SmallBatch Raw Frozen Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)
Highly Recommended
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Which SmallBatch Raw Frozen Recipes Get Our Best Ratings?
SmallBatch raw frozen dog food receives the Advisor’s top rating of 5 stars.
The SmallBatch product line includes the 7 raw dog foods listed below. Some formulas are available as patties and sliders.
Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available… Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
| Product | Rating | AAFCO |
|---|---|---|
| SmallBatch Chicken | 5 | A |
| SmallBatch Beef | 3 | A |
| SmallBatch Turkey | 5 | A |
| SmallBatch Duck | 5 | A |
| SmallBatch Lamb | 3 | A |
| SmallBatch Rabbit | 5 | A |
| SmallBatch Pork | 5 | A |
Recipe and Label Analysis
SmallBatch Chicken 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.
SmallBatch Chicken
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Chicken, skinless chicken necks, chicken backs, chicken livers, chicken hearts, chicken gizzards, organic carrots, organic yams, organic broccoli, organic squash, salmon oil, organic kale, organic collards, organic apple cider vinegar, organic kelp, organic bee pollen, organic parsley, organic wheat grass, organic bilberry, organic garlic, organic rosemary, organic basil, vitamin E supplement
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 1%
Red denotes any controversial items
Ingredient Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.1
Chicken is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The next two ingredients are chicken necks and chicken backs. Raw chicken neck and back consist of muscle meat and bone and contain optimal levels of both protein and natural calcium.
The fourth ingredient lists chicken liver, an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.
The fifth item is chicken heart. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, heart tissue is pure muscle — all meat. It’s naturally rich in quality protein, minerals and complex B vitamins, too.
The next ingredient is chicken gizzard. The gizzard is a low-fat, meaty organ found in the digestive tract of birds and assists in grinding up a consumed food. This item is considered a canine dietary delicacy.
The seventh ingredient includes organic carrots. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.
The eighth ingredient lists organic yams. In much of North America, the word yam can be used interchangeably with the term sweet potatoes.
So, assuming this item is indeed sweet potatoes, it can be considered a good source of complex carbohydrates. In addition, yams are naturally rich in fiber, beta carotene and other healthy nutrients.
The ninth ingredient is organic broccoli, a healthy green vegetable and a member of the kale family. It’s notably rich in vitamin C and fiber and numerous other nutrients.
Like other cruciferous vegetables, broccoli is believed to provide anti-cancer benefits.
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 4 notable exceptions…
First, salmon oil is naturally rich in the prized EPA and DHA type of omega-3 fatty acids. These two high quality fats boast the highest bio-availability to dogs and humans.
Depending on its level of freshness and purity, salmon oil should be considered a commendable addition.
Next, garlic can be a controversial item. Although many favor the ingredient for its claimed health benefits, garlic has been linked to Heinz body anemia in dogs.2
So, one must weigh the potential benefits of feeding garlic against its proven tendency to cause subclinical damage to the red blood cells of the animal.
In addition, wheat grass is prized for its vitamin and mineral content. Yet unlike wheat, wheat grass is gluten-free. So, please ignore our software’s unfavorable treatment of this nutritious ingredient.
And lastly, except for the vitamin E supplement, we find no added vitamins or minerals on the ingredients list. We would assume these essential nutrients are provided by the food ingredients in the recipe.
Nutrient Analysis
This recipe contains a number of organic ingredients. Organic ingredients must comply with notably more stringent government standards — standards which significantly restrict the use of any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, hormones or antibiotics.
Based on its ingredients alone, SmallBatch Dog Food looks like a superior raw product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 58%, a fat level of 28% and estimated carbohydrates of about 5%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 53% and a mean fat level of 33%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 7% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 65%.
Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical raw dog food.
Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a raw product containing an abundance of meat.
However, due to their high fat-to-protein ratio, the beef and lamb recipes may not be suitable for every animal.
Our Rating of SmallBatch Dog Food
SmallBatch is a grain-free raw dog food using a generous amount of named meats and organs as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.
Enthusiastically recommended.
SmallBatch Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to SmallBatch through April.
- Smallbatch Dog and Cat Food Recall of May 2017 (5/5/2017)
- Smallbatch Pets Dog Food Recall of March 2016 (3/28/2016)
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
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A Final Word
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