Rating: 
Country Squire Dog Food receives the Dog Food Advisor’s lowest rating of 1 star.
The Country Squire Dog Food product line includes four kibbles. Since we could not locate AAFCO nutritional adequacy statements for these products on the Country Squire website, we’re unable to report life stage recommendations.
- Country Squire Puppy
- Country Squire Chunk
- Country Squire High Protein
- Country Squire Bites and Bones
Country Squire Bites and Bones Dog Food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Country Squire Bites and Bones
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Ground yellow corn, wheat middlings, meat and bone meal, soybean meal, animal fat preserved with BHT and citric acid, corn gluten meal, animal digest, salt, potassium chloride, choline chloride, calcium propionate (preservative), artificial color (FD&C red #40, FD&C yellow #5 and FD&C blue #2), ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, sodium selenite, copper sulfate, vitamin A supplement, manganese sulfate, calcium pantothenate, niacin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, calcium iodate, riboflavin, vitamin B12 supplement, thiamin mononitrate, biotin and folic acid
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 5.1%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 21% | 10% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 24% | 11% | 57% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 22% | 26% | 52% |
The first ingredient in this dog food is corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
For this reason, we do not consider corn a preferred component in any dog food.
The second ingredient is wheat middlings, commonly known as “wheat mill run”. Though it may sound wholesome, wheat mill run is actually an inexpensive by-product of cereal grain processing.
In reality, middlings are nothing more than milling dust and floor sweepings.
The third item is meat and bone meal, a dry “rendered product from mammal tissues, including bone, exclusive of blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents”.1
Meat and bone meal has a lower digestibility than most other meat meals.
Scientists believe this decreased protein quality may be due to the ingredient’s higher ash and lower essential amino acid content.2
What’s worse, this particular item is anonymous. It doesn’t even specify the source animal.
Even though meat and bone meals are still considered protein-rich meat concentrates, we do not consider a generic ingredient like this a quality item.
The fourth ingredient is soybean meal. Soybean meal is actually a useful by-product. It’s what remains of soybeans after all the oil has been removed.
Soybean meal contains 48% protein. However, compared to meat, this item is considered an inferior plant-based protein providing a lower biological value.
The fifth ingredient is animal fat. Animal fat is a generic by-product of rendering… the same high-temperature process used to make meat meals.
Since there’s no mention of a specific animal, this item could come from almost anywhere… restaurant grease, slaughterhouse waste, diseased cattle… even euthanized pets.
What’s worse, this fat is preserved with BHT, a suspected cancer-causing agent.
We do not consider generic animal fat preserved in this manner a quality ingredient.
The sixth ingredient lists corn gluten meal. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it.
Compared to meat, glutens are inferior grain-based proteins lower in many of the essential amino acids dogs need for life.
This inexpensive plant-based ingredient can significantly boost the total protein content reported in this dog food.
The seventh ingredient includes animal digest. Animal digest is a chemically hydrolyzed concoction of unspecified body parts from unspecified animals. This product is usually sprayed onto the surface of a dry kibble to improve its taste.
We’re always disappointed to find artificial coloring in any dog food.
Coloring is used to make the product more appealing to you… not your dog. After all, do you really think your dog cares what color his kibble is?
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 three notable exceptions…
First, we find no mention of probiotics, friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing.
Next, 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.
And lastly, this Country Squire product contains menadione, a controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.
Country Squire Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Country Squire Dog Food looks to be a below-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 24%, a fat level of 11% and estimated carbohydrates of about 57%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 27% and a mean fat level of 10%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 55% for the overall product line.
Near-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
In addition, when you consider the plant-based protein-boosting effect of the corn gluten and soybean meals, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing only a modest amount of meat.
In addition, it’s especially difficult to ignore the presence of so many Red Flag items.
Bottom line?
Country Squire Dog Food is a corn-based dry kibble using only a modest amount of meat and bone meal as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 1 star.
Not recommended.
Those looking for a better kibble from the same company may wish to visit our review of Pro-Pet 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
02/22/2011 Original review
02/22/2011 Last Update
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.