eukanuba puppy food review
Eukanuba Dog Food Review
Youve heard of Mars right? Eukanuba is just one of the many dog foods made by the same confectionary giant. Not many people know that despite Eukanuba being a huge brand worldwide.
Advance, Royal Canin, Optimum, the latest supermarket rubbish Crave all made by Mars.
Anyway, enough about the manufacturer, how does Eukanuba stack up as a healthy, nutritious, dog food? Lets take a look at the pick of the bunch Premium Performance, and you can consider any other formulas in the range not quite as good
There are five main ingredients in the food, of which they want you to think the first two are the main ones chicken and chicken by-product meal. Although these are decent meaty ingredients (by-product more likely being remnants), truth is the top five ingredients are probably in relatively equal proportions. That would suggest the next three ingredients outweigh the chicken. These are corn, sorghum, and brewers rice, and not as nutritious for your dog. This is common labelling trickery (found on almost all pet foods) to conceal the fact theyre mostly cheap ingredients labelled in a way to look more meaty than they are.
A selling point of this top performance offering from the Eukanuba range is it boasts a higher protein of 30%, higher fat of 20%, and consequentially less carbs which is a definite plus point. But it has to be noted some of that protein will come from the grains, particularly corn.
So thats the best they have to offer. Be wary of other Eukanuba products which list ingredients such as Maize, Wheat, Maize Flour, Barley, as they have far less meat than this does.
To end on a marginal positive note, the Mars production facilities tend to have better regulations and hygiene compared to other Australian manufacturing facilities.
Ingredients
Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal (Natural source of Chondroitin Sulfate and Glucosamine), Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Brewers Rice, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Chicken Flavour, Dried Beet Pulp, Fish Meal, Dried Egg Product, Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Choline Chloride, Fructooligosaccharides, Monosodium Phosphate, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), Calcium Carbonate, DL-Methionine, Vitamins (Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Inositol, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Vitamin E Supplement, L-Carnitine, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.
PROS
- Decent protein and fat (and less carbs)
- A decent amount of chicken
CONS
- Chicken likely outweighed by grains
Eukanuba Growing Puppy Medium Breed Review
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This food is suitable for the following breed sizes:
Private label(or
white label) pet foods are pre-formulated recipes that companies can order from certain factories, add their own label or packaging and retail to the public as their own brand. They are therefore available from numerous suppliers.
Click here for more info.
Mixing bowl composition
This is the ingredients list as printed on the packaging or manufacturer's website.
Think of the 'mixing bowl' composition like a recipe - all the ingredients you would need to put in a 'mixing bowl' in order to make the food.
Ingredients have to be listed in descending order of their weight so the higher it appears, the more there is.
Highlighted ingredients
Ingredients that we believe to be controversial or inferior are highlighted in yellow with particularly low grade, highly contentious or excessively vague ingredients in red.
As fed composition
While the 'mixing bowl' composition is useful for knowing what went into the food, it doesn't always reflect what your dog is actually eating. This is because the processes that turn the ingredients into the finished pet food can significantly alter the relative weights of the ingredients.
For this reason we've calculated the approximate 'as fed' percentages for the main ingredient categories in the finished product.
Please note that these figures are very approximate. They are estimates based on the information provided by the manufacturer in the ingredients list so the clearer the terminology and the more percentages they provide, the more accurate our estimates will be. Wherever information is lacking, we always assume the worst.
Ingredient categories
Meat ingredients: includes all meat and fish ingredients except isolated fats/oils.
Added oils and fats: includes all isolated oil and fat ingredients.
Carb-rich ingredients: includes all ingredients derived from grains, pseudo-grains, potatoes and other starchy root vegetables, sweet potato and legumes (except whole peas which are categorised under fruit and veg) except for isolated protein and extracted oils. Also includes fibre supplements.
Fruit and veg: includes all whole vegetables and fruits.
Other: all other ingredients. Mostly made up by nutritional supplements and additives.
For more information on any ingredient, please take a look at our Dog Food Ingredient Glossary
The dry matter level of a nutrient is the percentage there would be in the food if all of the water was removed.
With water taken out of the equation, these figures allow the nutrient levels of foods of different types (like wet and dry) to be compared on an even playing field.
Click here for more information
The
price per dayof feeding this food based on feeding the manufacturer's recommended daily amount from 12kg bags bought at their rrp to a dog of:
Note:All suggested feeding amounts and costs are only approximate and may vary considerably from dog to dog. Be sure to contact the manufacturer if in any doubt.
61 out of 100-Good
Our unique product ratings are calculated based on a number of characteristics including the quality and quantity of the stated ingredients, certain nutritional and technological additives and the processing methods used to create the food. They are designed to indicate how beneficial we think a food is likely to be for the majority of dogs when fed on a daily basis for an extended period. Click here for more information
Country of origin: Netherlands
A technological additive is any substance added to a pet food "for a technological purpose and which favourably affects the characteristics of feed".
The most common categories of technological additives include preservatives and antioxidants, gelling agents and thickeners and probiotics.
While the primary effects of technoloical additives are certainly 'favourable' (increased shelf life in the case of preservatives & antioxidants, better food texture and consistency in the case of gelling agents and thickeners etc.) some have been linked to health problems in pets and should be treated with caution.
Unfortunately, many technological additives do not have to be declared by the manufacturer so just because they do not appear on the label does not necessarily mean they are not in the food. If in doubt, ask the manufacturer directly exactly what technological additives their foods contain.
Eukanuba Premium Performance Dog Food Review (Dry)
Home Reviews Eukanuba Premium Performance Dog Food Review (Dry)
Eukanuba Premium Performance Dog Food Review (Dry)
By Mike Sagman
Updated: March 21, 2024
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Which Eukanuba Recipes Get Our Best Ratings?
Eukanuba Premium Performance Dog Food receives the Advisors second-highest tier rating of 3 stars.
The Eukanuba Premium Performance product line includes the 4dry dog foods listed below.
Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
Recipe and Label Analysis
Eukanuba Premium Performance 30/20 Sport was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.
Eukanuba Premium Performance 30/20 Sport
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Chicken by-product meal, corn, brewers rice, chicken fat, wheat gluten, corn gluten meal, natural flavors, dried plain beet pulp, pea fiber, fish oil, vegetable oil, sodium silico aluminate, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, powdered psyllium seed husk, sodium hexametaphosphate, salt, monocalcium phosphate, marigold extract (Tagetes erecta l.), hydrolyzed yeast, choline chloride, vitamins [dl-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), biotin, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A acetate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), niacin supplement, folic acid, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], taurine, glucosamine hydrochloride, dl-methionine, magnesium oxide, trace minerals [zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate, sodium selenite, calcium iodate], l-carnitine, chondroitin sulfate, carotene, rosemary extract, preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.1%
Red denotes any controversial items
| Guaranteed Analysis | 30% | 20% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 33% | 22% | 37% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 27% | 44% | 30% |
Ingredient Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken by-product meal, a dry rendered product of slaughterhouse waste. Its made from whats left of a slaughtered chicken after all the choice cuts have been removed.
In addition to organs, this item can also include feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs and almost anything other than prime skeletal muscle.
On the brighter side, by-product meals are meat concentrates and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The quality of this ingredient can vary, depending on the caliber of the raw materials obtained by the manufacturer.
The second ingredient is corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain. And aside from its energy content, this grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
For this reason, we do not consider corn a preferred component in any dog food.
The third ingredient is brewers rice, a cereal grain by-product consisting of the small fragments left over after milling whole rice. Aside from the caloric energy it contains, this item is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The fourth ingredient is chicken fat. This item is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesnt sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.
The fifth ingredient is wheat gluten. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once wheat has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it.
Although wheat gluten contains 80% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.
The sixth ingredient is corn gluten meal. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it.
Although corn gluten meal contains 60% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.
And less costly plant-based products like wheat gluten and corn gluten meal can notably boost the total protein reported on the label a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
After the natural flavor, we find beet pulp. Beet pulp is a controversial ingredient, a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing.
Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding intestinal health and blood sugar benefits.
We only call your attention here to the controversy and believe the inclusion of beet pulp in reasonable amounts in most dog foods is entirely acceptable.
The ninth ingredient is pea fiber, a mixture of both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber derived from pea hulls. Aside from the usual benefits of fiber, this agricultural by-product provides no other nutritional value to a dog.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Eukanuba product.
With 3 notable exceptions
First, we find vegetable oil, a generic oil of unknown origin. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in any oil is nutritionally critical and can vary significantly (depending on the source).
Without knowing more, its impossible to judge the quality of an item so vaguely described. However, compared to a named animal fat, a generic vegetable oil cannot be considered a quality ingredient.
Next, we note the inclusion of sodium hexametaphosphate, a man-made industrial polymer with no known nutritive value.
HMP is used in making soap, detergents, water treatment, metal finishing and most likely here to decrease tartar build-up on the teeth.
Although some might disagree, were of the opinion that food is not the place for tartar control chemicals or any other non-nutritive substances.
And lastly, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Non-chelated minerals are usually associated with lower quality dog foods.
Nutrient Analysis
Based on its ingredients alone, Eukanuba Premium Performance Dog Food looks like an average dry product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 33%, a fat level of 22% and estimated carbohydrates of about 36%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 29% and a mean fat level of 19%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 44% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 64%.
Which means this Eukanuba product line contains
Near-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
When you consider the protein-boosting effect of the wheat and corn gluten meals, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.
Our Rating of Eukanuba Dog Food
Eukanuba Premium Performance is a grain-inclusive dry dog food using a moderate amount of named by-product meal as its dominant source of animal protein.
Eukanuba Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Eukanuba through April.
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
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