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Our Verdict
Wellness Simple Limited Ingredient Diet Turkey and Potato Grain Free canned dog food receives the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of 3.5 stars, a recipe claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient guidelines for adult maintenance.
This limited ingredient diet food is crafted by nutritionists and veterinarians, contains a single source of protein and easily digestible carbohydrates to help with a sensitive stomach.
Pros
- Affordable
- Added vitamins & minerals
- No corn, wheat or soy
Cons
- Only one recipe
Wellness Simple Turkey and Potato Grain Free
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Turkey, turkey broth, potatoes, ground flaxseed, carrageenan, guar gum, potassium chloride, choline chloride, dried chicory root, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, magnesium sulfate, 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% | 7% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 36% | 30% | 26% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 27% | 53% | 20% |
Ingredients Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is turkey. Turkey is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey”.1
Turkey is naturally rich in the 10 essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The second ingredient is turkey 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 potato. Potatoes can be considered a gluten-free source of digestible carbohydrates. Yet with the exception of perhaps their caloric content, potatoes are of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The fourth ingredient is 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.
The next ingredient is carrageenan, a gelatin-like thickening agent extracted from seaweed. Although carrageenan has been used as a food additive for hundreds of years, there appears to be some recent controversy regarding its long term biological safety.
The article, The Carrageenan Controversy, published in Scientific American, does a good job of addressing this topic.
The sixth ingredient is guar gum, a gelling or thickening agent found in many wet pet foods. Refined from dehusked guar beans, guar gum can add a notable amount of dietary fiber to any product.
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 Wellness product.
With two notable exceptions…
First, chicory root is rich in inulin, a starch-like compound made up of repeating units of carbohydrates and found in certain roots and tubers.
Not only is inulin a natural source of soluble dietary fiber, it’s also a prebiotic used to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in a dog’s digestive tract.
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, Wellness Simple Turkey and Potato Grain Free looks like an above-average wet product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 43.9%, a fat level of 38.4% and estimated carbohydrates of about 8.2%.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 87%.
Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical canned dog food.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the flaxseed, this looks like the profile of a wet product containing a moderate amount of meat.
Wellness Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Wellness through December 2025.
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
Our Rating of Wellness Simple Limited Ingredient Diet Canned Dog Food
Wellness Simple Limited Ingredient Diet is a grain-free canned dog foods using a moderate amount of named meats as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 3.5 stars.
About
Wellness was founded in 1997. Both dog and cat food are manufactured by Wellness Pet Company, and are produced in the USA, specifically at facilities in Minnesota and Indiana.
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A Final Word
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