Redbarn Naturals Pate Dog Food Review (Canned)

Mike Sagman

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.

Read more

Updated: June 5, 2024

DogFoodAdvisor is reader supported See how


All reviews are 100% impartial but if you buy using links on this page, we may earn a referral fee.

Rating:
star
star
star
star
star

Product May Have Been Discontinued
Unable to Locate Complete Label Info
On Company Website1

Review of Redbarn Naturals Pate Dog Food

Redbarn Naturals Pate canned dog food receives the Advisor’s top rating of 5 stars.

The Redbarn Naturals Pate product line includes the 7 canned dog foods listed below.

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

Use the links to check prices and read reviews from actual buyers at an online retailer.

Product Rating AAFCO
Redbarn Naturals Chicken Pate Joint Health 5 U
Redbarn Naturals Beef Pate All Life Stages 5 A
Redbarn Naturals Chicken Pate Immune Support 4 U
Redbarn Naturals Ocean Fish Pate Healthy Weight 4.5 U
Redbarn Naturals Turkey and Duck Pate High Protein 4 U
Redbarn Naturals Lamb Pate Skin and Coat 1.5 U
Redbarn Naturals Turkey Pate Healthy Digestion 5 U

Recipe and Label Analysis

Redbarn Naturals Ocean Fish Pate Healthy Weight 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.

Redbarn Naturals Ocean Fish Pate Healthy Weight

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

40.9%

Protein

18.2%

Fat

32.9%

CarbsCarbohydrates

Fish, fish broth, peas, dried egg product, quinoa, dicalcium phosphate, agar-agar, carrots, chicory root extract, dandelion, coconut oil, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, l-carnitine, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, calcium iodate, vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, niacin supplement, calcium pantothenate, biotin, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid


Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 1%

Red denotes any controversial items

Estimated Nutrient Content
Method Protein Fat Carbs
Guaranteed Analysis 9% 4% NA
Dry Matter Basis 41% 18% 33%
Calorie Weighted Basis 35% 38% 28%

The first ingredient in this dog food is fish. This item is typically sourced from clean, undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings of commercial fish operations.2

Without more detailed information, it’s difficult to judge the quality of this particular ingredient

In any case, fish meat is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The second ingredient is fish broth. Broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food, they are a common addition component in many canned products.

The third ingredient includes 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 next 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 fifth ingredient is quinoa. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is not a true cereal grain but a plant prized for its gluten-free seeds.

Compared to most other grain-type ingredients, it is high in protein (about 12-18%), dietary fiber and other healthy nutrients.

The sixth item is dicalcium phosphate, likely used here as a dietary calcium supplement.

The seventh ingredient lists 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.

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 Redbarn product.

With 3 notable exceptions

First, chicory root 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.

Next, we note the use of coconut oil, a natural oil rich in medium-chain fatty acids.

Medium-chain triglycerides have been shown to improve cognitive function in older dogs.3

Because of its proven safety4 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.

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, Redbarn Naturals Pate canned dog food looks like an above-average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 41%, a fat level of 18% and estimated carbohydrates of about 33%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 43% and a mean fat level of 31%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 18% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 72%.

Which means this Redbarn Naturals product line contains…

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

Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the peas and quinoa, this looks like the profile of a canned product containing a significant amount of meat.

Is Redbarn Naturals a Good Dog Food?

Redbarn Naturals Pate is a grain-free canned dog food using a significant amount of named meats as its primary source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.

Enthusiastically recommended.

However, because of its unusually high fat-to-protein ratio, the Lamb recipe may not be suitable for some animals and thus receives only 1.5 stars.

Has Redbarn Naturals Dog Food Been Recalled?

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls since 2009 related to Redbarn Naturals.

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

Get Free Recall Alerts

Get free dog food recall alerts sent to you by email. Subscribe to The Advisor’s recall notification list.

More Redbarn Naturals Reviews

The following Redbarn Naturals Dog Food reviews are also posted on this website:

Sources

1: “Last Update” field at the end of this review reflects the last time we attempted to visit this product’s website. The current review itself was last updated 08/25/2020

2: Adapted by The Dog Food Advisor from the official definition of other fish ingredients as published by the Association of American Feed Control Officials

3: Pan Y et al, Dietary supplementation with medium-chain TAG has long-lasting cognition-enhancing effects in aged dogs, British Journal of Nutrition, Volume 103, Issue 12, June 2010, pp 1746-1754

4: Matulka RA et al, Lack of toxicity by medium chain triglycerides (MCT) in canines during a 90-day feeding study,Food Chem Toxicol, Jan 2009, 47(1) 35-9.

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.

Share via
Copy link