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Solid Gold Dog Food Review (Canned)

Solid Gold Barking at the Moon Beef Wet Dog Food

Rating:

Which Solid Gold Canned Recipes Get
Our Best Ratings?

Solid Gold canned dog food receives the Advisor’s second-highest tier rating of 4.5 stars.

The Solid Gold product line includes the 9 canned dog foods listed below.

Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available… Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Product Rating AAFCO
Solid Gold Star Chaser 4.5 A
Solid Gold Hund-N-Flocken 3 M
Solid Gold Sun Dancer Grain Free 4.5 A
Solid Gold Leaping Waters Grain Free 3.5 M
Solid Gold Sunday Sunrise Grain Free 3 M
Solid Gold Barking at the Moon Grain Free 5 A
Solid Gold Love at First Bark Beef Grain Free 5 G
Solid Gold Love at First Bark Chicken Grain Free 5 G
Solid Gold Fit and Fabulous Grain Free Chicken 3.5 M

Recipe and Label Analysis

Solid Gold Barking at the Moon Grain Free 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.


Solid Gold Barking at the Moon Grain Free

Canned Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 43% | Fat = 27% | Carbs = 22%

Ingredients: Beef, beef broth, whitefish, beef liver, dried ground peas, pumpkin, tricalcium phosphate, guar gum, ground flaxseed, alfalfa meal, cassia gum, xanthan gum, salt, potassium chloride, spinach, cranberries, carrots, choline chloride, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, blueberries, apples, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin E supplement, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, cobalt proteinate, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, potassium iodide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 3.4%

Red denotes controversial item

Estimated Nutrient Content
MethodProteinFatCarbs
Guaranteed Analysis10%6%NA
Dry Matter Basis43%27%22%
Calorie Weighted Basis33%51%16%
Protein = 33% | Fat = 51% | Carbs = 16%

Ingredient Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is beef. Beef is 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

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

The second ingredient is beef broth. Broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food, they are a common addition component in many canned products.

The third ingredient is whitefish, a marine or freshwater species native to Canada and the California coast.

The fourth ingredient is beef liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The fifth ingredient includes dried ground peas. Ground peas are a good source of carbohydrates. Plus they’re naturally rich in dietary fiber.

However, ground peas contain about 27% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.

The sixth ingredient is pumpkin. Pumpkin is a nutritious addition high in complex carbohydrates, beta-carotene and dietary fiber.

The seventh item is tricalcium phosphate, a beneficial source of calcium and phosphorus. In addition, this additive is used in wet foods as an emulsifier — an agent designed to disperse a food’s fats more evenly in water.

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 Solid Gold product.

With 4 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, we note the use of alfalfa meal. Although alfalfa meal is high in plant protein (about 18%) and fiber (25%), it can be less common to find it in a dog food recipe.

In addition, this recipe contains sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.

And lastly, this recipe 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, Solid Gold canned dog food looks like an above-average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 43%, a fat level of 27% and estimated carbohydrates of about 22%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 41% and a mean fat level of 27%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 23% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 68%.

Which means this Solid Gold product line contains…

Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to other wet dog foods.

Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the ground peas, flaxseed and alfalfa meal, this looks like the profile of a canned product containing a notable amount of meat.

However, with 51% of the total calories in our example coming from fat versus just 33% from protein, some recipes may not be suitable for animals on a low fat diet.

Our Rating of Solid Gold Canned Dog Food

Solid Gold includes both grain-free and grain-inclusive canned dog foods using a notable amount of named meats as their dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4.5 stars.

Highly recommended.

Those looking for a comparable kibble from the same company may wish to check out our review of Solid Gold Dry Dog Food.



Solid Gold Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Solid Gold through March 2024.

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

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More Solid Gold Reviews

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

A Final Word

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References

  1. Association of American Feed Control Officials
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