Wellness CORE Mini Meals Dog Food Review (Wet)

Wellness CORE Mini Meals product range consists of six recipes with ratings varying from 3.5 to 5 stars. The average rating of the whole range is 5 stars.

These recipes are formulated specifically for small adult dogs. They include quality protein as the #1 ingredient and gravy to support hydration.

The table below shows each recipe in this range including our rating and the AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Wellness Core Small Breed Mini Meals Chunky Chicken and Tuna Dinner in Gravy was selected to represent the other products in the line for a detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Ingredients Analysis

The first 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 10 essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The second ingredient is chicken broth. Broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food, they are a common component in many wet products.

The third ingredient is water, which adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a routine finding in most wet dog foods.

The fourth ingredient is potato starch. Potato starch is a gluten-free carbohydrate used more for its thickening properties than its nutritional value.

The fifth ingredient is tuna. Tuna is an oily marine fish not only high in protein but also in omega-3 fatty acids, essential oils needed by every dog to sustain life.

This item is typically sourced from clean, undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings of commercial fish operations.²

The sixth ingredient is chicken liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The seventh ingredient is whole eggs. Eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.

The eighth ingredient is tapioca starch, a gluten-free, starchy carbohydrate extract made from the root of the cassava plant.

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 the product.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Wellness Core Small Breed Mini Meals Chunky Chicken and Tuna Dinner in Gravy looks like an above-average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 46.4%, a fat level of 26.9% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 17.1%.

As a group, the brand features a protein content of 41.4% and a mean fat level of 29.2%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 19.1% for the overall product line, alongside a fat-to-protein ratio of 70%.

This means this Wellness CORE Mini Meals product range contains near-average protein, above-average carbohydrate, and above-average fat, when compared to typical wet dog food.

Wellness Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Wellness through July 2026.

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.

Our Rating of Wellness CORE Mini Meals Dog Food

Wellness CORE Mini Meals is a grain-free wet dog food that uses a significant amount of named meats as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.

Highly Recommended

About

Wellness was founded in 1997. Both dog and cat food are manufactured by Wellness Pet Company and are produced in the USA, specifically at facilities in Minnesota and Indiana.

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