Grandma Mae’s Country Naturals Grain Free Dog Food Review (Canned)

Mike Sagman

By

Mike Sagman
Mike Sagman

Mike Sagman

Founder

Dr Mike Sagman is the creator of the Dog Food Advisor. He founded the website in 2008, after his unquestioning trust in commercial dog food led to the tragic death of his dog Penny.

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Updated: April 22, 2024

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Grandma Mae’s Country Naturals Grain Free canned dog food receives the Advisor’s second-highest tier rating of 4.5 stars.

The Grandma Mae’s Country Naturals Grain Free product line includes 2 canned dog foods.

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

Important: Because many websites do not reliably specify which Growth or All Life Stages recipes are safe for large breed puppies, we do not include that data in this report. Be sure to check actual packaging for that information.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Grandma Mae’s Country Naturals Beef and Liver Dinner was selected to represent both products in the line for this review.

Grandma Mae's Country Naturals Grain Free Beef and Liver Dinner

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

40.9%

Protein

20.5%

Fat

30.6%

CarbsCarbohydrates

Beef liver, beef broth, beef, peas, flaxseed, tricalcium phosphate, carrots, calcium carbonate, cassia gum, salt, guar gum, choline chloride, dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, cranberries, blueberries, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, vitamin E supplement, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, riboflavin supplement, sodium selenite, calcium iodate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, potassium iodide, biotin, vitamin D3 supplement


Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 0.75%

Red denotes any controversial items

Estimated Nutrient Content
Method Protein Fat Carbs
Guaranteed Analysis 9% 5% NA
Dry Matter Basis 41% 21% 31%
Calorie Weighted Basis 34% 41% 25%

Ingredient Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is beef liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The second ingredient 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 addition component in many canned products.

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.1

Beef is naturally rich in all ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

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

However, peas contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.

The fifth 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 sixth ingredient is tricalcium phosphate, a beneficial source of calcium and phosphorous. In addition, this additive is used in canned foods as an emulsifier — an agent designed to disperse a food’s fats more evenly in water.

The seventh ingredient includes carrots. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary 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 one 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.

Grandma Mae’s Country Naturals Grain Free Canned Dog Food Review

Judging by its ingredients alone, Grandma Mae’s Country Naturals Grain Free Dog Food looks like an above-average canned product.

But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 41%, a fat level of 21% and estimated carbohydrates of about 31%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 41% and a mean fat level of 26%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 25% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 64%.

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

When you consider the protein-boosting effect of the peas and flaxseed, this still looks like the profile of a wet product containing a notable amount of meat.

Bottom line?

Grandma Mae’s Country Naturals Grain Free is a meat-based canned dog food using a notable amount of named organ meats as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 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.

Grandma Mae’s Dog Food Recall History

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

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls sorted by date. Or view the same list sorted alphabetically by brand.

To learn why our ratings have nothing to do with a product’s recall history, please visit our Dog Food Recalls FAQ page.

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Dog Food Coupons and Discounts

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Notes and Updates

Sources

1: Association of American Feed Control Officials

A Final Word

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