Highly Recommended
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Our Verdict
Wellness Complete Health Pate product range is made up of six recipes with ratings varying from 3.5 to 5 stars. The average rating of the whole range is 4 stars.
Wellness Complete Health Pate recipes are rich in protein and vegetables. They are crafted for optimal health and contain all the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants your dog needs.
Pros
- High-quality ingredients
- Does not contain any meat by-products, fillers or artificial preservatives.
- Affordability
Cons
- Contains some controversial ingredients
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.
Recipe and Label Analysis
Wellness Complete Health Turkey and Sweet Potato Recipe was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Wellness Complete Health Turkey and Sweet Potato Recipe
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Turkey, turkey broth, turkey liver, ground barley, turkey hearts, sweet potatoes, carrots, ground flaxseed, carrageenan, guar gum, salt, potassium chloride, salmon oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), choline chloride, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, dicalcium phosphate, vitamin E supplement, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, thiamine mononitrate, cobalt proteinate, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, potassium iodide, 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 | 8% | 6% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 36% | 27% | 28% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 28% | 51% | 22% |
Ingredients Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is turkey. Turkey is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey”.1
Turkey is naturally rich in the 10 essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The second ingredient is turkey 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 turkey liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.
The fourth ingredient is barley, a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. Unlike grains with a higher glycemic index, barley can help support more stable blood sugar levels.
The fifth ingredient is turkey heart. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, heart tissue is pure muscle – all meat. It’s naturally rich in quality protein, minerals and complex B vitamins, too.
The sixth inclusion is sweet potato, a gluten-free source of complex carbohydrates in dog food. Sweet potatoes are naturally rich in dietary fiber and beta carotene.
The next ingredient includes carrots. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.
The eighth ingredient is 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.
The ninth item is carrageenan, a gelatin-like thickening agent extracted from seaweed. Although carrageenan has been used as a food additive for hundreds of years, there appears to be some recent controversy regarding its long term biological safety.
The article, The Carrageenan Controversy, published in Scientific American, does a good job of addressing this topic.
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 Wellness product line.
With three notable exceptions…
First, 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, this food 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.
And lastly, 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.
Nutrient Analysis
Based on its ingredients alone, Wellness Complete Health Pate Turkey and Sweet Potato Recipe canned dog food looks like an above-average wet product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 36.5%, a fat level of 26.9% and estimated carbohydrates of about 26.9%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 36.5% and a mean fat level of 25%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 27.6% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 74%.
Which means this Wellness product line contains…
Near-average protein. Above-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to other canned dog foods.
Even when you consider the mild protein-boosting effect of the flaxseed, this looks like the profile of a wet product containing a moderate amount of meat.
Wellness Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Wellness through March 2025.
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
Our Rating of Wellness Complete Health Pate Dog Food
Wellness Complete Health Pate is a grain-inclusive canned dog food using a moderate amount of named meats as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.
About
Wellness was founded in 1997. Both dog and cat food are manufactured by Wellness Pet Company, and are produced in the USA, specifically at facilities in Minnesota and Indiana.
Compare Wellness Complete Health Pate Dog Food
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