Rating: 
Amicus Dog Food receives the Advisor’s top rating of 5 stars.
The Amicus product line includes three dry dog foods. Although each formulation appears to be designed for a specific life stage, we found no AAFCO nutritional profile recommendations for these dog foods on the product website. So, it’s impossible for us to report life stage targets for these recipes.
The following is a list of recipes available at the time of this review.
- Amicus Small and Mini Breed Adult
- Amicus Small and Mini Breed Puppy
- Amicus Small and Mini Breed Senior and Weight Management
Amicus Small and Mini Breed Adult was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.
Amicus Small and Mini Breed Adult
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Turkey, chicken meal, red lentils, peas, pea starch, salmon, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, form of vitamin E), turkey meal, flax, salmon oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols, form of vitamin E), alfalfa meal, egg product, pea fibre, carrots, apples, broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, blueberries, dried Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation extract, fructooligosaccharides, Yucca schidigera extract, glucosamine hydrochloride, chondroitin sulfate, dried Aspergillus niger fermentation extract, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, pineapple, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium bifidum fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, d-calcium pantothenate, biotin, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C) ferrous sulfate, iron proteinate, zinc sulfate, zinc proteinate, manganous oxide, manganese, proteinate, copper sulfate, copper proteinate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, magnesium oxide
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.7%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 30% | 16% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 33% | 18% | 41% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 28% | 37% | 35% |
The first ingredient in this dog food is turkey. Although it is a quality item, raw turkey contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.
After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.
The second ingredient is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The next two ingredients are lentils and peas. Both lentils and peas are quality sources of carbohydrates. Plus (like all legumes) they’re rich in natural fiber.
However, lentils and peas contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
The fifth ingredient is pea starch, a paste-like carbohydrate extract probably used here as a gel-like binder for making kibble.
The sixth ingredient is salmon. Salmon is an oily marine and freshwater fish not only high in protein but also omega 3 fatty acids, essential oils needed by every dog to sustain life.
The seventh ingredient is 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. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.
The eighth ingredient is turkey meal, another protein-rich meat concentrate.
The ninth ingredient is flaxseed, one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.
The tenth ingredient is salmon oil. Salmon oil is naturally rich in the prized EPA and DHA type of omega-3 fatty acids. These two high quality fats boast the highest bio-availability to dogs and humans.
Depending on its level of freshness and purity, salmon oil should be considered a commendable addition.
The next ingredient is alfalfa meal. Although alfalfa meal is high in plant protein (about 18%) and fiber (25%), this hay-family item is more commonly associated with horse feeds.
Next we find egg product, an unspecified (wet or dry?) form of shell-free eggs. Quality can vary significantly. Lower grade egg product can even come from commercial hatcheries — from eggs that have failed to hatch.
In any case, eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.
With three notable exceptions…
First, this recipe contains fructooligosaccharide, an alternative sweetener1 probably used here as a prebiotic. Prebiotics function to support the growth of healthy bacteria in the large intestine.
Next, we note the inclusion of dried fermentation products in this recipe. Fermentation products are typically added to provide enzymes to aid the animal with digestion.
And lastly, this food also contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.
Amicus Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Amicus dog food looks like an above average dry product.
But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 33%, a fat level of 18% and estimated carbohydrates of about 41%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 34% and a mean fat level of 17%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 41% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 48%.
Above-average protein. Near-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effects of the lentils and peas, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a notable amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Amicus Dog Food is a lentil-based kibble using a notable amount of chicken meal as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.
Enthusiastically recommended.
Please note some products may have been given higher or lower ratings based upon our estimate of their total meat content.
Special Alert
Rice ingredients can sometimes contain arsenic. Until the US FDA establishes safe upper levels for arsenic content, pet owners may wish to limit the total amount of rice fed in a dog's daily diet.
A Final Word
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Notes and Updates
05/02/2011 Original review
12/12/2012 Review updated
12/12/2012 Last Update
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