Review of Skoki Dry Dog Food

Skoki Dog Food receives the Advisor’s best rating of 5 stars.

The Skoki product line includes 1 dry dog food, a recipe claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient guidelines for all life stages.

Ingredient Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.

The second ingredient is oatmeal, a whole-grain product made from coarsely ground oats. Oatmeal is naturally rich in B-vitamins, dietary fiber and can be (depending upon its level of purity) gluten-free.

The third ingredient is rice. Is this whole grain rice, brown rice or white rice? Since the word “rice” doesn’t tell us much, it’s impossible to judge the quality of this item.

The next ingredient is chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.

Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.

The fifth ingredient is fish meal, another protein-rich meat concentrate.

Fish meal is typically obtained from the “clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings” of commercial fish operations.¹

Unfortunately, this particular item is anonymous. Because various fish contain different types of fats, we would have preferred to have known the source species.

The sixth ingredient is lamb meal, yet another high protein meat concentrate.

The seventh ingredient is tomato pomace. Tomato pomace is a controversial ingredient, a by-product remaining after processing tomatoes into juice, soup and ketchup.

Many praise tomato pomace for its high fiber and nutrient content, while others scorn it as an inexpensive pet food filler.

Just the same, there’s probably not enough tomato pomace here to make much of a difference.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But realistically, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.

With 3 notable exceptions…

First, we find no mention of probiotics, friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing to help with digestion.

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

And lastly, this food includes 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.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Skoki Dog Food looks like an above-average dry product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 29%, a fat level of 13% and estimated carbohydrates of about 50%.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 46%.

Above-average protein. Below-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.

Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a significant amount of meat.

Our Rating of Skoki Dog Food

Skoki is a grain-inclusive dry dog food using a significant amount of named meat meal as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.

Enthusiastically recommended.

Skoki Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to FirstMate through April.

No recalls noted

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

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More Firstmate Brand Reviews

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

• FirstMate 50/50 Dog Food Review (Canned)
• FirstMate Dog Food Review (Dry)
• FirstMate Grain-Free Dog Food Review (Dry)
• FirstMate Limited Ingredient Dog Food Review (Canned)
• Kasiks Dog Food Review (Canned)
• Kasiks Dog Food Review (Dry)