Canned Dog Food

Label-reading is key to choosing a quality wet food

When evaluating canned dog food, scrutinizing ingredient lists is the best way to judge. We found the best recommendations for foods with high meat content. For example, Innova

 Evo's 95% Meat varieties such as Chicken & Turkey (*Est. $1.90 per 13.2 oz. can) get a top rating at DogFoodAnalysis.com and do well in user reviews. The top ingredients are chicken, turkey and chicken broth.

Although Innova Evo is high in protein, it is not necessarily ideal for use as an exclusive diet. User reports are good, but we've also seen reports of dogs that have had trouble adjusting to the higher protein content.

As noted elsewhere in this report, Innova Evo's maker, Natura Pet Foods, was recently acquired by Proctor & Gamble. Although everything is status quo for the moment, not all pet advocates are sure that its formulation will be unchanged going forward, and the best advice is to keep a careful watch on the ingredient list on the label.

Similar highly rated products include Wellness 95% Meat varieties, such as chicken (*Est. $2.60 per 13.2 oz. can), which contains mainly chicken with sufficient water for processing. Likewise, Wysong Beef Au Jus Beef (*Est. $2.85 per 14 oz. can) contains beef, beef liver and beef heart, along with water for processing. Again, neither of these foods is balanced enough to be a dog's exclusive diet, and Wellness explicitly says that their 95% Meat products are "intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only."

Reviewers give Newman's Own Organics grain-free varieties, including Organic Beef & Liver (*Est. $2.50 per 13 oz. can), pretty high marks. In addition to a very high meat content, the food is 95 percent organic and carries the organic seal from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). That's an extra bit of assurance for pet owners concerned about food safety. Animals used for the foods are range fed, and the food is free from growth hormones, antibiotics, pesticides and other chemicals.

Mike Sagman at DogFoodAdvisor.com gives Newman's Own Organics Grain Free Beef & Liver very high grades and calls it a "top-notch dog food" with high protein, low carbs and below average fat when compared to a "typical" product. He adds that the nutrient content approaches that of a "dog's natural ancestral diet." The top ingredients are organic beef, organic beef liver and organic beef broth. Minerals are chelated, which means they have been processed in a way that makes them easier for a dog to absorb. Although Newman's Own Organic grain-free dog foods are designed to be a balanced meal for dogs, as with the high protein foods above, not all will adapt well to it.

Although foods that are all meat -- or nearly so -- tend to get the very highest ratings, for everyday feeding, a food with less but still considerable amounts of meats balanced with other high-quality ingredients will be easier on your wallet. Natural Balance Ultra Premium dog foods (*Est. $2.15 per 13 oz. can) are less expensive than those above but have less meat content, earning them slightly less glowing reviews from some professionals. However, they are included in the Whole Dog Journal's latest list of approved foods and generally get good to great feedback from owners at sites such as Zootoo.com and Petco.com. For example, Petco.com's customers give Natural Balance Ultra Premium a near-perfect rating, and all that comment on it say they would recommend the food to a friend.

Although Natural Balance isn't in the top tier of dog foods at DogFoodAdvisor.com, it still earns a solid 4-star rating and generally favorable comments from Mike Sagman. It also appears on the list of recommended dog food brands at DogAware.com. The ingredients list for the chicken variety lists chicken, chicken broth, chicken liver, carrots, oat bran, brown rice, potatoes, dehydrated potatoes, chicken meal and canola oil as the top ingredients. The company's program of testing each date-code batch for a variety of contaminants and making those results available to owners adds a measure of reassurance for buyers and has been well-received. Though the company has not been entirely free of recall issues in the past, it's been responsive when problems are discovered.

We also saw good recommendations for Canidae canned foods. Canidae garners good (though not top) 4-star ratings from DogFoodAnalysis.com and DogFoodAdvisor.com. It is also included in the Whole Dog Journal list of approved foods and makes Mary Straus' list of approved canned dog foods at DogAware.com.

Canidae's Chicken, Lamb and Fish All Life Stages formula (*Est. $1.55 per 13.2 oz. can) lists chicken, chicken broth, lamb, chicken liver, ocean whitefish, brown rice and egg as the top ingredients. The food has no corn, wheat or soy; is free of chemical preservatives, by-products and fillers; and uses chelated minerals for better absorption. Although this food includes some sources of carbohydrates and can be used as a sole food, the manufacturer recommends a 25 percent canned/75 percent dry mix for a balanced diet. Pricing is very reasonable for a premium-grade food, reports say.

When it comes to inexpensive dog foods, you're likely to find high levels of less nutritious ingredients, including glutens, animal digest and meat by-products. Most experts say stay far, far away. One exception is Nutro NaturalChoice. It is a bit more expensive than other nonpremium foods, but its ingredient lineup is a bit more impressive. Nutro Natural Choice Adult Lamb and Rice formula (*Est. $1.31 per 12.5 oz. can) contains primarily chicken broth, lamb, chicken, beef liver, chicken liver, rice gluten, beef, ground rice, but no corn, wheat, soy or gluten. That's good enough for the food to earn a 3-star rating from DogFoodAnalysis.com and DogFoodAdvisor.com, which is better than most other supermarket or pet-food-chain foods.

However, we've not included Nutro among our recommended foods for this update because the company has been the target of an unusually large number of user complaints on forums as well as at ConsumerAffairs.com, which is independent and not affiliated with any local, state or national consumer affairs agency. ConsumerAffairs.com also says Nutro was under investigation by the FDA, something that the FDA has unequivocally denied. Still, some pet food advocates, such as Susan Thixton of TruthAboutPetFood.com and PetsumerReport.com, express skepticism about the food line.