Rating: 
Country Vet Choice Dog Food receives the Advisor’s lowest rating of 1 star.
The Country Vet Choice product line lists three dry dog foods.
Although each recipe appears to be named for a specific life stage or lifestyle, we found no AAFCO nutritional adequacy statements for these dog foods on the Country Vet website.
- Country Vet Choice Active Formula
- Country Vet Choice Hi Protein Formula
- Country Vet Choice Maintenance Formula
Country Vet Choice Active Formula Dog Food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Country Vet Choice Active Formula
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Porcine meal, wheat middlings, yellow corn, poultry fat (preserved with BHA), corn distillers dried grains with solubles, poultry by-product meal, flax seeds, brown rice, poultry liver flavors, salt, potassium chloride, bentonite, choline chloride, brewers yeast, calcium propionate, ferrous sulfate monohydrate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, ethylenediamine dihydriodide, colbalt, carbonate, sodium selenite, mineral oil, vitamin E supplement, niacinamide, vitamin a supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), vitamin B3 supplement, folic acid, butylated hydroxytoluene, butylated hydroxyanisole
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 3.9%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food is porcine meal. Porcine meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh pork.
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 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 fourth ingredient is poultry fat. Poultry fat is obtained from rendering, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Poultry fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. However, we would have preferred a single-species item (like chicken fat).
However, this generic fat is preserved with BHA… a suspected cancer-causing agent.
Corn distiller’s dry grains is a by-product of the ethanol (bio-fuel) industry. This low-quality ingredient is frequently found in cattle feed and only rarely used to make pet food.
The sixth ingredient is poultry by-product meal… a dry rendered product of slaughterhouse waste. It’s made from what’s left of slaughtered poultry after all the prime cuts have been removed.
In a nutshell, poultry by-products are those unsavory and inedible leftovers deemed “unfit for human consumption”.
This stuff can contain almost anything — feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs.
We consider poultry by-products slightly lower in quality than a single-species ingredient (like chicken by-products).
On the brighter side, by-product meals are meat concentrates and still contain notably more protein than fresh poultry.
The seventh ingredient mentions 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 eighth item is brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient, a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
Brewers dried yeast can be a controversial item. Although it’s a by-product of the beer making process, this ingredient contains about 45% protein… and is rich in other healthy nutrients.
Fans believe yeast repels fleas and supports the immune system.
Critics argue yeast ingredients can be linked to allergies. This may be true, but (like all allergies) only if your particular dog is allergic to the yeast itself.
What’s more, a vocal minority insist yeast can increase the risk of developing the life-threatening condition known as bloat. However, this is something we’ve not been able to scientifically verify.
In any case, unless your dog is specifically allergic to it, yeast can be considered a nutritious additive.
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 four 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.
Thirdly, this Country Vet food product also contains menadione, a controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.
And lastly, this recipe includes BHT (butylated hydoxytoluene), a synthetic additive linked to certain cancerous tumors.
Country Vet Choice Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Country Vet Choice 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 29%, a fat level of 20% and estimated carbohydrates of about 43%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 27% and a mean fat level of 14%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 51% for the overall product line.
Near-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Without any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing moderate amount of meat.
Yet it’s difficult to ignore the presence of so many controversial chemical additives.
Bottom line?
Country Vet Choice Dog Food is a grain-based kibble using a moderate amount of porcine 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 Country Vet Dog Fuel.
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
05/11/2010 Original review
12/11/2010 Review updated
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.