Which Health Extension Recipes Get Our Best Ratings?

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

The Health Extension product line includes the 9 canned dog foods listed below.

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

Recipe and Label Analysis

Health Extension Grain Free Turkey Entree 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 turkey. Turkey is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey”.¹

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

The second ingredient is chicken, another quality addition.

The third 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 fourth ingredient includes sweet potatoes, which are a gluten-free source of complex carbohydrates in dog food. They are naturally rich in dietary fiber and beta carotene.

The fifth ingredient lists carrots. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.

The sixth ingredient includes blueberries. Blueberries are a good source of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

The seventh ingredient lists cranberries, a nutrient-rich fruit that’s also high in fiber.

The next item is guar gum, a gelling or thickening agent found in many wet pet foods. Refined from dehusked guar beans, guar gum can add a notable amount of dietary fiber to any product.

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 Health Extension product.

With 2 notable exceptions…

First, this food includes 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 recipe contains 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, Health Extension canned dog food looks like an above-average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 41%, a fat level of 39% and estimated carbohydrates of about 13%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 41% and a mean fat level of 29%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 21% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 70%.

Which means this Health Extension product line contains..

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

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

However, with 21% of the total calories in our example coming from fat versus just 9% from protein, some recipes may not be suitable for a dog on a low fat diet.

Our Rating of Health Extension Canned Dog Food

Health Extension lists both grain-inclusive and grain-free canned dog foods using a notable amount of named meats as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.

Highly recommended.

Health Extension Dog Food Recall History

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

No recalls noted.

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

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More Health Extension Brand Reviews

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