Now Fresh Wet Dog Food Review (Cartons)

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.

Read more

Updated: April 29, 2024

DogFoodAdvisor is reader supported See how


All reviews are 100% impartial but if you buy using links on this page, we may earn a referral fee.

Rating:
star
star
star
star
star

Which Petcurean Now Fresh Wet Recipes Get
Our Best Ratings?

Petcurean Now Fresh wet dog food earns The Advisor’s top rating of 5 stars.

The Petcurean Now Fresh wet product line includes 5 moisture-rich dog foods packaged in Tetra Pak plastic-coated paper cartons.

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.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Now Fresh Turkey Stew with Bone Broth 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.


Now Fresh Turkey Stew with Bone Broth

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

44.4%

Protein

25%

Fat

22.6%

CarbsCarbohydrates

De-boned turkey, turkey bone broth, potatoes, peas, carrots, tapioca, cranberries, sweet potatoes, apples, de-boned salmon, flaxseed, tricalcium phosphate, canola oil, coconut oil, sodium phosphate, potassium chloride, salt, dried kelp, vitamins (vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin, d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), minerals (zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, selenium yeast)


Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 1%

Red denotes any controversial items

Estimated Nutrient Content
Method Protein Fat Carbs
Guaranteed Analysis 8% 5% NA
Dry Matter Basis 44% 25% 23%
Calorie Weighted Basis 35% 48% 18%

The first ingredient in this dog food is turkey. Turkey is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey”.1

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

The second ingredient is turkey bone broth. Although they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food, bone broths are a common component in many wet products. However, since broths consist almost entirely of water, the trace nutrients they contain account for only a fraction of the overall finished dog food.

The third ingredient is potato. Potatoes can be considered a gluten-free source of digestible carbohydrates. Yet with the exception of perhaps their caloric content, potatoes are of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

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

The sixth item is tapioca, a gluten-free, starchy carbohydrate extract made from the root of the cassava plant.

The seventh ingredient lists cranberries, 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 5 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, 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.

Next, this recipe includes canola oil. Unfortunately, canola can be a controversial item. That’s because it can sometimes (but not always) be derived from genetically modified rapeseed.

Yet others cite the fact canola oil can be a significant source of essential omega-3 fatty acids.

In any case, plant-based oils like canola are less biologically available to a dog than fish oil as a source of quality omega-3 fats.

In addition, we note the use of coconut oil, a natural oil rich in medium-chain fatty acids.

Medium-chain triglycerides have been shown to improve cognitive function in older dogs.2

Because of its proven safety3 as well as its potential to help in the treatment of canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) and chronic skin disorders, MCT can be considered a positive addition to this recipe.

Next, 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.

And lastly, this recipe includes selenium yeast. Unlike the more common inorganic form of selenium (sodium selenite), this natural yeast supplement is considered a safer anti-cancer alternative.

Now Fresh Wet Dog Food Review

Considering only its ingredients list, Now Fresh wet appears to be an above-average moisture-rich dog food.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 44%, a fat level of 25% and estimated carbohydrates of about 23%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 46% and a mean fat level of 26%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 20% for the overall product line.

Which yields a relatively conservative fat-to-protein ratio of about 57%.

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

Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the peas and flaxseed, this still appears to reflect the profile of a wet product containing a significant amount of meat.

Our Rating of Petcurean Now Fresh Wet Dog Food

Petcurean Now Fresh is a grain-free wet dog food using a significant amount of named meats as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.

Enthusiastically recommended.

Petcurean Now Fresh Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to this Now Fresh product through December.

No recalls noted

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

Get Free Recall Alerts

Get free dog food recall alerts sent to you by email. Subscribe to The Advisor’s recall notification list.

More Petcurean Brand Reviews

The following Petcurean dog food reviews are also posted on this website:

Sources

1: Adapted by the Dog Food Advisor and based upon the official definition for chicken published by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, Official Publication, 2008 Edition

2: Pan Y et al, Dietary supplementation with medium-chain TAG has long-lasting cognition-enhancing effects in aged dogs, British Journal of Nutrition, Volume 103, Issue 12, June 2010, pp 1746-1754

3: Matulka RA et al, Lack of toxicity by medium chain triglycerides (MCT) in canines during a 90-day feeding study,Food Chem Toxicol, Jan 2009, 47(1) 35-9.

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.

However, we do receive a referral fee from online retailers (like Chewy or Amazon) and from sellers of perishable pet food when readers click over to their websites from ours. This helps cover the cost of operation of our free blog. Thanks for your support.

For more information, please visit our Disclaimer and Disclosure page.

Share via
Copy link