Rating: 
Solid Gold Canned Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-tier rating of 4 stars.
The Solid Gold product line includes four canned dog foods, three claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages and one for adult maintenance (Green Cow Tripe).
The following is a list of recipes available at the time of this review.
- 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
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 9% | 5% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 41% | 23% | 28% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 33% | 44% | 23% |
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 empty. 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 and thus considered a beneficial component.
The fourth ingredient lists ocean fish. This item is typically sourced from clean, undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings of commercial fish operations.3
Without more detailed information, it’s difficult to judge the quality of this particular ingredient
In any case, fish meat is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The fifth item is brown rice, a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) can be fairly easy to digest. However, aside from its natural energy content, rice is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The sixth item lists carrots. Carrots are rich in 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, barley can help support more stable blood sugar levels.
The eighth ingredient is sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are a gluten-free source of complex carbohydrates in a dog food. They are naturally rich in dietary fiber and beta carotene.
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 two notable exceptions…
First, carrageenan is a gelatin-like thickening agent extracted from seaweed. Although carrageenan has been used as a food additive for hundreds of years, there does appear to be some recent controversy regarding its long term biological safety.
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.
Solid Gold Canned Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Solid Gold appears to be an above-average 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 43% and an average fat level of 21%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate serving size of 28% for the full product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 47%.
Above-average protein. Below-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to a typical canned dog food.
Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a canned food containing a notable amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Solid Gold canned dog food is a meat-based wet product using an notable amount of poultry or beef tripe as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 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.
Special Alert
Rice ingredients can sometimes contain arsenic. Until the US FDA establishes safe upper levels for arsenic content, pet owners may wish to limit the total amount of rice fed in a dog's daily diet.
A Final Word
The descriptions and analyses expressed in this and every article on this website represent the views and opinions of the author.
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Each review is offered in good faith and has been 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 specific health benefits for your pet.
For a better understanding of how we analyze each product, please 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 qualified veterinary professional for help.
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Notes and Updates
12/05/2009 Original review
07/18/2010 Review updated
05/08/2012 Last Update
- 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 ↩
- Adapted by The Dog Food Advisor from the official definition of other fish ingredients as published by the Association of American Feed Control Officials ↩
