Rating: 
Premium Edge Dog Food earns the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.
The Premium Edge product line includes eight dry dog foods… six meeting AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance and two for all life stages (Puppy).
- Premium Edge Puppy
- Premium Edge Adult Lamb
- Premium Edge Adult Chicken
- Premium Edge Skin and Coat
- Premium Edge Senior (3 stars)
- Premium Edge Large Breed Puppy
- Premium Edge Healthy Weight II Weight Control
- Premium Edge Healthy Weight I Weight Reduction (5 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
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 26% | 15% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 29% | 17% | 46% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 25% | 35% | 40% |
The first ingredient in this dog food includes chicken. Although it is a quality item, 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.
After processing, this item would probably occupy a lower position on the list.
Which brings us to chicken meal… the second and (more 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 adequately describe this ingredient. Due to the variable nature of oil content in fish, we would have preferred to have known the species.
Fish meal is usually made from the by-products of commercial fish operations.
We are pleased to note that, unlike many fish meals, this particular item appears1 to be ethoxyquin-free.
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 lists 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 B-vitamins, fiber and is also (unlike many other grains) gluten-free.
The eighth ingredient lists 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 ninth ingredient is potato. Assuming they’re whole, potatoes are a good source of digestible carbohydrates and other healthy nutrients.
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 an inexpensive pet food filler.
Just the same, there’s probably not enough tomato pomace here to make much of a difference.
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 two notable exceptions…
First, we 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.
And lastly, the company 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.
Premium Edge Dog Food… the Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Premium Edge Dog Food appears to be a good kibble.
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 29%, a fat level of 17% and estimated carbohydrates of about 46%.
Because of its apparent lower meat content, the Senior product has been downgraded to 3 stars.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 30% and a mean fat level of 14%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 48% for the overall product line.
Near-average protein. Near-average fat. And average carbs… when compared to a typical dry dog food.
With no sign of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing an average amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Premium Edge Dog Food is a grain-based kibble using a moderate amount of chicken, lamb or fish meals as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand four stars.
Highly 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
03/07/2010 Original review
10/07/2010 Review updated
10/07/2010 Last Update
- Diamond Pet Customer Service via email, 7-7-2010 ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.