Which Answers Detailed Raw Frozen Recipes Get Our Best Ratings?

Answers Detailed Dog Food receives the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of 3 stars.

The Answers Detailed product line includes the 5 raw dog foods listed below.

Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available… Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Answers Detailed Chicken formula was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.

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Ingredient Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is organic chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.¹

Chicken is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The second ingredient is organic chicken heart. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing to us humans, heart tissue is pure muscle — all meat. It’s naturally rich in quality protein, minerals and complex B vitamins, too.

The third ingredient is organic chicken liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The fourth ingredient is organic ground chicken bone, an excellent source of natural calcium.

The fifth ingredient includes organic carrots, which are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.

The sixth ingredient lists organic duck eggs. Eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.

The seventh ingredient is organic squash. Squash is a nutritious addition high in complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.

With 3 notable exceptions…

First, montmorillonite is a naturally occurring compound rich in many trace minerals. Montmorillonite has been approved for use in USDA Organic Certified products.

Reported benefits include the binding of certain mold-based toxins and even controlling diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Next, kefir is a raw milk product made by fermenting milk sourced from a cow or a goat.

Like most other dairy products, kefir is rich in calcium, protein and other healthy nutrients. Since bacteria remove much of its lactose (milk sugar) during fermentation, kefir is also easy for a dog to digest.

And lastly, except for vitamin E, we find no mention of added vitamins or minerals on the ingredients list.

Nutrient Analysis

Since this recipe contains a number of organic ingredients, we feel compelled to grant this line a more favorable status as we consider its final rating.

That’s because organic ingredients must comply with notably more stringent government standards — standards which significantly restrict the use of any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, hormones or antibiotics.

Based on its ingredients alone, Answers Dog Food Detailed Formula looks like an above-average raw product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 41%, a fat level of 41% and estimated carbohydrates of about 11%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 41% and a mean fat level of 41%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 11% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 100%.

Near-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical raw dog food.

Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a raw product containing a significant amount of meat.

However, with 66% of the total calories in our example coming from fat versus just 27% from protein, some recipes may not be suitable for dogs on a low fat diet. In addition, this same finding also prevents us from awarding the brand a higher rating.

Our Rating of Answers Detailed Formula Raw Dog Food

Answers Detailed Formula is a grain-free raw dog food using a generous amount of named meats and organs as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 3 stars.

Recommended.

Answers Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Answers Pet Food through December.

• Salmonella Discovered in Answers Brand Dog Food (1/15/2019)

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.

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