Is dry pedigree dog food good for dogs

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated September 16, 2024

Contributions sourced from

Pedigree Dog Food Review 2024: Recalls, Pros, and Cons

Our Final Verdict

We give Pedigree dog fooda rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars:

Introduction

The Pedigree brand of dog food probably doesnt need much introduction weve all seen these products on the shelves of our local supermarket or pet supply store. In fact, one of the major selling points of this brand is its availability and affordable price point.

As we all know, however, just because something is cheap and easy to find, that doesnt mean its the best option out there. While Pedigree dog food is an accessible option for owners on a budget, its far from the best dog food you could be feeding your canine companions. Between low-quality ingredients and an extensive recall history, it might be time to switch your dog to a more expensive brand. Before you do, though, heres what you need to know:

At a Glance: The Best Pedigree Dog Food Recipes:

The Pedigree brand offers a variety of dog food formulas, including wet food, dry food, and treats. As of our review, here are a few of the best dog food recipes offered by Pedigree:

Pedigree Dog Food Reviewed

Pedigree is an affordable, widely available brand of dog food that almost every pet owner has seen on their local pet store or supermarket shelves. While these formulas are a go-to option for dog owners on a strict budget, they might not be the best option for all (or even most) hungry canines.

Who makes Pedigree Dog Food and where is it produced?

The Pedigree brand is one of many dog food labels owned by Mars, Incorporated, which also owns popular human consumables like M&M candies, Snickers, and Milky Way. Dont worry, though the factories that make your favorite candy bars are not also making your dogs dinner!

While many Pedigree dog food formulas bear a Made in the U.S.A. label, its unclear if this applies to every dog food recipe manufactured by the brand. Since this information isnt readily available, we think its safe to say that not all Pedigree dog food formulas are made in the United States. If youre concerned about where your dogs food is manufactured, we suggest only purchasing Pedigree products that display the Made in the U.S.A. label.

Which Types of Dogs Is Pedigree Dog Food Best Suited For?

Overall, we recommend Pedigree dog food for pups in good health. In other words, these arent necessarily the best formulas for dogs with pre-existing health conditions, food allergies, and other concerns.

With that said, this brand is one of the most affordable dog food labels out there for a reason. If youre able to invest a little extra into your regular dog food budget, your four-legged companions might be better off with something of a bit higher quality.

While we understand that not all dog owners can afford premium dog food formulas, some great alternatives available at your local supermarket might include the Nutro Wholesome Essentials Adult Dry Food or the Purina Pro Plan FOCUS Adult Sensitive Skin & Stomach.

Whats Inside? (The Good and the Bad)

Although Pedigree dog food is not perfect, one great thing about the company is its willingness to share information about its core ingredients. These include:

Whole corn

Despite its poor reputation, high-quality corn can actually be an important source of nutrients for your dog, including amino acids (protein), fiber, and linoleic acid. As long as your dog doesnt have any known corn allergies, theres no reason to avoid this ingredient entirely.

However, many Pedigree dry recipes feature corn as the very first ingredient, which means that animal-based proteins are not being prioritized.

Meat and bone meal

While its always nice to see whole meat as an ingredient in our dogs food, it is far from the only option when it comes to sourcing nutrient-dense animal protein. In Pedigrees case, most of its formulas rely on meat and bone meal instead.

In simple terms, meat and bone meal is a ground-up mixture of the unused parts of an animal after being slaughtered for human consumption. No, this doesnt sound very appetizing to our human stomachs, but dogs (and their wild ancestors) rely on bone, cartilage, and organ meat to get their required nutrients.

So, the use of this ingredient isnt too concerning. However, we wish there were additional sources of animal protein in most Pedigree formulas.

Beet pulp

Just like us humans, dogs need a good amount of fiber to stay regular. Beet pulp is a safe, easily digestible source of fiber.

Vegetable oil

According to Pedigree, several of its formulas contain vegetable oil. While its true that vegetable oil is a source of linoleic acid and can help boost coat appearance, there are better oils you could be feeding your dog.

Despite its popularity in dog food recipes, vegetable oil may cause diarrhea or other digestive symptoms in some dogs.

A Quick Look at Pedigree Dog Food

Calorie Breakdown:

** Weve selected Pedigree Complete Nutrition Roasted Chicken + Rice to represent the other products in the line for this review **

Widely available at supermarkets
Different recipes for various dietary needs
More affordable than competitors
Some products are made in the U.S.A.

Features some lower-quality ingredients
Company has been subject to past recalls
Not a good source of animal protein

Pedigree Dog Food Recall History

Though a larger brand is indeed more likely to experience recalls than a smaller competitor, the number of recalls issued by the Pedigree brand in recent years is on the high end.

In 2014, Pedigree recalled a selection of 55-pound dry dog food bags because of potential metal fragment contamination and a single lot of 15-pound dry dog food bags for possible contamination with a foreign material.

In 2012, Pedigree recalled three varieties of wet food for potential contamination with small pieces of plastic.

In 2008, Pedigree recalled a wide variety of dog food products because of potential salmonella contamination.

Unlike some other pet food companies, whose past recalls have been over relatively minor quality issues, Pedigrees recall history is concerning.

Reviews of the 3 Best Pedigree Dog Food Recipes

If youre interested in learning a little more about Pedigree dog food, heres a closer look at three of the brands best formulas:

1. Pedigree Dry Dog Food High Protein (Beef & Lamb)

The Pedigree Dry Dog Food High Protein formula is popular among owners who want to boost the amount of muscle-building protein being fed to their dogs. Compared to the brands standard adult dry food, this formula contains 25% more protein. It also contains essential amino acids and nutrients to meet your dogs dietary needs.

The Beef & Lamb recipe contains a minimum of 27% protein, 12% fat, 4% fiber, and 12% moisture.

Despite our criticisms of the Pedigree brand, this formula is quite popular among consumers. You can see what other dog owners have to say about this dry dog food by reading the Chewy reviews.

High-protein formula supports lean muscle
Made in the U.S.A.
Available at most pet food retailers
Affordable for most dog owners

Plant-based protein is the primary source
Filler ingredients may trigger digestive issues

2. Pedigree Choice CUTSin Gravy (Country Stew)

If youre someone who prefers feeding your dog wet food over kibble, even if just as a special treat, the Pedigree Choice CUTS in Gravy is one of the brands most popular canned food recipes. Unlike the brands dry food formulas, the primary protein source in this food is real chicken, which is great to see. Looking at Pedigree wet dog food reviews, this formula offers well-balanced nutrition for the price.

For the Country Stew recipe, the minimum nutritional breakdown includes 8% protein, 3% fat, 1% fiber, and 83% moisture.

Many dog owners on a budget rely on this food to feed their canine family members, so we encourage you to check out what other consumers have to say by reading the Chewy reviewsfor this product.

Meat is the primary protein source
More affordable than many other wet formulas
Made in the U.S.A.
Highly digestible ingredients
Features nutritious fats for coat and skin health

Protein content is on the low end
Does not contain much fiber
Contains a large amount of gravy

3. Pedigree Dry Dog Food Puppy(Chicken & Vegetable)

For those looking for a Pedigree puppy food review, the Pedigree Dry Dog Food Puppy formula is definitely the brands most popular option. This recipe includes key nutrients for puppy development, such as DHA, calcium, and phosphorus. Like Pedigrees adult dry food formulas, though, this product does rely heavily on plant-based protein.

In the Chicken & Vegetable flavor, youll find a minimum of 27% protein, 11% fat, 4% fiber, and 12% moisture.

To hear what other puppy owners have to say about this dry food formula, we suggest hopping over to the Amazon reviews.

Designed for the needs of young dogs
Includes a good amount of protein
Affordable and easy to find
Made in the U.S.A.

Primary protein sources are corn and soy
Not ideal for some large breed puppies

What Other Users Are Saying About Pedigree Dog Food

Looking at what other reviewers have to say about Pedigree and its line of dog food formulas, its clear that we arent the only ones who think this brand is acceptable but definitely not the best.

PetAware: Although Pedigree formulates its products to conform to standards set by nutrition authorities, their use of questionable ingredients cannot be overlooked.

DogFoodAdvisor: Pedigree is a grain-inclusive dry dog food using a modest amount of poultry by-product or meat and bone meals as its main source of animal protein.

Dog Food Insider: This is not a food you want to feed your dog if you have alternatives. There are some other foods that have some of the same ingredients, but this food has none of the better ingredients you usually find to offset ingredients you dont like.

Labrador Training HQ: It is safe to say that this dog food, while popular, is not the top dog food that you should be serving to your pup.

Conclusion

So, should you feed your dog Purina dog food? In the grand scheme of things, feeding your dog one of the Purina dog food formulas, either short or long term, is unlikely to do any harm. Theres a reason that Pedigree is one of the most popular budget dog food brands out there, and we dont see it going anywhere any time soon.

On the other hand, we believe that there is a wide variety of other great options out there that may be healthier for your dog than Pedigree Dog Food. If you have access to higher-quality dog food, we definitely recommend checking out your options before settling on a Pedigree formula.

Pedigree Dog Food Review

Pedigree has been a household name for decades. As a kid, if I was asked to name a dog food I probably wouldve said Pedigree Chum. After all, 8 out of 10 dogs prefer it, dont they?

But is Pedigree a good dog food?

Lets find out in our Pedigree dog food review

A quick history of Pedigree dog food

Mars bought up their first pet food company way back in 1935 when they acquired Chappie Dog Food, formulated from meat scraps people didnt want to eat. Given nobody back then knew anything about canine nutrition it became surprisingly popular.

Only a year later a rival pet food company arose known as Kal Kan, selling horse meat from retired racehorses, for dogs.

Mars later acquired Kal Kan, which in the 80s started being branded Pedigree.

After all, Pedigree has a better ring to it.

An advert for Kal Kan horse meat for dogs, which later became Pedigree dog food.

Pedigree dog food review

What the marketing says

Actually, lets start with what the marketing doesnt say. Pedigree dog food is just another Mars brand. Its one of their cheapest dog foods as well.

Do you think you would buy this for your dog if it had Mars in big letters on the front of the bag?

Probably not.

On the Pedigree webpage for Pedigree Adult with Real Beef they state No Artificial Flavours, but they neglect to mention the artificial colours. They claim its made with Quality Meat Protein and Australian Made With Quality Ingredients, but they dont state how much of the food is Quality (more on this later).

We find a list of statements which make Pedigree dog food sound wonderfully healthy, such as how the crunchy pieces provide gentle abrasion to promote dental health. Absolute tosh do we eat food to clean our teeth? No, not really.

In fact, theyve bundled up some spin about hard kibble, grains, and nutrients required as an absolute minimum for canine health by AAFCO to be Vital Protection. Clever marketing boffins, arent they!

Lets take a look at the ingredients of Pedigree Adult with Real Beef dog food and find out the truth for ourselves

What the ingredients really say

The first (and main) ingredient in this Mars dog food is wholegrain cereals

Given dogs are essentially carnivores, from the Order Carnivora, were already off to a bad start. You see, cereals arent really included for nutrition, theyre included because theyre one of the cheapest ways to produce a pet food without filling it full of urea.

You may wonder what they mean by real beef, and its a marketing term I find very funny given the opposite would be unreal beef. What they mean is theyre not using meat meal, which is a rendering process which turns meat and meat by-products into a powder. Real beef isnt necessarily Quality beef.

The meat content in the food is unspecified. We dont see chicken here, or lamb, we just see meat by-products. I thought they advertised Pedigree dog food as using quality ingredients? We dont even know what meat theyre using other than its some combination of various poultry, possibly some parts of a cow, or possibly some parts of a sheep.

The truth is more likely this theyll use whatever animal, and whatever parts of those animals, they can source the cheapest.

We estimate over half of Pedigree dog kibble to be carbohydrates (i.e. from the significant amount of cereal grains). The 20% protein and 10% fat is really bad, and given they use a typical analysis rather than a guaranteed analysis theres probably even less protein, less fat, and more carbohydrates.

Yep, this isnt looking good for Pedigree, and its hard to understand why they market this dog food as quality.

Its not.

We also find Pedigree dog food to contain colourings. We know how bad food colourings can be, and its not as if our dogs care about the colour of their food. This is to dupe us into thinking its a tastier dog food than it is.

Do you like being duped?

Undisclosed antioxidants as well. Probably not quality. Tut tut.

But wait! Theres one good thing we can say about Pedigree dog food its cheap!

I definitely wouldnt feed Pedigree dog food to my dog, and it makes me feel sad the beautiful Golden Retriever we had as a kid was fed this product.

She died of cancer, which in hindsight is not surprising.

Interesting Pedigree video

The following video discusses an issue where consumers found wire-like material in Pedigree dog food. Pedigree made an official announcement stating they were natural fibres.

Now ask yourself this What on Earth are natural fibres!?

Dont worry, I can shed some light on this as a number of pet foods have had similar issues. A natural fibre, in many cases, is animal hair. I believe Pedigree later admitted the natural fibres are pig hair, but from my sources in the pet food industry this is very likely hairs from the anus of a chicken (yep, chickens have hairs in their nether region).

On another funny side note, Royal Canin (also a Mars brand) tried to palm off a pet food made from chicken feathers which Im sure was natural fibres en masse

Where to buy Pedigree dog food

Is Pedigree suitable for a puppy?

Most Pedigree dog foods are formulated for adults only, which means they dont contain enough nutrition to support the puppy phase. This is in contrast to many premium dog foods today which contain the absolute minimum nutrition to support all life stages of a dog.

There is one offering for puppies up to 24 months Puppy Chicken With Rice which like its adult counterpart is formulated mostly from cereals. As a dog is essentially carnivorous you must ask yourself if you really want to feed your beloved new puppy such a product.

Ingredients of Pedigree dry dog food

The ingredients of Pedigree Adult with Real Beef dry dog food are as follows:

Wholegrain cereals; meat by-products & meat (poultry, beef &/or sheep); natural flavours (chicken); beet pulp; iodised salt; sunflower oil; minerals; amino acid; vitamins; antioxidants; vegetable powders and colours.

Typical analysis of Pedigree dry dog food

Its worth noting Pedigree dont use a guaranteed analysis which offers assurance that youre getting a minimum amount of protein, they use a typical analysis which will likely mean less protein, less fat, more carbohydrates/sugars.