17% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 48%.
Above average protein. Moderate fat. And average carbohydrates (when compared to the typical kibble).
Again, excluding the lite formula… the dry matter protein numbers for the remaining five products range from a low of 24% to a high of 31%.
Though not spectacular, these are nevertheless decent numbers… numbers describing a borderline three to four-star dog food.
But the quality of the ingredients plus the lack of any critical Red Flag items tend to nudge our opinion toward the higher rating.
Bottom line?
Advanced Pet Diets Select Choice is primarily a grain-based product using a protein-rich chicken meal as its main meat ingredient… marginally earning the brand our preferred four-star rating.
Highly recommended.
Some Final Thoughts
Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult your veterinarian for help.
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- Mikkelson, B and DP, Oil of Ole, Urban Legends Reference Pages (2005), retrieved 12/05/2009 ↩
