Open Farm Rustic Stews Dog Food Review

Mike Sagman  Julia Ogden

By

Mike Sagman
Mike Sagman

Mike Sagman

Founder

Dr Mike Sagman is the creator of the Dog Food Advisor. He founded the website in 2008, after his unquestioning trust in commercial dog food led to the tragic death of his dog Penny.

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&
Julia Ogden
Julia Ogden

Julia Ogden

Content Director

Julia is the content director at the Dog Food Advisor and responsible for the overall strategy of the website.

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Updated: June 11, 2024

Verified by Laura Ward

Laura Ward

Laura Ward

Pet Nutritionist

Laura studied BSc (Hons) Animal Science with an accreditation in Nutrition at the University of Nottingham, before working for eight years in the pet food and nutrition industry.

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Laura Ward

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Our Verdict

Rating:
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Open Farm Rustic Stews Dog Food earns The Advisor’s second-highest rating of 4.5 stars.

 

The Open Farm Rustic Stews product line includes 6 dog foods.

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

Open Farm Harvest Chicken Rustic Stew

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

44.4%

Protein

27.8%

Fat

19.8%

CarbsCarbohydrates

Humanely raised chicken, chicken bone broth, pumpkin, carrots, green beans, spinach, red lentils, agar agar, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), sunflower oil, coconut oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), chicory root, potassium chloride, salt, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, zinc amino acid chelate, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, selenium yeast, choline chloride, dried kelp, turmeric, cinnamon


Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 2%

Red denotes any controversial items

Estimated Nutrient Content
Method Protein Fat Carbs
Guaranteed Analysis 8% 5% NA
Dry Matter Basis 44% 28% 20%
Calorie Weighted Basis 34% 51% 15%

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is humanely raised 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 10 essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The second ingredient is chicken bone broth. Although they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food, bone broths are a common component in many wet products. However, since broths consist almost entirely of water, the trace nutrients they contain account for only a fraction of the overall finished dog food.

The third ingredient is pumpkin. Pumpkin is a nutritious addition high in complex carbohydrates, beta-carotene and dietary fiber.

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

The fifth ingredient is green beansspinach. Due to its exceptional vitamin and mineral content, spinach exhibits a remarkably high nutrient Completeness Score2 of 91. For cats who are predisposed to oxalate stones spinach should be avoided, due to it’s high oxalate content.

The seventh ingredient is red lentils. Lentils are a quality source of carbohydrates. Plus (like all legumes) they’re rich in natural fiber.

With 7 notable exceptions…

However, lentils contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

The eighth ingredient 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 ninth ingredient is garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas. Like peas, beans and lentils, the chickpea is a nutritious member of the fiber-rich legume (pulse) family of vegetables.

Garbanzos contain about 22% protein, something which must be considered when evaluating the total protein reported in this 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 product.

With 3 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.

In addition, this food includes chicory root. Chicory is rich in inulin, a starch-like compound made up of repeating units of carbohydrates and found in certain roots and tubers.

Not only is inulin a natural source of soluble dietary fiber, it’s also a prebiotic used to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in a dog’s digestive tract.

Thirdly, coconut oil is a natural oil rich in medium-chain fatty acids.

Medium-chain triglycerides have been shown to improve cognitive function in older dogs.2

Because of its proven safety3 as well as its potential to help in the treatment of canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) and chronic skin disorders, MCT can be considered a positive addition to this recipe.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Open Farm Harvest Chicken Rustic Stew looks like an above-average dog food.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 44%, a fat level of 28% and estimated carbohydrates of about 20%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 44% and a mean fat level of 30%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 19% for the overall product line.

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

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

Our Rating of Open Farm Dog Food

Open Farm Rustic Stews are grain-free human-grade dog food using a moderate amount of named meats as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4.5.

Highly recommended.

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Highly Recommended

Sources

1: Association of American Feed Control Officials

2: Completeness Score is a measure of a food’s relative nutrient content and is computed by NutritionData.com from the USDA’s National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference

A Final Word

The Dog Food Advisor does not accept money, gifts, samples or other incentives in exchange for special consideration in preparing our reviews.

However, we do receive a referral fee from online retailers (like Chewy or Amazon) and from sellers of perishable pet food when readers click over to their websites from ours. This helps cover the cost of operation of our free blog. Thanks for your support.

For more information, please visit our Disclaimer and Disclosure page.

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