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Dogswell Grain Free Dog Food Review (Canned)

Product May Have Been Discontinued
Unable to Locate Complete Label Info
On Company Website1

Rating:

Dogswell Grain Free canned dog food receives the Advisor’s second-highest tier rating of 4.5.

The Dogswell Grain Free product line includes the 5 canned dog foods listed below.

Each recipe includes its related AAFCO nutrient profile when available on the product’s official webpage: Growth, Maintenance, All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

  • Dogswell Grain Free Duck Savory Stew [M]
  • Dogswell Grain Free Lamb Savory Stew [M]
  • Dogswell Grain Free Turkey Savory Stew [M]
  • Dogswell Grain Free Chicken Savory Stew [M]
  • Dogswell Grain Free Puppy Chicken Hearty Loaf (2 stars) [A]

Dogswell Grain Free Turkey Recipe Stew was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.

Dogswell Grain Free Turkey Recipe Stew

Canned Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 44% | Fat = 22% | Carbs = 25%

Ingredients: Turkey, chicken broth, water sufficient for processing, chicken liver, carrots, peas, dried egg product, dried ground peas, salmon (source of omega 3 fatty acids), dried chickpeas, dried egg whites, guar gum, natural flavor, tricalcium phosphate, spinach, menhaden fish oil ((, source of docosahexaenoic acid) (preserved with mixed tocopherols)), salt, sodium tripolyphosphate, potassium chloride, minerals (zinc amino acid chelate, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, sodium selenite, cobalt amino acid chelate, potassium iodide), vitamins (vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid), choline chloride, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, dried tomatoes, rosemary extract

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 5.6%

Red denotes controversial item

Estimated Nutrient Content
MethodProteinFatCarbs
Guaranteed Analysis8%4%NA
Dry Matter Basis44%22%25%
Calorie Weighted Basis36%44%21%
Protein = 36% | Fat = 44% | Carbs = 21%

The first ingredient in this dog food is turkey. Turkey is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey”.2

Turkey is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The second ingredient is chicken broth. Broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food, they are a common addition component in many canned products.

The third ingredient is water, which adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a routine finding in most canned dog foods.

The next ingredient is chicken liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The fifth item includes carrots. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.

The sixth ingredient lists peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. And like all legumes, they’re rich in natural fiber.

However, peas contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.

The seventh ingredient is dried egg product, a dehydrated form of shell-free eggs. Quality can vary significantly. Lower grade egg product can even come from commercial hatcheries — from eggs that have failed to hatch.

In any case, eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.

The next ingredient includes dried peas. Dried peas are a good source of carbohydrates. Plus they’re naturally rich in dietary fiber.

However, dried peas contain about 27% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.

The ninth ingredient is salmon. Salmon is an oily marine and freshwater fish not only high in protein but also omega 3 fatty acids, essential oils needed by every dog to sustain life.

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 Dogswell product.

With 3 notable exceptions

First, we find dried chickpeas in this recipe. Chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) are a good source of carbohydrates. Plus they’re naturally rich in dietary fiber.

However, dried chickpeas contain about 27% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.

Next, this food includes menhaden oil. Menhaden are small ocean fish related to herring. Their oil is naturally rich in the prized EPA and DHA type of omega-3 fatty acids, two high quality fats boasting the highest bio-availability to both dogs and humans.

What’s more, in their mid-depth habitat, menhaden are not as likely to be exposed to mercury contamination as is typical with deep water species.

And lastly, this food 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.

Dogswell Grain Free Canned Dog Food Review

Based on its ingredients alone, Dogswell Grain Free canned dog food looks like an above-average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 44%, a fat level of 22% and estimated carbohydrates of about 25%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 45% and a mean fat level of 27%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 21% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 60%.

Which means this Dogswell product line contains…

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

When you consider the protein-boosting effect of the peas, dried peas and dried chickpeas, this looks like the profile of a wet product containing a notable amount of meat.

However, with 44% of the total calories in our example coming from fat versus just 36% from protein, some recipes may not be suitable for every animal.

Bottom line?

Dogswell Grain Free is a canned dog food using a notable amount of named meats as its main source of animal protein, thus receiving 4.5 stars.

Highly recommended.

Dogswell Dog Food
Recall History

The following list (if present) includes all dog food recalls since 2009 directly related to Dogswell. If there are no recalls listed in this section, we have not yet reported any events.

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls sorted by date. Or view the same list sorted alphabetically by brand.

A Final Word

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For more information, please visit our Disclaimer and Disclosure page.

Notes and Updates

  1. “Last Update” field at the end of this review reflects the last time we attempted to visit this product’s website. The current review itself was last updated 04/25/2020
  2. Adapted by the Dog Food Advisor and based upon the official definition for chicken published by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, Official Publication, 2008 Edition
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