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Please be aware that Hill’s is voluntarily recalling some canned dog food due to potentially elevated levels of Vitamin D. More information here.
Grandma Lucy's Artisan Grain-Free Bison is a high-priced freeze-dried dog food with exceptional quality. This product has zero controversial ingredients, which also means no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives are used. The food has a slightly higher amount of carbs, compared to its protein and fat content, but excellent meat and fat quality. Grandma Lucy's has no recalls and the company was very transparent when answering our questions. For all these reasons, Watchdog Labs highly recommends this product.
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 a good amount of protein but is somewhat high in carbs, which is lowering the fat content slightly and making it less nutritionally balanced compared to other dog foods we evaluated. Carbohydrates are cheap so they keep the food’s cost low. They are nutritionally useful to dogs in the right amounts, however, high amounts of carbs can reduce the much-needed meat-based protein and fat content.
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 32.22%
Min. Fat 17.19%
Min. Carbs 43.07%
Max. Fiber 9.02%
Max. Ash 7.52%
Max. Moisture 0.00%
Min. Protein: 30.0%
Min Fat: 16.0%
Min Carbs: N/A
Max Fiber: 8.4%
Max Ash: N/A
Max. Moisture: 6.9%
473 Calories per Cup
This product has a relatively high amount of calories. It’s important to understand how many calories you are feeding to prevent under or overfeeding. If your dog has fair to low activity levels, you may want to feed less than the labels recommend amount, since high-calorie foods like this are often feed to more active dogs who require a higher amount of daily calories. It's helpful to know that weight loss foods often have fewer than 340 calories per cup, weight maintenance foods typically range from 340-380 calories, and high-activity dog foods are usually over 400 calories.
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 MoreUSDA Bison, Potatoes, Flax, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Celery, Apples, Bananas, Blueberries, Cranberries, Pumpkin, Garlic, Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, Vitamin E, Niacin, Iron, Calcium, Phosphorus, Zinc, Riboflavin, Thiamin, Potassium, Manganese, Chloride, Copper, Magnesium, Pyridoxine, Cyanocobalamin.
The average dog food we reviewed has 39 total ingredients, with 1 controversial ingredient. This product does not have any controversial ingredients, which is great to see.
Top 5 Ingredients
Dog food ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. So when looking at a dog food label, take a close look at the first 5 ingredients. They make up about 80% of the total weight.
Controversial Ingredients
Grandma Lucy has not included any controversial ingredients in this food.
Country of Origin
United States
Meat & Fat Quality
Grandma Lucy’s is clearly labeling the meat source as “USDA Bison” in this product. This is great because it shows you the specific source the ingredient comes from. They are just as clear with the fat source flax. Having meat and fat sources clearly named is a great sign of quality.
Artificial Preservatives
This Grandma Lucy’s product does not contain any controversial preservatives. It’s good to know that not all artificial preservatives are bad. That’s because they serve an important purpose, which is to prevent food from spoiling. However, we consider 11 artificial preservatives controversial because of their potential link to cancer and other serious health conditions.
Artificial Colors
No artificial colors are in this product.
Artificial Flavors
No artificial flavors are in this product.
Grandma Lucy’s has a below-average number of recalls.
Grandma Lucy’s did not respond to the first or second email that were sent. Eventually we did get them on the phone at which point they fully and completely answered all the questions. Since the call was not recorded, the following responses are paraphrased - they should not be seen as exact statements from the company.
Does Grandma Lucy’s have a veterinary nutritionist on staff? If so, who are they?
Not on staff, but they partner with Dr. Jean Dodds. https://www.hemopet.org/education/w-jean-dodds
Who formulates your recipes, and what are their credentials?
Dr. Dodds is involved in the formulation process.
Do you test your products using AAFCO feeding trials? Why, or why not?
Formulate instead of doing the trials. Instead they perform their own trials.
What country are your products manufactured?
United States.
Can your manufacturing facilities be visited?
It’s a safety-focused environment that cannot have tours.
What quality measures do you use to assure consistency and quality?
A complete answer was provided that outlined measures including a test and hold procedure done before, during and after. Referenced the use of USDA certified ingredients,
Does Grandma Lucy’s own its manufacturing facility? If it is another company, what company is it?
Owned since 1999.
Do any parts of your product come from China?
No.
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