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Wysong Maintenance canned dog food earns the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of 3 stars.
As its name suggests, Wysong Maintenance has been designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance.
However, according to Wysong, the product can be “fed to dogs of all life stages and types as part of a diet rotation”.
Wysong Maintenance Canine Diet
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Chicken, water sufficient for processing, ground brown rice, ground corn, ground extruded whole soybeans, carrots, barley, bone meal, dicalcium phosphate, whole egg, yeast culture, ground flax seeds, dried kelp, dried wheat grass powder, dried barley grass powder, sage extract, rosemary extract, garlic, black pepper, artichoke, ascorbic acid, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, manganese proteinate, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper proteinate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, vitamin A acetate, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 1%
Red denotes any controversial items
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 7% | 4% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 28% | 16% | 48% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 24% | 34% | 42% |
The first ingredient in this dog food includes chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.1
Chicken is naturally rich in the 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 item 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 item is corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The fifth item lists whole soybeans. Even though soybeans contains over 80% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.
And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this food.
We rarely consider corn or soy preferred components in any dog food.
The sixth item lists carrots. Carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.
The seventh ingredient is barley. Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. Unlike grains with a higher glycemic index (like rice), barley can help support stable blood sugar levels in dogs.
The eighth ingredient is bone meal. Although it’s considered a quality source of calcium, magnesium and essential trace minerals, even human-grade bone meal supplements can contain higher levels of mercury, lead and other metals.2
The ninth ingredient is dicalcium phosphate, most likely used here as a dietary calcium supplement.
The tenth ingredient is whole eggs. Eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
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 have much of an effect on the overall rating of this product.
With three notable exceptions…
First, wheat grass is known for its unusually high vitamin and mineral content. So, please ignore our software’s unfavorable treatment of this otherwise healthy ingredient.
Next, garlic can be a controversial item. Although most experts favor the ingredient for its numerous health benefits, garlic (in rare cases) has been linked to Heinz body anemia in dogs.3
However, the limited professional literature we surveyed provided no definitive warnings regarding the use of garlic — especially when used in small amounts (as it likely is here).
And lastly, we note 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.
Wysong Maintenance Canned Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Based upon its ingredients alone, Wysong Maintenance appears to be an average canned dog food.
But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 28%, a fat level of 16% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 48%.
Below-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical canned dog food.
When you consider the protein-boosting effect of the soy beans, this looks like the profile of a wet product containing only a modest amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Wysong Maintenance Canine Diet is a plant-based canned dog food using a modest amount of chicken as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 3 stars.
Recommended.
Those looking for a comparable kibble from the same company may wish to visit our review of Wysong Maintenance Dry Dog Food.
Notes and Updates
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