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Fresh Is Best Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)

Fresh is Best Dog Food Review

Review of Fresh is Best Dog Food

Rating:

Fresh is Best Dog Food receives the Advisor’s top rating of 5 stars.

The Fresh is Best product line includes the 4 freeze-dried, raw dog foods listed below.

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

Use the following links to check prices and package sizes at an online retailer.

Product Rating AAFCO
Fresh is Best Beef Recipe 5 M
Fresh Is Best Duck Recipe 5 M
Fresh is Best Turkey Recipe 5 M
Fresh is Best Chicken Recipe 5 M

Recipe and Label Analysis

Fresh Is Best Chicken Recipe 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.

Fresh Is Best Chicken Formula

Freeze-Dried Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 47% | Fat = 26% | Carbs = 20%

Ingredients: Chicken, chicken hearts, chicken livers, chicken gizzards, yams, apples, kale, collards, bone meal (calcium hydroxyapatite), dried kelp, vitamin E supplement, zinc amino acids chelate, manganese amino acids chelate, copper amino acids chelate, thiamin mononitrate, vitamin D3 supplement

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.4%

Red denotes controversial item

Estimated Nutrient Content
MethodProteinFatCarbs
Guaranteed Analysis42%23%NA
Dry Matter Basis47%26%20%
Calorie Weighted Basis36%48%15%
Protein = 36% | Fat = 48% | Carbs = 15%

Ingredient Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food 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.

The second ingredient is chicken heart. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, heart tissue is pure muscle — all meat. It’s naturally rich in quality protein, minerals and complex B vitamins, too.

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

The next ingredient includes chicken gizzard. The gizzard is a low-fat, meaty organ found in the digestive tract of birds and assists in grinding up consumed food. This item is considered a canine dietary delicacy.

The next four items include a series of nutrient-rich vegetables and fruit

  • Yams
  • Apples
  • Kale
  • Collards

The next ingredient is bone meal. Although it’s considered a quality source of calcium, magnesium and essential trace minerals, even human-grade bone meal supplements can contain higher levels of mercury, lead and other metals.2

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 this product.

With 1 notable exception

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.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Fresh is Best Dog Food looks like an above-average raw product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 47%, a fat level of 26% and estimated carbohydrates of about 20%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 50% and a mean fat level of 27%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 15% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 54%.

Above-average protein. Near-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical raw dog food.

Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a freeze-dried raw product containing an abundance of meat.

Is Fresh is Best a Good Dog Food?

Fresh is Best is a grain-free freeze-dried raw dog food using a generous amount of named meats and organs as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.

Enthusiastically recommended.

Has Fresh is Best Dog Food Been Recalled?

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls since 2009 related to Fresh is Best.

No recalls noted.

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

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A Final Word

The Dog Food Advisor does not accept money, gifts, samples or other incentives in exchange for special consideration in preparing our reviews.

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References

  1. Association of American Feed Control Officials
  2. Bone meal, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 2009
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