Rating: 




Wysong Maintenance dry dog food receives the Advisor’s second highest rating of 4 stars.
Wysong Maintenance claims to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance. But according to the company, it can be fed to dogs of “all life stages and types as part of a diet rotation”.
Wysong Maintenance Canine Diet
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken, chicken giblets, ground brown rice, ground wheat, ground corn, ground oat groats, poultry fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols as a source of vitamin E), eggs, plums, dried wheat grass powder, dried barley grass powder, whey, dried yogurt, lecithin, citric acid, sage extract, rosemary extract, dried kelp, fish oil, salt, garlic, black pepper, artichoke, l-carnitine, direct fed microbes (dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus lactis fermentation product, dried yeast culture, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation product, dried Aspergillus niger fermentation product), 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) = 5.1%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
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.
The second item lists chicken giblets… the edible by-products of poultry slaughter. They include the gizzard, lungs, kidneys, heart, spleen, liver, ovaries… and most other internal organs of the bird.
Although the thought of eating an animal’s internal organs may not be appealing to most humans, these unfamiliar ingredients can be considered a natural part of an authentic canine ancestral diet.
The third item is brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient… a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
The next two ingredients are wheat and corn. Now, contrary to what you may have heard, wheat and corn aren’t necessarily bad ingredients.
However, although there’s no way to know for sure here, the corn and wheat 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 and wheat are commonly linked to canine food allergies1.
For this reason, we rarely consider these two grains to be preferred components in any dog food.
The sixth ingredient includes oat groats… a whole grain, minimally processed form of oats. So long as they are adequately cooked, groats are especially high in nutritional value.
The seventh ingredient is poultry fat. Poultry fat is obtained from rendering… a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Poultry fat is high in linoleic acid… an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. However, we would have preferred a single-species item (like chicken fat).
This dog food contains eggs… 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 healthy 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.
The following are notable exceptions…
Wheat grass is prized 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.2
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).
The manufacturer appears to have applied some friendly bacteria to the surface of the kibble after cooking. These special probiotics are used to enhance a dog’s digestive and immune functions.
This dog food also contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to amino acids. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are generally found in better dog foods.
Wysong Maintenance Dry Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Wysong Maintenance appears to be a good quality dry dog food.
But ingredient quality alone 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 27%, a fat level of 14% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 51%.
Average protein. Average fat. And average carbohydrates… when compared to a typical dry dog food.
With no evidence of any plant-based protein concentrates, this is the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Wysong Maintenance is primarily a grain-based dry kibble using a moderate amount of chicken and chicken giblets as its main source of animal protein… thus earning the brand 4 stars.
Recommended.
Those looking for a higher protein kibble from the same company may wish to check out our review of Wysong Optimal Performance 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.
Notes and Updates
12/15/2009 Original review
07/07/2010 Review updated
12/03/2010 Review updated
- White, S., Update on food allergy in the dog and cat, World Small Animal Veterinary Association, Vancouver, 2001 ↩
- 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) ↩
