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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.
Solid Gold Sun Dancer is a mid-priced dog food with average quality. This product has 1 controversial ingredient, but no artificial preservatives, colors and flavors. It has a somewhat high amount of carbs, compared to its protein and fat but the meat and fat quality in the food is excellent. Solid Gold has a below-average number of recalls and was very 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 a fair amount of protein fat 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 33.33%
Min. Fat 15.56%
Min. Carbs 43.33%
Max. Fiber 4.44%
Max. Ash 7.78%
Max. Moisture 0.00%
Min. Protein: 30.0%
Min Fat: 14.0%
Min Carbs: N/A
Max Fiber: 4.0%
Max Ash: N/A
Max. Moisture: 10.0%
385 Calories per Cup
This product has an average amount of calories. It’s important to understand how many calories you are feeding to prevent under or overfeeding. Average calorie foods like this are typically best for fairly active dogs who need a moderate amount of daily calories. Based on your dog's current weight and activity level you may want to feed more or less than the recommended amount. 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 MoreChicken, Chicken Meal, Peas, Tapioca, Ocean Fish Meal, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Tomato Pomace, Quinoa, Flaxseed, Natural Flavors, Turmeric, Dried Eggs, Chia Seed, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Salmon Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Dried Chicory Root, Carrots, Pumpkin, Parsley, Apples, Cranberries, Blueberries, Lettuce, Celery, Beets, Watercress, Spinach, Broccoli, Spearmint, Almond Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Sesame Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Kelp, Thyme, Lentils, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper sulfate, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Manganese Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Rosemary Extract, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product.
The average dog food we reviewed has 39 total ingredients, with 1 controversial ingredient. This food has 1 controversial ingredient, see below.
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
Country of Origin
This dog food is made in the United States of America - that’s fantastic because of the strict food manufacturing rules and regulations here.
Meat & Fat Quality
Chicken, Chicken Meal, Salmon Oil, Almond Oil and Sesame Oil have one thing in common - they are clearly showing buyers what animals and plants they are made from. That’s what you want to see. We wish the same could be said for Ocean Fish Meal, which doesn’t tell you which fish it comes from, bringing into question the quality of this ingredient.
Artificial Preservatives
Solid Gold Sun Dancer Chicken & Tapioca Recipe uses 0 controversial artificial preservatives, excellent. 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
The lack of preservatives is matched by no artificial colors, well done.
Artificial Flavors
No artificial flavors are used either. This product manages to ace all three “artificial ingredient” checks - that’s how it should be.
Solid Gold has a below-average number 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?
Solid Gold was exceptionally responsive to our first email. They were one of the few companies who responded within 1 day, and with relatively complete answers.
Does Solid Gold have a veterinary nutritionist on staff? If so, who are they?
We do have a Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist that we keep on staff as a consultant.
There was a 2nd email to ask for the nutritionists name, but they stated that they are unable to provide names of employees.
Who formulates your recipes, and what are their credentials?
That Nutritionist along with our Food Scientist (PhD) and Manager of Nutrition all formulate our products.
Do you test your products using AAFCO feeding trials? Why, or why not?
We have done AAFCO feeding trials in the past, but now use a private kennel for palatability testing and use formulation and laboratory testing to ensure our products meet the AAFCO guidelines.
Generally speaking, companies may choose to perform feeding trials that are different than the AAFCO feeding trial, and in some cases more complete.
What country are your products manufactured?
Our dry dog and cat food are made in the USA along with our wet dog food. Our wet cat food is made in a human grade, FDA regulated facility in Thailand and our treats and supplements are made in the USA.
Can your manufacturing facilities be visited?
I am sure that our manufacturing facilities can be visited, I am just not sure how that is done.
What quality measures do you use to assure consistency and quality?
Solid Gold operates what is called a Positive Release program. All ingredients are tested a minimum of 4 times before entering our manufacturing facility. Samples are retained hourly during production to ensure quality and consistency. Final samples are taken of each batch and sent to 3rd party labs for testing to ensure that all nutrients are within specifications and for food safety. Once they pass all tests and inspections, the product is released to our warehouse.
This was one of the more detailed and complete explanations of quality assurance provided by a manufacturer.
Does Solid Gold own its manufacturing facility? If it is another company, what company is it?
Solid Gold does not own their manufacturing facilities but we use privately owned manufacturing facilities.
The name could not be shared.
Do any parts of your product come from China?
Absolutely no ingredients come from China.