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Fromm Gold Holistic Adult Dog Food is prepared with a blend of high-quality ingredients including duck, lamb, chicken, whole eggs, and Wisconsin cheese. This dog food formula is also enhanced with probiotics and fish oil to improve your dog’s digest and the quality of his coat. Fromm Gold Holistic Adult Dog Food is intended for adult dogs but the unique blend of healthy ingredients will help your dog retain his puppy-like energy well into adulthood. This dog food formula is prepared the very same day the ingredients are delivered to ensure the maximum degree of freshness and nutritional value – it is also made in small batches to ensure minimal processing for optimal flavor and palatability. In addition to being freshly prepared and loaded with healthy ingredients, Fromm Gold Holistic Adult Dog Food does not contain several of the most common food allergens including corn, wheat, and soy. If you are looking for a healthy commercial food for your adult dog, Fromm Gold Holistic Adult Dog Food may be a good option to consider. Before you purchase this brand of dog food, however, you would be wise to consider the ingredients used to make this dog food and how they impact the total nutritional value of the product.
Ingredients List
Duck, Chicken Meal, Chicken, Brown Rice, Pearled Barley, Oatmeal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Chicken Fat, Lamb, Potatoes, Dried Tomato Pomace, Dried Whole Egg, Salmon Oil, Cheese, Flaxseed, Brewer’s Dried Yeast, Alfalfa Meal, Carrots, Lettuce, Celery, Chicken Cartilage, Monocalcium Phosphate, Salt, Potassium Chloride, DL-Methionine, L-Tryptophan, Taurine, Chicory Root Extract, Calcium Sulfate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Sodium Selenite, Sorbic Acid (Preservative), Vitamins, Minerals, Probiotics
Explanation of Top 5 Ingredients
The top 5 ingredients included in Fromm Gold Holistic Adult Dog Food are: duck, chicken meal, chicken, brown rice, and pearled barley. Below you will find a brief explanation of each of these ingredients:
Duck – When it comes to evaluating the nutritional value of commercial dog food formulas, it is always good to see a whole source of animal protein as the first ingredient. In fact, this dog food formula lists protein sources as the top three ingredients. While duck is an excellent source of animal protein, it is important to realize that it is comprised of about 80% water – once it is cooked, it is reduced to a fraction of its original weight. This being the case, there may be less of this ingredient in the formula than the manufacturer would like you to believe.
Chicken Meal – The American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) defines chicken as a combination of clean flesh and skin, with or without accompanying bone, which is derived from whole chicken carcasses. Chicken meal consists of the same parts of the chicken but the meat has been rendered (or cooked). Essentially, chicken meal is a type of meat concentrate – once the moisture has been cooked out it contains about 65% protein and 12% fat. The fact that this ingredient comes second on the ingredient list speaks to the high protein content of his formula.
Chicken – Whole chicken contains about 70% water, 18% protein, and 5% fat. Though chicken is an excellent source of protein, like duck it may not actually be present in this formula in the high concentrations the manufacturer would like you to believe. Chicken meal is actually a more concentrated source of protein than fresh chicken.
Brown Rice – This ingredient is a type of complex carbohydrate that, as long as it is cooked, is fairly easy for your dog to digest. Dogs require only moderate amounts of dietary fiber and carbohydrate in their diet, however, so brown rice should be considered only to be of moderate nutritional value to your pet. The important thing to consider when rice is used as an ingredient in dog food is whether it is human-grade or feed-grade. Feed-grade rice is not whole rice, it has been processed to the point where only pieces of the original grains remain intact. The Fromm website does not specify whether the rice used in their formulas is whole-grain or not.
Pearled Barley – Another carbohydrate, pearled barley contains more starch than brown rice and it is a good source of dietary fiber and various vitamins and minerals. Like brown rice, however, this ingredient should be considered only to be of moderate nutritional value to your pet. According to AAFCO, unless this ingredient carries the word “cracked” in front of it, it consists of at least 80% sound barley, though it may contain up to 20% other grains or wild oats.
Other Notable Ingredients
Aside from the top five ingredients, there are several other notable ingredients found in Fromm Gold Holistic Adult Dog Food. Some of these ingredients include oatmeal, Menhaden fish meal, chicken fat, tomato pomace, brewer’s yeast, salmon oil, probiotics, and chicory root extract. According to the Fromm website, salmon oil provides essential fatty acids to improve the quality of your dog’s coat while probiotics help to improve his digestion. Chicory root extract may help to reduce your dog’s risk for worms.
Oatmeal is another whole-grain carbohydrate consisting of coarsely ground oats. This ingredient is a good source of dietary fiber and B-vitamins. One thing to be wary of with this ingredient, however, is the fact that it may come into contact with wheat grains, so it may not be gluten-free. Tomato pomace is another source of fiber used in this dog food, but its nutritional value is highly debated. This ingredient is the by-product that remains after tomatoes are processed to make juice and ketchup. Some say it is a valuable source of fiber while others consider it to be an inexpensive filler ingredient.
Chicken fat is the eighth ingredient on the list for Fromm Gold Holistic Adult Dog Food and it is an excellent source of linoleic acid, a type of omega-6 fatty acid. Though it may not sound like it, chicken fat is actually a very healthy ingredient for your dog. Menhaden fish meal, the ingredient listed before chicken fat, is another type of meat concentrate and a rich source of protein. Menhaden are simply small ocean-dwelling fish that are not only high in omega-3 fatty acids, but low in mercury due to the level of the ocean they tend to inhabit.
The sixteenth item on the list, brewer’s yeast, is another controversial ingredient. While this ingredient can be a good source of certain minerals, some believe that it causes allergic reactions in dogs. It is important to note, however, that brewer’s yeast contains nearly 50% protein. Some dog food manufacturers use this ingredient to increase the overall protein content of the product without actually adding more meat. Unless your dog is allergic to brewer’s yeast, however, it can be considered a valuable additive to dog food.
Conclusion
All in all, Fromm Gold Holistic Adult Dog Food should be considered an above-average dog food formula. Not only does it list high-quality sources of protein as the top three ingredients, but there are an additional several other sources of quality protein (lamb, Menhaden fish meal, and dried egg) listed further down on the list. This dog food formula does contain several plant-based ingredients but, for the most part, they are whole-grain carbohydrates like brown rice and pearled barley. Other valuable ingredients found in this formula include probiotics, salmon oil, chicken fat, and flaxseed.
Paw Rating
This Fromm Gold Holistic Adult Dog Food receives a paw rating of 4 out of 5. Though this dog food formula contains several high-quality sources of whole protein, it still contains enough carbohydrates to make it a largely plant-based dog food supplemented with moderate amounts of meat. Compared to many commercial dog food formulas, Fromm Gold Holistic Adult Dog Food is above-average in regard to its nutritional value and the quality of its ingredients.
