Rating: 
Eukanuba Custom Care Dog Food receives the Advisor’s below-average rating of 2.5 stars.
The Eukanuba Custom Care product line includes 4 kibbles, each claimed to to target a specific health condition.
Since we could not locate AAFCO nutritional adequacy statements for these products on the Eukanuba website, we’re unable to report life stage recommendations.
- Eukanuba Healthy Joints Formula
- Eukanuba Sensitive Skin Formula
- Eukanuba Sensitive Digestion
- Eukanuba Weight Loss
Eukanuba Sensitive Digestion Dog Food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Eukanuba Sensitive Digestion
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Brewers rice, corn grits, chicken by-product meal, corn meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E), chicken, fish meal, dried beet pulp, chicken flavor, dried egg product, Fructooligosaccharides, potassium chloride, flax meal, sodium hexametaphosphate, fish oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E), vitamins (vitamin E supplement, ascorbic acid, vitamin A acetate, calcium pantothenate, biotin, thiamine mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, niacin, riboflavin supplement (source of vitamin B2), inositol, pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid), calcium carbonate, minerals (ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, potassium iodide, cobalt carbonate), dl-methionine, rosemary extract
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 5.6%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food is brewers rice. Brewers rice represents the small grain fragments left over after milling whole rice.
This is a cheap cereal grain by-product and not a quality ingredient.
The second item is corn grits. Grits are made from ground corn, 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 third ingredient is chicken by-product meal, a dry rendered product of slaughterhouse waste. It’s made from what’s left of a slaughtered chicken after all the prime cuts have been removed.
In a nutshell, chicken by-products are those unsavory leftovers usually considered “unfit for human consumption”.
In addition to organs (the nourishing part), this stuff can contain almost anything — feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs — anything except quality skeletal muscle (real meat).
On the brighter side, by-product meals are meat concentrates and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The fourth ingredient lists corn meal, another corn product previously mentioned.
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 ingredient is chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw chicken contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.
After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.
The seventh ingredient mentions fish meal, another high-protein meat concentrate.
Unfortunately, this particular item is anonymous. Because various fish contain different types of fats, we would have preferred to have known the source species.
Fish meal is commonly made from the by-products of commercial fish operations.
What’s more, the controversial chemical ethoxyquin is frequently used as a preservative in fish meals.
But because it’s usually added to the raw fish before processing, the chemical does not have to be reported to consumers.
We find no public assurances from the company this product is ethoxyquin-free.
Without knowing more, and based upon this fish meal’s location on the list of ingredients, we would expect to find only a trace of ethoxyquin in this product.
The eighth ingredient is beet pulp. 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 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.
After the natural chicken flavor, we find 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.
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 three notable exceptions…
First, we note the inclusion of sodium hexametaphosphate, a man-made industrial polymer with no known nutritive value.
HMP is used in making soap, detergents, water treatment, metal finishing and most likely here to decrease tartar build-up on the teeth.
Although some might disagree, we’re of the opinion that food is not the place for tartar control chemicals or any other non-nutritive substances.
Next, this recipe contains fructooligosaccharide… an alternative sweetener1 probably used here as a prebiotic. Prebiotics function to support the growth of healthy bacteria in the large intestine.
And lastly, 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.
Eukanuba Custom Care Dog Food
The Bottom Line
It’s important to recognize it is not the purpose of the Advisor to judge the appropriateness of any dog food for treating specific health conditions. We only judge the quality of the products.
That said, and judging by its ingredients alone, Eukanuba Custom Care dry dog food looks to be an 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 26%, a fat level of 14% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 52%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 25% and a mean fat level of 13%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 55% for the overall product line.
Below-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this is the profile of a kibble containing a modest amount meat.
Bottom line?
Eukanuba Custom Care Dog Food is essentially a grain-based kibble using only a modest amount of chicken by-products meal as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 2.5 stars.
Not recommended.
Those looking for a higher protein kibble from the same company may want to read our review of Eukanuba Premium Performance 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.
Other spellings: Eukenuba, Eucanuba
Notes and Updates
11/15/2009 Original review
06/10/2010 Review updated
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.