Review of Pedigree Canned Dog Food Chopped Beef

It is my goal to educate pet owners so they can make a well informed decision when it comes to what food to feed their dogs. For information on my general stance on commercial pet food, click here.

This review is on: Pedigree Canned Dog Food Chopped Beef

Ingredients (from petsmart.com):

Sufficient Water For Processing, Poultry By-Products, Meat By-Products, Poultry, Beef, Citrus Pectin, Minerals (Calcium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Guar Gum, Vegetable Oil (Source of Linoleic Acid), Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Dried Yam, Carrageenan, Carmel Coloring, Tetrapotassium Pyrophosphate, Natural Smoke Flavor, Xanthan Gum, Onion Powder, Bay Leaves, Vitamins (Vitamin E, A & D3 Supplements, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}, Biotin), Galric Powder, Sodium Nitrite (For Color Retention).

Pros:

Honestly, I cannot find something good to say about this one. It is good that there are vitamins added to it, but only because there is no true source of quality meat to provide it.

Cons:

Water as the first ingredient is not bad since it is canned food. The second ingredient is poultry by-product. We do not know what type of poultry this is and since it is a by-product, it is not actually meat. The third ingredient is even worse: meat by-product. At least with the poultry by-product we can narrow down what animal it could be from, with meat by-product that could be anything. The next ingredient is poultry, but it could be up to 80% water and really should be farther down on the list.

Looking at the fifth ingredient, we finally see beef. Once again, this is not beef meal, but beef with a water content of up to 80% which means if we only counted the actual meat content it would be farther down on the list. I would think that canned food claiming to be beef would have quite a bit more beef content than this, but apparently this is not the case.

Beyond the meat, there are so many other problems I have with this. This is made with xantham gum which is used to thicken and give the food a better texture, it is also considered an effective laxative and I feel it is unnecessary for dog food. If Pedigree were to use quality meat as the main ingredient they would not need to make it feel like meat. Following this is onion powder. This is a dangerous and absolutely uncalled for ingredient. Onions, in all forms, are toxic to dogs and can slowly build up in their systems. Dogs like beef; they do not need onion powder added to make it palatable.

Caramel coloring is another unnecessary ingredient; once again, if it was real beef, these additives would not be needed. Sodium nitrite closes the list of ingredients and a little research will show that human grade food companies are steering away from this as it is shown to cause cancer.

Overall Opinion:

This is called chopped beef, but so many additives are needed to make it look, smell and feel like beef. There are no quality ingredients in this food. I would not let my dogs touch this. For information on what I feed my dogs click here.

Necessary Disclaimer:

I am not a veterinarian, just a concerned pet owner. It is important to consult with your vet when changing diets, but do not assume every veterinarian knows everything about your pet's nutrition. Get a second opinion if you do not feel comfortable with what your vet is telling you.

I am not affiliated with any pet food companies; I simply was misled by commercial dog food companies in the past and feel that you, as a consumer, have every right to know what you are feeding your dog, as well as what you could be feeding your dog. Click here to read about how commercial pet food companies deceive buyers.

As with anything, you might have a different opinion than I do, that is what makes this world great. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what experience you have had with this food.