Rating: 
Pedigree Dry Dog Food receives the Advisor’s lowest rating of one star.
Currently, the Pedigree Dog Food product line lists eight kibbles… two designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages and the rest as marked on the label.
- Pedigree Lamb and Rice
- Pedigree Large Breed Nutrition for Dogs
- Pedigree with Chicken, Rice and Vegetables
- Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition for Dogs
- Pedigree Weight Maintenance Food for Dogs
- Pedigree Senior Complete Nutrition for Dogs
- Pedigree Puppy Food Original Chicken Flavor
- Pedigree Small Breed Nutrition Mini Crunchy Bites
Pedigree with Chicken, Rice and Vegetables Dry Dog Food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Pedigree with Chicken, Rice & Vegetables
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Ground whole corn, meat and bone meal, corn gluten meal, chicken by-product meal, animal fat (preserved with BHA/BHT), wheat flour, chicken, rice, dried whole peas, dried beet pulp, wheat mill run, natural flavor, salt, potassium chloride, carrot powder, caramel color, vegetable oil (source of linoleic acid), vitamins (choline chloride, dl-alpha tocopherol acetate [source of vitamin E], l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate [source of vitamin C], vitamin B12 supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement [vitamin B2], thiamine mononitrate [vitamin B1], biotin, vitamin D3 supplement), salt, minerals (zinc sulfate, zinc proteinate, copper sulfate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, potassium iodide), added fd&c and lake colors (yellow 6, blue 2, red 40, yellow 5)
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.5%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food is corn. Now, contrary to what you may have heard, corn isn’t necessarily a bad ingredient.
On the other hand, although there’s no way to know for sure here, the corn used in making many pet foods can be similar to the kind used to make feed for livestock.
And that can sometimes be problematic.
What’s more, corn is commonly linked to canine food allergies1.
For these reasons, we rarely consider corn a preferred component in any dog food.
The second ingredient is meat and bone meal… a dry “rendered” product of slaughterhouse waste. It’s made from what’s left of a slaughtered animal after all the prime cuts have been removed.
In a nutshell, this is the stuff that’s considered “unfit for human consumption”… heads, hooves, miscellaneous organs. You name it.
What’s worse, this item is anonymous… generic. It doesn’t even specify the source animal.
Whenever you see the phrase “meat and bone meal” in any product you can be sure you’re looking at a dog food made with one of the most inferior meat ingredients you can buy.
On the brighter side, meat and bone meals are meat concentrates and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh meat.
The third item is corn gluten meal. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate (the good stuff) washed out of it.
Compared to meat, glutens are inferior grain-based proteins low in many of the essential amino acids dogs need to sustain life.
This inexpensive plant-based ingredient can significantly boost the total protein content reported in this dog food.
Another low-quality ingredient.
The fourth item is chicken by-product meal… another rendered product of slaughterhouse waste. Like the meat and bone meal mentioned above, this ingredients also comes from inedible waste… the same agricultural waste rejected by the human food industry.
With the single exception of feathers, this stuff can contain almost anything… feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs. Not a quality item.
The fifth ingredient is animal fat. Animal fat is a generic by-product of “rendering”… the same high-temperature process used to make meat meals.
Since there’s no mention of a specific animal, this stuff could come from almost anywhere… restaurant grease, slaughterhouse waste, diseased cattle… even euthanized pets.
And what really puts the icing on the cake here is the use of two controversial chemical preservatives… BHA and BHT.
Needless to say, generic animal fat preserved in this way is surely not a quality ingredient.
We’re always disappointed to see the use of artificial coloring in any dog food.
Coloring is there to make the product more appealing to you… not your dog. After all, do you really think your dog cares what color her kibble is?
Wheat as it’s used for making most pet foods is almost never of human quality. It is an inexpensive grain subject to the same drawbacks as corn (previously discussed)… including its known links with canine allergies.
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.
To reflect its significantly lighter mass, this item should more suitably occupy an even lower position on the list than where it is here.
The word rice is generic and doesn’t tell us much. Is it brown rice? White rice? Brewers rice? Without knowing more, it’s difficult to judge the quality of this particular item.
Peas are considered a quality source of carbohydrates. Plus (like all legumes) they’re loaded with natural fiber.
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.
This food contains something known as wheat mill run. Although it sounds wholesome, wheat mill run is actually a by-product of cereal grain manufacturing. In reality, this stuff is nothing more than wheat dust and floor sweepings.
We also note this 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.
Pedigree Dry Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Wow… what a collection of synthetic chemicals and agricultural waste. Judging by its ingredient quality alone, Pedigree Dog Food looks like a particularly low-grade product.
Just the same, it’s still important to estimate the amount of meat contained in this dog food… before determining a final rating
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 30%, a fat level of 14% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 49%.
Featuring a brand average of 27%, protein numbers range from a low of 24% for the Small Breed and Complete Nutrition products to a high of 31% for the Puppy recipe.
Fat was an anemic 11% for the group. The protein and fat figures suggest a likely carbohydrate content of somewhere around 54%
Average protein. Low fat. And above-average carbohydrates (when compared to a typical dry dog food).
When you consider the rampant use of an inferior plant-based protein-boosting corn gluten meal throughout the line, this is the profile of a kibble containing only a modest amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Pedigree Dry Dog Food is primarily a corn-based kibble using a limited amount of meat and chicken by-products meals as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand one star.
Not recommended.
Those looking for a wet product by the same company may want to check-out our review of Pedigree Meaty Ground 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 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 brand… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.
Notes
11/08/2009 Original review
05/20/2010 Review updated
- White, S., Update on food allergy in the dog and cat, World Small Animal Veterinary Association, Vancouver, 2001 ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.