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Which Wellness Core Ninety-Five Percent Recipes Get Our Best Ratings?
Wellness Core 95% Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-highest tier rating of 4 stars.
The Wellness Core 95% product line includes the 3 grain-free canned dog foods listed below.
Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available… Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
| Product | Rating | AAFCO |
|---|---|---|
| Wellness Core 95% Chicken with Broccoli | 4 | M |
| Wellness Core 95% Beef with Carrots | 5 | M |
| Wellness Core 95% Turkey with Spinach | 3 | M |
Recipe and Label Analysis
Wellness Core 95% Beef with Carrots 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.
Wellness Core 95% Beef with Carrots
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Beef, water sufficient for processing, carrots, tricalcium phosphate, cassia gum, xanthan gum, ground flaxseed, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, minerals (zinc amino acid chelate, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, sodium selenite, cobalt amino acid chelate, potassium iodide), vitamins (thiamine mononitrate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid), choline chloride, magnesium sulfate
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 1%
Red denotes any controversial items
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 10% | 7% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 46% | 32% | 15% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 33% | 56% | 11% |
Ingredient 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 water, which adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a routine finding in most canned dog foods.
The third ingredient includes carrots. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.
The fourth ingredient is tricalcium phosphate, a beneficial source of calcium and phosphorus. In addition, this additive is used in canned foods as an emulsifier — an agent designed to disperse a food’s fats more evenly in water.
The fifth ingredient is cassia gum. Cassia gum is a plant extract likely used here as a gelling agent and providing no nutritional value to this 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.
With 3 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, 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 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, Wellness Core 95% looks like an above-average canned dog food.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 46%, a fat level of 32% and estimated carbohydrates of about 15%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 46% and a mean fat level of 36%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 10% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 80%.
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 flaxseed, this looks like the profile of a wet product containing a significant amount of meat.
However, with 56% of the total calories in our example coming from fat versus just 33% from protein, some recipes may not be suitable for dogs on a low fat diet. In addition, this same finding also prevents us from awarding the brand a higher rating.
Our Rating of Wellness Core Ninety-Five Percent Dog Food
Wellness Core 95% is a grain-free canned dog food using a significant amount of named meats as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.
Highly recommended.
Wellness Core Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Wellness through November.
- Wellness Dog Food Recall of March 2017 (3/18/2017)
- Wellness Dog Food Recall October 2012 (10/30/2012)
- Wellness Dog Food Recall May 2012 (5/5/2012)
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
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More Wellness Brand Reviews
The following Wellness dog food reviews are also posted on this website:
- Eagle Pack Dog Food Review (Dry)
- Wellness Complete Health Dog Food Review (Canned)
- Wellness Complete Health Dog Food Review (Dry)
- Wellness Complete Health Grain Free Dog Food Review (Dry)
- Wellness Core Digestive Health Dog Food Review (Dry)
- Wellness Core Dog Food Review (Canned)
- Wellness Core Grain Free Dog Food Review (Dry)
- Wellness Core Hearty Cuts Dog Food Review (Canned)
- Wellness Core RawRev Dog Food Review (Dry)
- Wellness Core Reduced Fat Dog Food Review (Dry)
- Wellness Core with Wholesome Grains Dog Food Review (Dry)
- Wellness Petite Entrees Casserole Dog Food Review (Cups)
- Wellness Petite Entrees Grain Free Shredded Medley Dog Food Review (Cups)
- Wellness Petite Entrees Mini Filets Dog Food Review (Cups)
- Wellness Simple Dog Food Review (Canned)
- Wellness Simple Limited Ingredient Dog Food Review (Dry)
- Wellness Stews Dog Food Review (Canned)
Compare This Dog Food
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