Rating: 
Solid Gold Canned Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.
Currently, the Solid Gold product line includes four canned dog foods… three designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages and one for adult maintenance (Green Cow Tripe).
- Solid Gold Lamb and Barley
- Solid Gold Green Cow Tripe1
- Solid Gold Chicken and Liver
- Solid Gold Turkey and Ocean Fish
Solid Gold Turkey and Ocean Fish canned dog food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Solid Gold Turkey and Ocean Fish
Canned Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Turkey, chicken broth, turkey liver, ocean fish, brown rice, carrots, barley, sweet potato, guar gum, cottage cheese, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, oatmeal, alfalfa meal, flaxseed meal, olive oil, salt, carrageenan, cassia, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, copper sulfate, sodium selenite, manganese sulfate, niacin supplement, calcium panthothenate, biotin supplement, folic acid, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 6.8%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food is turkey. Turkey is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey”.2
Turkey is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The second ingredient is chicken broth. Broths are nutritionally worthless. But because they add moisture to a dog food they are a common finding in many canned products.
The third ingredient is turkey liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal. So long as it’s not over-weighted in a dog food, turkey liver is a beneficial component.
The fourth ingredient lists ocean fish. Like turkey, fish can also be considered a protein-rich meat addition.
Unfortunately, this particular ingredient is anonymous. The phrase “ocean fish” does little to adequately describe this item. We always feel safer with a named species.
The fifth item is brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient… a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
The sixth item lists carrots. Carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.
The seventh 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.
The eighth ingredient is sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are a good source of complex carbohydrates in a dog food. They are naturally rich in fiber, beta carotene and other healthy nutrients.
The ninth ingredient lists guar gum… a gelling or thickening agent found in many wet pet foods. Refined from dehusked guar beans, guar gum can add a notable amount of dietary fiber to any product.
The tenth ingredient is cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is high in calcium, phosphorous and protein. But unlike milk and other dairy products, relatively low in lactose.
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 have much of an effect on the overall rating of this product.
With one notable exception…
We note the minerals 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.
Solid Gold Canned Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Solid Gold appears to be a quality canned dog food.
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 41%, a fat level of 23% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 28%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 41% and an average fat level of 25%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate serving size of 26% for the full product line.
Average protein. Average fat. And average carbohydrates… when compared to a typical canned dog food.
With no evidence of any plant-based protein concentrates, this is the profile of a wet food containing a moderate amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Solid Gold canned dog food is a meat-based wet product using an average amount of poultry or beef tripe as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand four stars.
Highly recommended.
Those looking for a comparable kibble from the same company may wish to check out our review of Solid Gold Dry Dog Food.
A Final Word
This review is provided 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
12/05/2009 Original review
07/18/2010 Review updated
- Beef tripe… the first three chambers of a cow’s stomach. Tripe is favored by dogs and can include the contents of the organ, too ↩
- Adapted by the Dog Food Advisor and based upon the official definition for chicken published by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, Official Publication, 2008 Edition ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.