Rating: 
Red Flannel Dog Food earns the Advisor’s second-lowest rating of two stars.
Currently, the Red Flannel product line includes seven kibbles.1
- Red Flannel Adult Formula
- Red Flannel Prime Formula
- Red Flannel Active Formula
- Red Flannel Puppy Formula
- Red Flannel Hi-Protein Formula
- Red Flannel Canine Select Formula
- Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula
Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken by-product meal (natural source of chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine), ground wheat, ground yellow corn, brewers rice, chicken fat preserved with mixed tocopherols (form of vitamin E), dried beet pulp, natural chicken flavor, fish meal (natural source of glucosamine), ground flaxseed, dried egg product, calcium carbonate, brewers dried yeast, salt, potassium chloride, monocalcium phosphate, choline chloride, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, l-carnitine, niacin, copper sulfate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, manganous oxide, calcium pantothenate, vitamin B12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), riboflavin supplement (source of vitamin B2), sodium selenite, calcium iodate, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement, cobalt carbonate
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 5%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food is 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 the unsavory and inedible leftovers deemed “unfit for human consumption”.
This stuff can contain almost anything… feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs… you name it. This is not a quality ingredient.
The next two items are wheat and corn. Although there’s no way to know for sure, it’s reasonable to assume the grains described here are similar to the kind used to make feed for livestock.
Feed grains can be contaminated with insects, mites and molds.
Many blame wheat and corn for chronic canine allergies. But those allergies are probably more a result of what’s in the grain… than the grains themselves.
The fourth item is brewers rice. Brewers rice represents the small grain fragments left over after milling whole rice.
This is a cheap cereal grain by-product and not a quality ingredient.
The fifth 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 dried beet pulp listed here 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.
After the natural chicken flavor (whatever that means), we find fish meal. Because it is considered a meat concentrate, fish meal contains almost 300% more protein than fresh fish itself.
Unfortunately, this particular item is anonymous. The term “fish” does little to adequately describe this ingredient. What species? What parts?
Fish meal is commonly 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.
From here, the list goes on to include 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.
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.
Unfortunately, this Red Flannel product also contains menadione… a controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.
Red Flannel Dog Food… the Bottom Line
Before we reach a final rating, it’s important to check the example product’s nutrient percentages.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 27%, a fat level of 13% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 52%.
Fair protein. Low fat. And average carbohydrates (when compared to a typical dry dog food).
Featuring a brand average of 27%, protein percentages range from a low of 23% for the Select recipe to a high of 30%% for the Puppy Formula.
A decent nutrient profile… but not decent enough to overcome the excessive collection of Red Flag items in this product.
Bottom line?
Red Flannel Dog Food is primarily a grain-based kibble utilizing a modest amount of chicken by-products meal as its main source of animal protein… earning the brand a disappointing two stars.
Not 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.
- Red Flannel, 3/17/2010 ↩
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
We purchased Red Flannel adult dog food from a farm and feed store recently to try. We have 5 dogs that are part of our family. Red Flannel seemed to have very close to the same nutritional values as what we were using but for less money. After only 10 days of using this dog food 3 out of our 5 dogs were vomiting 3-4 times a day. All of our dogs lost energy and became sluggish. They lost weight and the spark in their eyes became dim. So, we began a research on the ingredients in Red Flannel and we were shocked to find out that it was made of cheap fillers with no nutritional value!!
We immediately went back to our previous food and within 24 hrs we could tell a our dogs were getting back to their old spunky selves (no more vomiting). Just thought we would share this with others.