Authority Dog Food (Canned)

Rating:

Authority canned dog food receives the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of 3 stars.

The Authority product line includes fourteen canned dog foods. Although each formulation appears to be designed for a specific life stage, we found no AAFCO nutritional adequacy statements for these dog foods on the Authority website.

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

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 and thus considered a beneficial component.

The fifth ingredient is brewers rice. Brewers rice is a cereal grain by-product consisting of the small fragments left over after milling whole rice. Aside from the caloric energy it contains, this item is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

By the way, contrary to popular belief, brewers rice has nothing to do with the process of making beer.

The sixth ingredient lists rice flour. Rice flour is made from either white or brown rice and is considered a gluten-free substitute for wheat flour.

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 ninth 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.

The tenth ingredient is canola oil. Many applaud canola for its favorable omega-3 content while a vocal minority condemn it as an unhealthy fat.

Much of the objection regarding canola oil appears to be related to the use of genetically modified rapeseed as its raw material source.

Current thinking (ours included) finds the negative stories about canola oil more the stuff of urban legend than actual science.¹

In any case, plant-based oils like canola are less biologically available to a dog than fish oil as a source of quality omega-3 fats.

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 two notable exception…

First, carrageenan is a gelatin-like thickening agent extracted from seaweed. Although carrageenan has been used as a food additive for hundreds of years, there does appear to be some recent controversy regarding its long term biological safety.

And lastly, 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

Judging by its ingredients alone, Authority Dog Food looks to be an average canned dog food.

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 21%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 36% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 61%.

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

When you consider many of the Authority products make use of the protein-boosting effect of wheat and rice glutens, this looks like the profile of a wet food containing only a below-average amount of meat.

Bottom line?

Authority Dog Food is a meat-based canned product using a below-average amount of beef, poultry or lamb as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 3 stars.

Recommended.

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

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

The descriptions and analyses expressed in this and every article on this website represent the views and opinions of the author.

Although it's our goal to ensure all the information on this website is correct, we cannot guarantee its completeness or its accuracy; nor can we commit to ensuring all the material is kept up-to-date on a daily basis.

Each review is offered in good faith and has been 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 specific health benefits for your pet.

For a better understanding of how we analyze each product, please 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 qualified veterinary professional for help.

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Notes and Updates

03/14/2010 Original review
10/14/2010 Review updated
07/10/2012 Last Update