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Dog Food Insiders Rating
3 1/2 PAWS
You can find detailed information aboutCanidae Pet Food Corporation in our main review of Canidae Dog Food. There you will also find information about how the food is made, recalls, and their quality control. This review will cover the Pure Sea blend in the line of Canidae Dog Food products.
Canidae relies on an All Life Stages approach to feeding dogs. Most of their products are formulated for all life stages. They produce kibbles and canned food in several formulations: all life stage formulas, senior formula, and several grain free formulas. They also produce cat foods. Canidae is considered to be a premium pet food and can be found at pet stores and for sale online.
Ingredients in Canidae Life Stages Lamb Meal & Rice Dog Food
Lamb meal, brown rice, cracked pearled barley, rice bran,peas, millet, canola oil, lamb, tomato pomace, natural flavor, flaxseed meal, potassium chloride, choline chloride, suncured alfalfa meal, inulin (from chicory root), lecithin, sage extract, cranberries, beta-carotene, rosemary extract, sunflower oil, yucca schidigera extract, dried enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid), minerals (iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite), papaya, pineapple.
Top 5 Ingredients Breakdown
The first five ingredients in this food are: Lamb meal, brown rice, cracked pearled barley, rice bran, and peas.
You’ll notice here that there is only one animal protein in the first five ingredient. Ideally we would like to see more than one meat protein in these first few ingredients since they typically make up most of the food. There is another source of protein in the first five ingredients – peas – but it is a plant-based source of protein and not as easy for some dogs to digest to obtain the protein. The other three ingredients are cereals/grains.
The first ingredient is lamb meal and this is a very good ingredient in a dog food. Lamb is about 60 percent protein. It’s a good source of Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B12, Iron, Zinc, Copper and Selenium. It also contains lots of omega-6 fatty acid. Since this is a meal, most of the moisture has already been removed prior to cooking and the protein is very concentrated. We don’t have any problem with using lamb meal instead of lamb but you will notice that the food also contains lamb as the eighth ingredient, so there is even more lamb in the food.
The second ingredient is brown rice. Brown rice is often used in dog foods, especially as a change from corn and wheat. From a dog food viewpoint, rice is a cereal grain. Brown rice is higher in fiber than white rice, and less processed. It can also be a little more irritating to the stomach than white rice. It’s a simple carbohydrate that can give dogs quick energy. Used in conjunction with more complex carbs in a dog food, brown rice is a good ingredient. As the second ingredient in the food, you can expect this food to contain a lot of rice.
As for concerns about arsenic in rice, and thus in dog foods that include rice, the FDA has not made any recommendation for pet food companies to stop using rice or for dog owners to avoid feeding foods that contain rice. Nor has the FDA suggested that people stop eating rice. If you are uncomfortable about the possibility of minute amounts of arsenic in rice or dog food, you should avoid this food or any dog food that contains rice.
The third ingredient in the food is cracked pearled barley. Cracked pearled barley has been polished to remove part of its hull and bran; and make it easier to digest. Keep in mind that the more it’s processed, the more nutrients it loses, even if it makes it easier to digest. It has a moderate amount of starch that can be slowly digested, along with soluble fiber.
Rice bran is the fourth ingredient. Rice Bran is the outer coating of the rice kernel, with little or none of the starchy part of the germ. It’s an inexpensive source of fiber and it’s usually considered to be a filler in dog food.
The fifth ingredient is peas. Peas are a problematic ingredient in dog food for some dogs. Although they boost the protein percentage in food, containing about 24 percent protein, they are also a source of dietary fiber. Peas are not always easily digested by dogs and can result in increased waste and some gastrointestinal issues. They can also interfere with the absorption of vitamins and minerals in the food.
Top 5 Ingredients Summary
The first five ingredients in this food feature good meat protein in the form of lamb meal. We expect to find some carbohydrates in the first few ingredients but this food contains brown rice, cracked pearled barley, and rice bran which adds up to a lot of carbs and some fillers. We also question the use of peas as a source of protein in a premium dog food since plant protein is not as easily or efficiently digested by dogs as animal protein.
Additional Ingredients of Interest
The sixth ingredient in the food is millet which is a low-nutrient cereal grass/grain. It is a gluten-free carbohydrate that is easy to digest but it has very little nutritional value (82 percent carbohydrates, 11 percent protein, 7 percent fat, with only minimal vitamins and minerals). It is generally used as bird seed.
The food also contains“natural flavor.” This is a deceptive term that often indicates the presence of MSG or monosodium glutamate used for flavoring. This isn’t something that you generally want to add to your dog’s food unless you have a particular object in mind, such as discouraging your dog from eating his own poop. MSG is sometimes recommended as a supplement to make your dog’s waste taste bad to him so he won’t try to eat it. Otherwise, when a food has “natural flavor,” it usually has a lot of salt which isn’t good for your dog. However, in some cases “natural flavor” can indicate the presence of liver broth or beef broth. We just don’t know. But when you see this term listed in the ingredients, it usually sends up a red flag.
We also see flaxseed meal here. Lots of people like flaxseed and flaxseed meal for their dogs since it’s a good source of dietary fiber and a great source of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids (especially omega 3). However, flaxseed is also a significant source of phytoestrogen – these are plant-derived substances that mimic some of the effects of estrogen in the body. This can be especially true in females. Without going into the possible effects on humans, many dog breeders have reported that feeding dogs foods that contain flaxseed or flaxseed oil has interfered with conception and gestation. So flaxseed meal is something that should be viewed cautiously, especially if you breed dogs. If you have an intact female dog, especially in a house with male dogs, you may find that foods with flaxseed causes males to think the female is in season. The same phenomenon often occurs with foods containing soy. You can learn ore in this Wikipedia article.
We also note that the food contains a number of beneficial ingredients such aschelated minerals (“proteinates”). These are minerals that have been bonded to proteins so they are easier to absorb. They are more expensive for the dog food manufacturer to buy so you usually see them in better dog foods.
As fat sources the food contains canola oil and sunflower oil. Better dog food usually contains named animal sources of fat (i.e., chicken fat). Both of these oils are good sources of omega-6 fatty acid and canola oil is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acid.
We also note the presence of a number of interesting ingredients such asinulin (a prebiotic), cranberries (an antioxidant), rosemary extract (a mild natural preservative), and other things. These are all ingredients that are often found in premium foods. They can be beneficial to your dog.
The food also contains several dried fermentation products. These products have been shown to be beneficial in aiding animal digestion, though some of them are probably best understood because they have been used for many years in agricultural production. It’s common to give these products to cattle and other animals to help them gain weight from their food.
Finally, the food has papaya and pineapple. Papaya allegedly helps dogs with digestion and it’s a source of dietary fiber. Pineapple is sometimes given to dogs to discourage them from eating their own poop.
Guaranteed Analysis
- Crude Protein (min.) 21.00%
- Crude Fat (min.) 12.50%
- Crude Fiber (max.) 4.00%
- Moisture (max.) 10.00%
- Linoleic Acid (Omega 6) (min.) 3.55%
- Vitamin E (min.) 200.00 IU/kg
- Alpha Linolenic Acid (Omega 3)** (min.) 0.50%
- Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)** (min.) 50.00 mg/kg
- Lactobacillus Acidophilus** (min.) 100 million CFU/lb.
- Cellulase** (a) (min.) 100 CMCU/kg
**Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.
Calories Content
457 calories per 8 oz cup
Nutritional Adequacy Statement
CANIDAE® Lamb Meal & Rice Formula is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages.
Dry Matter Basis
On a dry matter basis, this food contains approximately 23.3 percent protein and 13.9 percent fat. This is only a moderate amount of protein for a premium dog food and an average amount of fat. Fiber makes up about 4.4 percent of the food which is average for most kibbles. The food contains an estimated 49.4 percent carbohydrates which is very high.
Summary
While this food contains lamb meal and lamb, these are the only meat proteins in the food. There are a lot of carbohydrates in the food (approximately 50 percent) and some fillers. We also question the use of peas as a protein in a supposedly “premium” dog food.
Canidae Lamb and Rice dog food has received our 3.5 paw rating.
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