Rating: 
Great Life canned dog food receives the Advisor’s highest rating of five stars.
The Great Life product line includes six canned dog foods… each claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages.
- Great Life Essentials Peking Duck
- Great Life Essentials Baby Back Ribs
- Great Life Essentials Beef Wellington
- Great Life Essentials Irish Lamb Stew
- Great Life Essentials Chicken Parmigiana
- Great Life Essentials Alaskan Wild Salmon
Great Life Essentials Beef Wellington canned dog food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Great Life Essentials Beef Wellington
Canned Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Beef, beef broth, beef liver, organic blueberries, organic tomatoes, organic pumpkin, organic yams, organic chia, vitamins (dl-methione, lecithin, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, thiamone mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, niacin supplement, folic acid, biotin), minerals (calcium pantothenate, choline chloride, manganese chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acids chelate, manganese amino acids chelate, cobalt amino acids chelate, selenium), taurine
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.5%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this food lists beef. Beef is defined as “the clean flesh derived from slaughtered cattle” and includes skeletal muscle or the muscle tissues of the tongue, diaphragm, heart or esophagus.1
Beef is naturally rich in all ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The second ingredient includes beef 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 lists beef liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal. So long as it’s not over-weighted in a dog food, beef liver is a beneficial component.
The next five ingredients include nutrient-rich organic fruits and vegetables…
- Organic blueberries
- Organic tomatoes
- Organic pumpkin
- Organic yams
- Organic chia
And lastly, we note this food contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to proteins. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are generally associated with better dog foods.
Great Life Canned Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Since Great Life contains a number of quality organic ingredients, we feel compelled to accord this line favored status as we consider its final rating.
That’s because organic ingredients are produced under remarkably strict government standards… standards which greatly restrict the use of any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, hormones or antibiotics.
So, judging by its ingredients alone, Great Life appears to be an exceptional canned 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 46%, a fat level of 27% and estimated carbohydrates of about 19%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 42% and a mean fat level of 26%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 24% for the overall product line.
Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbohydrates… when compared to a typical canned dog food.
With no evidence of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a wet dog food containing a significant amount of meat.
What’s more, it’s important to acknowledge the absence here of any critical Red Flag items.
Bottom line?
Great Life is a grain-free canned dog food containing a significant amount of assorted meats as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand five stars.
Enthusiastically 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 a specific health benefit 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
08/25/2010 Original review
02/04/2011 Review updated (to include AAFCO rating)
- Association of American Feed Control Officials ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.