Not Recommended
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Our Verdict
Pedigree dry product range consists of 15 recipes which each receive the Dog Food Advisor’s rating, 1 star.
An affordable dry range, however it is unfortunate that the company chooses to include corn as the first ingredient in most of the recipes, and although the flavours sound appealing, some recipes contain very little of the ingredients you would expect for those flavours.
Pros
- Budget friendly
- Made in the USA
- Widely available
Cons
- Added artificial colors and preservatives
The table below shows each recipe in the range, including our rating. The AAFCO nutrient profile is not included on the company website.
Recipe and Label Analysis
Pedigree for Big Dogs Complete Nutrition Roasted Chicken, Rice and Vegetable was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Pedigree Big Dogs Complete Nutrition Roasted Chicken, Rice and Vegetable
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Ground whole grain corn, meat and bone meal, soybean meal, animal fat source of omega 6 fatty acids preserved with BHA and citric acid, corn gluten meal, natural flavor source of roasted chicken flavor, dried plain beet pulp, chicken by-product meal, salt, ground whole grain wheat, brewers rice, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, dried peas, DL-methionine, zinc sulfate, monocalcium phosphate, vitamin E supplement, L-tryptophan, dried carrots, red 40, yellow 5, blue 2, niacin supplement, yellow 6, copper sulfate, sodium selenite, potassium iodide, D-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement vitamin B2, vitamin B12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate vitamin B1, vitamin D3 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride vitamin B6, folic acid
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4%
Red denotes any controversial items
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 21% | 10% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 24% | 11% | 57% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 22% | 26% | 52% |
Ingredients Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain. And aside from its energy content, this grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The next two ingredients are meat and bone meal, a dry “rendered product from mammal tissues, including bone, exclusive of any added blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents”.1
Meat and bone meal can have a lower digestibility than most other meat meals.
Scientists believe this decreased absorption may be due to the ingredient’s higher ash and lower essential amino acid content.2
What’s worse, this particular item is anonymous. So, the meat itself can come from any combination of cattle, pigs, sheep or goats – which can make identifying specific food allergens impossible.
Even though meat and bone meals are still considered protein-rich meat concentrates, we do not consider a generic ingredient like this to be a quality item.
The fourth ingredient is soybean bean meal, a soy-based product containing high levels of daidzein and glycitein — the isoflavones found to be beneficial in canine weight management.
The fifth ingredient is animal fat. Animal fat is a generic by-product of rendering, the same high-temperature process used to make meat meals.
Since there’s no mention of a specific animal, this item could come from just about anywhere: salvaged roadkill, spoiled supermarket meat… even dead, diseased or dying cattle.
For this reason, we do not consider generic animal fat a quality ingredient.
What’s worse, this fat is preserved with BHA, a suspected cancer-causing agent.
The sixth ingredient is corn gluten meal. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it.
Although corn gluten meal contains 60% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.
And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label – a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
After natural flavor we find beet pulp. Beet pulp is a controversial ingredient, a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing.
Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding intestinal health and blood sugar benefits.
We only call your attention here to the controversy and believe the inclusion of beet pulp in reasonable amounts in most dog foods is entirely acceptable.
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 Pedigree product.
With four notable exceptions…
First, dried peas are a good source of carbohydrates. Plus they’re naturally rich in dietary fiber.
However, dried peas contain about 27% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.
In addition, we find no mention of probiotics, friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing to help with digestion.
Next, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually associated with higher-quality dog foods.
And lastly, we’re always disappointed to find artificial coloring in any pet food. That’s because coloring is used to make the product more appealing to humans — not your dog. After all, do you really think your dog cares what color his food is?
Nutrient Analysis
Based on its ingredients alone, Pedigree for Big Dogs Complete Nutrition Roasted Chicken, Rice and Vegetable looks like a below-average dry product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 24.5%, a fat level of 12% and estimated carbohydrates of about 51.3%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 26.3% and a mean fat level of 12.4%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 49.1% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 47%.
Which means this Pedigree product line contains…
Near-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
When you consider the protein-boosting effect of the corn gluten meal, soybean meal and dried peas, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing just a moderate amount of meat.
Pedigree Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Pedigree through January 2026.
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
Our Rating of Pedigree Dog Food
Pedigree is a grain-inclusive dry dog food using a moderate amount of named and unnamed meat and bone meals as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 1 star.
About
Pedigree is owned by Mars, the same parent company behind M&Ms, Twix, and various pet food brands such as Royal Canin and Whiskas.
In 2008, Pedigree established its non-profit organisation, The Pedigree Foundation, which supports shelters across the US. By 2024, the foundation will have donated over 12 million pounds to shelters, helping to house and rehome 800,000 homeless dogs.
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