Dave’s 95% Premium Meats Dog Food receives the Advisor’s top rating of 5 stars.

The Dave’s 95% Premium Meats product line includes the 4 canned dog foods listed below.

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

Use the following links to check prices and read reviews from actual buyers at an online retailer.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Dave’s 95% Premium Beef and Beef Liver 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.

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 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 third ingredient is beef liver, an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The next ingredient is tricalcium phosphate, a beneficial source of calcium and phosphorus. In addition, this additive is used in canned foods as an emulsifier — an agent designed to disperse a food’s fats more evenly in water.

The fifth item is agar agar, a natural vegetable gelatin derived from the cell walls of certain species of red algae. Agar is rich in fiber and is used in wet pet foods as a gelling agent.

The sixth ingredient is flaxseed, one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.

However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

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 Dave’s product.

With 2 notable exceptions…

First, we find sunflower oil. Sunflower oil is nutritionally similar to safflower oil. Since these oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids and contain no omega-3’s, they’re considered less nutritious than canola or flaxseed oils.

Sunflower oil is notable for its resistance to heat damage during cooking.

There are several different types of sunflower oil, some better than others. Without knowing more, it’s impossible to judge the quality of this ingredient.

And lastly, this food 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.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Dave’s 95% Premium Meats Dog Food looks like an above-average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 46%, a fat level of 27% and estimated carbohydrates of about 19%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 43% and a mean fat level of 29%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 20% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 68%.

Which means this Dave’s product line contains…

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

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

Is Dave’s 95% Premium Meats a Good Dog Food?

Dave’s 95% Premium Meats is a grain-free canned dog food using a significant amount of named meats as its primary source of animal protein, thus receiving 5 stars.

Enthusiastically recommended.

Has Dave’s Dog Food Been Recalled?

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls since 2009 related to Dave’s Pet Food.

• Dave’s Dog Food Recall of June 2018 (6/13/2018)
• Dave’s Dog Food Recall of December 2015 (12/3/2015)

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

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More Dave’s Reviews

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