Rating: 
Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul canned dog food gets the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.
The Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul product line includes three canned dog foods… two meeting AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance and one for growth (Puppy).
- 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
All 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 empty. 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 ninth ingredient is oatmeal… a whole-grain product made from coarsely ground oats. Oatmeal is naturally rich in B-vitamins, fiber and is also (unlike many other grains) gluten-free.
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 one notable exception…
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.
Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul appears to be a quality canned dog food… with no critical Red Flag items.
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 36%, a fat level of 18% and estimated carbohydrates of about 37%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 39% and a mean fat level of 20%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 33% for the overall product line.
Average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs as compared to a typical canned dog food.
With no sign of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a wet food containing an average amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul is a meat-based canned dog food using a moderate amount of assorted meats as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand four stars.
Highly recommended.
Those looking for a nice kibble from the same company may wish to visit our review of Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul 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 a specific health benefit 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
03/06/2010 Original review
10/06/2010 Review updated
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.