TASTE OF THE WILD PREY LIMITED INGREDIENT DRY DOG FOOD REVIEW

With an average score of 4, Taste Of The Wild’s PREY line is considered a high risk dry dog food. This line loses food quality points for its somewhat high carbohydrate content, with an average of 35%. Excessive carbohydrate is in indicator of low quality foods as they are used to keep costs down. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance.

The PREY Limited Ingredient line loses ingredient quality points for added sunflower oil. Seed oils are typically high in omega-6 fats, which can cause systemic and gut inflammation. Seed oils are also highly processed. This line also loses significant ingredient quality points for added amino acids plus vitamin and mineral premix. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources and their inclusion on a label is usually due to poor quality or overly processed raw ingredients. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.

It’s also worth noting that the line contains sodium selenite as a source of selenium. Dogs need selenium, and it’s usually added in very small amounts. However some research suggests that sodium selenite may be associated with potential toxicity, so selenium yeast is the preferred form of this mineral.  

The food safety score is lower because, like all kibbles, Taste Of The Wild PREY is ultra-processed. The individual ingredients in dry dog foods are heated several times during processing, which can cause a significant loss of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species. 

Rounding out the food safety scores, the PREY Limited Ingredient line loses points for high pesticide or herbicide foods in the top 5 ingredients (lentils). The food also  loses ingredient safety points for natural flavor. This is often either animal digest or MSG, which are low quality ingredients with limited safety studies. 

Finally, the label does not provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.

It’s worth noting that the Taste of The Wild PREY Limited Ingredient line does add and guarantee a decent amount of probiotics in the food.