Which Sportmix Original Recipes Get
Our Best Ratings?

Sportmix Original Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-lowest tier rating of 2 stars.

The Sportmix Original product line includes the 2 dry dog foods listed below.

Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available… Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Sportmix Bite Size was selected to represent both products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.

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Ingredient Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain. And aside from its energy content, this grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The second ingredient is meat meal, “the rendered product from mammal tissues, exclusive of blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices”.¹

Since in this case the source animal is not known, this item could come from almost anywhere: spoiled supermarket meat, roadkill, dead, diseased or dying livestock — even euthanized pets.

On the brighter side, however, meat meals are meat concentrates and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh meat.

Although this item does contain all the amino acids a dog needs, we do not consider meat meal a quality component.

The third ingredient is wheat. Wheat is another cereal grain and subject to the same issues as corn (previously discussed).

The next ingredient is soybean meal, a by-product of soybean oil production more commonly found in farm animal feeds.

Although soybean meal contains 48% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.

And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

The fifth ingredient is chicken fat. This item 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. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.

The sixth ingredient is salt (also known as sodium chloride). Salt is a common additive in many dog foods. That’s because sodium is a necessary mineral for all animals — including humans.

However, since the actual amount of salt added to this recipe isn’t disclosed on the list of ingredients, it’s impossible to judge the nutritional value of this item.

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 Sportmix product.

With 2 notable exceptions…

First, we find no mention of probiotics, friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing to help with digestion.

And lastly, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually associated with higher quality dog foods.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Sportmix Original Dog Food looks like a below-average dry product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 24%, a fat level of 9% and estimated carbohydrates of about 59%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 27% and a mean fat level of 11%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 54% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 41%.

Near-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to other dry dog foods.

And when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the soybean meal, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.

Our Rating of Sportmix Original Dog Food

Sportmix Original is a grain-inclusive dry dog food using a moderate amount of unnamed meat meal as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 2 stars.

Not recommended.

Sportmix Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Sportmix through April.

• Midwestern Pet Foods Recalls Multiple Dog and Cat Food Brands (3/28/2021)
• Deadly Dog and Cat Food Recall Expands: More Brands, Over 1000 Lots (1/12/2021)
• Sportmix Dog and Cat Foods Recalled Due to Deadly Mold Toxin (12/30/2020)

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.

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More Sportmix Brand Reviews

The following Sportmix dog food reviews are also posted on this website:

• Sportmix CanineX Dog Food Review (Dry)
• Sportmix Premium Dog Food Review (Dry)