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Cloud Star Wellmade Homestyle Meals Dog Food Review (Canned)

Product May Have Been Discontinued
Unable to Locate Complete Label Info
On Company Website1

Rating:

Cloud Star Wellmade Homestyle Meals Dog Food receives the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of 3 stars.

The Cloud Star Wellmade Homestyle Meals product line includes the 5 canned dog foods listed below.

Each recipe includes its related AAFCO nutrient profile when available on the product’s official webpage: Growth, Maintenance, All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Use the links to compare price and package sizes of Wellmade at an online retailer.

Wellmade Homestyle Meals Savory Stew with Beef was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.

Cloud Star Wellmade Homestyle Meals Savory Stew with Beef

Canned Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 35% | Fat = 15% | Carbs = 42%

Ingredients: Beef broth, chicken, beef, tapioca starch, pea protein, carrots, apples, dried egg product, sunflower oil, tricalcium phosphate, salt, sodium tripolyphosphate, guar gum, potassium chloride, magnesium oxide, tuna oil, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin E supplement, zinc oxide, reduced iron, sodium selenite, manganese sulfate, vitamin B12 supplement, copper glycine complex, vitamin A supplement, niacin, calcium pantothenate, biotin, riboflavin supplement, potassium iodide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, beta-carotene, folic acid

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 17.5%

Red denotes controversial item

Estimated Nutrient Content
MethodProteinFatCarbs
Guaranteed Analysis7%3%NA
Dry Matter Basis35%15%42%
Calorie Weighted Basis31%32%37%
Protein = 31% | Fat = 32% | Carbs = 37%

The first ingredient in this dog food is beef 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 canned products.

The second ingredient is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.2

The third ingredient is beef. Beef is defined as “the clean flesh derived from slaughtered cattle” and includes skeletal muscle or the muscle tissues of the tongue, diaphragm, heart or esophagus.2

Chicken and beef are naturally rich in all ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

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

The fifth ingredient is pea protein, what remains of a pea after removing the starchy part of the vegetable.

Even though it contains over 80% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.

And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.

The next ingredient lists carrots. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.

The seventh ingredient is apple, a nutrient-rich fruit that’s also high in fiber.

The eighth ingredient is dried egg product, a dehydrated form of shell-free eggs. Quality can vary significantly. Lower grade egg product can even come from commercial hatcheries — from eggs that failed to hatch.

In any case, eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.

The ninth ingredient is sunflower oil. This oil is nutritionally similar to safflower oil. Since these oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids and contain no omega-3’s, they’re considered less nutritious than canola or flaxseed oils.

Sunflower oil is notable for its resistance to heat damage during cooking.

There are several different types of sunflower oil, some better than others. Without knowing more, it’s impossible to judge the quality of this ingredient.

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

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

With 2 notable exceptions

First, we find tuna oil. Fish oil is naturally rich in the prized EPA and DHA type of omega-3 fatty acids. These two high quality fats boast the highest bio-availability to dogs and humans.

Depending on its level of freshness and purity, fish oil should be considered a commendable addition.

And lastly, with the exception of copper, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually associated with higher quality dog foods.

Cloud Star Wellmade Homestyle Meals
Dog Food Review

Based on its ingredients alone, Wellmade Homestyle Meals Dog Food looks like an above-average canned product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 35%, a fat level of 15% and estimated carbohydrates of about 42%.

As a group, this product line features an average protein content of 35% and a mean fat level of 16%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 41% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 46%.

Which means this Wellmade product contains…

Below-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical wet dog food.

When you consider the protein-boosting effect of the pea protein, this looks like the profile of a wet food containing a moderate amount of meat.

Bottom line?

Cloud Star Wellmade Homestyle Meals is a grain-free canned dog food using a moderate amount of named meats as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 3 stars.

Recommended.

Cloud Star Dog Food
Recall History

The following list (if present) includes all dog food recalls since 2009 directly related to this Cloud Star product line. If there are no recalls listed in this section, we have not yet reported any events.

A Final Word

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Notes and Updates

  1. “Last Update” field at the end of this review reflects the last time we attempted to visit this product’s website. The current review itself was last updated 02/09/2020
  2. Association of American Feed Control Officials
  3. Association of American Feed Control Officials
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