BIXBI LIBERTY CANNED DOG FOOD

With an average score of 6.1, BIXBI’s Liberty canned dog food line is considered a moderate risk food. This food averages 15% carbohydrate (as calculated one a dry matter basis), which is a bit higher than many competitor canned foods. Foods that are rich in carbohydrate can increase insulin levels, increase the risk of obesity and cause unwanted changes to the gut microbiome. 

This line is quite high in protein compared to many other canned foods, averaging 40% (as calculated on a dry matter basis). As with other BIXBI foods, it would appear that some of the protein comes from plant sources since peas are pretty high up on the ingredient list. 

When it comes to ingredient quality, BIXBI’s canned line loses points for added seed oils in some foods. Seed oils are highly processed and have been shown to be inflammatory. These foods are also supplemented with more than 5 vitamins and minerals, which shouldn’t be necessary with higher quality ingredients in canned foods. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper can also result from added vitamin premixes, so it’s preferable that most or all vitamins and minerals come from real foods. 

It’s also worth noting that the food contains sodium selenite as a source of selenium. Dogs need selenium, and it’s a tiny ingredient. However some research suggests that sodium selenite may be associated with potential toxicity, so selenium yeast is the preferred form of this mineral.    

On the ingredient safety side, this line loses significant ingredient safety points for known high pesticide/herbicide foods in the top 5 ingredients, usually peas. These crops are known to be spray dried with Roundup before harvesting and are higher in this harmful herbicide than most other crops, including GMO crops. These foods also lose ingredient safety points for natural flavors, which are low quality ingredients with limited safety studies. 

Like all canned food, this line also loses ingredient safety points because it is highly processed. The heating and processing can cause significant losses in some active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients.  

It’s also worth noting that BIXBI doesn’t not state the omega6:omega-3 ratio in their foods. While this is true of most foods, it’s unfortunate since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory limit of 30:1. The foods also contain fish or fish oil, but it’s not state whether the food is wild caught or farmed.