Solid Gold Dog Food Review (Canned)

Solid Gold canned dog food receives the Advisor’s second-highest tier rating of 4.5 stars.

The Solid Gold product line includes the 9 canned dog foods listed below.

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

Recipe and Label Analysis

Solid Gold Barking at the Moon Grain Free was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

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

Beef is naturally rich in all ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The second ingredient is beef 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 is whitefish, a marine or freshwater species native to Canada and the California coast.

The fourth ingredient is beef liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The fifth ingredient includes dried ground peas. Ground peas are a good source of carbohydrates. Plus they’re naturally rich in dietary fiber.

However, ground peas contain about 27% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.

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

The seventh item is tricalcium phosphate, a beneficial source of calcium and phosphorus. In addition, this additive is used in wet foods as an emulsifier — an agent designed to disperse a food’s fats more evenly in water.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But realistically, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Solid Gold product.

With 4 notable exceptions…

First, we find 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.

Next, we note the use of alfalfa meal. Although alfalfa meal is high in plant protein (about 18%) and fiber (25%), it can be less common to find it in a dog food recipe.

In addition, this recipe contains 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 recipe 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.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Solid Gold canned dog food looks like an above-average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 43%, a fat level of 27% and estimated carbohydrates of about 22%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 41% and a mean fat level of 27%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 23% for the overall product line.

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

Which means this Solid Gold product line contains…

Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to other wet dog foods.

Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the ground peas, flaxseed and alfalfa meal, this looks like the profile of a canned product containing a notable amount of meat.

However, with 51% of the total calories in our example coming from fat versus just 33% from protein, some recipes may not be suitable for animals on a low fat diet.

Solid Gold Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Solid Gold through December 2024.

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

Our Rating of Solid Gold Grain-Free and Grain-Inclusive Dog Food

Solid Gold includes both grain-free and grain-inclusive canned dog foods using a notable amount of named meats as their dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4.5 stars.

Highly Recommended

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