Rating: 
Summit Dog Food receives the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of three stars.
The Summit Dog Food Originals product line lists three kibbles… two meeting AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance and one for growth (Puppy).
- Summit Originals Puppy
- Summit Originals Adult
- Summit Originals Reduced Calorie
Summit Originals Adult was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Summit Originals Adult
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken meal, oatmeal, oat flour, corn, rice bran, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols (vitamin E)), salmon meal, lamb meal, flax, natural flavor, kelp meal, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, choline chloride, lysine, dried whole egg, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin A acetate, cholecalciferol (vitamin D), dl alpha-tocopherol acetate (vitamin E), ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, niacin, calcium pantothenate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, riboflavin, calcium iodate, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite, cobalt carbonate, vitamin B12
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 3.9%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The second item lists oatmeal… a whole-grain product made from coarsely ground oats. Oatmeal is naturally rich in B-vitamins, fiber and is also (unlike many other grains) gluten-free.
The third ingredient is oat flour. Since oat flour is nothing more than finely ground oats, it has the same gluten-free nutritional content as raw oats.
The fourth ingredient is corn. Now, contrary to what you may have heard, corn isn’t necessarily a bad ingredient.
On the other hand, although there’s no way to know from the list entry itself, the corn used in making many pet foods can be similar to the kind used to make feed for livestock.
And that can sometimes be problematic.
What’s more, corn is commonly linked to canine food allergies1.
For these reasons, we rarely consider corn a preferred component in any dog food.
The fifth ingredient includes rice bran… a 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 sixth ingredient lists 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.
The next two ingredients are lamb and chicken meals… both high protein meat concentrates.
The ninth ingredient simply lists simply “flax“. Is this raw flax? Flax seeds? Or flax meal? Due to this vague description, it’s impossible to judge the quality of this ingredient.
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 two notable exceptions…
First, we find no mention of probiotics… friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing.
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.
Summit Dog Food… the Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Summit Dog Food looks to be an 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 24%, a fat level of 10% and estimated carbohydrates of about 58%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 26% and a mean fat level of 13%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 53% for the overall product line.
Below-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Considering the protein-boosting effect of the corn gluten meal found in the puppy recipe, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a modest amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Summit Dog Food is a plant-based kibble using a modest amount of chicken meal as its main source of animal protein… thus earning the brand three stars.
Recommended.
Those looking for a better kibble from the same company may wish to visit our review of Summit Holistic Dog Food.
A Final Word
This review is 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 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… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.
Notes and Updates
05/30/2010 Original review
12/30/2010 Review updated
- White, S., Update on food allergy in the dog and cat, World Small Animal Veterinary Association, Vancouver, 2001 ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.