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When it comes to commercial dog foods, there are a million different formulas from hundreds of different brands to choose from. Different dog foods are designed for dogs in different life stages and for different activity levels. This Eagle Pack Natural Dry Dog Food is designed for regularly active adult dogs, formulated to provide for their energy and protein needs. This dog food formula is made with whole grains like brown rice to provide dietary fiber to ensure healthy digestion. It also contains several high-quality sources of protein like lamb meal, chicken meal, and anchovy and sardine meal. Animal-based proteins like these help to promote healthy lean muscle mass while also ensuring a flavor that dogs love. In addition to being made with top-quality ingredients, this Eagle Pack Natural Dry Dog Food offers a balance of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates to ensure maximum health and vitality in your dog. If you are looking for a dry dog food formulated for regularly active adult dogs, Eagle Pack Natural Dry 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
Lamb Meal, Oatmeal, Ground Brown Rice, Dehulled Barley, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Chicken Meal, Brewers Dried Yeast, Tomato Pomace, Anchovy and Sardine Meal, Rice, Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Vitamin A Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Thiamine Mononitrate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid], Minerals [Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate], Taurine, Calcium Carbonate, Mixed Tocopherols added to preserve freshness, Inulin, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Trichoderma reesei Fermentation Product, Dried Rhizopus oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract, Green Tea Extract
Explanation of Top 5 Ingredients
The top 5 ingredients included in Eagle Pack Natural Dry Dog Food are: lamb meal, oatmeal, ground brown rice, dehulled barley, and chicken fat. Below you will find a brief explanation of each of these ingredients:
Lamb Meal – Do not let the word “meal” throw you off or fool you into thinking that this is not a high-quality ingredient. Meat meals like lamb meal are actually a much more concentrated source of protein than fresh meat – they contain up to 300% more protein, in fact. This is because fresh eats contain a great deal of water – up to 70% – and once the product is cooked, their volume decreases significantly. Meat meals are already cooked so they provide a highly concentrated source of high-quality protein. The fact that lamb meal is listed first on the ingredients list for this Eagle Pack Natural Dry Dog Food is a good sign. Low-quality dog foods often list filler ingredients like corn or wheat first – these materials are called fillers because they are used to bulk up the product without adding significant nutritional value.
Oatmeal – This ingredient is a whole-grain carbohydrate and, as such, it provides your dog with dietary fiber to help support healthy digestion and firm stools. Oatmeal is also rich in B-vitamins. One thing to be wary of with this ingredient is that, though oats are naturally gluten-free, they may be mixed with wheat grains depending on the level of purity. Wheat is a common food allergen found in many low-quality dog food formulas. This Eagle Pack Natural Dry Dog Food does not specify whether the oatmeal used is obtained from gluten-free sources.
Ground Brown Rice – This ingredient is another name for rice flour and it is considered a gluten-free substitute for the wheat flour used in many low-quality commercial dog food formulas. Brown rice is a complex carbohydrate that provides your dog with additional dietary fiber to support healthy digestion. One thing to be wary of is the fact that rice shows up again in the ingredients list – it is number 10. The list does not specify whether this rice is white or brown so it is difficult to determine the nutritional value of this ingredient.
Dehulled Barley – This ingredient is a type of starchy carbohydrate and, while it does provide some dietary fiber, it is only of moderate nutritional value to your dog. One positive aspect of this ingredient is that it is lower on the glycemic index than wheat and corn, so it may help to support stable blood sugar levels for your dog.
Chicken Fat – Though this ingredient may not sound very appetizing to you, it is actually a high-quality addition to this dog food formula. Dogs require a certain amount of fat in their diet and animal-based fats (as opposed to plant-based fats like canola oil) are much more biologically valuable. Chicken fat is one of the results of the rendering process for chicken and it is very rich in linoleic acid, a type of essential omega-6 fatty acid. With this ingredient, Eagle Pack Natural Dry Dog Food approaches a near-average level of fat when compared to typical commercial dry dog food formulas.
Other Notable Ingredients
Aside from the top five ingredients, there are several other notable ingredients found in Eagle Pack Natural Dry Dog Food. Some of these ingredients include: chicken meal, brewer’s dried yeast, tomato pomace, anchovy and sardine meal, rice, flaxseed, dried fermentation product, and chelated minerals. Like lamb meal, chicken meal is a highly concentrated source of protein – the same can be said for the anchovy and sardine meal. Both of these ingredients help to increase the overall protein content of this dog food formula though, with all three ingredients combined, it still only reaches near-average levels of protein compared to the average commercial formula.
Brewer’s dried yeast, the seventh ingredient on the list, is a controversial ingredient. This ingredient is a by-product resulting from beer production and it contains various vitamins and minerals which are beneficial for your dog. The potential problem with this ingredient is that it may be linked to food allergies – if your dog isn’t allergic to yeast, however, this ingredient is unlikely to be a harmful addition. In fact, some believe that brewer’s yeast helps support the dog’s immune system and that it may help to repel fleas.
Rice is the tenth ingredient on the list and it does not specify whether it is from white rice or brown rice – this makes it difficult to judge the quality of this ingredient. The next ingredient, flaxseed, is very beneficial. Flaxseed is one of the highest plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids and, if it has been ground into a meal, it is also a good source of soluble fiber. One thing to keep in mind with this ingredient is that it contains about 19% protein which means that it can be used to increase the protein content of this dog food formula without adding more meat. Tomato pomace is another source of fiber and it is another controversial ingredient. This ingredient is the result of the processing of tomatoes for juice and ketchup and some believe it to be nothing more than an inexpensive filler ingredient.
Both dried fermented products and chelated minerals are valuable additions to this Eagle Pack Natural Dry Dog Food formula. Dried fermented products can provide valuable enzymes which help to support healthy digestion in your dog. Chelated minerals are chemically bonded to protein molecules which makes them more biologically available. Some of the minerals included in this dog food are iron, zinc, copper and manganese.
Conclusion
The fact that this dog food formula contains three concentrated sources of protein earns it a few extra points and it brings it up to average levels of protein when compared to typical commercial dry dog food formulas. It does lose points, however, for having three sources of carbohydrate listed within the first five ingredients. Overall, this Eagle Pack Natural Dry Dog Food formula provides your dog with an average level of nutritional value.
Paw Rating
This Eagle Pack Natural Dry Dog Food receives a paw rating of 3 out of 5, making this an average quality dog food. This formula does contain three highly concentrated sources of protein, but only one of them is listed within the first five ingredients. There are several controversial ingredients including several which may be considered inexpensive fillers.
