Solid Gold Grain Free Dog Food Review (Cups)
Highly Recommended
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Our Verdict
Solid Gold Grain Free dog food in cups receives the Advisor’s top rating of 5 stars.
The Solid Gold Grain Free product line includes the 4 recipe cups listed below.
Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
Recipe and Label Analysis
Solid Gold Grain Free Mighty Mini Lamb, Sweet Potato and Cranberry was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Solid Gold Grain Free Mighty Mini Lamb, Sweet Potato and Cranberry
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Water sufficient for processing, lamb, chicken liver, whitefish, sweet potatoes, dried egg whites, turkey, chicken, dried ground peas, cranberries, spinach, guar gum, sodium phosphate, salt, natural flavor, apples, potassium chloride, pumpkin, blueberries, carrots, choline chloride, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, xanthan gum, vitamin E supplement, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, thiamine mononitrate, 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) = 1%
Red denotes any controversial items
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 8% | 3% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 44% | 17% | 31% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 38% | 35% | 27% |
Ingredients Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is water, which adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a routine finding in most canned dog foods.
The second ingredient is lamb. Lamb is considered “the clean flesh derived from slaughtered” lamb and associated with skeletal muscle or the muscle tissues of the tongue, diaphragm, heart or esophagus.1
Lamb is naturally rich in all ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The third ingredient is chicken liver, an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.
The fourth ingredient is whitefish, a marine or freshwater species native to Canada and the California coast.
The fifth ingredient includes sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are a gluten-free source of complex carbohydrates in dog food. They are naturally rich in dietary fiber and beta carotene.
The sixth ingredient lists dried egg whites. Eggs are highly digestible and an excellent source of usable protein.
The seventh ingredient is turkey. Turkey is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey”.2
Turkey is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
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 Solid Gold product.
With 4 notable exceptions…
First, we find 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.
Next, we note the use of spinach. Due to its exceptional vitamin and mineral content, spinach exhibits a remarkably high nutrient Completeness Score3 of 91.
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 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, Solid Gold Grain Free dog food cups look like an above-average wet product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 44%, a fat level of 17% and estimated carbohydrates of about 31%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 42% and a mean fat level of 17%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 33% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 39%.
Which means this Solid Gold product line contains…
Above-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical wet dog food.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the ground peas, this looks like the profile of a wet product containing a significant amount of meat.
Solid Gold Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Solid Gold through April 2024.
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
Our Rating of Solid Gold Dog Food
Solid Gold recipe cups are a grain-free dog food using a significant amount of named meats as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.
Compare Solid Gold Dog Food
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A Final Word
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