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This Canine Caviar Free Spirit Dog Food formula is complete and balanced, designed to meet the nutritional needs of dogs in all stages of life including growing puppies, active adults, and even nursing dogs. This formula is ideal for medium- to large-breed puppies as well as adults and it is made with high-quality ingredients to provide your dog with the nutrients he needs. Canine Caviar Free Spirit Dog Food is a holistic formula, made with nutrient-dense proteins for energy, complex carbohydrates for endurance, and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids to support health skin and coat. Not only is this formula made with high-quality ingredients, but it is manufactured right here in the USA. If you are looking for a quality source of nutrition for your pet, you might want to consider this Canine Caviar Free Spirit Dog Food. 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
Chicken Meal, Pearl Millet, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Coconut**, Sun-Cured Alfalfa, Coconut Oil**, Whole Ground Flaxseed, Sun-Cured Kelp, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Sodium Chloride, Lecithin, Choline Chloride, FOS or Fructooligosaccharide (prebiotic), Fenugreek, Peppermint, Taurine, Zinc Proteinate, Papaya, Rose Hips, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Anise Oil**, Thyme Oil**, Manganese Proteinate, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Selenium, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid.
**New Holistic Ingredients
Explanation of Top 5 Ingredients
The top 5 ingredients included in this Canine Caviar Free Spirit Dog Food are: Chicken Meal, Pearl Millet, Chicken Fat, Coconut, and Sun-Cured Alfalfa. Below you will find a brief explanation of each of these ingredients:
Chicken Meal – When you see the word “meal” after the word “chicken” in ingredients lists like this, you may be tempted to think that it is a low-quality ingredient. In reality, chicken meal is actually more valuable than fresh chicken. Fresh meats like chicken are an excellent addition to a high-quality dog food like this, but there is one thing you need to keep in mind. Fresh chicken (and other meats) contain up to 80% water which means that, once the product is cooked, the weight will be much less than the original. Chicken meal, on the other hand, has already been cooked down to a moisture content around 10% so it contains up to 300% more protein than fresh chicken. The fact that this ingredient is listed first on a list ordered by volume speaks to the high protein content of this formula.
Pearl Millet – Millet is a gluten-free grain that is harvested from a certain type of seed grass. This ingredient is hypoallergenic and it is a good source of dietary fiber and B-vitamins. Because it contains a variety of nutrients, this ingredient is moderately valuable for your pet. It might be better, however, to see another source of animal protein listed second on the ingredients list before a carbohydrate. As far as carbohydrates go, however, millet is certainly not a bad option.
Chicken Fat – Do not let this ingredient scare you away. Even though chicken fat may not sound like an appetizing ingredient to you, it is very good for your dog. Animal fats are much more biologically valuable to your dog than plant-based fats like canola oil and chicken fat in particular is rich in omega-6 fatty acids like linoleic acid. For these reasons, chicken fat can be considered a valuable addition to this Canine Caviar Free Spirit Dog Food.
Coconut – It is unclear from the ingredients list what form the coconut in this product takes – it is likely fresh coconut meat. Coconut meat is rich in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) which provide digestive benefits for your dog in addition to reducing the risk for neurological disorders. Coconut meat is a good source of vitamins A and E as well as polyphenols and phytosterols.
Sun-Cured Alfalfa – This ingredient is not commonly used in pet foods – it is a type of hay that is more commonly seen in horse feeds. Alfalfa is high in protein and dietary fiber but because it is a plant-based material, that protein is less biologically valuable for your dog than an animal-based source of protein would be. You need to be wary of high-protein plant ingredients in dog foods because some manufacturers use them to increase the protein content of their foods without actually adding more meat. This dog food formula only contains one high-quality source of animal protein, so it could be the case this with food.
Additional Ingredients of Interest
Aside from the top five ingredients, there are several other notable ingredients found in Canine Caviar Free Spirit Dog Food. Some of these ingredients include: coconut oil, whole ground flaxseed, sun-cured kelp, fructooligosaccharide, and papaya as well as dried fermentation products and chelated minerals. Coconut oil is rich in monounsaturated fats and medium-chain fatty acids like lauric acid. Lauric acid helps to prevent viral and bacterial infections – it also helps to support your dog’s healthy skin and coat. Lauric acid is also found in mother’s milk and it helps to build up the immune system. Other benefits of coconut oil reduced risk for cancer, improved thyroid function, and boosted digestive health.
Whole-ground flaxseed is a plant-based ingredient but it does provide some nutritional benefits. Because it is ground, this ingredient provides your dog with dietary fiber. Flaxseed is also one of the highest plant sources of omega-3 fatty acid. One thing to be wary of with this ingredient is that it contains up to 19% protein – some dog food manufacturers use high-protein plant ingredients to boost the protein content of their products without adding more meat. Because this Canine Caviar Free Spirit Dog Food contains chicken meal as the first ingredient, however, this is not a major concern.
Sun-cured kelp is rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals that help to support overall nutrition and may also help improve thyroid function. This ingredients helps to support balanced growth and it helps nurture beneficial microflora in the gut to support healthy digestion. Kelp is also a natural cleanser, helping to support a healthy coat and skin in your dog.
Fructooligosaccharide is an alternative sweetener. In this recipe, however, it is likely used as a prebiotic – something to help support the growth of beneficial bacteria in your dog’s intestine.
Papaya is a fiber-rich fruit that can provide your dog with healthy vitamins and minerals. The dietary fiber in papaya can help to reduce digestive problems and it may provide other health benefits. Papaya is rich in vitamin E, vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and folate as well as calcium and magnesium. This fruit can help to reduce the risk for heart problems and to provide your dog with extra energy. The final ingredients on the list – dried fermentation products and chelated minerals – are typically found in high-quality dog foods. Dried fermentation products help to support healthy digestion and chelated minerals are those that have been chemically bound to protein molecules which makes them easier for your dog’s body to absorb.
Conclusion
Overall, this Canine Caviar Free Spirit Dog Food can be considered an above-average dry dog food formula. This formula lists chicken meal, a highly concentrated source of animal protein, as the first ingredient which speaks to the high protein content of this formula. Additionally, this formula includes several gluten-free grains as well as an animal-based fat (chicken fat). Overall, this formula seems to be well-balanced and a good source of nutrition for your pet. This product could be improved a little bit, however, with the addition of another source of animal protein and with the replacement of the alfalfa for a more valuable source of dietary fiber like whole grain brown rice. For the most part, however, this formula is a good choice for dogs.
Paw Rating
This Canine Caviar Free Spirit Dog Food formula receives a paw rating of 4 out of 5 stars. The high point of this formula is the chicken meal which is listed as the first ingredient and chicken fat, listed third. Another benefit of this formula is that it is gluten-free and made with several beneficial additives like dried fermentation products for digestion and chelated minerals. Overall, if you are looking for a high-quality source of nutrition for your pet then this Canine Caviar Free Spirit Dog Food may be a good option to consider.
Review Last Updated On 1/13/2016
