SMACK DOG FOOD REVIEW

Smack Pet Food Inc was founded in Canada in 2008. The company has its own production facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba where it formulates and manufactures dehydrated food for dogs and cats. They note their foods don’t sit in inventory but are handmade and hand-packaged at their facility within a week of being ordered.

Is Smack A Good Dog Food?

With protein of 47% and average carbs of 15% as calculated, Smack ranks well among dry dog foods. There are 5 recipes that combine the convenience of a dry food with the better nutritional quality of a moderately processed, dehydrated food. 

Smack has an overall score of 9.3/10 for its 5 recipes and is considered a low risk dog food. When it comes to ingredient quality and safety, Smack scores high. Three recipes score 10/10 for ingredient quality. The Pork and Chunky Chicken recipes are a little higher in carbohydrates than we’d like to see so they lose a point. The Pork recipe also has the lowest protein content at 38%, while Very Berry Chicken and Caribbean-Salmon Fusion have Smack’s highest average protein of 52%.

These are limited ingredient recipes with 11 to 16 whole food ingredients in each recipe. Smack doesn’t use starches or legumes like lentils, peas, potatoes, soy, corn, wheat, gluten or grain. The carbs are obtained from fruits and vegetables. All produce is organic meaning these ingredients are non-GMO and have low risk of pesticide or herbicide residues. leading to better ingredient quality and safety.

These are dehydrated dog foods that are moderately processed so points are lost because heat is used in processing. This causes a loss of some active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. But there are no added vitamins and minerals, indicating better quality ingredients.

Recipes use bone-in proteins with organs including Manitoba-raised chicken, wild BC salmon and Canadian pork with heart, liver, tongue, kidneys and spleen. The salmon isn’t treated with preservatives like ethoxyquin. Additionally, wild-caught salmon is more nutritious than farmed fish and has a better balance of omega fatty acids.

Regarding the control of bacteria and pathogens, Smack reports that its air-dried meats have a lower water activity level (measure of food safety) than the baseline required to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria, parasites and molds. The meat goes through a lethality phase at the beginning of dehydration to eliminate pathogens.

Overall, Smack is a company focused on safe and healthy ingredients to maintain high nutrient levels in each of its 5 recipes. It seems to be a decent option for dehydrated dog foods. At of this review it’s only available in Canada but the company expects to sell in the US in 2023. 

The average score of Smack dog foods is listed below. Click on any food to view the individual food score.