Rating: 
PMI Nutrition Dog Food receives the Advisor’s lowest rating of one star.
The PMI Nutrition product line includes four kibbles. Since we could not locate the AAFCO nutritional adequacy statements for all four products on the PMI Nutrition website, we’re unable to report life stage recommendations.
- PMI Nutrition Canine Advantage
- PMI Nutrition Bites n’ Bones Formula
- PMI Nutrition Gravy Crunches Formula
- PMI Nutrition Resourceful Formula (No Details Available)
PMI Nutrition Bites n’ Bones Formula was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
PMI Nutrition Bites n Bones
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Ground yellow corn, ground wheat, chicken by-product meal, meat and bone meal, wheat mill run, animal fat (preserved with BHA and citric acid), corn gluten meal, natural poultry flavor, salt, sunflower oil, potassium chloride, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, calcium carbonate, artificial color (yellow #5, red #40, blue #2), ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, zinc oxide, l-lysine hydrochloride, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, vitamin B12 supplement, niacin, biotin, vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), calcium iodate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), riboflavin supplement (source of vitamin B2), vitamin D3 supplement, cobalt carbonate, folic acid
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.5%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first two ingredients are corn and wheat. Now, contrary to what you may have heard, corn and wheat aren’t necessarily bad ingredients.
However, although there’s no way to know for sure here, the corn and wheat 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 and wheat are commonly linked to canine food allergies1.
For this reason, we rarely consider these two grains to be preferred components in any dog food.
The third item lists 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”.
This stuff can contain almost anything… feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs… anything (that is) but skeletal muscle (real meat).
On the brighter side, by-product meals are meat concentrates and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The fourth ingredient is 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”.2
Meat and bone meal has a lower digestibility than most other meat meals.
Scientists believe this decreased protein quality may be due to the ingredient’s higher ash and lower essential amino acid content.3
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 ingredient.
This food contains something known as wheat mill run… a cheap (low-grade) by-product of cereal grain processing. In reality, “mill run” is nothing more than wheat dust and floor sweepings.
The sixth item 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 item could come from almost anywhere… restaurant grease, slaughterhouse waste, diseased cattle… even euthanized pets.
And to make matters even worse, this fat is preserved with BHA… a suspected cancer-causing agent.
Needless to say, generic animal fat is surely not a quality ingredient.
The seventh item includes corn gluten meal. Gluten is the rubbery residue left after 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 for life.
This inexpensive plant-based ingredient can significantly boost the total protein content reported in this dog food.
In addition, we’re always disappointed to find artificial coloring in any dog food.
Coloring is used to make the product more appealing to you… not your dog. After all, do you really think your dog cares what color his food is?
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 off, this PMI Nutrition product also contains menadione… a controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.
Next, we find no mention of probiotics… friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing.
And lastly, the minerals listed 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.
PMI Nutrition Dog Food
The Bottom Line
It’s hard to believe a dog food could be made from such a sordid collection of food processing leftovers and agricultural waste.
In any case, we’re still curious enough to check out PMI Nutrition’s nutrient percentages before determining the brand’s final rating.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 24%, a fat level of 9% and estimated carbohydrates of about 59%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 25% and a mean fat level of 12%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 55% for the overall product line.
Below-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs… when compared to a typical dry dog food.
In addition, when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the corn gluten meal, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing only a modest amount of meat.
Based upon this nutrient profile along with the exceptionally high number of Red Flag items here, we have little confidence in the quality of the meat protein found in this recipe.
Bottom line?
PMI Nutrition Dog Food is a grain-based kibble using a modest amount of chicken and generic meat by-product meals as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand one star.
Not recommended.
Those looking for a better quality kibble from the same company may wish to visit our review of Infinia 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… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.
Notes and Updates
03/16/2010 Original review
10/16/2010 Review updated
- White, S., Update on food allergy in the dog and cat, World Small Animal Veterinary Association, Vancouver, 2001 ↩
- Adapted by the Dog Food Advisor and based upon the official definition for beef published by the 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 ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.