Chicken Soup for the Soul Dog Food Review

Chicken Soup for the Soul dog food is formulated for dogs primarily over 1 year of age, and prides itself on being a high quality, wholesome product that uses only natural ingredients to ensure the healthiest possible meals for your pup. Additionally, the uniquely shaped kibble shaped kibble is designed with a dog’s teeth in mind, and helps to scrape off plaque and add to the overall dental health of every pet who eats it.

For this review, we’re analyzing Chicken Soup for the Soul Adult dry dog food formula.

Quality of Ingredients

High quality ingredients and wholesome meals are a key to the Chicken Soup philosophy, so the food ranks well.  All of the food is also made right here at plants in the USA, ensuring that it adheres to all of this country’s safety rules to make sure none of that unseemly tampering takes place, as has been known to happen in products manufactured overseas.

The company website also promises that real meat is always the first ingredient, followed by fruits, vegetables and herbs, and there is never any added corn, wheat, soy, artificial coloring, flavoring or preservatives.

Full Ingredients and Analysis

Analyzing the first 10 ingredients in a dog food is a great way to understand the overall nutrient content of the dog food because AAFCO requires all dog food ingredients to be listed in order of predominance by their weight. Here’s a closer look at what’s inside Chicken Soup for the Soul Adult.

This dog food was found to have a healthy nutrient breakdown. Protein and carbs are about average among dry dog foods, however fats are a bit lower than average. Chicken Soup for the Soul uses a lot of plant-based ingredients for added protein, but also utilizes meat meals.

Ingredients You May Wonder About:

• Flax: Flaxseed or flaxseed oil is a great source of healthy fats for your dog. It has a variety of health benefits including anti-inflammatory properties and helps maintain a healthy coat and skin. ^Reference
• Carrot: Carrots are high in fiber, beta-carotene, and Vitamin A.

• Natural flavor: What exactly is “natural flavor”? It’s impossible for us to say exactly. It’s some sort of meat-based or plant-based additive to make the dog food taste better. Due to the mystery behind what exactly is being added to the dog food, we suggest you avoid this ingredient. ^Reference

• Chicken: Chicken is an extremely common meat used in dog foods and typically the cheapest meat source available. It’s so common that many people wonder can dogs eat fried chicken? There’s nothing wrong with feeding your dog chicken, but it’s also not uncommon for dogs to have a chicken allergy. If you find your dog excessively itching, it would be best to try dog food with no chicken products.
• Mixed tocopherols: Tocopherol may sound like a nasty chemical, but it’s actually a naturally occuring organic chemical compound and a type of Vitamin E. Tocopherol can be derived from various nuts and vegetable oils. These serve as a natural preservative for dog foods.
• Fish meal: Fish meal is typically made from caught fish not used for human consumption. ^Reference
• Rosemary: Rosemary is a natural preservative and is very common in dry dog foods.
• Thiamine mononitrate: This is a scientific name for Vitamin B1. Too little Vitamin B1 can cause a variety of health issues and any excess is easily flushed from the body. Most manufacturers add this dog food to stay in line with AAFCO guidelines. ^Reference
• Yucca: Yucca is a plant that has the primary benefit of having your dog’s stool smell less. It’s a very common dog food ingredient. ^Reference
• Calcium pantothenate: This is another B Vitamin that’s healthy for your dog and considered a requirement for a complete diet by the AAFCO. ^Reference
• Copper: Copper is found in nearly all living things and is required in the diet to keep a dog healthy. As a result, nearly all dog foods add small levels of copper in accordance to AAFCO guidelines.
• Niacin: Also known as Vitamin B3.
• Lactobacillus acidophilus: Lactobacillus Acidophilus is a probiotic added to help promote a healthy stomach and digestion in your dog.
• Lactobacillus casei: Lactobacillus Casei is a probiotic with many known benefits in humans. ^Reference
• Copper: Copper is found in nearly all living things and is required in the diet to keep a dog healthy. As a result, nearly all dog foods add small levels of copper in accordance to AAFCO guidelines.
• Pyridoxine: Also known as Vitamin B6, a healthy part of your dog’s diet. ^Reference

Dry Dog Food Product Line

Chicken Soup has two primary lines under its name, Grain Free and Life Stages. Each of these lines subsequently have several different flavors and formulas of their own, allowing dog owners to add some variety to the menu without making any drastic changes to their pet’s diet. As mentioned earlier, the company also makes use of a uniquely shaped kibble in every bag, which is meant to help clean teeth and fight plaque, adding a bit of an extra bonus for those who choose to use the company.

In addition to the dry food, Chicken Soup also has wet foods that correspond to each line, as well as treats to help keep your pet happy and well fed.

Grain Free

As the name suggests, the Grain Free line has no grains at all, replacing them with things like chicory root, pea flour, and, much to many dog’s delight, more meat! This food also contains plenty of healthy omega-6 and 3 fatty acids, as well as a number of added vitamin supplements to make sure that there is a well-rounded meal in every bowl. Unfortunately, there is no puppy formula for this line, and it is really only recommended for dogs one year and over.

Life Stages

Life Stages is the more standard of the two Chicken Soup lines, and is the one that most customers go to when they are looking for the products made by this brand. Making use of low-allergy ingredients like oatmeal and rice instead of more common ingredients like corn, wheat, or soy, and ensuring that no by-products ever find their way into a bag, this is a high-quality dog food that is well recommended by experts. Unlike the Grain-free blend, Life Stages also has a puppy formula, as well as one dedicated to large breeds, meaning that not only is it a strong, healthy choice, but varieties exist for pups of all ages and sizes as well.

 

About Chicken Soup

Chicken Soup for the Soul pet food was founded in the early 2000’s, and has been steadily expanding their base over the last several years to establish themselves in several US markets. The company is, believe it or not, actually directly tied in to the hit Chick Soup for the Soul book series, and the website links over to the larger brand site, where it explains “we publish books about pets and produce a line of high quality dog and cat food because we understand the special bond between people and animals.” This special bond is the driving force between their call for quality, as they believe that “food is more than just nutrition, it’s also about comfort, love and appreciation,” and “mealtime is one of those special moments when we all connect with our pets.”

The company also believes in giving back in a big way, and the company website is loaded with stories of the animals helped and the charities supported by Chicken Soup profits.

Where to Buy

Chicken Soup, despite having been around for over a decade, is still not as widespread as many of its competitors. That said, however, the food is not impossible to find, and many specialty stores will carry it on their shelves. In order to be sure of where to find their products, the company has included a store locator on their website, so if you are thinking of switching over, give it a look and see if it is carried by any stores near you.

If you can’t find it in your area, or if you just prefer to shop online, Chicken Soup is easily purchased from websites like Chewy and Amazon, but unfortunately is not available directly from the company website at this time.