Cesar Filets in Gravy Dog Food Review (Cups)

Cesar Filets in Gravy product range is made up of six recipes with ratings varying from 3 to 4.5 stars. The average rating of the whole range is 3 stars.

The table below shows each recipe in this range including our rating and the AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Cesar Filets in Gravy Rotisserie Chicken Flavor was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Ingredients Analysis

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

The third ingredient is water, which adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a routine finding in most canned dog foods.

The next ingredient is chicken liver, an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The fifth ingredient includes animal plasma. Plasma is what remains of blood after the blood cells themselves have been removed. In most cases, plasma can be considered a nutritious addition.

However, since there’s no mention of a specific animal in the name of this particular ingredient, this item could be sourced from any species. And that fact can make it difficult to isolate the cause of a dog’s food-based allergy.

For this reason, we do not consider generic animal plasma a quality ingredient.

The sixth ingredient is tapioca starch, a gluten-free, starchy carbohydrate extract made from the root of the cassava plant.

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

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 Cesar product.

With two notable exceptions…

First, we find beet pulp. Beet pulp is a controversial ingredient, a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing.

Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding intestinal health and blood sugar benefits.

We only call your attention here to the controversy and believe the inclusion of beet pulp in reasonable amounts in most dog foods is entirely acceptable.

And lastly, with the exception of magnesium, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually associated with higher quality dog foods.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Cesar Filets in Gravy Rotisserie Chicken Flavor looks like an above-average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 41.7%, a fat level of 22.2% and estimated carbohydrates of about 28.1%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 43.5% and a mean fat level of 20.4%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 28.1% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 47%.

Which means this Cesar product line contains…

Above-average protein. Below-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to other wet dog foods.

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

Cesar Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Cesar through December 2024.

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

Our Rating of Cesar Filets in Gravy Grain Inclusive Dog Food

Cesar Filets in Gravy is a grain-inclusive wet dog food that includes a notable amount of named meats as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 3 stars.

Recommended with Reservations

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