Canidae All Life Stages Canned Dog Food Review

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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.

Dry Foods

Canned (Wet) Foods

 

Top 5 Ingredients Breakdown

The first five ingredients in this food are: Chicken, Chicken Broth, Lamb, Chicken Liver, Ocean Whitefish. As you can tell, there is plenty of good animal/fish protein in these ingredients. The chicken broth provides both moisture and flavor for the canned food. It’s not unusual for a canned dog food to contain a higher percentage of protein (dry matter basis) than most kibbles and that seems to be the case here. There are no carbs in these first five ingredients.

Chicken is the first ingredient and it’s a good ingredient for dog food. Chicken is about 80 percent protein and it’s a good source of Vitamin B6 and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Niacin and Selenium. It’s also a good source of glucosamine for joint health.

Chicken broth, the second ingredient, is added to dog food for flavor and to canned food for moisture. Canned dog food requires moisture for its formulation and packing process. This is a much better source of moisture than water or the “natural flavor” that you sometimes see added to dog food.

Lamb is the third ingredient. Lamb is another common dog food ingredient and it’s also good for dogs. 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.

Chicken liver is a wonderful source of vitamins and minerals for dogs. In particular, it’s a good source of Thiamin, Zinc, Copper and Manganese, and a very good source of Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Phosphorus and Selenium. It is an organ meat so it’s a little different from the muscle meat that is found in chicken. The AAFCO definitions for these ingredients are different, but both parts are good for your dog.

Ocean whitefish is the fifth ingredient. In pet food terms, it can refer to a number of fish caught commercially for use in pet foods, depending on the area being fished and the time of year such as tilefish and Atlantic whitefish. Whatever the source, it is a good ingredient for dogs and it’s high in omega-3 fatty acid.

Overall, the first five ingredients in this food show an abundance of animal and fish protein with good sources of vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids.

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Additional Ingredients of Interest

The item of most concern in the food is carrageenan. Carrageenan is extracted from red seaweeds so, in that sense, it’s a “natural” ingredient. It’s been used for hundreds of years for its gelling, thickening, and preservative properties. It’s also used in human foods in the U.S. and in Europe, though Europe has banned its use in infant formula. There are some concerns about its effect on health. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrageenan

Guar gum and cassia gum are also present as thickeners and preservatives in this food but they don’t send up the red flags that carrageenan does.

The food also contains flaxseed oil. Lots of people like flaxseed and flaxseed oil for their dogs since it’s 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 (read more on Wikipedia). 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 oil in a dog food 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.

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.

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.

Eggs are a good source of protein for dogs. They are usually added in dried, powdered form to dog food. They are 35 percent protein, 63 percent fat, and 2 percent carbohydrates. They’re also a good source of omega-6 fatty acid. One of the very nice things about eggs is that they have a high degree of bioavailability so your dog can get a lot of nutrition from them when they are added to a dog food.

The food also features suncured alfalfa. Canidae uses this ingredient in just about all of their foods. It likely provides some additional calcium in the diet but it’s debatable how much it really adds to the nutritional value of the food.

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We also note that the food contains a number of beneficial ingredients such as chelated minerals. 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.

The food features sunflower oil as a fat source. It’s a good source of omega-6 fatty acid. It is a plant-source of fat which is not usually as desirable as a good animal source of fat, but sunflower oil is a nice fat and provides vitamin E which is a natural preservative.

The food also features some nice ingredients such as Kelp (trace minerals), Rosemary Extract (natural preservative), Cranberries (anti-oxidant), and Yucca Schidigera Extract (reduces the odor of a dog’s stool).

Finally, we note that Canidae includes the following comment in their Feeding instructions: “To achieve a balanced diet and maintain firm stools, CANIDAE® recommends a feed ratio of 25% canned to 75% dry dog food by weight.” It’s unusual for a dog food company to make this kind of suggestion. This canned food is supposed to be an All Life Stages food, so presumably you should be able to feed it to your dog without adding anything to it. This food does contain a higher percentage of fat than many canned foods so perhaps this is why the company feels it necessary to make this suggestion. If you feed this food alone, your dog might experience some loose stools. Frankly, we find that troubling.

Guaranteed Analysis

• Crude Protein (min.) 9.00%
• Crude Fat (min.) 6.00%
• Crude Fiber (max.) 1.50%
• Moisture (max.) 78.00%
• Linoleic Acid (Omega 6) (min.) 1.00%
• Vitamin E (min.) 50.00 IU/kg
• Alpha Linolenic Acid (Omega 3)* (min.) 0.20%

*Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.

Calories Content

280 calories per 8 oz cup (450 calories in a 13 ounce can; 195 calories in a 5.5 ounce can)

Nutritional Adequacy Statement

CANIDAE® Life Stages All Life Stages Canned 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 41 percent protein and 27.3 percent fat. It’s not unusual for canned dog food to have higher protein and fat percentages but this is a high percentage of fat. Fiber makes up about 6.8 percent of the food which is in the average range for canned food. The food contains an estimated 24 percent carbohydrates which is not unusual for many canned foods.

Summary

We like the protein content of this food and many of the other ingredients but we are somewhat concerned about the higher fat content. It looks like a good canned food but you should be careful to feed it with a dry kibble. If you feed this food to your dog alone, you should be careful because it could cause some loose stools.

Canidae All Life Stages Formula Canned dog food has received our 4 paw rating.

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