Rating: 
Sportmix Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-lowest rating of two stars.
Currently, the Sportmix “Original” product line lists four kibbles. We found no AAFCO life stage recommendations for these foods anywhere on the Sportmix website.
- Sportmix Bite Size
- Sportmix Chunk Style
- Sportmix High Protein
- Sportmix Puppy Mini Morsels
Sportmix Chunk Style Dog Food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Sportmix Chunk Style
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Ground yellow corn, meat meal, ground wheat, soybean meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of natural vitamin E), salt, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, riboflavin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, niacin supplement, choline chloride, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, biotin, calcium iodate, copper sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganous oxide, zinc oxide, magnesium oxide
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 5.7%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food is corn. Although there’s no way to know for sure, it’s reasonable to assume the corn described here is similar to the kind used to make feed for livestock.
Feed corn can be contaminated with insects, mites and molds.
Many blame corn for chronic canine allergies. But those allergies are probably more a result of what’s in the corn… than the corn itself.
The second ingredient includes 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
What does Sportmix mean by the word “meat”? Where does this stuff come from? Slaughterhouse waste? Dead zoo animals? Road kill? Or maybe even euthanized pets and laboratory animals?
Meat meal is a lower quality generic ingredient.
The third ingredient is wheat. Wheat (as it’s used for making most pet foods) is almost never of human quality. It is an inexpensive grain sometimes laden with insect contaminants.
Plus… wheat has the rather dubious distinction of being one of the most common causes of canine food allergies.
The fourth ingredient is soybean meal. Soybean meal is actually a by-product. It’s what remains of soybeans after all the oil has been removed.
Soybean meal contains 48% protein… inferior plant-based protein. So, it has the ability to raise the reported protein content of this food.
The fifth ingredient is chicken fat. Chicken fat 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.
Also, 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.
Sportmix Dog Food… the Bottom Line
All things considered, the ingredients used to make Sportmix Dog Food are certainly of no more than mediocre quality.
But quality alone does not a good dog food make.
It is of (at least) equal value to attempt to estimate the product’s likely meat content. And to do that, we need to check the label’s nutrient percentages.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 24%, a fat level of 9% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 59%.
Featuring a brand average of 27%, protein numbers range from a low of 24% for the Bite Size and Chunk Style recipes to a high of 30% for the Puppy and High Protein formulas.
Fat was an anemic 11% for the group.
Moderate protein. Low fat. And above-average carbohydrates… as compared to a typical dry dog food.
This is the profile of a kibble containing only a modest amount of meat. When you consider the inclusion of inexpensive grains and the use of a generic meat meal in three of the four products, it’s difficult to be impressed by this dog food.
Bottom line?
Sportmix Dog Food is primarily a grain-based kibble using a only a fair amount of ageneric meat meal as its main source of animal protein… thus earning the brand just two stars.
Not recommended.
Those looking for a slightly better kibble from this same company may want to check-out our review of Sportmix Premium 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 brand… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.
- Association of American Feed Control Officials ↩
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
What merits the second star for this food? It contains euthanized pets! It’s Soylent Green for doggies! Anyone who thinks that it’s okay that the dog food they are buying is $14.99 for 40 pounds should then be told they must eat McDonald’s and Twinkies every day for a year then decide if they should continue to buy the lowest price food instead of quality products. People: if you can’t afford a dog, DON’T BUY ONE. plus, the shelters are already full enough without you going out to the pet store and encouraging more puppy mills by buying the cute little “eku” “certified” malty-poo. And further more, to people with small breed dogs, it eats 2 pounds of food a freakin’ month! There is no excuse to buy the cheapest possible food when your pup weighs less than you purse. I have a 75 pound lab and I buy her Blue Buff Wilderness. you know how much that cost me? 50 bucks a month. you know how much it would cost to feed it to your “designer dog” that fits in your fanny pack? like 10 bucks a month. Really.