Unrated

PRODUCT HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED

Pure Woof Gold dog food receives the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.

The Pure Woof Gold product line includes three dry dog foods… one designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for puppies and two for adult maintenance.

• Pure Woof Gold Adult
• Pure Woof Gold Puppy
• Pure Woof Gold Senior and Weight Management (3 stars)

Pure Woof Gold Adult dog food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.

The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.

The second ingredient is millet… gluten-free grains harvested from certain seed grasses. Millet is hypoallergenic and naturally rich in B-vitamins and fiber… as well as other essential minerals.

The third item is brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient… a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.

The fourth ingredient is chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken… a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.

Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid… an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.

The fifth ingredient is whitefish meal… another protein-rich meat concentrate.

Whitefish is a marine or freshwater species native to Canada and the California coast.

Unfortunately, the controversial chemical ethoxyquin is frequently used as a preservative in fish meals.

But because it’s usually added to the raw fish before processing, the chemical does not have to be reported to consumers.

We find no public assurances from the company this product is ethoxyquin-free.

Without knowing more, and based upon this fish meal’s location on the list of ingredients, we would expect to find at least a trace of ethoxyquin in this product.

The sixth ingredient is flaxseed… one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Flax seeds are rich in soluble fiber.

However, we find it unusual to see flaxseed here in its whole seed form. Whole flax seeds are almost impossible to digest (at least for us humans) unless they are first ground to a usable powder before they are consumed.

The seventh item is sun cured alfalfa. Although alfalfa meal is high in plant protein (about 18%) and fiber (25%), it’s uncommon to find it used in dog food.

This hay-family ingredient is more commonly associated with horse feeds and plant fertilizers.

The eighth item is dried 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.

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 have much of an effect on the overall rating of this product.

With four notable exceptions…

First, we note the inclusion of canola oil. Most applaud canola for its favorable omega-3 content… while a vocal minority condemn it as an unhealthy fat.

Current thinking (ours included) finds the negative stories about canola oil more the stuff of urban legend than actual science.¹

Garlic can be a controversial item. Although the majority of experts favor the ingredient for its numerous health benefits, garlic (in rare cases) has been linked to Heinz body anemia in dogs.²

Most of the professional literature we surveyed did not provide any conclusive warnings regarding the use of garlic… especially in small amounts (as it is here).

Although we see no reason to be concerned, we do feel it is a mistake to include such controversial ingredients in any dog food.

Next, we find no evidence of probiotics… friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing.

Finally, 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.

Pure Woof Gold Dog Food
The Bottom Line

Judging by its ingredients alone, Pure Woof Gold appears to be an above-average dry dog food.

But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 28%, a fat level of 17% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 46%.

Excluding the lower-rated Senior and Weight Management recipe, the brand features an average protein content of 31% and an average fat level of 19%.

Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate serving size of 42% for the overall product line.

Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbohydrates… when compared to a typical dry dog food.

With no sign of any grain-based protein concentrates, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.

Bottom line?

Pure Woof Gold is primarily a grain-based dry dog food using a notable amount of chicken meal as its main source of animal protein… thus earning the brand four stars.

Highly recommended.

Notes and Updates

08/05/2010 Original review
05/19/2012 Unable to locate any information about this product or contact the company. This product has probably been discontinued.