Koha Slow Cooked Stew DOG FOOD Review

With a score of 6.7, Koha Slow Cooked Stew canned dog food is a moderate risk dog food by our criteria. It has 6 recipes that average 44% protein and 19% carbohydrate. 

Carbohydrates are higher than what we expect to see in a canned dog food. Lentils and chickpeas contribute to the high carbohydrates. There are no added grains or starches. High carbohydrate is an indicator of food quality. It can reduce manufacturing cost. Foods high in carbohydrate can raise insulin and cause obesity. Studies show that dogs fed a high carb diet have changes to their gut bacteria.  

The recipes lose points for having added vitamins and minerals. They should come from whole food sources. They include the full spectrum of cofactors, which makes them safe and bioavailable. A couple of added vitamins and minerals are acceptable. Five or more implies the food is of poor nutritional value. Each recipe contains sunflower or vegetable oil, which can be inflammatory. One recipe contains fish broth with unknown protein sources. This is a less expensive source that can come from rendered waste. You will want to see beef, salmon or chicken, not animal, fish or poultry.  

On the safety side, canned foods are highly processed. They are heated before and during canning. This causes large losses in some enzymes, vitamins, amino acids, and phytonutrients. The recipes also include legumes. These are high pesticide crops. Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers pose a significant health risk. This affects plants, animals and soils. Foods with the largest reported amount of residue lose points. This includes crops known to be spray-dried with glyphosate.

Koha doesn’t state the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in their recipes. While this is true of most companies, it’s a concern because AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1. It’s important to know since diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation.