Rating: 
Infinia Dog Food receives the Advisor’s highest rating of five stars.
The Infinia product line includes four dry dog foods… two meeting AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages (Chicken and Turkey) and two for adult maintenance (Bison and Salmon).
- Infinia Bison and Potato
- Infinia Chicken and Brown Rice
- Infinia Turkey and Sweet Potato
- Infinia Zenfood Salmon and Sweet Potato (4 stars)
Infinia Turkey and Sweet Potato dog food was chosen to represent the others in the line for this review.
Infinia Turkey and Sweet Potato
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Turkey, chicken, turkey meal (natural source of glucosamine & chondroitin), chicken meal (natural source of glucosamine and chondroitin), sweet potatoes, potatoes, peas, egg product, canola oil, tomato pomace, natural flavor, salmon oil (a source of DHA), salt, methionine, choline chloride, mixed tocopherols (a natural preservative and source of vitamin E), dried chicory root, taurine, glucosamine hydrochloride, Yucca schidigera extract, kelp, carrots, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flakes, vitamins (choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid), l-carnitine, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, minerals (iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite)
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 3.3%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first two ingredients in this dog food are turkey and chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw poultry 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, these two items would probably occupy a lower position on the list.
Which brings us to turkey and chicken meals… the second, third and (more likely) the dominant meat ingredients in this dog food.
Turkey and chicken meals are both considered meat concentrates and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh poultry.
The fifth ingredient includes sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are a good source of complex carbohydrates in a dog food. They are naturally rich in fiber, beta carotene and other healthy nutrients.
The sixth item includes potato. Assuming they’re whole, potatoes are a good source of digestible carbohydrates and other healthy nutrients.
The seventh ingredient includes peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. Plus (like all legumes) they’re rich in natural fiber.
The eighth ingredient lists 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 ninth ingredient includes canola oil. Most applaud canola for its favorable omega-3 content… while a vocal minority condemn it as an unhealthy fat.
Current thinking (ours included) finds the negative stories about canola oil more the stuff of urban legend than actual science.1
Tomato pomace is a controversial ingredient… a by-product left after processing tomatoes into juice, soup and ketchup.
Many praise tomato pomace for its high fiber and nutrient content… while others scorn it as a cheap pet food filler laden with pesticides found on the skin of the tomato before processing.
Just the same, there’s probably not enough tomato pomace here to make much of a difference.
After the natural flavor, we find salmon oil. Salmon oil is naturally rich in 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 have much of an effect on the overall rating of this product.
With two notable exceptions…
First, 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, this dog 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.
Infinia Dog Food… the Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Infinia 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.
Since its first four ingredients all detail meat items, we should see some fairly good numbers here.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 36%, a fat level of 18% and estimated carbohydrates of about 39%.
With its modest protein and fat numbers implying a reduced meat content, we’ve placed Zenfood Salmon in a lower category.
So, excluding that product, the brand features an average protein content of 34% and a mean fat level of 17%.
Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 41% for the overall product line.
Above-average protein. Average fat. And below-average carbs… when compared to a typical dry dog food.
With no evidence of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a notable amount of meat.
What’s more, with the exception of the Chicken and Brown Rice recipe, the line is (otherwise) grain-free.
Bottom line?
Infinia is primarily a vegetable-based dry dog food using a notable amount of assorted meat meals 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
08/30/2010 Original review
- Mikkelson, B and DP, Oil of Ole, Urban Legends Reference Pages (2005) ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.