Unrated

Artemis Fresh Mix Maximal Dog Food receives the Advisor’s highest rating of 5 stars.

The Artemis Fresh Mix product line includes eight dry dog foods which have been covered as a group in a previous review.

However, since we’re unable to find an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement for this dog food on the Artemis website, it’s impossible for us to report specific life stage recommendations for this recipe.

The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.

The second ingredient includes potato. Potatoes can be considered a gluten-free source of digestible carbohydrates. Yet with the exception of perhaps their caloric content, potatoes are of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The third ingredient is chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.

Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.

The fourth ingredient is chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw chicken contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.

After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.

Following the flavor enhancer, we find tomato pomace. Tomato pomace is a by-product remaining after processing tomatoes into juice, soup and ketchup. Many praise tomato pomace for its high fiber and nutrient content, while others believe it’s often used as an inexpensive pet food filler.

As the presence of fiber in a dog’s diet is shown to have great importance, we view the inclusion of tomato pomace in this food as a positive.

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 three notable exceptions…

First, we note the inclusion of dried fermentation products in this recipe. Fermentation products are typically added to provide enzymes to aid the animal with digestion.

Next, chicory root is rich in inulin, a starch-like compound made up of repeating units of carbohydrates and found in certain roots and tubers.

Not only is inulin a natural source of soluble dietary fiber, it’s also a prebiotic used to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in a dog’s digestive tract.

And lastly, this food also contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.

Artemis Fresh Mix Maximal Dog
The Bottom Line

Judging by its ingredients alone, Artemis Fresh Mix Maximal Dog looks to be an above-average dry dog food.

But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 47%, a fat level of 24% and estimated carbohydrates of about 21%.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 52%.

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

With no sign of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a significant amount of meat.

Bottom line?

Artemis Fresh Mix Maximal Dog is a grain-free kibble using an abundance of chicken meal as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand five stars.

Enthusiastically recommended.

To learn more about grain free feeding and to see a list of our favorites, be sure to visit our article, “Best Grain Free Dog Foods“.

Notes and Updates

03/26/2010 Original review
10/26/2010 Review updated
07/27/2012 Review updated
02/07/2014 Product may have been discontinued