Rating: 
Solid Gold Holistique Blendz Dog Food earns the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of three stars.
Holistique Blendz is a dry kibble recommended “for less active adult or senior dogs” 1 and designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance.
Solid Gold Holistque Blendz Adult
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Oatmeal, cracked pearled barley, millet, ocean fish, potatoes, canola oil, tomato pomace, 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, 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 lists oatmeal… a whole-grain product made from coarsely ground oats. Oatmeal is naturally rich in B-vitamins, fiber and is (unlike many other grains) mostly gluten-free.
The second 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 third 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 fourth ingredient is ocean fish. Raw fish contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost… reducing the meat content to just 20% of its original weight.
After processing, this item would probably occupy a lower position on the list.
The fifth ingredient is potato. Assuming they are whole, potatoes are a good source of digestible carbohydrates and other healthy nutrients.
The sixth ingredient includes 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
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 a cheap pet food filler laden with pesticides found on the skin of the tomato before processing.
Just the same, there’s probably not enough tomato pomace here to make much of a difference.
The eighth ingredient is flaxseed… one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Flax seeds are rich in soluble fiber.
However, we find it unusual to see flaxseed here in its whole seed form. Whole flax seeds are almost impossible to digest (at least for us humans) unless they are first ground to a usable powder before they are consumed.
After the natural flavor, we find salmon oil. Like flaxseed, salmon oil is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. This is a nice addition.
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…
We find no evidence of probiotics… friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing.
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.
Solid Gold Holistique Blendz Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Solid Gold Holistique Blendz Dog Food appears to be a grain-heavy 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.
With four of the first five ingredients non-meat items, we have little confidence that there’s much animal protein in this dog food.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 20%, a fat level of 7% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 65%.
Low protein. Very low fat. And unusually high carbohydrates… when compared to a typical dry dog food.
With no evidence of any plant-based protein concentrates, this is the profile of a kibble containing only a limited amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Solid Gold Holistique Blendz Dog Food is a plant-based dry kibble using a minimal amount of fish meal as its main source of animal protein… thus earning the brand three stars.
Recommended.
Those looking for a quality kibble from the same company may wish to visit our review of Solid Gold Barking at the Moon Dog Food.
A Final Word
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
02/07/2010 Original review
07/16/2010 Review updated
- Solid Gold, 02/07/2010 ↩
- Mikkelson, B and DP, Oil of Ole, Urban Legends Reference Pages (2005), retrieved 12/05/2009 ↩
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I use this food daily for the dogs but I add Quality beef to it from hearst ranch which is expensive. Solid gold’s bag used to say it was formulated so you can add another protein of your choice to it. I want to know where the meat is from when feeding my dogs. I don’t trust any meat source in human food let alone pet food. They’re also vegetarian 3 days a week they love avoderm, pet guard and natural balance canned food I use to feed calif natural but they prefer the vegetarian canned.
Hi Lori… The feeding method you speak of here I like to call “topping”. I’ve been topping Bailey’s dry dog food with a quality meat for some time now. Sometimes I use fresh meat but usually we simply top his kibble with a high quality canned dog food. Thanks for sharing your excellent feeding technique with the rest of our readers. This is an easy way to really improve the food quality of any dog’s life.