Rating: 
Wysong Gourmet Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.
Currently, the Wysong Gourmet product line lists three canned dog foods… each designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance.
- Wysong Gourmet Chicken
- Wysong Gourmet Seafood
- Wysong Gourmet Liver
Wysong Gourmet Liver Dog Food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Wysong Gourmet Liver
Canned Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken liver, chicken, beef, water sufficient for processing, ground extruded whole soybeans, wheat germ, ground brown rice, dicalcium phosphate, taurine, dl-methionine, yeast culture, ground flax seeds, dried kelp, dried wheat grass powder, dried barley grass powder, natural extractives of sage and rosemary, 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) = 5.8%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food includes chicken liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal. So long as it’s not over-weighted in a dog food, chicken liver is a beneficial component.
The second ingredient is 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. This is a quality ingredient.
The third ingredient is water… which (of course) adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a routine finding in most canned dog foods.
The fourth item includes whole soybeans. Soybeans contain as much as 40% protein. However, soy protein is inferior in quality to the protein found in meat-based ingredients.
What’s more, soy is commonly linked to canine food allergies2.
The fifth ingredient lists wheat germ. Although wheat germ is a by-product of the milling process, it’s actually a nutritious item… a “concentrate” of several essential vitamins and minerals.
By the way, further down, you’ll also notice an item labeled dried wheat grass powder. Wheat grass is known for its unusually high vitamin and mineral content.
So, please ignore our software’s erroneous Red Flag treatment of these two otherwise healthy ingredients.
The sixth item is brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient… a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
The seventh ingredient is dicalcium phosphate… probably used here as a dietary calcium supplement.
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 one exception…
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.3
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 Gourmet Dog Food… the Bottom Line
Based upon its ingredients alone, Wysong Gourmet appears to be an above-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 39%, a fat level of 27% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 27%.
All three products in the line present the same nutrient profile as our chosen example.
Average protein. Above-average fat. And near-average carbs… as 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 notable amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Wysong Gourmet is a meat-based wet dog food using a significant amount of chicken, seafood or liver as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand four stars.
Highly recommended.
Those looking for a quality kibble from the same company may wish to visit 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.
- Association of American Feed Control Officials ↩
- White, S., Update on food allergy in the dog and cat, World Small Animal Veterinary Association World Congress, 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) ↩
