Highly Recommended
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Our Verdict
Solid Gold dry product range is made up of 14 recipes with ratings varying from 3.5 to 5 stars. The average rating of the whole range is 4 stars.
The table below shows each recipe in this range including our rating and the AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
| Product line | Rating | AAFCO |
|---|---|---|
| Solid Gold Wee Bit Toy and Small Breed | 4.5 | U |
| Solid Gold Star Chaser | 5 | U |
| Solid Gold Wolf Cub Large Breed Puppy | 4.5 | U |
| Solid Gold Fit and Fabulous with Alaskan Pollock | 5 | M |
| Solid Gold Wolf King Large Breed | 3.5 | U |
| Solid Gold Mmillennia | 3.5 | M |
| Solid Gold Holistique Blendz | 3.5 | M |
| Solid Gold Hund-n-Flocken Everyday Nutrition Lamb, Brown Rice and Pearled Barley | 3.5 | U |
| Solid Gold NutrientBoost Hund-N-Flocken Beef, Brown Rice and Pearled Barley | 4.5 | M |
| Solid Gold NutrientBoost Hund-N-Flocken Chicken, Brown Rice and Pearled Barley | 5 | M |
| Solid Gold NutrientBoost Hund-N-Flocken Lamb, Brown Rice and Pearled Barley | 4.5 | M |
| Solid Gold Wee Bit Nutrientboost Toy and Small Breed | 5 | U |
| Solid Gold Wolf Cub Nutrientboost Large Breed Puppy | 5 | U |
| Solid Gold Wolf King Nutrientboost Large Breed | 3.5 | U |
Recipe and Label Analysis
Solid Gold NutrientBoost Hund-N-Flocken Beef, Brown Rice and Pearled Barley recipe was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Solid Gold NutrientBoost Hund-N-Flocken Beef, Brown Rice and Pearled Barley
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Beef, ocean fish meal, brown rice, pearled barley, white rice, peas, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), dried eggs, dried tomato pomace, animal plasma, ground flaxseed, natural flavor, spray dried animal blood cells, carrots, potassium chloride, pumpkin, blueberries, cranberries, salmon oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), choline chloride, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), niacin, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, folic acid), minerals (zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, sodium selenite, calcium iodate), dl-methionine, dried chicory root, taurine, rosemary extract, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4%
Red denotes any controversial items
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 24% | 12% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 27% | 13% | 52% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 24% | 29% | 47% |
Ingredients Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is beef. Although it’s a quality item, raw beef contains up to 73% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.
After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.
The second ingredient is ocean fish meal. Because it is considered a meat concentrate, fish meal contains almost 300% more protein than fresh fish itself.
Fish meal is typically obtained from the “clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings” of commercial fish operations.1
Unfortunately, the phrase “ocean fish” is vague and does little to adequately describe this ingredient. Since some fish are higher in omega-3 fats than others, it’s impossible for us to judge the quality of this item.
The third 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 fourth ingredient is barley. Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. However, aside from its energy content, this cereal grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The fifth ingredient is white rice, a less nutritious form of rice in which the grain’s healthier outer layer has been removed.
The sixth 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 seventh 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.
The eighth ingredient is dried egg, a dehydrated powder made from shell-free eggs. Eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
The ninth ingredient includes tomato pomace. This item is a controversial ingredient, a by-product remaining after processing tomatoes into juice, soup and ketchup.
Many praise tomato pomace for its high fiber and nutrient content, while others scorn it as an inexpensive pet food filler.
Just the same, there’s probably not enough tomato pomace here to make much of a difference.
The tenth ingredient is animal plasma. Plasma is what remains of blood after the blood cells themselves have been removed. In most cases, plasma can be considered a nutritious addition.
However, since there’s no mention of a specific animal in the name of this particular ingredient, this item could be sourced from any species. And that fact can make it difficult to isolate the cause of a dog’s food-based allergy.
For this reason, we do not consider generic animal plasma 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 Solid Gold product.
With five notable exceptions…
First, flaxseed is 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, salmon oil is naturally rich in the prized EPA and DHA type of omega-3 fatty acids. These two high quality fats boast the highest bio-availability to dogs and humans.
Depending on its level of freshness and purity, salmon oil should be considered a commendable addition.
In addition, we note the inclusion of 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.
Next, 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 food includes taurine, an important amino acid associated with the healthy function of heart muscle. Although taurine is not typically considered essential in canines, some dogs have been shown to be deficient in this critical nutrient.
Nutrient Analysis
Based on its ingredients alone, Solid Gold Dry Dog Food looks like an above-average dry product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 26.7%, a fat level of 13.3% and estimated carbohydrates of about 52%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 27.3% and a mean fat level of 12.8%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 52% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 46%.
Which means this Solid Gold product line contains…
Near-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the peas and flaxseed, this still looks like the profile of a kibble containing a notable amount of meat.
Solid Gold Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Solid Gold through November 2024.
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
Our Rating of Solid Gold Grain Inclusive Dog Food
Solid Gold is a grain-inclusive dry dog food using a notable amount of named meat meals as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.
However, due to its apparent lower meat content, we cannot recommend the Holistique Blendz formula.
Compare Solid Gold Dog Food
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