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Authority Dog Food Review (Dry)

Authority Dog Food Review

Rating:

Which Authority Recipes Get
Our Best Ratings?

Authority Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-highest tier rating of 4.5 stars.

The Authority product line includes the 20 dry dog foods listed below.

Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available… Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Product Rating AAFCO
Authority Puppy Chicken and Rice 4.5 G
Authority Mature Small Breed Chicken and Rice 4.5 M
Authority Mature Chicken and Rice 4 M
Authority Adult Chicken and Rice 4.5 M
Authority All Life Stages Chicken and Rice Small Bites 4.5 A
Authority Puppy Small Breed Chicken and Rice 4.5 G
Authority Puppy Large Breed Chicken and Rice 4.5 G
Authority Adult Lamb and Rice 3.5 M
Authority Adult Large Breed Lamb and Rice 4.5 M
Authority Adult Small Breed Chicken and Rice 4.5 M
Authority Adult Large Breed Chicken and Rice 4.5 M
Authority Mature Large Breed Chicken and Rice 4 M
Authority Adult Weight Management Chicken and Brown Rice 4 M
Authority All Life Stages High Performance Beef and Barley 4 A
Authority All Life Stages Sensitive Stomach and Skin Salmon and Rice 4 A
Authority All Life Stages Sensitive Stomach and Skin Lamb and Rice 4 A
Authority Adult Gut Health Chicken and Rice 4.5 M
Authority Mature Healthy Aging Chicken and Rice 4.5 M
Authority Adult Healthy Weight Chicken and Rice 5 M
Authority All Life Stages High Performance Chicken and Rice 4.5 A

Recipe and Label Analysis

Authority Adult Large Breed Chicken and Rice was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.


Authority Adult Large Breed Chicken and Rice

Dry Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 28% | Fat = 13% | Carbs = 51%

Ingredients: Deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, corn, oat groats, corn gluten meal, dried plain beet pulp, natural flavor, chicken fat, dicalcium phosphate, dried egg product, canola oil, potassium chloride, sodium hexametaphosphate, minerals (zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, calcium carbonate, sodium selenite, calcium iodate), inulin, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, niacin supplement, vitamin A supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), choline chloride, dried chicken cartilage (source of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate), rosemary extract

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.4%

Red denotes controversial item

Estimated Nutrient Content
MethodProteinFatCarbs
Guaranteed Analysis25%12%NA
Dry Matter Basis28%13%51%
Calorie Weighted Basis25%29%46%
Protein = 25% | Fat = 29% | Carbs = 46%

Ingredient Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw chicken contains up to 73% 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 third ingredient is brown rice, a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) can be fairly easy to digest. However, aside from its natural energy content, rice is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The fourth ingredient is corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain. And aside from its energy content, this grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The fifth ingredient includes oat groats, a whole grain, minimally processed form of oats. With the exception of their caloric content and the fact they’re also gluten free, oat groats can be considered average in nutritional value.

The sixth ingredient is corn gluten meal. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it.

Although corn gluten meal contains 60% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.

And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

The seventh ingredient is 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.

After the natural flavor, we find chicken fat. This item 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 tenth ingredient is dicalcium phosphate, likely used here as a dietary calcium supplement.

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 Authority product.

With 5 notable exceptions

First, this recipe includes 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 failed to hatch.

In any case, eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.

Next, we find canola oil. Unfortunately, canola can be a controversial item. That’s because it can sometimes (but not always) be derived from genetically modified rapeseed.

Yet others cite the fact canola oil can be a significant source of essential omega-3 fatty acids.

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.

In addition, we note the inclusion of sodium hexametaphosphate, a man-made industrial polymer with no known nutritive value.

HMP is used in making soap, detergents, water treatment, metal finishing and most likely here to decrease tartar build-up on the teeth.

Although some might disagree, we’re of the opinion that food is not the place for tartar control chemicals or any other non-nutritive substances.

Next, this recipe contains sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.

And lastly, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually associated with higher quality dog foods.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Authority looks like an average dry dog food.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 28%, a fat level of 13% and estimated carbohydrates of about 51%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 29% and a mean fat level of 14%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 49% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 49%.

Which means this Authority product line contains…

Above-average protein. Below-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to other dry dog foods.

Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the corn gluten meal, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a notable amount of meat.

Our Rating of Authority Dog Food

Authority is a grain-inclusive dry dog food using a notable amount of named meat meals as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4.5 stars.

Highly recommended.

Authority Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Authority through March 2024.

No recalls noted.

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.

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More Authority Brand Reviews

The following Authority dog food reviews are also posted on this website:

A Final Word

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References

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