Breeder’s Choice Active Care Healthy Joint (Dry)

by Mike Sagman
Share

Rating: ★★★★☆

Breeder’s Choice Active Care Healthy Joint dog food receives the Advisor’s above-average rating of 4 stars.

The Breeder’s Choice Active Care Healthy Joint Formula product line includes two dry dog foods, each claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages.

  • Breeder’s Choice Active Care Healthy Joint Lamb
  • Breeder’s Choice Active Care Healthy Joint Chicken

Breeder’s Choice Active Care Healthy Joint Chicken and Brown Rice dog food was selected to represent both products in the line for this review.

Breeder's Choice Active Care Healthy Joint Chicken and Brown Rice Formula

Dry Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 28% | Fat = 17% | Carbs = 48%

Ingredients: Brown rice, chicken meal, chicken cartilage (source of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate), chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and ascorbic acid), flax seed (source of omega 3 fatty acids), dried egg product, diacalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, salt, potassium chloride, monosodium phosphate, choline chloride, dl-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), sodium selenite, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), copper sulfate, amino acid chelates of zinc, iron, manganese, copper and cobalt, niacin, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, d-biotin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), calcium iodate, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 3.3%

Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients

Estimated Nutrient Content
MethodProteinFatCarbs
Guaranteed Analysis25%15%NA
Dry Matter Basis28%17%48%
Calorie Weighted Basis24%35%41%

The first ingredient in this dog food lists brown rice, a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) can be fairly easy to digest.

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 chicken cartilage. Chicken cartilage contains both glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, two natural compounds believed to support healthy joints.

In human studies, there has been conflicting evidence regarding the effectiveness of these two ingredients.

Just the same, chondroitin and glucosamine are widely accepted for the prevention and treatment of arthritis in veterinary medicine.

The fourth item includes 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 fifth ingredient lists 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 sixth item 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.

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 does contain 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.

Breeder’s Choice Active Care Healthy Joint
The Bottom Line

Judging by its ingredients alone, Breeder’s Choice Active Care Healthy Joint 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 28%, a fat level of 17% and estimated carbohydrates of about 48%.

Together, the two products feature an average protein content of around 26% and a mean fat level of 15%. These figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 51% for the overall product line.

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

Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.

Bottom line?

Breeder’s Choice Active Care Healthy Joint is a grain-based kibble using a moderate amount of lamb or chicken meals as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.

Recommended.

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.

In closing, we do not accept money, gifts or samples from pet food companies in exchange for special consideration in the preparation of our reviews or ratings.

To learn how we support the cost of operating this website, please visit our public Disclosure and Disclaimer page.

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

Notes and Updates

02/16/2010 Original review
09/22/2010 Review updated
01/19/2012 Review updated (upgraded to 4 stars after re-analysis)
01/19/2012 Last Update

Tagged as: , , , , , , ,

  • Pingback: Active Care Chicken & Brown Rice Formula 13.6kg « Pet product price comparisons Pet product price comparisons

  • sHaDoWoLf

    I am feeding this food to my 1 year old Doberman, he his allergic to Bet Carotene. So this means no Wild Salmon, Carrots, Pumpkin, Squash, Beets, Sweet Potato etc. 

    Sweet potatoes, Carrots are popular in the majority of all the grain free dog foods and I have been having a hard time finding a dog food that my boy can have. If he comes in contact with any of these foods he breaks out in hives. 

    I found a couple of brands but I don’t want to feed him one flavor all his life so I have been researching really hard and have found at least 5 that he can eat without breaking out and this brand is one of them.

    He has no gas at all, he has no problem eating it. The only problem I have is that it makes him super lean and I have to add some canned food to add some weight but this is only because he is a show dog and needs to have a little bit more weight. Aside from from that I think that this product is fairly rated. It has no red ingredients, and it is honest in their ingredient placing as I agree with one of the guests and Mike Sagman about ingredient splitting. 

  • sHaDoWoLf

    Well said

  • Bevpeeples

    I just replaced my dog’s Diamond Naturals with Active Care-glad I found a quality food at a reasonable price from a company with NO history of recalls! Hope it stays that way. Thanks for info on the upgrade and I agree it was deserved.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Sandy,

    Due to the shady technique of ingredient splitting, nearly any dog food can place meat as the first ingredient.

    This one happens to be more honest.

    If instead of rice this kibble designer had cut the precooking weight of the rice in half and added corn in its place, the chicken meal would have moved to the first position on the list.

    Even though the amount of chicken meal would have remained exactly the same, it’s easy to deceive us into thinking there’s more meat in one recipe versus another.

    I rarely pay attention to that rule. The Guaranteed Analysis is a better place to start any analysis.

  • sandy

    Even with 4 stars, I still would not buy a food that starts with rice as the first ingredient.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Guest,

    I agree with your assessment.. After re-visiting this product I’ve upgraded my rating to 4 stars.

    Thanks for taking the time to present a polite and reasonable argument.

  • Guest

    This seems like a 4 star food to me.  The protein and carbs seem right in line with other 4 star foods.  Plus, their is no red ingredients at all.

    It seems the only reason it isn’t a 4 star food is that the grain isn’t being split with other grains, therefore brown rice is the first ingredient.  

    Splitting the brown rice with some barley and white rice wouldn’t make this food any better, in my opinion, but that’s the only difference between this and many of the 4 star foods.

  • Gordon

    Nice to know that this food helped your dog, Lynne. Stick with it.

  • http://thepawsitivethinker.com/ Lynne

    I started giving my 11 year old Aussie/Heeler mix this food over a year ago because she started having problems going up and down stairs. Vet gave us meds to help, but I don’t like giving her those. Over the past year, she’s improved so much. Her weight is down (due to diet) and she’s running around without the need of meds. The vet said she looked great during her last visit. She loves the food. I’ve had her on California Natural before this because of a nervous stomach and she’s been fine with this.
    Love this site. Very helpful. Thanks for providing the information. I’ve had two Rotties with cancer and diet is very important to their treatment. This is exactly what a pet owner needs to know to help their furry family members.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Marjorie… To keep food as fresh as possible, keep it dry and away from air (which causes oxidation of the nutrients). Some folks use large storage bins with airtight lids. However, as the food is used up, the amount of air in the container increases causing the food to age quicker. I would recommend that kibbles remain in their original packaging to retain lot numbers and manufacturing dates (in case of a recall). Simply roll down the bag and squeeze out the air. Then you could place the bag inside a container.

    Maybe some other readers can share their ideas, too.

  • Marjorie

    Just a question? I moved up to a very humid area, noticed that foods get stale a lot faster. What is the best way to keep dry dog food fresh?

    Oh, Sadie has been eating this for only 3 days now and already loves it! Still in the mixing process of her old food, but dont think it will be a big deal when it is on its own.

  • Marjorie

    My 1-1/2 yr old lab mix has hip displaysia since 6 mths of age, the vet recomemded remidyl- I already had a dog on that and dont want to do it again. Trying to find a good dog food to help her with this problim. She is also a very picky eater, a pet store offered a free sample of Active Care Healty Joint Formula and she loves it! Going to try it with her and see what happens.

  • Gina

    This food doesn’t seem to be very popular, I think I will change her to something else when this bag is gone :)

  • Gina

    Hello,

    I just recently (5 days ago) slowly started giving this food to our 5 year old intact female Lab. She has a very strong stomach, and I could have switched her cold turkey (she has been eating Ol’ Roy for the last couple years (please don’t bash!) so I wanted to get her off it as soon as possible after coming here and reading about it!!), but I was good and decided to do it the right way! On the second day of having this food, I noticed her shedding like crazy. I realize that it is the time of year to shed, but in all of her 5 years she has never shed this bad.

    I started looking for a better dog food, and I was talked into this one at a local pet store because we have a 5 month old puppy, and are very active with our dogs, so the pet store owner recommended this one since it has the joint supps. and it is for all life stages.

    I came home and looked for reviews for it, and found this website. I was kind of annoyed that it is only 3 stars, but paid the same for it as some 4 stars. It’s my fault, I should have done research first. I decided to put my puppy (Border Collie) on Kirkland puppy food, and I already see an amazing difference in his coat, much more shiny and softer.

    If she keeps shedding like this, how long should I wait until I would know if it is the food that is causing it? Is she maybe shedding so bad now because she was on such a horrible food, and now her coat needs to make room for the good hair to grow in?

    Thank you for this amazing website, it is so informative, and so easy to navigate.

    -Gina

  • Roger Prows

    Donna- contact Breeder’s Choice. Also, take the food back, Breeder’s choice garauntees their foods 100%

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Donna… Since each dog responds to a particular food (or even a different batch of that same food) in its own unique way, it’s impossible for me to give you reliable advice. Wish I could be more help.

  • Donna Daisey

    My Dog is 8 year old doberman with hip dysplasia has been on this product active care for 7 years. However the last bag I bought she got diarrhea and I noticed the food was lighter in color. Can you give me your feed back? I was going to buy a different bag of the active care ???

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Becky… Unfortunately, it would be impossible to give such a detailed and personalized analysis for every reader. That’s why I created the Advisor blog. To help you (and all my readers) make a more informed decision when choosing dog food . Please consider using our website to find a food you feel your pet would like. First decide whether you want a dry or canned food and then look for a product rated 3, 4 or 5-stars. Hope this helps.

  • Becky Weatherwax

    I am using the Active Care Breeders #1 Choice Lamb & Brown Rice.. for the above dogs now. What do you think of this food?

  • Becky Weatherwax

    Looking for best dog foods for 13 yr. old lab/husky/ rott. female, 11 yr. old lab, 1 yr. old Shepperd/lab/min. pincer
    Would like healthiest, easy to digest, joint healthy, least chemical additives, most holistically healthy