Rating: 
Grandma Mae’s Country Naturals Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.
The Grandma Mae’s product line includes three dry dog foods… each meeting AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages.
- Grandma Mae’s Country Naturals Food for Puppies
- Grandma Mae’s Country Naturals Food for Adult Dogs
- Grandma Mae’s Country Naturals Low Fat Dog Food
Grandma Mae’s Country Naturals Food for Adult Dogs was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.
Grandma Mae's Country Naturals Adult
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, oats, barley, chipped rice, menhaden fish meal, chicken fat (stabilized with mixed tocopherols), natural chicken flavors, flaxseed, dried egg product, apples, carrots, sweet potatoes, herring oil, dried kelp meal, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, salt, garlic, vitamin E supplement, Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product dehydrated, Bacillus subtilis fermentation product dehydrated, Bifidobacterium thermophilum fermentation product dehydrated, Bifidobacterium pseudolongum fermentation product dehydrated, Enterococcus faecium fermentation product dehydrated, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, iron sulfate, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B12, folic acid, riboflavin, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hcl, calcium iodate, thiamine, biotin, cobalt sulfate, rosemary extract
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 5%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first item in this dog food lists 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 occupy a lower position on the list.
Which brings us to chicken meal… the second and (most likely) the dominant meat ingredient in this dog food.
Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
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 includes oats. Oats are rich in B-vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.
The fifth ingredient is barley. Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. Unlike grains with a higher glycemic index (like rice), barley can help support stable blood sugar levels in dogs.
The sixth item describes chipped rice… grain particles nutritionally equivalent to whole rice.
Menhaden fish meal is (like chicken meal) another protein-rich meat concentrate.
Menhaden are small ocean fish related to herring. And they’re rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Thankfully, unlike most fish meals, this particular item appears1 to be ethoxyquin-free.
The seventh item includes 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.
After the natural flavor, we find flaxseed… one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.
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, 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.2
Most of the literature we surveyed offered no conclusive evidence against the use of garlic… especially in small amounts (as it is here).
Next, the manufacturer appears to have applied friendly bacteria to the surface of the kibble after cooking. These special probiotics are used to enhance a dog’s digestive and immune functions.
And lastly, we note 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.
Grandma Mae’s Country Naturals Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Grandma Mae’s Country Naturals appears to be an above-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 16% and estimated carbohydrates of about 50%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 27% and a mean fat level of 13%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 48% for the overall product line.
Near-average protein. Below-average fat. And average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Gandma Mae’s Country Naturals is a grain-based dry dog food using a moderate amount of chicken meal as its main source of animal protein… thus earning the brand four stars.
Highly 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
04/16/2010 Original review
11/16/2010 Review updated
- Grandma Mae’s Country Naturals, 4/16/2010 ↩
- 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.