Rating: 
Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul (canned) gets the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.
Currently, the Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul product line includes three canned formulas… each designed for a specific life stage.1
- Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover’s Soul
- Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul Adult Formula
- Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul Senior Formula
Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul Adult Formula was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Adult Formula
Canned Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken, turkey, chicken broth, duck, salmon, chicken liver, whole grain brown rice, white rice, oatmeal, carrots, peas, potatoes, barley, egg product, guar gum, flaxseed meal, kelp, apples, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, dried chicory root, carrageenan gum, vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, ascorbic acid, niacin supplement, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, biotin, folic acid, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium iodate and sodium selenite
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.5%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
Four of the first five ingredients in this dog food are meat items…
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Duck
- Salmon
Like most meats, these four components are naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The third ingredient lists chicken broth. Broths are nutritionally worthless. But because they add moisture to a dog food they are a common finding in many canned products.
Getting back to proper order, the sixth item includes chicken liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal species. So long as it’s not over-weighted in a dog food, chicken liver is a beneficial component.
The seventh item is brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient… a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
The eighth ingredient mentions white rice… a less nutritious form of rice in which the grain’s healthier outer layer has been removed.
The list goes on to include a number of other ingredients.
But to be realistic, items located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to have much of an effect on the overall quality of this product.
Surprisingly, the minerals listed here 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.
The Bottom Line
This Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul product presents a quality ingredients list… with no critical Red Flag items.
But before we decide on a final rating, it’s important to first consult the dog food’s protein, fat and carbohydrate percentages. These numbers can help reveal just how much meat the product actually contains.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 36%, a fat level of 18% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 37%.
Modestly high protein. Moderate fat. And reasonable carbohydrates (when compared to a typical canned dog food).
Checking the rest of the line… protein percentages range from a low of 34% for the Senior Formula to a high of 41% for the “puppy”.
The numbers do (indeed) confirm the higher quality suggested by the product’s ingredients.
Bottom line?
Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul is primarily a meat-based canned dog food that uses a variety of animal species as its main source of protein… thus earning the brand a solid four-star rating.
Highly recommended.
Some Final Thoughts
Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult your veterinarian for help.
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- Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul, 3/6/2010 ↩
