Maxbone Essentials Dog Food Review (Dry) 

Maxbone Essentials product range consists of three recipes, each receiving the Dog Food Advisor’s rating of 5 stars.

These recipes contain a range of ingredients and proteins to provide a palatable kibble, suitable to sustain an active lifestyle. The added digestive support is beneficial to help promote digestive health.

The Maxbone Essential range is a high-quality dry food, or kibble, but with a freeze-dried raw coating.

There’s no corn, wheat, or soy, and it contains no artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives. This highly recommended dry dog food is packed with quality nutrition to support your dog’s overall health and wellbeing.

The table below shows each recipe in this range, including our rating and the AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Maxbone Essentials Raw Coated Kibble Terrain was selected to represent the other products in the line for a detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Ingredients Analysis

The first two ingredients are beef and lamb. They are 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

Both are naturally rich in all 10 essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The second ingredient is beef meal. Beef meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh beef.

The third ingredient is barley. Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. However, aside from its energy content, this cereal grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The fourth ingredient is sorghum. Sorghum (milo) is a starchy cereal grain with a nutrient profile similar to corn.

Since it is gluten-free and boasts a smoother blood sugar behavior than other grains, sorghum may be considered an acceptable non-meat ingredient.

The fifth ingredient is oat groats, a whole grain, minimally processed form of oats. With the exception of their caloric content and the fact they’re also gluten free, oat groats can be considered average in nutritional value.

The next two ingredients are lamb and salmon meal. Both are considered a meat concentrate and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh lamb.

Fish meal is typically obtained from the “clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings” of commercial fish operations.²

Next is pork meal. Pork meal is also considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh pork. Yet it can also be high in ash – about 25-30%.

However, the ash content of the final product is typically adjusted in the recipe to allow its mineral profile to meet AAFCO guidelines.

The ninth ingredient is beef fat. Beef fat (or tallow) is most likely obtained from rendering, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.

Although it may not sound very appetizing, beef fat is actually a quality ingredient.

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 the product.

This recipe has four 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, flaxseeds 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.

We note the inclusion of inulin, a starch-like compound made up of repeating units of carbohydrates and typically sourced from chicory root. 

Not only is inulin a natural source of soluble dietary fiber, it’s also used to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in a dog’s digestive tract.

Next, we find the inclusion of dried fermentation products in this recipe. Fermentation products are typically added as probiotics to aid with digestion.

Next taurine, an important amino acid associated with the healthy function of heart muscle. Although taurine is not typically considered essential in canines, some dogs have been shown to be deficient in this critical nutrient.

Since taurine deficiency appears to be more common in pets consuming grain-free diets, we view its presence in this recipe as a positive addition.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Maxbone Essentials Raw Coated Kibble Terrain looks like an above-average, dry product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 33.2%, a fat level of 19.6% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 36.1%.

As a group, the brand features a protein content of 33.9% and a mean fat level of 17.8%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 36.4% for the overall product line, alongside a fat-to-protein ratio of 53%.

This means this Maxbone product line contains above-average protein, below-average carbohydrate, and above-average fat when compared to typical dry dog food.

Maxbone Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Maxbone through November 2026.

No recalls noted.

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

Our Rating of Maxbone Essentials Dry Dog Food

Maxbone Essential range is a grain-inclusive dry dog food range using a significant amount of named meats and meat meals as their dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars. 

These premium recipes are certainly worthy of consideration.

Highly Recommended

About

Maxbone was founded in 2016 by entrepreneur Parisa Fowles-Pazdro, who set out to create a premium, design-forward pet lifestyle brand.

The company was acquired by Wag! (The Dog Food Advisor’s parent company) in 2023.

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