Which Bravo Homestyle Complete Freeze-Dried Recipes Get Our Best Ratings?

Bravo Homestyle Complete Dog Food earns The Advisor’s top rating of 5 stars.

The Bravo Homestyle Complete product line includes the 3 freeze-dried 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

Bravo Homestyle Complete Beef Dinner 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 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.¹

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

The second ingredient is beef liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

It should be noted the meats used here have been freeze-dried prior to use in this recipe. Because of the gentleness of the process used to create this item, freeze-dried ingredients can be considered nutritionally superior to meat meals.

The third ingredient is sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are a gluten-free source of complex carbohydrates in dog food. They are naturally rich in dietary fiber and beta carotene.

The fourth ingredient lists chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans. Like peas, beans and lentils, chickpeas are a nutritious member of the fiber-rich legume (or pulse) family of vegetables.

However, chickpeas contain about 22% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

The fifth ingredient is beef 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 sixth ingredient is beef kidney, an organ meat low in fat and rich in protein and essential minerals.

The seventh ingredient is beef spleen. Like other organ meats, spleen is low in fat and rich in protein.

The eighth ingredient includes green beans, a healthy vegetable notable for its vitamin, mineral and natural fiber content.

The ninth ingredient lists cranberries, a nutrient-rich fruit that’s also high in 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 Bravo product.

With 3 notable exceptions…

First, we find dried egg, a dehydrated powder made from shell-free eggs. Eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.

Next, this recipe 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.

And lastly, this food includes sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Bravo Homestyle Complete looks like an above-average dry dog food.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 48%, a fat level of 16% and estimated carbohydrates of about 28%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 48% and a mean fat level of 13%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 32% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 26%.

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

Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the chickpeas, this still looks like the profile of a freeze-dried raw product containing a significant amount of meat.

Our Rating of Bravo Homestyle Complete Dog Food

Bravo Homestyle Complete is a grain-free freeze-dried raw dog food using a significant amount of named meats and organs as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.

Enthusiastically recommended.

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Bravo Dog Food Recall History

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

• Bravo Dog Food Recall December 2015 (12/10/2015)
• Bravo Dog Food Recall July 2015 (7/23/2015)
• Bravo Dog and Cat Food Recall (9/26/2014)
• Bravo! Dog and Cat Food Recall (5/14/2014)
• Bravo! Raw Frozen Dog Food Recall (4/3/2013)
• Warning Issued for Bravo! and Steve’s Real Raw Pet Foods (3/13/2013)
• Bravo Recalls Pig Ears Dog Chews for Salmonella (6/1/2011)

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

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More Bravo! Brand Reviews

The following Bravo dog food reviews are also posted on this website:

• Bravo Balance Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)