Rachael Ray Nutrish Dog Food Reviews

Rachael Ray dog food has 2 lines of dry foods and 2 lines of wet foods with a total of 20 recipes. The Premium Pate Canned foods are considered moderate risk and the other 3 lines are considered high risk. 

There seems to be nothing exceptional about the ingredients used in these recipes as there’s no information about the sources or quality. However, the website lists a number of additives, preservatives and colors used to enhance the appearance and texture of the food. There is another list of palatants including low quality animal digest and natural flavors, and sweeteners to enhance the taste. This is concerning as dogs don’t care about the appearance, color, texture and sweetness of food.

Both dry food lines are ultra processed and have high carbohydrate levels as calculated, which leads to the low scores. They both have low protein levels that average about 25%. 

Nutrish Dry contains grains and starches like corn, sorghum, peas and rice that contribute to the high carbohydrate level which averages 40% as calculated. 

According to the company website, Nutrish Zero Grain dog food has added vitamins, minerals and nutrients, and doesn’t contain any added grain, gluten or filler ingredients. However, added vitamins and minerals reflect a lack of whole food nutrients in the ingredients used. While these recipes might not include grain, they are equally high in carbohydrates (38% as calculated) from ingredients like rice, peas, sweet potato, tapioca, canola meal and chickpeas. Dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrate but starch is needed for extrusion in dry foods. Foods that are high in carbohydrate can raise insulin and cause obesity.  

Nutrish Dry also contains excessive amounts of added vitamins and minerals, and some amino acids, which can be a reflection of poor quality ingredients and ultra processing which destroys nutrients. Both dry food lines contain plant proteins, which are a cheaper source of protein. Additionally Nutrish Grain Free contains sunflower oil which is an inflammatory seed oil, and glycerin, a sugar that’s unnecessary in a dog’s diet. 

From an ingredient safety standpoint, these dry dog foods have high pesticide and GMO ingredients in the top 5, which cause health concerns because of the use of glyphosate. Natural flavor is used and that’s a concern as it’s often low quality animal digest or MSG. Rice is also a concern as it can contain arsenic, which is linked to chronic health issues

The wet foods score better as they are a little less processed but are still considered moderate to high risk. Both have average carbohydrates of about 22% which is high for wet foods. And both have an excessive amount of added vitamins and minerals. 

The Nutrish Super Premium Wet recipes are cooked so are less processed but their score is lower than the higher processed canned foods. This is due to using unnamed fish oil and plant protein, both lower quality ingredients. Several ingredient safety concerns drop the score. In addition to containing high pesticide and GMO ingredients, they contain natural flavor and menadione, which has been linked to immune system dysfunction and liver toxicity. 

Nutrish Premium Pate Canned uses canola oil which is a GMO ingredient and an inflammatory seed oil. Canned foods are processed using several stages of heating that cause a loss of nutrients. They also have high pesticide and GMO ingredients, and use carrageen, which has been linked to intestinal inflammation.

It’s also worth noting that Rachael Ray Nutrish doesn’t state the omega-6: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. They also don’t mention whether fish ingredients are farmed or wild caught. Wild caught fish is more nutritious and has a better fatty acid profile.

The company notes that Rachael Ray Nutrish uses independent third parties to assess and audit their food safety programs at each manufacturing facility.