Authority Dog Food (Canned)

Rating:

Authority canned dog food earns the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of three stars.

The Authority product line includes 14 canned dog foods. Since we could not locate any AAFCO nutritional adequacy statements for these products on the Authority website, we’re unable to report life stage recommendations.

• Authority Puppy Chicken and Rice
• Authority Puppy Lamb and Rice
• Authority Adult Beef and Rice
• Authority Adult Chicken and Rice
• Authority Adult Lamb and Rice
• Authority Adult Turkey and Rice
• Authority Adult Beef and Rice Savory Cuts in Gravy
• Authority Adult Chicken and Rice Savory Cuts in Gravy
• Authority Adult Large Breed Chicken and Rice
• Authority Senior Beef and Rice
• Authority Senior Chicken and Rice
• Authority Senior Lamb and Rice
• Authority Adult Weight Management Chicken and Rice
• Authority Adult Weight Management Lamb and Rice

Authority Adult Turkey and Rice dog food was chosen to represent the others in the line for this review.

The first ingredient in this dog food is turkey broth. Broths are nutritionally empty. But because they add moisture to a dog food they’re a common finding in many canned products.

The second and third ingredients are turkey and chicken. Like most meats, these two poultry items are naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The fourth item is chicken liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal. So long as it’s not over-weighted in a dog food, chicken liver is a beneficial component.

The fifth ingredient is brewers rice. Brewers rice represents the small grain fragments left over after milling whole rice.

This is an inexpensive cereal grain by-product and not considered a quality ingredient.

The sixth ingredient lists rice flour. Rice flour is a fine powder made from milling the same broken rice kernels just described in the previous item as brewers rice.

The seventh item is dried beet pulp. Beet pulp is a controversial ingredient… a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing.

Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding intestinal health and blood sugar benefits.

We only call your attention here to the controversy and believe the inclusion of beet pulp in reasonable amounts in most dog foods is entirely acceptable.

The eighth ingredient mentions dried egg product… a dehydrated 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.

The next item lists guar gum… a gelling or thickening agent found in many wet pet foods. Refined from dehusked guar beans, guar gum can add a notable amount of dietary fiber to any product.

We also note the inclusion of 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

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 one notable exception…

With the sole exception of copper, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them difficult to absorb. Non-chelated minerals are usually associated with lower quality dog foods.

Authority Canned Dog Food
The Bottom Line

All the products in the Authority canned dog food line start their ingredients list with decent quality meats. But following that, we find a number of inexpensive grain by-products.

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 36%, a fat level of 21% and estimated carbohydrates of about 35%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 35% and a mean fat level of 26%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 31% for the overall product line.

Below-average protein. Above-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to a typical canned dog food.

When you consider some of the Authority products make use of the protein-boosting effect of rice gluten, this looks like the profile of a wet food containing a moderate amount of meat.

Bottom line?

Authority Dog Food is a meat-based canned product using a moderate amount of beef, poultry or lamb as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand three stars.

Recommended.

Those looking for a comparable kibble from the same company may wish to visit our review of Authority dry dog food.

A Final Word

This review is designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food. However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in a specific health benefit for your pet.

For a better understanding of how we analyzed this product, please be sure to read our article, “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews”

Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult a veterinarian for help.

Have an opinion about this dog food… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.

Notes and Updates

03/14/2010 Original review
10/14/2010 Review updated

The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.

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