Solid Gold Sun Dancer Chicken & Tapioca Recipe with Quinoa Grain-Free

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.

• Chicken
  Chicken is a nutritious meat that provides protein, fat and other nutrients to dogs. Raw meat contains about 75% water which is cooked off during the making of dog food. This leaves only a fraction of the protein content in the final product weight. We recommend looking for dog foods that also include meat meals in the first five ingredients (pre-cooked meat powder that contains four times the amount of protein). However, chicken is generally a healthy dog food ingredient.

• Chicken Meal
  Meat meals are the result of cooking. Water is removed from meats to create a protein-rich meal powder. Meat meals contain about four times the protein meats do, so generally, they're a good source of nutrients. Chicken meal is generally a healthy dog food ingredient.

• Peas
  Peas are a good source of carbs, fiber and protein. Peas are starchy but high in vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron, and zinc. We consider this a healthy dog food ingredient. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that there is a potential link between peas and canine heart disease. It is still too early to draw conclusions so we cannot yet say if peas are a generally high-quality dog food ingredient or should be avoided.

• Tapioca
  Tapioca is a gluten-free starch extracted from the root of the cassava plant. Because it mostly consists of carbohydrates and is low in fiber, Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, we do not consider this a high-quality dog food ingredient.

• Ocean Fish Meal
  Fish meals are the result of cooking. Water is removed from fish meat to create a protein-rich meal powder. Fish meals contain about four times the protein meats do, so generally, they're a good source of nutrients. While fish is generally nutritious, this ingredient doesn't identify the species it comes from making it questionable and intransparent. This includes the potential that rancid, dead, dying, disabled or diseased meat sources could have been used. For that reason we do not consider this a high-quality ingredient.

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‍Controversial Ingredients

1. Ocean Fish Meal
2. Fish meals are made by cooking fish. Water is removed from meats to create a protein-rich meal powder. Meat meals contain about four times the protein meats do, so generally, they're a good source of nutrients. While fish is generally nutritious, this ingredient doesn't identify the species it comes from making it questionable and intransparent. This includes the potential that rancid, dead, dying, disabled or diseased meat sources could have been used. For that reason we do not consider this a high-quality ingredient.

‍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.