By Nature Goldleaf Selects (Canned)

by Mike Sagman
Share

Rating: ★★★★☆

By Nature Goldleaf Selects gets the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.

The By Nature Goldleaf Selects product line includes four canned dog foods… each designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance.

  • By Nature Goldleaf Selects Beef and Salmon au Jus
  • By Nature Goldleaf Selects Simmered Duck Vegetable Medley
  • By Nature Goldleaf Selects Steamed Chicken Vegetable Dinner
  • By Nature Goldleaf Selects Steamed Lamb Sweet Potato Stew

By Nature Goldleaf Selects Simmered Duck with Vegetable Medley was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.

By Nature Goldleaf Selects Simmered Duck

Canned Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 44% | Fat = 6% | Carbs = 42%

Ingredients: Duck, water, peas, carrots, potato, chicken liver, xanthan gum, vitamin A supplement, choline chloride, vitamin D3 supplement, zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, d-calcium pantothenate, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, calcium iodate, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, sodium selenite, biotin

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 8.3%

Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients

The first ingredient in this dog food lists duck. Duck is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of duck”.1

Duck is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The second ingredient is water… which (of course) adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a routine finding in most canned dog foods.

The third ingredient mentions peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. Plus (like all legumes) they’re rich in natural fiber.

What’s more, peas contain about 25% protein which must be considered when evaluating the total protein reported in this food.

The fourth ingredient includes carrots. Carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.

The fifth ingredient is potato. Assuming they’re whole, potatoes are a good source of digestible carbohydrates and other healthy nutrients.

The sixth 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 seventh ingredient is xanthan gum… a food additive used here as a thickener to create gravy.

Unfortunately, the listed minerals do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Non-chelated minerals are usually associated with lower quality dog foods.

By Nature Goldleaf Selects Dog Food
The Bottom Line

Judging by its ingredients alone, By Nature Goldleaf Selects looks to be an above-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 44%, a fat level of 6% and estimated carbohydrates of about 42%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 44% and a mean fat level of 6%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 42% for the overall product line.

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

Due to the unusually low percentage of fat relative to the notably higher protein numbers, we are somewhat skeptical of the accuracy of the Guaranteed Analysis figures reported for these products.

Ignoring the protein contributed by the peas, this looks like the profile of a wet food containing an respectable amount of meat.

However, it’s unfortunate the company chose to include non-chelated minerals in its recipes. Without this lower quality ingredient, we’d have been compelled to award this line a higher rating.

Bottom line?

By Nature Goldleaf Selects a meat-based canned dog food using a generous amount of beef, lamb or poultry as its main source of animal protein… thus earning the brand four stars.

Highly recommended.

Those looking for a comparable kibble from the same company may wish to visit our review of By Nature 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 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

04/26/2010 Original review
11/26/2010 Review updated

  1. Adapted by the Dog Food Advisor from the official definition for chicken published by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, 2008 Edition ↩
Dog Food Advisor IconThe Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.


Tagged as: , ,
  • Howard

    ShamelessRawFoodie – thanks for all the info.

    To be honest, not long ago I was feeding them Alpo, Kibbles ‘N Bits, and the like. After reading some of the articles and ratings on this site, I began buying better quality brands like Merrick, Halo, and Dogswell. I did check out some of the links you included, but I’m not quite ready to go the Raw or Homemade route right now. (maybe someday). At least the knowledge I’ve gained so far from this site and people like yourself have helped improve doggies diets from the Alpo days.

  • ShamelessRawFoodie

    Howard – “Less risky” is about the best we can hope for on this polluted planet, for sure!
    Many of the highest quality commercial dog foods are raw, although a few raw brands have started to use HPP High Pressure Processing, and some believe this process is similar to pasteurization, which kills nutrients. So you might want to avoid anything HPP. But, HPP raw is still probably better quality than canned or kibble!

    If you’re wanting commercial kibble and canned, Nature’s Logic seems to be high-quality (although not organic). They also have raw formulas and whole-food supplements.

    Paw Naturaw Organic (Raw) is USDA Certified Organic, although they use some chemically-synthesized vitamins/minerals; and they have customer service issues.

    I am an advocate of REAL FOOD, species-appropriate nutrition, so I believe a balanced raw homemade diet is best for dogs, using ingredients that are organic. My dog just ate a whole organic raw chicken. I feed primarily raw meat, fat, bones and organs.

    KNOW YOUR FARMER, KNOW YOUR FOOD – check out farms at the links below. Some farms even make dog food to your specifications from clean, organically raised/grown animals and plants:
    http://www.eatwild.com/products/index.html
    http://www.pickyourown.org/statelist.htm#statelist
    Or you can purchase your own bulk food through a co-op: http://www.dogaware.com/diet/rawgroups.html

    Veterinarian Karen Becker has a video where she rates the Best to Worst Types of Dog Food.
    http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/choosing-dog-food/karen-becker-best-worst-dog-food/
    According to Dr. Becker,
    1st BEST is a balanced raw homemade diet (unadulterated, unprocessed)
    2nd BEST is a commercial balanced raw diet
    3rd BEST is a balanced cooked homemade diet
    Further down her list – toward WORST – are canned foods and dry foods. Her ratings having nothing to do with source of ingredients. But I know I’d rather have a clean hunk of grass-fed, grass-finished beef that isn’t loaded with hormones, antibiotics, pesticides and worse.

  • Howard

    ShamelessRawFoodie – thanks for the advice.

    Pretty scary – it seems that no matter which brand we choose there will always be questionable ingredients or quality or origin…

    Are there any brands you recommend that may be “less risky”?

  • ShamelessRawFoodie

    Howard – You have good reason to be suspicious. But why stop at Made In China and First Ingredient Is Water?

    I would also question the quality of the Beef, Salmon and Nutrient Supplements in the containers you purchased. Salmon is likely farm-raised in nasty conditions with inferior feed. Beef is likely full of antibiotic, hormone, and pesticide residue (at the very least). Chemically-synthesized vitamins/minerals have potential toxins.

    I wouldn’t feed it to my dog.

  • Howard

    Thanks, but was hoping you would make the call :)

    I did read your recent article about ingredients from China (http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-industry-exposed/dog-food-chin/)

    Here’s another interesting article on the subject…
    http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/pet-food-customer-service-test.html

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Howard… Water or it’s kissin’ cousin, broth are almost always the first or second ingredient in nearly all canned foods. So, I wouldn’t be the least bit concerned about that. You and your dog are both made up of about 70% water, too. However, the China thing is another issue. Since our reviews have nothing to do with where a food is made or who makes it, you’ll have to make that judgment call yourself.

  • Howard

    A few days ago I bought a case of the By Nature Goldleaf Selects Beef & Salmon dog food 6 oz tubs (they were on sale online; they didn’t show the ingredients, but I noticed it received 4 stars here).

    A couple observations:

    1. Yes, the label says “Made in China”.

    2. The first ingredient listed is Water, not a “meat” as I assumed from this review. (yes I know the review used the Duck and I shouldn’t have assumed).

    Anyway, I’m a little apprehensive about using it (mostly because of the “made in China”). I did give him a 1/2 tub yesterday, mixed with some dry. So far, so good.

    Any thoughts on whether I should trash the rest, send it back, use it, …???

    Thanks.

  • Anna

    You think it’s made in China? Well we wont argue here cause maybe you’re right, but the company is from New Hampshire if you know what I mean

  • Anna

    My By Nature green can Chicken dog food is 95% chicken claimed. Nevertheless: I’ve known it as a 3 star dog food, and my 13 year old Chinese Crested Powderpuff thinks so too. Like: 2.75 stars. To each his own, but I’m a pro at guessing

  • Patti

    I just want to chime in on the China remarks. There are, indeed, some quality foods made in China in human food facilities that undergo the strictest testing. This brand is one of them, Weruva is another. Not every producer in China is contaminating foods with melamine. I do wish American brands would stick to American production, but that’s simply not how our world works.

    Made in America is not what it used to be, either. With all the factory-farming, feeding cows, chickens and other animals food they were not intended to eat, and all the many GMO crops out there, I think we need to be wary of our own country’s products, too!

    Dogswell jerky treats are made in China, but made from free-range, hormone & antibiotic free animals. Not too many meat producers in America can say the same.

    Just something to consider.

  • Shannan

    Yes, the can food is made in China. I flipped when I saw that on my cat food container. China has already poisoned countless other pets and babies and children – why on earth would anyone feed their pets anything from China??.

    I contacted the company and they assured me of the high standards, etc…. but I still won’t buy it. Nice marketing ploy though because on Petsmart’s website it indicates it’s a small New England company… etc. etc.etc… sure makes it seem like all the food is made in the US – but it’s not. Far as I know the dry is still made in the US the Goldleaf Selects are NOT.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Lyn… I do not know where Goldleaf Selects is made. But I’m always a little queasy when it comes to Chinese ingredients due to their historical lack of quality standards.

  • Lyn Blecharczyk

    I understand that at least the cat goldleaf selects are made in China. Any concerns? Thanks