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AvoDerm Natural Grain Free Dog Food Review (Dry)

AvoDerm Natural Grain Free Salmon and Vegetables Dry Dog Food

Rating:

Which AvoDerm Grain Free Dry Recipes Get
Our Best Ratings?

AvoDerm Natural Grain Free Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-highest tier rating of 4.5 stars.

The AvoDerm Natural Grain Free product line includes the 12 dry dog foods listed below.

Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available… Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Product Rating AAFCO
AvoDerm Grain Free Salmon and Vegetables 4.5 A
AvoDerm Grain Free Chicken and Vegetables 4.5 A
AvoDerm Grain Free Beef and Vegetables 4.5 A
AvoDerm Advanced Joint Health Grain Free Chicken Meal 4.5 M
AvoDerm Advanced Sensitive Support Grain Free Duck 4 M
Avoderm Advanced Senior Health Grain Free Lamb and Chicken Meals 5 M
AvoDerm Advanced Sensitive Support Grain Free Lamb Small Breed 4 A
Avoderm Advanced Healthy Weight Grain Free Turkey Meal 4.5 M
AvoDerm Advanced Sensitive Support Grain Free Turkey Small Breed 4.5 M
AvoDerm Advanced Sensitive Support Grain Free Beef Small Breed 4.5 M
AvoDerm Advanced Sensitive Support Grain Free Trout and Pea 4.5 M
AvoDerm Advanced Sensitive Support Grain Free Lamb and Sweet Potato 4.5 M

Recipe and Label Analysis

AvoDerm Grain Free Salmon and Vegetables was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.


AvoDerm Grain Free Salmon and Vegetables

Dry Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 30% | Fat = 13% | Carbs = 49%

Ingredients: Salmon (source of omega 3), herring meal, peas, pea flour, garbanzo beans, potatoes, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), alfalfa meal, avocado, flax seed, natural flavor, dried tomato pomace, potassium chloride, salt, calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, kelp meal, vitamins (choline chloride, a-tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement, thiamine mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid), minerals (zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, iron amino acid chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, selenium yeast, copper amino acid chelate, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, manganese amino acid chelate, calcium iodate), avocado oil, rosemary extract, sage extract, pineapple stem, papaya extract, dehydrated Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dehydrated Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dehydrated Bifidobacterium thermophilum fermentation product, dehydrated Enterococcus faecium fermentation product

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 8.9%

Red denotes controversial item

Estimated Nutrient Content
MethodProteinFatCarbs
Guaranteed Analysis27%12%NA
Dry Matter Basis30%13%49%
Calorie Weighted Basis27%29%44%
Protein = 27% | Fat = 29% | Carbs = 44%

Ingredient Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is salmon. Although it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, raw salmon contains up to 73% 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 account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.

The second ingredient is herring meal. Because it is considered a meat concentrate, herring meal contains almost 300% more protein than fresh fish itself.

Fish meal is typically obtained from the “clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings” of commercial fish operations.1

The third ingredient includes peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. And like all legumes, they’re rich in natural fiber.

The next ingredient is pea flour, a powder made from roasted yellow peas. However, both peas and pea flour contain as much as 25% protein, a factor that can’t be ignored when judging the meat content of this dog food.

The fifth ingredient includes garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas. Like peas, beans and lentils, the chickpea is a nutritious member of the fiber-rich legume (pulse) family of vegetables.

Garbanzos contain about 22% protein, something which must be considered when evaluating the total protein reported in this food.

The sixth ingredient is potato. Potatoes can be considered a gluten-free source of digestible carbohydrates. Yet with the exception of perhaps their caloric content, potatoes are of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The seventh ingredient is canola oil. Unfortunately, canola can be a controversial item. That’s because it can sometimes (but not always) be derived from genetically modified rapeseed.

Yet others cite the fact that canola oil can be a significant source of essential omega-3 fatty acids.

In any case, plant-based oils like canola are less biologically available to a dog than fish oil as a source of quality omega-3 fats.

The next ingredient is alfalfa meal. Although alfalfa meal is high in plant protein (about 18%) and fiber (25%), it can be less common to find it in a dog food recipe.

The ninth ingredient is avocado. Avocado can be a controversial item.

Supporters claim the ingredient to be nutrient rich and beneficial to a dog’s skin and coat — while others worry over what are mostly unsubstantiated concerns over potential toxicity.

These fears appear to originate from a 1984 study in which goats (not dogs) consumed the leaves (not the fruit) of the Guatemalan (not the Mexican) avocado and became ill.2

Based upon our own review of the literature, it is our opinion that the anxiety over avocado ingredients in dog food appears to be unjustified.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other ingredients.

But realistically, items located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this AvoDerm product.

With 5 notable exceptions

First, we find 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.

However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

Next, 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.

In addition, we find dried fermentation products in this recipe. Fermentation products are typically added to provide enzymes to aid the animal with digestion.

Next, 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.

And lastly, we note the use of selenium yeast. Unlike the more common inorganic form of selenium (sodium selenite), this natural yeast supplement is considered a safer anti-cancer alternative.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, AvoDerm Natural Grain Free Dog Food looks like an above-average dry product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 30%, a fat level of 13% and estimated carbohydrates of about 49%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 30% and a mean fat level of 15%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 48% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 51%.

Which means this AvoDerm product line contains…

Above-average protein. Near-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to other dry dog foods.

However, when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the pea products, flaxseed and alfalfa meal, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a notable amount of meat.

Our Rating of AvoDerm Grain Free Dog Food

AvoDerm Grain Free is a dry dog food using a notable amount of named meat meals as its dominant source of animal protein, thus receiving 4.5 stars.

Highly recommended.

Please note certain recipes are sometimes given a higher or lower rating based upon our estimate of their total meat content and (when appropriate) their fat-to-protein ratios.

AvoDerm Grain Free Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to AvoDerm through March 2024.

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

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More AvoDerm Brand Reviews

The following AvoDerm dog food reviews are also posted on this website:

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References

  1. Association of American Feed Control Officials
  2. Craigmill AL, et al. Toxicity of avocado (Persea americana, Guatamalan variety) leaves: review and preliminary report, Vet Hum Toxicol 1984;26:381
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