Rating: 
Back to Basics Dog Food gets the Advisor’s top rating of 5 stars.
The Back to Basics Dog Food product line lists three kibbles, each meeting AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages.1
- Back to Basics Pork Formula
- Back to Basics Duck Formula
- Back to Basics Turkey Formula
Back to Basics Turkey Formula was selected to represent both products in the line for this review.
Back to Basics Turkey Formula
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Turkey giblets (turkey livers and turkey hearts), turkey meal, turkey, chicken meal, tapioca, pea protein, poultry fat (turkey and chicken, preserved with mixed tocopherols), dried whole egg, whole flaxseed, menhaden fish oil, natural chicken flavor, peas, sunflower oil, salt, l-carnitine, potassium chloride, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, vitamin E supplement, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), choline chloride, biotin, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, niacin, calcium pantothenate, sodium selenite, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12 supplement, calcium iodate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 3.3%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food is turkey giblets… the edible by-products of poultry slaughter. In this case, they include the livers and heart of the bird.
Although the thought of eating an animal’s internal organs may not be appealing to most humans, these unfamiliar ingredients can be considered a natural part of an authentic canine ancestral diet.
After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.
Which brings us to turkey meal… the second and (more likely) the dominant meat ingredient in this recipe.
Turkey meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh turkey.
The third ingredient is turkey. Turkey is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey”.2
Turkey is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The fourth ingredient is chicken meal… another protein rich meat concentrate.
The fifth ingredient is tapioca. Tapioca is a natural extract made from the root of the cassava plant. It is a starchy carbohydrate that is not only grain-free… but also gluten-free.
Tapioca is primarily used as a binder to hold all the other ingredients together during the cooking process.
The sixth ingredient is pea protein… what’s left after removing the starchy part of peas.
Even though it contains over 80% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.
And this less costly plant-based item can significantly boost the total protein content reported in this dog food.
The seventh ingredient is poultry fat. Poultry fat is obtained from rendering… a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Poultry fat is high in linoleic acid… an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. However, we would have preferred a single-species item (like chicken fat).
The eighth ingredient is dried egg… a desirable addition. Eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
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.
However, plant-based oils (like flax) are less biologically available to a dog than fish oil as a source of quality omega-3 fats.
The tenth ingredient includes menhaden fish oil… obtained from processing a species of small ocean fish known as menhaden. Like most fish oils, menhaden oil is naturally rich in quality omega-3 fatty acids.
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 exceptions…
First, we find no mention of probiotics… friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing.
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.
Back to Basics Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Back to Basics Dog Food looks to be an above-average kibble.
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 42%, a fat level of 20% and estimated carbohydrates of about 30%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 42% and a mean fat level of 20%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 30% for the overall product line.
High protein. Above-average fat. And low carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Even allowing for the protein-boosting effect of the pea protein, this still looks like the profile of a kibble containing a significant amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Back to Basics is a grain-free kibble using a generous amount of turkey giblets and turkey meal as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.
Enthusiastically recommended.
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 specific health benefits 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
04/05/2010 Original review
11/05/2010 Review updated
03/30/2011 Updated, major recipe change, upgraded from 3 to 5 stars
11/02/2011 Added Duck Formula
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.