Rating: 
Solid Gold dry dog food earns the Advisor’s above-average rating of 4 stars.
The Solid Gold Dog Food product line includes eight dry kibbles… six meeting AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance, two for growth (puppy recipes) and one for all life stages (Just a Wee Bit).
- Solid Gold Wolf Cub Puppy
- Solid Gold Barking at the Moon
- Solid Gold Holistique Blendz Adult
- Solid Gold Sun Dancer ( 4.5 stars)
- Solid Gold Hundchen Flocken Puppy
- Solid Gold WolfKing Large Breed Adult
- Solid Gold Hund-n-Flocken Adult (3 stars)
- Solid Gold MMillennia Beef and Barley Adult
- Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit Small Breed All Life Stages
With the exception of Barking at the Moon and Sun Dancer (which earned a higher rating) and Holistique Blendz (a lower one), Solid Gold Hundchen Flocken Puppy was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Solid Gold Hundchen Flocken Puppy
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Lamb, lamb meal, ocean fish meal, brown rice, millet, cracked pearled barley, canola oil, tomato pomace, rice bran, flaxseed, natural flavor, salmon oil (source of DHA), choline chloride, taurine, dried chicory root, amaranth, parsley flakes, spearmint, almond oil, sesame oil, Yucca schidigera extract, kelp, thyme, blueberries, cranberries, apples, lentils, quinoa, 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 panthothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin supplement, vitamin D supplement, folic acid
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.4%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food is lamb. Although it is a quality item, raw lamb 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 account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.
Which brings us to lamb meal… the second and (more likely) the dominant meat ingredient in this dog food.
Lamb meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than even fresh lamb.
The third ingredient lists ocean fish meal… another protein-rich meat concentrate.
We are pleased to note that, unlike most fish meals, this particular item1 appears to be ethoxyquin-free.
Unfortunately, the phrase “ocean fish” is generic and does little to adequately describe this ingredient. Since some fish are higher in omega-3 fats than others, it’s impossible for us to judge the quality of this item.
The fourth ingredient is brown rice… a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
The fifth ingredient lists millet… gluten-free grains harvested from certain seed grasses. Millet is hypoallergenic and naturally rich in B-vitamins and fiber… as well as other essential minerals.
The sixth 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.
The seventh ingredient is canola oil. Most applaud canola for its favorable omega-3 content… while a vocal minority condemn it as an unhealthy fat.
Current thinking (ours included) finds the negative stories about canola oil more the stuff of urban legend than actual science.2
However, plant-based oils (like canola) are less biologically available to a dog than fish oil as a source of quality omega-3 fats.
The eighth ingredient is tomato pomace. Tomato pomace is a controversial ingredient… a by-product remaining 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.
The ninth ingredient is rice bran… a healthy by-product of rice milling. Though not as nutritionally complete as whole grain rice, brans are still unusually rich in fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals.
The tenth ingredient is flaxseed… one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.
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 four notable exceptions…
First, this recipe also includes salmon oil. Salmon oil is naturally rich in omega-3 fatty acids… essential oils needed by every dog to sustain life.
Next, chicory root is naturally rich in a substance called inulin… a starch-like compound made up of repeating units of carbohydrates and found in certain roots and tubers.
Not only is inulin a natural source of soluble dietary fiber, it’s also a prebiotic used to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in a dog’s digestive tract.
And lastly, this food also 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.
Solid Gold Dry Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Solid Gold Dry Dog Food appears to be an above-average 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 27%, a fat level of 16% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 50%.
Excluding higher-rated Barking at the Moon and Sun Dancer as well as the lower-rated Holistique Blendz, the brand features an average protein content of 27% and an average fat level of 14%.
Together, these figures suggest an overall carbohydrate content of 51% for the full product line.
Near-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Solid Gold rry dog food is a grain-based kibble using a moderate amount of named meat meals as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand 4 stars.
Highly recommended.
Those looking for a meatier food from the same company may wish to visit our review of Solid Gold Barking at the Moon 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 brand… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.
Notes and Updates
12/05/2009 Original review
06/11/2011 Review updated (added Sun Dancer)
- About Solid Gold, 02/07/2010 ↩
- Mikkelson, B and DP, Oil of Ole, Urban Legends Reference Pages (2005) ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.