Rating: 
Premium Edge Dog Food earns the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.
Currently, the Premium Edge product line includes eight kibbles… two for puppies, three for adults, two for weight management and one for seniors.1
- Premium Edge Puppy
- Premium Edge Puppy Large Breed
- Premium Edge Adult Lamb
- Premium Edge Adult Chicken
- Premium Edge Skin and Coat
- Premium Edge Healthy Weight Control
- Premium Edge Healthy Weight Reduction (5 stars)
- Premium Edge Senior (3 stars)
Premium Edge Adult Chicken Formula was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Premium Edge Adult Chicken Formula
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, ocean fish meal, whole grain brown rice, cracked pearled barley, white rice, oatmeal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potatoes, tomato pomace, egg product, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, choline chloride, dried chicory root, glucosamine hydrochloride, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, l-carnitine, chondroitin sulfate, dried fermentation products of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 3.3%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food includes chicken. Raw chicken contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost… reducing the meat content to just 20% of its original weight.
So, don’t be influenced by chicken’s first-ingredient status here. To reflect its lighter weight, this item should more accurately occupy a much 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 ingredient is ocean fish meal. Like chicken meal, this is another a high-protein meat concentrate.
Unfortunately, this particular item is anonymous. The term “ocean fish” does little to properly describe this ingredient. What species? What parts?
The phrase “ocean fish meal” is just another fancy name for this ingredient’s more recognized alias… fish meal.
Fish meal is usually made from the by-products of commercial fish operations.
What’s more, the controversial chemical ethoxyquin is frequently used as a preservative in fish meals.
But because it’s usually added to the raw fish before processing, the chemical does not have to be reported to consumers.
Without knowing more, and based upon this fish meal’s location on the list of ingredients, it’s reasonable to expect to find (at least) a trace amount of ethoxyquin in this product.
The fourth item is brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient… a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
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. This is a quality grain ingredient.
The sixth item mentions white rice… a less nutritious form of rice in which the grain’s healthier outer layer has been removed.
The seventh ingredient is oatmeal… a whole-grain product made from coarsely ground oats. Oatmeal is naturally rich in fiber, B-vitamins and is (unlike many other cereal grains) mostly gluten-free.
The next ingredient 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.
The list goes on to include a number of other ingredients.
But to be realistic, items located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to have much of an effect on the overall quality of this product.
The manufacturer appears to have added back some of the “good” bacteria lost during the cooking process. These special probiotics are used to enhance a dog’s digestive and immune functions.
This dog food also contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to amino acids. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are generally found in better dog foods.
Premium Edge Dog Food… the Bottom Line
Excepting the fish meal, the ingredients used to make this Premium Edge dog food are certainly fine enough.
But that all-important question remains to be answered… just how much animal protein does the product most likely contain?
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 29%, a fat level of 17% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 46%.
Good protein. Moderate fat. And average carbohydrates (compared to a typical dry dog food).
Featuring a brand average of 30%, protein percentages range from a low of 22% for the Senior recipe to a high of 49% for the Healthy Weight Reduction Formula.
Nice numbers. Indeed.
Bottom line?
Premium Edge Dog Food is primarily a grain-based kibble utilizing a reasonable amount of meat meal as its main source of animal protein… thus earning the brand a solid four-star rating.
Highly recommended.
Some Final Thoughts
Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult your veterinarian for help.
Have an opinion about this dog food brand… or maybe the review itself?
Please feel free to share your comments below.
- Premium Edge, 3/7/2010 ↩
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I am looking for some feedback on Professional dog food, I believe it is made by diamond.
Hi Susan… I’m planning to review Professional Dog Food in the very near future… so stay tuned.
Mike,
I was wondering if you would rate the Premium Edge Puppy 4 stars considering it contains corn gluten meal as the fifth ingredient. Thanks!
Hi Shannon… Yes, I agree. With corn gluten meal near the top of the list, it’s probably responsible for at least some of the label’s reported protein content. And therefore, I’d guess the recipe contains a little less meat
The Puppy formula is likely to be a little closer to 3-stars.