Dave’s Dog Food (Dry)

Rating:

Dave’s Dog Food dry formula earns the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.

Currently, the Dave’s Dog Food product line lists four kibbles… one designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages, one for puppies, one for adults and one for seniors.

• Dave’s Simply the Best Dog Food
• Dave’s Naturally Healthy Puppy Food
• Dave’s Naturally Healthy Adult Dog Food
• Dave’s Naturally Healthy Senior Dog Food (3 stars)

Dave’s Naturally Healthy Adult Dog Food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.

The first ingredient in this dog food lists lamb. Raw lamb contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost… reducing the meat content to just 20% of its original weight.

To reflect its lighter mass, this item should more accurately occupy a much lower position on the list.

Which brings us to chicken meal… the second and (more likely) the dominant meat ingredient in this dog food.

Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate containing nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.

The third item is brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient… a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.

The fourth item lists white rice… another rice ingredient. With rice occupying both the third and fourth positions on the list, there is the possibility that (when added together) this grain may actually be ahead of the lamb concentration in the finished dog food.

The fifth ingredient lists chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken… a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.

Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid… an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.

The sixth item is rice bran… a by-product of rice milling. Though not as nutritionally complete as whole grain rice, brans are still unusually rich in fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals.

Tomato pomace is a controversial ingredient… a by-product left after processing tomatoes into juice, soup and ketchup.

Many praise tomato pomace for its high fiber and nutrient content… while others scorn it as a cheap pet food filler laden with pesticides found on the skin of the tomato before processing.

Just the same, there’s probably not enough tomato pomace here to make much of a difference.

Beet pulp is another controversial item… a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing.

Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding intestinal health and blood sugar benefits.

We only call your attention here to the controversy and believe the inclusion of beet pulp in reasonable amounts in most dog foods is entirely acceptable.

The next few items include three low-lactose dairy products…

• Yogurt
• Farmer’s cheese
• Skimmed milk

The next item is menhaden fish oil… obtained from processing a species of small ocean fish known as menhaden. Like most fish oils, menhaden oil is naturally rich in omega-3 fatty acids. This item can be considered a healthy addition.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other healthy items.

But to be realistic, ingredients 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.

Garlic is a controversial item. In rare cases, garlic has been linked to Heinz body anemia in dogs.¹

Most of the professional literature we surveyed did not provide any conclusive warnings regarding the use of garlic… especially in small amounts (as it is here).

Although we see no reason to be overly concerned, we do feel it is a mistake to include such controversial ingredients in any dog food product.

The manufacturer appears to have added back some of the “good” bacteria lost during the cooking process. These special probiotics are used to enhance a dog’s digestive and immune functions.

This dog food also contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to amino acids. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are generally found in better dog foods.

Dave’s Dog Food… the Bottom Line

Judging by its ingredient quality alone, Dave’s Dog Food looks like a winning kibble.

But ingredient quality alone does not a top dog food make. It’s still beneficial to estimate the amount of meat present before arriving at a final rating.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 28%, a fat level of 17% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 48%.

If we exclude the lower-rated senior formula, the remaining three products present an average protein content of 29%.

Fat averaged 17% for the group.

Moderate protein. Moderate fat fat. And average carbohydrates… as compared to a typical dry dog food.

When you consider the lack of any protein-boosting gluten meals, this is the profile of a kibble containing a fair amount of meat.

With no critical Red Flag items, Dave’s merits extra consideration when deciding its final rating.

Bottom line?

Dave’s Dog Food is essentially a grain-based dry kibble using a respectable amount of chicken meal as its main source of animal protein… thus earning the brand a solid four stars.

Highly recommended.

Those looking for a quality wet dog food from the same company may want to check-out our review of Dave’s Delectable Dinners.

A Final Word

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 brand… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.

Tagged as: adult, all life stages, dry, maintenance, puppy, senior, value