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Disclosure: Watchdog Labs is free to use. When you buy through links on this site, we may earn a commission.
Please be aware that Hill’s is voluntarily recalling some canned dog food due to potentially elevated levels of Vitamin D. More information here.
AvoDerm Natural Chicken & Rice Formula Puppy is a mid-priced wet dog food with average quality. This product has 1 controversial ingredient but fortunately no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Positively, the food has well-balanced amounts of protein, fat and carbs and also excellent meat and fat quality. AvoDerm has an average number of recalls. The company, however, was not responsive and transparent when answering our questions.
Read the Full Review BelowLearn what makes a great dog food and get expert advice on how to choose the best food for your dog.
Learn MoreThis dog food review was created by experts who love dogs. Find out more about our team and mission.
About Watchdog LabsThis food has well-balanced amounts of protein, fat, and carbs. Diets that are high in protein and fat, with moderate to low carbs, are ideal for most dogs.
To evaluate dog foods, we first calculate out the moisture. This is called the “dry matter basis” and shows you only the solid ingredients in the food. These estimated “dry matter” numbers are different from the food label, but a better way to understand the real nutritional value of the food. We also calculate the carbs. Find out more
Min. Protein 40.91%
Min. Fat 27.27%
Min. Carbs 22.73%
Max. Fiber 6.82%
Max. Ash 9.09%
Max. Moisture 0.00%
Min. Protein: 9.0%
Min Fat: 6.0%
Min Carbs: N/A
Max Fiber: 1.5%
Max Ash: 2.0%
Max. Moisture: 78.0%
507 Calories per Can
This product has an above average amount of calories for wet food. It’s important to understand how many calories you are feeding to prevent under or overfeeding. Based on your dog's current weight and activity level you may want to feed more or less than the recommended amount.
Grain-Free Dog Foods
This is a grain-free dog food. The FDA is investigating a potential connection between grain-free diets and canine heart disease. There is not enough evidence yet to affect our ratings but we've created an article for you explaining the topic.
Learn MoreChicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Salmon, Rice, Tuna, Peas, Carrots, Potatoes, Flax Seed, Avocado Meal, Avocado Oil, Guar Gum, Blueberries, Cranberries, Dried Kelp, Lecithin, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Carrageenan, Minerals (Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Potassium Iodide), Vitamins (Vitamin E, A, B12, D3 Supplements, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement), Choline Chloride.
The average dog food has 39 total ingredients, with 1 controversial ingredient. This product has 1 controversial ingredient called Carrageenan. We will explain more about this below.
Top 5 Ingredients
Dog food ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. So when looking at dog food label, take a close look at the first 5 ingredients. They make up about 80% of the total weight.
Controversial Ingredients
Country of Origin
AvoDerm products are made in the United States.
Meat & Fat Quality
Part of the reason the ratios are as good as they are in this product is due to the amounts of meat-based proteins. What’s even better, they are all coming from named animal sources. AvoDerm has included Chicken, Chicken Liver, Salmon, and Tuna. As a dog owner, you typically will want to avoid generically labeled animal meats, for example, “Poultry Meal” or “Ocean Fish”. When considering the fat quality, we can safely assume a majority of the fat will be coming from these meats. High-quality named meat sources will mean an overall good fat quality as well.
Artificial Preservatives
Avoderm does not have any controversial preservatives in this product. Keep in mind, not all artificial preservatives are bad. They play an important part in preventing food from spoiling. However, there are 11 artificial preservatives we call out because of their potential link to cancer and other serious health conditions.
Artificial Colors
There are no artificial colors used in this product.
Artificial Flavors
There are no artificial flavors used in this product. Great to see that Avoderm is choosing to avoid the preservatives, colors, and flavors that could be an issue for your dog.
AvoDerm has an average amount of dog food recalls.
We love dog food brands that are committed to transparent business practices. If you make quality dog food you should be willing to openly talk about how it’s sourced and produced. That’s why we reached out to pet food companies, asking questions about all their brands and products. Each company had three weeks to reply to our messages.
How Easy Was it to Reach the Company?
Avoderm was contacted twice over a 3 week period. A response was given that they had forwarded the email to the correct department, but no follow up was received.
Does AvoDerm have a veterinary nutritionist on staff? If so, who are they?
No Response
Who formulates your recipes, and what are their credentials?
No Response
Do you test your products using AAFCO feeding trials? Why, or why not?
No Response
What country are your products manufactured?
No Response
Can your manufacturing facilities be visited?
No Response
What quality measures do you use to assure consistency and quality?
No Response
Does AvoDerm own its manufacturing facility? If it is another company, what company is it?
No Response
Do any parts of your product come from China?
No Response
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http://www.acvn.org/nutrition-resources/
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Linda P Case, MS; Daniel P Carey, DVM; and Diane A Hirakawa, PhD, Canine and Feline Nutrition A Resource for Companion Animal Professionals, Mosby-Year Book, Inc.