Drs. Foster and Smith Dog Food (Canned)

by Mike Sagman
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Rating: ★★★★★

Drs. Foster and Smith canned dog food receives the Advisor’s top rating of five stars.

The Drs. Foster and Smith product line includes five canned dog foods… each designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance.

  • Drs. Foster and Smith Hearty Beef Stew
  • Drs. Foster and Smith Fish and Potato Adult
  • Drs. Foster and Smith Lamb and Brown Rice Adult
  • Drs. Foster and Smith Chicken and Brown Rice Adult
  • Drs. Foster and Smith Roasted Turkey and Chicken Stew

Drs Foster and Smith Fish and Potato Adult Canned Dog Food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.

Drs Foster and Smith Fish and Potato Adult

Canned Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 46% | Fat = 21% | Carbs = 26%

Ingredients: Ocean white fish, fish broth, salmon, potatoes, herring, whole carrots, whole sweet potatoes, guar gum, sunflower oil, whole apples, kelp, potassium chloride, carrageenan, garlic powder, sodium ascorbate (source of vitamin C), zinc proteinate, choline chloride, iron proteinate, vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, beta carotene, niacin supplement, calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, copper proteinate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, manganese proteinate, riboflavin supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, calcium iodate, folic acid, biotin, and sodium selenite

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.5%

Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients

The first ingredient in this dog food lists whitefish… a protein-rich freshwater species native to Canada and the northern United States.

The second ingredient mentions fish broth. Broths are nutritionally empty. But because they add moisture to a dog food they are a common finding in many canned products.

The third ingredient includes salmon. Salmon is a fatty marine and freshwater fish not only high in protein but also omega 3 fatty acids… essential oils needed by every dog to sustain life.

The fourth item is potato. Whole potatoes are a good source of digestible carbohydrates and other healthy nutrients.

The fifth ingredient is herring. Nutritionally, herring is very similar to salmon.

The sixth ingredient includes whole carrots. Carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.

The seventh ingredient lists sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are a good source of complex carbohydrates in a dog food. They are naturally rich in fiber, beta carotene and other healthy nutrients.

The eighth ingredient is guar gum… a gelling or thickening agent found in many wet pet foods. Refined from dehusked guar beans, guar gum can add a notable amount of dietary fiber to any product.

The ninth ingredient lists sunflower oil. Sunflower oil is high in linoleic acid… an essential omega-6 fatty acid needed by every dog to sustain life.

But the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in a food is nutritionally critical… and can vary significantly (depending on the quality of the source ingredient itself).

There are several different types of sunflower oil… some better than others. Without knowing more, it is impossible to judge the quality of this ingredient.

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 two notable exceptions…

First, garlic can be a controversial item. Although the majority of experts favor the ingredient for its numerous health benefits, garlic (in rare cases) has been linked to Heinz body anemia in dogs.1

However, the limited professional literature we surveyed provided no definitive warnings regarding the use of garlic… especially in small amounts (as it is here).

And lastly, this food also contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.

Drs. Foster and Smith Canned Dog Food
The Bottom Line

Based upon ingredient quality alone, Drs. Foster and Smith dog food looks to be an above-average canned product.

But ingredient quality alone does not a better dog food make. We still need to estimate how much meat is present before we can determine a final rating.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 46%, a fat level of 21% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 26%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 44% and a mean fat level of 27%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 21% for the overall product line.

Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical canned dog food.

Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a wet food containing a generous amount of meat.

For those desiring to mimic a dog’s natural ancestral diet, the Foster and Smith canned product line makes an excellent choice.

Bottom line?

Doctors Foster and Smith is a meat-based canned dog food using a generous amount of various named-species as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand five stars.

Enthusiastically recommended.

Those looking for a good kibble from the same company may wish to read our review of Drs. Foster and Smith 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 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 brand… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.

Notes and Updates

06/04/2010 Original review
01/06/2011 Review updated

  1. Yamato et al, Heinz Body hemolytic anemia with eccentrocytosis from ingestion of Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum) and garlic (Allium sativum) in a dog, Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 41:68-73 (2005) ↩
Dog Food Advisor IconThe Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.


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  • colliegirl1

    No comments on this food how disappointing.  I feed my dogs the dry lamb and rice? no review? thanks.

  • Shawna

    PS — once the pancreas is damaged it may be necessary to feed a higher carb diet but not always. Primal raw might be a solution — many of the protein choices are lower in fat (as compared to other commercial raw products). You could also include coconut oil for calories — it does not affect the pancreas like other fats. It is safe for pancreatitis. You could also add in veggies (like sweet potatos) for extra calories and nutrients.

    Also — fat is a problem not because of fat per se but because when the enzymes are activated prematurely it can actually cause the fat enzyme, lipase, to digest the pancreas. This, obviously, is very painful.

  • Shawna

    I’m with DFN on this one.. ANY organ can become stressed if it is asked to chronically perform more then it is designed to.. Human produce amylase in the mouth and chew their foods releasing enzymes or mixing the enzymes released via the oral cavity. Dogs do not do this. Grains also have enzyme inhibitors.

    An example — I posted just yesterday how fructose (rice is a grain higher in fructose) can eventually contribute, through organ stress, to liver disease. Fructose in alcoholic beverages does the same thing — takes a white but it happens. If it can happen with the liver then why couldn’t it happen with the kidneys or the pancreas?

  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja Dog Food Ninja

    Aimee, I don’t think modern science understands enough about how the various components within foods are used by animals. Dogs evolved eating animal-derived fat and protein almost exclusively. There are properties of such a diet that we don’t even understand yet, just as we are learning there are sub-nutrients in fresh veggies that aren’t supplied by synthetic vitamins. Now, to me, if the new thing (last 70 years) in a dog’s diet is heavy processed carbs, and pancreatitis is a fairly common modern problem for dogs, I don’t think the correlation is such a leap. Not everything must be or needs to be proved in a lab.

  • aimee

    There has never been anything published which even remotely suggests that carbohydrates play a role in the development of pancreatitis in dogs.

    Because dogs don’t have a carb requirement, some people reason that the production of amylase somehow “streses” the organ as opposed to the production of lipases or proteases.

    Yet this research study has shown that the proportions of the various enzymes in the pancreatic fluid do not vary significantly with diet composistion.

    Therefore reasoning that people give for blaming carbohydrates on pacreatitis isn’t valid.
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11860256

  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja Dog Food Ninja

    Melissa, I know the carbs don’t cause the “flare-ups” themselves. And I think that’s why fat gets the bad rap in this situation. The point I was making is that the carbs themselves are what slowly wears down the dog’s organs and makes it hard for them to process the good stuff (fat and protein).

    When I had a series of stomach problems, the diagnosis from my Doctor was G.E.R.D. and the “solution” was to eat MORE grains and LESS fat. (Oh, and to take 3 different pharmaceuticals every day for the rest of my life.) Well, I did that for a while and still occasionally had problems. But then, I read about our evolutionary diet and the horrors of grains and processed, starchy foods. I stopped my medicine, and stopped eating carbs. I had heart-burn for a few days while my system adjusted to not being on medications, and then, shocking shock of a shocker! Stomach problems went away! By eating meat and veggies!

    I know it’s dangerous to mess with pancreatitis, which is why I posed what I said as a question for some of the others who have had experience healing dogs with diet. I just really think that when an animal is give the diet it’s body was sculpted by, they can self-heal much more efficiently. But as I said, I have no idea how you would get a dog with pancreatitis on to a raw diet.

  • melissa

    DFN-

    As an owner of several rescue dogs with pancreatic issues, I can tell you that for my dogs, carbs do not play a factor in the flare ups-the fat strictly does. They can eat kibble with high carbs, low carbs etc and they are fine-but if the fat content of the kibble goes over 14-15 percent, they will have an acute flareup. They will also flare up if given fat in home cooked-ie Boiled chicken is fine as long as its skin free and the fat is skimmed off.

    They love the Acana grain free, but the fat is too high to feed it solely, so hence one of the reasons that we mix foods-mixed with a lower fat content food, they seem to be able to eat it just fine. Sigh

  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja Dog Food Ninja

    Hey Lisa, one of the other regulars posted a bunch about pancreatitis and colitis… I don’t remember who? Shawna maybe? Or what thread it was under? Anyone remember?

    But in any account, I think the idea was that the carbohydrates are what ruin these organs in the first place and make it difficult for the dog to properly process fat, which is a problem because fat is very good for dogs, and if you eliminate fat calories, you have to add carbohydrate calories… the very thing that caused the damage initially. So the slow damage keeps be perpetrated on your dog’s system by the processed carbs… it’s just a down-hill slope. But the point is, if you can somehow transition your dog to a no carb raw diet, then their body only has to work on breaking down fat and protein which is what it was designed by evolution to do. Of course, how do you go from carb-pellets to fatty raw food without having a big, dangerous flare-up? Maybe a transition to a high protein/low fat food as a step? I don’t know. Any of you scientists have an idea for her?

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Lisa… It’s my understanding that low fat dog foods are frequently recommended for the treatment of acute pancreatitis. Unfortunately, though, since I’m not a veterinarian and due to the biological uniqueness of each pet, it would be inappropriate for me to provide specific health advice or product recommendations. For more help, please see my article, Suggested Low Fat Dog Foods. Or check back for a possible response from one of our other readers. Wish I could be more help.

  • Lisa

    Would you be able to tell me if Doctors Foster and Smith adult canned dog food is acceptable to feed for a dog with chronic pancreatitis? I would like to feed 75% canned and 25% of their kibble.

  • DAWN LEDER

    LOL U GUYS ARE FUNNY…WISH SHE WROTE BACK…IM DYING TO KNOW WTH?? BUT SURE SHES NOT COMING BACK SINCE ITS SEPT NOW AND SHE WROTE IT IN APRIL…TOOO FUNNY NOT EVEN..CLOSE TO THIS FOOD..OH WELL AT LEAST GOT A LAUGH OUT OF ME :o )

  • Jonathan

    Man, McD, BK and KFC taste soo good. Sadly, just seeing those words makes me salivate like Pavlov’s dogs. But yeah, you’re right. No good. lol

    But I am confused by Judy’s post as well. What does Science Diet have to do with this apparently great food? And she calls it “can science diet”… twice… which isn’t even good English, (If it’s her second language, then I apologize) but what type of canned science diet are we talking here? Persciption? Lite? beef? I got nothing.

  • ShamelessRawFoodie

    Judy W – If low-rated Science Diet is so yummy for your dogs, why did you post your comment on the 5-star rated page of Drs. Foster and Smith Dog Food? Or did you feed them Drs. Foster and Smith canned food and you confused Dr. with Science?
    You might take some time to review different products on this website just to see if what your two dogs like is actually good for them.
    Many people love McD, BK and KFC. But a diet of McD, BK and KFC isn’t very good.

  • Judy Wrenn

    I have two 7 year old picky dog food eaters! However, on the advice of my vet, she told me to try this can Science Diet as my dogs are overweight. I fed it to my dogs and they ate it all up, licked the bowl for any lingering food and wanted more!! I am a dog lover from way back, I highly advise feeding dogs can Science Diet. That is a fact!
    Judy W.

  • Meagan

    I think i might order some of this. has anyone fed it?