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Our Verdict
The Rachael Ray Nutrish Limited Ingredient product line includes 1 dry dog food which received the Dog Food Advisor’s rating, 3.5 stars.
This dry dog food is easy to digest and perfect for adult dogs that are picky eaters or on restricted diets.
Pros
- Affordable
- No added, corn, wheat or soy
- Limited ingredients
Cons
- Contain meat meals rather than real meat
Rachael Ray Nutrish Limited Ingredient Lamb Meal and Brown Rice
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Lamb meal, brown rice, brewers rice, peas, pearled barley, grain sorghum, chicken meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), natural flavor, salt, potassium chloride, minerals (zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate, sodium selenite, manganese sulfate, calcium iodate), vitamins (vitamin E supplement, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), niacin, vitamin A supplement, thiamine mononitrate , d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin D3 supplement), taurine, choline chloride, lactic acid, citric acid (used as a preservative), rosemary extract
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4%
Red denotes any controversial items
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 20% | 13% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 22% | 14% | 55% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 20% | 31% | 49% |
Ingredients Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is lamb meal. Lamb meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh lamb.
The second ingredient is brown rice, a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) can be fairly easy to digest. However, aside from its natural energy content, rice is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The next ingredient is brewers rice. Brewers rice is a cereal grain by-product consisting of the small fragments left over after milling whole rice. Aside from the caloric energy it contains, this item is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The fourth ingredient is peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. And like all legumes, they’re rich in natural fiber.
However, peas contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.
The fifth ingredient is pearled barley. Cracked pearled barley is produced when the seed hull and bran is removed from barley grain. Fiber is distributed throughout the barley grain, rather than being contained within the hull meaning that cracked pearled barley is still a source of fiber. However, aside from its energy content, this cereal grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The sixth ingredient is grain sorghum. Sorghum (milo) is a starchy cereal grain with a nutrient profile similar to corn.
Since it is gluten-free and boasts a smoother blood sugar behavior than other grains, sorghum may be considered an acceptable non-meat ingredient.
The seventh ingredient is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The eighth ingredient is chicken fat. This item 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.
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 Rachael Ray product.
With two notable exceptions…
First, this recipe includes 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.
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, Rachael Ray Nutrish Limited Ingredient Dog Food looks like an above-average dry product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 23.4%, a fat level of 15.2% and estimated carbohydrates of about 49.1%.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 65%.
Which means this Rachael Ray product line contains…
Below-average protein. Near-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to other dry dog foods.
Rachael Ray Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Rachael Ray through March 2025.
No recalls noted.
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
Our Rating of Rachael Ray Nutrish Limited Ingredient Dog Food
Rachael Ray Nutrish Limited Ingredient is grain-inclusive dry dog food that uses a moderate amount of named meat meal as its main source of animal protein, thus receiving 3.5 stars.
About
Rachael Ray Nutrish was purchased from Ainsworth Pet Nutrition in 2018 by Big Heart Pet Brands… a division of The J. M. Smucker Company of Orville, Ohio.
All dry foods are produced in the United States. Wet recipes are made in Thailand.
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A Final Word
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