Rating: 
Diamond Dog Food (dry formula) gets the Advisor’s below-average rating of two stars.
Currently, the Diamond Dog Food line includes six dry products… five for adults and one for puppies.
- Diamond Dog Food Maintenance Adult Formula
- Diamond Dog Food Premium Adult Formula
- Diamond Dog Food Performance Formula
- Diamond Dog Food Hi-Energy Formula
- Diamond Dog Food Original Formula
- Diamond Dog Food Puppy Formula
Diamond Dog Food Original Formula was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Diamond Original Formula
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Meat meal, ground corn, wheat flour, poultry by-product meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), beet pulp, fish meal, natural chicken flavor, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin a supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.4%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food is meat meal… “the rendered product from mammal tissues, exclusive of blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices”.1
What does the company mean by “meat”? Where does this stuff come from? Slaughterhouse waste? Dead zoo animals? Road kill? Or maybe euthanized pets and laboratory animals?
Meat meal is an anonymous… low-quality ingredient.
The next two ingredients are corn and wheat. In most pet foods, corn and wheat are cheap grains… and rarely of human quality.
Although there’s no way to know for sure, the cereal grains used here may be similar to the kind used to make feed for livestock.
Feed components like these can be contaminated with insects, their droppings, their expired carcasses, along with grain mites and their ever-present toxic molds.
Many associate corn and wheat with chronic canine allergies. But the truth is, those allergies are probably more the result of what’s in the grains… as the grains themselves.
The fourth item is poultry by-product meal… a cooked-down product of inedible leftovers from poultry slaughter deemed “unfit for human consumption”.
Another cheap, generic meat ingredient.
The fifth item is 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 notably high in linoleic acid… an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. A quality ingredient.
Beet pulp is a controversial ingredient… a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing.
Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding intestinal health 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 completely acceptable.
This dog food contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to proteins. This process can make them easier to absorb than non-chelated minerals.
Diamond Dry Dog Food… the Bottom Line
Not to be confused with its high-quality sibling, Diamond Naturals… this Diamond product is certainly not what you’d consider an ideal dry dog food.
The dashboard reports a dry matter protein reading of 27%, a fat level of 13% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 52%.
On the surface, the nutrient gauges suggest Diamond Dog Food to be an average dry product.
But the company’s copious use of low-end ingredients throughout its product line demands an appropriate reduction in its score.
With its below-average two-star rating, Diamond Dog Food may not be the best choice for your pet… or your money.
Not 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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- American Association of Feed Control Officials ↩
