Highly Recommended
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Our Verdict
Wellness CORE Pate canned product range is made up of four recipes with ratings varying from 4.5 to 5 stars. The average rating of the whole range is 5 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wellness Core Grain Free Beef, Venison and Lamb Recipe | 5 | M |
| Wellness Core Grain Free Turkey, Chicken Liver and Turkey Liver Recipe | 5 | M |
| Wellness Core Grain Free Weight Management Recipe | 5 | M |
| Wellness Core Grain Free Whitefish, Salmon and Herring Recipe | 4.5 | G |
Recipe and Label Analysis
Wellness CORE Grain Free Turkey, Chicken Liver and Turkey Liver Recipe was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Wellness Core Turkey, Chicken Liver and Turkey Liver Recipe
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Chicken, turkey, chicken broth, chicken liver, turkey liver, turkey heart, sweet potatoes, ground flaxseed, chicken heart, carrageenan, guar gum, carrots, apples, spinach, parsley, blueberries, broccoli, kale, potassium chloride, salt, dried chicory root, yucca schidigera extract, choline chloride, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, vitamin E supplement, copper proteinate, cobalt proteinate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, thiamine mononitrate, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, potassium lodide, 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 | 11% | 7% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 50% | 32% | 10% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 36% | 56% | 7% |
Ingredients Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.1
The second ingredient is turkey, another quality, raw item.
Both chicken and turkey are naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The third ingredient is chicken broth. Broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food, they are a common component in many canned products.
The next two items include chicken and turkey liver. These are organ meats sourced from named animals and thus considered beneficial components.
The next ingredient is sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are a gluten-free source of complex carbohydrates in dog food. They are naturally rich in dietary fiber and beta carotene.
The seventh inclusion is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
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.
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 four notable exceptions…
First, carrageenan is 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.
Next, 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.
In addition, 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.
And lastly, 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.
Nutrient Analysis
Based on its ingredients alone, Wellness CORE Grain Free Turkey, Chicken Liver and Turkey Liver Recipe canned dog food looks like an above-average wet product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 50%, a fat level of 34% and estimated carbohydrates of about 8%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 50% and a mean fat level of 31%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 11% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 63%.
Which means this Wellness product line contains…
Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical wet dog food.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the flaxseed, this looks like the profile of a wet product containing a generous amount of meat.
However, with 59% of the total calories in our example coming from fat versus just 36% from protein, some recipes may not be suitable for every animal.
Wellness Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Wellness through November 2024.
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
Our Rating of Wellness CORE Pate Grain-free Dog Food
Wellness Core Pate is a grain-free canned dog food using a liberal amount of named meats and organs as its dominant source of animal protein, thus receiving 5 stars.
Readers may also want to consider the company’s other canned lines, Wellness Canned Formulas and Wellness 95%.
Compare Wellness CORE Pate Dog Food
How does Wellness CORE Pate compare with The Dog Food Advisor's most recommended brands?
A Final Word
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