Rating: 
Extreme Dog Fuel receives the Advisor’s lowest rating of 1 star.
The Extreme Dog Fuel product line includes just two dry kibbles, each claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance.
- Extreme Dog Fuel 26-18 Professional Formula
- Extreme Dog Fuel 24-18 Performance Formula
Extreme Dog Fuel 24-18 Performance Formula was selected to represent both products in the line for this review.
Extreme Dog Fuel 24-18 Performance
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken by-product meal, ground corn, brown rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), rice bran, meat and bone meal, beet pulp, ground wheat, corn gluten meal, brewers dried yeast, salt, potassium chloride, liver digest, vitamin E supplement, lecithin, vitamin B12 supplement, choline chloride, rice flour, garlic, zinc oxide, ascorbic acid, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, manganous oxide, biotin, vitamin A acetate, copper oxide, calcium pantothenate, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), potassium iodide, folic acid, sodium selenite, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (a source of vitamin K activity), vitamin D3 supplement, tetra sodium phosphate, Yucca schidigera extract
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.3%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food 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 second ingredient is corn. Corn is 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 item is brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient, a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
The fourth ingredient 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 high in linoleic acid… an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Though it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is a quality ingredient.
The fifth ingredient includes rice bran, a healthy 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.
The sixth ingredient lists meat and bone meal, a dry “rendered product from mammal tissues, including bone, exclusive of blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents”.1
Meat and bone meal can have a lower digestibility than most other meat meals.
Scientists believe this decreased absorption may be due to the ingredient’s higher ash and lower essential amino acid content.2
What’s worse, this particular item is anonymous. It doesn’t even specify the source animal.
Even though meat and bone meals are still considered protein-rich meat concentrates, we do not consider a generic ingredient like this a quality item.
The seventh 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.
The eighth ingredient is wheat. Wheat is another problematic grain and subject to the same issues as corn (previously discussed).
The ninth ingredient is corn gluten meal. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it.
Compared to meat, glutens are inferior grain-based proteins lower in many of the essential amino acids dogs need for life.
This inexpensive plant-based ingredient can significantly boost the total protein content reported in this dog food.
The next ingredient is brewers dried yeast. Brewers yeast can be a controversial item. Although it’s a by-product of the beer making process, this ingredient contains about 45% protein… and is rich in other healthy nutrients.
Fans believe yeast repels fleas and supports the immune system.
Critics argue yeast ingredients can be linked to allergies. This may be true, but (like all allergies) only if your particular dog is allergic to the yeast itself.
What’s more, a vocal minority insist yeast can increase the risk of developing the life-threatening condition known as bloat. However, this is something we’ve not been able to scientifically verify.
In any case, unless your dog is specifically allergic to it, we feel yeast should be considered a nutritious addition.
Liver digest is made from the enzymatic breakdown of liver tissue. Digests are commonly used by pet food manufacturers as flavor enhancers.
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 four 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.3
Most of the literature we surveyed offered no conclusive evidence against the use of garlic, especially in small amounts (as it is here).
Next, we find no mention of probiotics, friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing.
Thirdly, the minerals 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.
And lastly, Extreme Dog Fuel does appear to contain menadione, a controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.
Extreme Dog Fuel
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Extreme Dog Fuel appears to be a below-average dry dog food.
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 27%, a fat level of 20% and estimated carbohydrates of about 45%.
The two products feature an average protein content of 28% and a mean fat level of 20%.
Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 44% for the overall product line.
Near-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
In addition, when you consider the plant-based protein-boosting effect of the corn gluten meal, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing only a moderate amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Extreme Dog Fuel is a grain-based dry dog food using a moderate amount of chicken by-product meal as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 1 star.
Not recommended.
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? Or maybe the review itself? Please know we welcome your comments.
Notes and Updates
04/17/2010 Original review
11/17/2010 Review updated
11/15/2011 Review updated, no changes noted
- Association of American Feed Control Officials, 2008 Edition ↩
- Shirley RB and Parsons CM, Effect of Ash Content on Protein Quality of Meat and Bone Meal, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Poultry Science, 2001 80: 626-632 ↩
- 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) ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.