Rating: 
Wysong Maintenance canned dog food earns the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of three stars.
As its name suggests, Wysong Maintenance has been designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance. But according to Wysong, the product can be “fed to dogs of all life stages and types as part of a diet rotation”.
Wysong Maintenance Canine Diet
Canned Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken, water sufficient for processing, ground brown rice, ground corn, ground extruded whole soybeans, carrots, barley, bone meal, dicalcium phosphate, whole egg, yeast culture, ground flax seeds, dried kelp, dried wheat grass powder, dried barley grass powder, sage extract, rosemary extract, garlic, black pepper, artichoke, ascorbic acid, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, manganese proteinate, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper proteinate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, vitamin A acetate, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food includes chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.1
Chicken is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The second ingredient is water… which (of course) adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a routine finding in most canned dog foods.
The third item is brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient… a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
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 for sure here, 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.
The fifth item lists whole soybeans. Soybeans contain as much as 40% protein. However, soy protein is inferior in biological value to the protein found in meat-based ingredients.
What’s worse, both corn and soy are commonly linked to canine food allergies2.
For these reasons, we rarely consider either corn or soy preferred components in any dog food.
The sixth item lists carrots. Carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.
The seventh 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 eighth ingredient is bone meal. Bone meal is a controversial item. Although it can be a good source of calcium and magnesium, bone meal can also contain elevated levels of mercury, lead and other heavy metals3.
The ninth ingredient is dicalcium phosphate… most likely used here as a dietary calcium supplement.
The tenth ingredient is whole egg… a desirable addition. Eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
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…
Wheat grass is known for its unusually high vitamin and mineral content. So, please ignore our software’s unfavorable treatment of this otherwise healthy ingredient.
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.4
Most of the professional literature we surveyed did not provide any conclusive warnings regarding the use of garlic… especially in small amounts (as it is here).
We also note this food contains 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.
Wysong Maintenance Canned Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Based upon its ingredients alone, Wysong Maintenance appears to be an average canned 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 28%, a fat level of 16% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 48%.
Below-average protein and fat. And above-average carbohydrates… when compared to a typical canned dog food.
With no evidence of any plant-based protein concentrates, this is the profile of a wet food containing a modest amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Wysong Maintenance Canine Diet is primarily a plant-based canned dog food using a modest amount of chicken as its main source of animal protein… thus earning the brand three stars.
Recommended.
Those looking for a comparable kibble from the same company may wish to visit our review of Wysong Maintenance Dry 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 a specific health benefit 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 brand… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.
- Association of American Feed Control Officials ↩
- White, S., Update on food allergy in the dog and cat, World Small Animal Veterinary Association, Vancouver, 2001 ↩
- Bone meal, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 2009 ↩
- 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.