Highly Recommended
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Our Verdict
I and Love and You Stir and Boom Dog Food receives the Advisor’s top rating of 4.5 stars.
The I and Love and You Stir and Boom product line includes the two freeze-dried raw 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.
| Product line | Rating | AAFCO |
|---|---|---|
| I and Love and You Raw Raw Beef Boom Ba | 4 | M |
| I and Love and You Raw Raw Turk Boom Ba | 5 | M |
Recipe and Label Analysis
I and Love and You Raw Raw Beef Boom Ba was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
I and Love and You Raw Raw Beef Boom Ba
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Beef, sweet potatoes, chickpea flour, carrots, cabbage, dried egg product, flaxseed, cranberries, tricalcium phosphate, parsley, dried kelp, papaya, pumpkin, ginger root, mixed tocopherols added to preserve freshness, taurine, zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, ferrous fumarate, copper sulfate, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin D3 supplement, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, rosemary extract, green tea extract
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 5.5%
Red denotes any controversial items
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 22% | 12% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 25% | 14% | 53% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 22% | 30% | 48% |
Ingredients 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
After freeze-drying, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.
Beef is naturally rich in all ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The second 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 third ingredient chickpea flour, a powder made from roasted chickpeas. Chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) are a good source of carbohydrates.
Plus they’re naturally rich in dietary fiber.
However, dried chickpeas contain about 26% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.
The fourth ingredient lists carrots, which are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.
The next ingredient is cabbage. Like broccoli and cauliflower, cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable rich in protective anti-oxidants and fiber.
The sixth ingredient is dried egg product, a dehydrated form of shell-free eggs. Quality can vary significantly. Lower grade egg product can even come from commercial hatcheries — from eggs that have failed to hatch.
In any case, eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
The seventh 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.
The eighth ingredient is 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 I and Love and You product.
With two notable exception…
Taurine, an important amino acid associated with the healthy function of heart muscle. Although taurine is not typically considered essential in canines, some dogs have been shown to be deficient in this critical nutrient.
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, I and Love and You Stir and Boom Dog Food looks like an above-average dry product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 25%, a fat level of 14% and estimated carbohydrates of about 53%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 27% and a mean fat level of 13%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 52% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 47%.
Near-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical dry product.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the peas and flaxseed, this looks like the profile of a dry product containing a significant amount of meat.
I and Love and You Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to I and Love and You through November 2024.
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
Our Rating of I And Love And You Dog Food
I and Love and You Stir and Boom is a grain-free dehydrated dog food using a significant amount of freeze-dried named meats as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.
Enthusiastically recommended.
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A Final Word
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