Grandma Lucy’s Valor Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)
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Grandma Lucy’s Valor Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-highest tier rating of 4.5 stars.
The Grandma Lucy’s Valor product line includes the 3 freeze-dried recipes 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 at an online retailer.
- Grandma Lucy’s Valor Chicken [A]
- Grandma Lucy’s Valor Fish (4 stars) [A]
- Grandma Lucy’s Valor Turkey (5 stars) [A]
Grandma Lucy’s Valor Chicken recipe was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.
Grandma Lucy's Valor Chicken Recipe
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Chicken, quinoa, flax, lentils, carrots, celery, apples, bananas, blueberries, cranberries, pumpkin, spinach, garlic, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, iron proteinate, calcium carbonate, phosphorous, zinc proteinate, riboflavin supplement, thiamine mononitrate, potassium chloride, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, magnesium chloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 5%
Red denotes any controversial items
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 30% | 16% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 33% | 17% | 42% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 28% | 36% | 36% |
The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw chicken 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 quinoa. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is not a true cereal grain but a plant prized for its gluten-free seeds.
Compared to most other grain-type ingredients, it is high in protein (about 12-18%), dietary fiber and other healthy nutrients.
The third ingredient is 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.
The fourth ingredient includes lentils. Lentils are a quality source of carbohydrates. Plus (like all legumes) they’re rich in natural fiber.
However, lentils contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
Next, we find carrots, which are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.
The sixth ingredient is celery. Although raw celery can be very high in water, it can still contribute a notable amount of dietary fiber as well as other healthy nutrients.
The seventh ingredient is apple, a nutrient-rich fruit that’s also high in fiber.
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 2 notable exceptions…
First, garlic can be a controversial item. Although many favor the ingredient for its claimed health benefits, garlic has been linked to Heinz body anemia in dogs.2
So, one must weigh the potential benefits of feeding garlic against its proven tendency to cause subclinical damage to the red blood cells of the animal.
And lastly, 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.
Grandma Lucy’s Valor
Dog Food Review
Based on its ingredient panel, Grandma Lucy’s Valor looks like an above-average dry product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 33%, a fat level of 17% and estimated carbohydrates of about 42%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 32% and a mean fat level of 18%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 42% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 55%.
Which means this Grandma Lucy’s product line contains…
Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the quinoa, flaxseed and lentils , this looks like the profile of a dry product containing a notable amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Grandma Lucy’s Valor is a grain-free dry dog food that utilizes a notable amount of named meats as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4.5 stars.
Highly recommended.
Has Grandma Lucy’s Valor Dog Food Been Recalled?
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls since 2009 related to Grandma Lucy’s.
No recalls noted.
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
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More Grandma Lucy’s Brand Reviews
The following Grandma Lucy’s dog food reviews are also posted on this website:
- Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)
- Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)
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