Rating: 
Three Dog Bakery Bake to Nature Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.
The Three Dog Bakery Bake to Nature product line includes six dry dog foods… five claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance and one for growth (puppies).
- Bake to Nature Chicken for Adults
- Bake to Nature Chicken for Puppies
- Bake to Nature Lamb and Rice for Adults
- Bake to Nature Chicken for Seniors (3 stars)
- Bake to Nature Fish and Sweet Potato for Adults
- Bake to Nature Chicken for Adults Healthy Weight (3 stars)
Three Dog Bakery Bake to Nature Chicken for Adults dry dog food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Three Dog Bakery Bake to Nature Chicken for Adults
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, oatmeal, ground barley, rice, rice bran, flaxseed, egg, alfalfa meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, choline chloride, potassium chloride , tomato pomace, taurine, carrots, spinach, apples, blueberries, chicory root extract, garlic, Yucca schidigera extract, green tea extract, minerals (ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, zinc proteinate, copper sulfate, copper proteinate, manganous oxide, manganese proteinate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), vitamins (vitamin E supplement, vitamin B12, vitamin A supplement, niacin supplement, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, pyrodoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, beta carotene)
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 5.7%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 22% | 10% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 25% | 11% | 56% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 23% | 26% | 51% |
The first ingredient in this dog food lists chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw chicken 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 occupy a lower position on the list.
Which brings us to chicken meal… the second and (more likely) the dominant meat ingredient in the finished dog food.
Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The third ingredient is 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 fourth 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 fifth ingredient is rice. Is this whole grain rice, brown rice or white rice? Since the word “rice” doesn’t tell us much, it’s impossible to judge the quality of this item.
The sixth 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 seventh 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.
The eighth ingredient is egg… a desirable addition. Eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
The ninth ingredient is alfalfa meal. Alfalfa meal is high in plant protein (about 18%) and fiber (25%).
The tenth 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.
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.
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, garlic can be a controversial item. Although the majority of experts favor the ingredient for its numerous health benefits, garlic (in rare cases) has been linked to Heinz body anemia in dogs.1
However, the limited professional literature we surveyed provided no definitive warnings regarding the use of garlic… especially in small amounts (as it is here).
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.
Thirdly, we find no mention of probiotics… friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing.
And lastly, this food does contain 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.
Three Dog Bakery Bake to Nature Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Three Dog Bakery Bake to Nature appears to be an above-average dry dog food.
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 25%, a fat level of 11% and estimated carbohydrates of about 56%.
Due to their notably lower meat content, both the Senior and Healthy Weight have been downgraded to three stars.
Excluding the two lower-rated foods, the remaining group 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.
Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Three Dog Bakery Bake to Nature is a grain-based kibble using a moderate amount of chicken, lamb or fish as its main source of animal protein… thus earning the brand four stars.
Highly recommended.
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
01/25/2011 Original review
01/25/2011 Last Update
- Yamato et al, Heinz Body hemolytic anemia with eccentrocytosis from ingestion of Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum) and garlic (Allium sativum) in a dog, Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 41:68-73 (2005) ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.