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Azmira canned dog food receives the Advisor’s second-highest tier rating of 4 stars.

The Azmira product line includes the 3 canned dog foods listed below.

Each recipe includes its related AAFCO nutrient profile when available on the product’s official webpage: Growth, Maintenance, All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

• Azmira Ocean Fish Formula [A]
• Azmira Lamb and Barley Formula [A]
• Azmira Beef and Chicken Formula [A]

Azmira Beef and Chicken Formula was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.

Ingredient Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is beef. Beef is defined as “the clean flesh derived from slaughtered cattle” and includes skeletal muscle or the muscle tissues of the tongue, diaphragm, heart or esophagus.²

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

The second ingredient is beef broth. Broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food, they are a common addition component in many canned products.

The next ingredient is chicken, another quality raw item. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.³

The fourth ingredient includes chicken liver and kidney. These are organ meats sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

Kidney is low in fat and rich in protein and essential minerals.

Next, we find ocean fish. This item is typically sourced from clean, undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings of commercial fish operations.⁴

Unfortunately, the phrase “ocean fish” is vague and does little to adequately describe this ingredient. Since some fish are higher in omega-3 fats than others, it’s impossible for us to judge the quality of this item.

In any case, fish meat is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The sixth ingredient is tuna. Like most oily fish, tuna is naturally rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

The next ingredient is oat bran, a nutritious by-product obtained from milling whole grain oats. The bran is the fiber-rich outer layer of the grain containing starch, protein, vitamins and minerals.

The eighth ingredient is brown rice, a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) can be fairly easy to digest. However, aside from its natural energy content, rice is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

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

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

With 4 notable exceptions…

First, we find alfalfa. Alfalfa is a flowering member of the pea family. Although alfalfa is high in protein (18%) and fiber, it’s uncommon to see it used in a dog food. This hay-family ingredient is more commonly associated with horse feeds.

Next, garlic can be a controversial item. Although many favor the ingredient for its claimed health benefits, garlic has been linked to Heinz body anemia in dogs.⁵

So, one must weigh the potential benefits of feeding garlic against its proven tendency to cause subclinical damage to the red blood cells of the animal.

In addition, this food contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb and are usually found in better dog foods.

And lastly, this food includes menadione, a controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.

Since vitamin K isn’t required by AAFCO in either of its dog food nutrient profiles, we question the use of this substance in any canine formulation.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Azmira canned dog food looks like an above-average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 46%, a fat level of 23% and estimated carbohydrates of about 24%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 46% and a mean fat level of 23%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 24% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 50%.

Above-average protein. Near-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to other canned dog foods.

Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the alfalfa, this looks like the profile of a wet product containing a liberal amount of meat.

However, it’s unfortunate the company chose to include menadione in its recipe. Without this controversial ingredient, we may have been compelled to award this line a higher rating.

That said, menadione phobics may wish to ignore our rating and look elsewhere for another product.

Bottom line?

Azmira is a grain-inclusive canned dog food using a generous amount of named meats as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.

Highly recommended.

Those looking for a nice kibble from the same company may want to check out our review of Azmira Dry Dog Food.

Azmira Dog Food Recall History

The following list (if present) includes all dog food recalls since 2009 directly related to Azmira. If there are no recalls listed in this section, we have not yet reported any events.