Taste of the Wild Dog Food Review, Recalls and Coupons
Quick Guide
The Taste of the Wild brand knows that “pets crave a taste of the wild” and that is exactly what this company aims to do. By using premium proteins and grain-free carbohydrates, this brand creates healthy, holistic diets based on the ancestral diet of wild dogs and cats. Each and every formula is designed not just to meet but to exceed your dog’s nutritional requirements while also satisfying his cravings for natural flavor. According to the brand website, Their products are “made with real roasted meats and supplemented with vegetables and fruits” in grain-free formulas that provide superior taste, digestible energy, and immune-boosting support. Simply put, their products offer the kind of balanced diet that nature intended.
According to their website, their products are all formulated to meet the specific needs of dogs by using “a variety of ingredients to optimize the health benefits of each formula”. While each one of this brand’s products is unique, they all offer a similar family of benefits. This brands foods are loaded with natural sources for antioxidants (like apples, blueberries, and raspberries) which help to protect your dog against free-radical damage while also boosting his immune system. These products are also made with grain-free carbohydrates like garbanzo beans, lentils, and green peas – plant products which offer dietary fiber as well as supplementary plant proteins. Potato fiber and dried chicory root are also used in most recipes to provide prebiotic fiber to help support your dog’s digestive system which, in turn, ensures the proper absorption of nutrients.
What really sets them apart from the competition, however, is the types of protein they use in their products. Each recipe features a premium protein blend to create the optimal amino acid profile for lean muscle mass and general health and wellness. Rather than using traditional proteins like chicken and turkey, however, they formulate many of their recipes around novel protein sources, particularly wild game meats like venison, wild boar, and bison. These meats are slow-roasted for flavor and combined with other healthy ingredients to create a complete and balanced nutritional profile. All of their recipes are formulated to provide the nutrients your dog needs using only the highest quality ingredients available.
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Best Taste of the Wild Dog Food
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#3 | $$$ |
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Taste of the Wild Dog Food Recalls 2024:
This Company is known for the quality of its ingredients and for the fact that their recipes are inspired by the ancestral diet of wild cats and dogs. This company offers premium-quality nutrition for pet parents who want to give their dogs the best and they are very transparent about the type and quality of ingredients that go into their products. What the brand is not so transparent about, however, is the fact that their products (while they are all made in U.S.-based facilities) are manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods. Diamond is one of the largest pet food manufacturers in the world and it has been affected my many recalls in its history. Although there is only one recall in the history of this brand, it was a fairly significant recall involving thousands of units of both dog and cat food products. Here are the details:
- In May 2012, the FDA issued a recall for all sizes of Taste of the Wild dry dog and cat foods with certain production codes and best by dates due to potential salmonella contamination.
Taste of the Wild Dog Food Coupons 2024
Because they use high-quality ingredients in protein-rich and grain-free formulas, their products tend to be a little more expensive than the average kibble. When shopping for this food you can expect to spend between $12 and $15 for a small 5-pound bag of dry food – larger 28- or 30-pound bags cost between $55 and $75. Cans of wet food range from $2.50 to $3.75 each, depending on the recipe. To help you save money on this brand, look for printable Taste of the Wild dog food coupons online.
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Taste of the Wild Dog Food Reviews
They offer a limited selection of both dry and wet foods for dogs. Their line of dry food formulas contains nine different formulas, two of which are dedicated puppy recipes. The High Prairie Puppy and Pacific Stream Puppy recipes are designed to support the high energy and protein needs of growing puppies and they are supplemented with prebiotic fiber, antioxidants, amino acids, and omega fatty acids. They also offer one small-breed specific recipe – Appalachian Valley Small Breed Canine Formula with Venison & Garbanzo Beans. The remaining six dry food formulas are complete and balanced for dogs in all life stages, made with quality proteins like roasted bison and roasted venison as well as gluten-free and grain-free carbohydrates like garbanzo beans, peas, and sweet potatoes.
Is Taste of the Wild Dog Food Good for my Dog?
Though they may not offer as much variety as other brands when it comes to their products, you can rest assured that each and every one of their products will not only meet but exceed your dog’s nutritional needs. Their products are made with premium-quality proteins like lamb, bison, venison and wild boar as well as gluten- and grain-free carbohydrates, particularly legumes like lentils and garbanzo beans. Not only do they use the highest quality ingredients in each of their recipes, but all of their recipes are produced and manufactured in U.S.-based facilities. One thing that may cause some dog owners to worry is the fact that Taste of the Wild dog food products are made by Diamond Pet Foods, a company that experiences semiregular recalls. Because this brand only has one recall in its history, however, this doesn’t seem to be a problem. All in all, they are an excellent brand for your dog.
Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food: When it comes to their dry food offerings, they have seven different formulas, two of which come in puppy recipe as well as adult recipe. Taste of the Wild dry food products offer a minimum fat content of 15% and their lowest value for crude protein is 25%, though several of their products offer protein values over 35%. Each of these dry food products is made with at least one premium-quality protein at the top of the ingredients list and they are all grain-free as well, made with alternative carbohydrates like garbanzo beans, lentils and peas instead of grains. Here is a list of the dry food options they have to offer
- Appalachian Valley Small Breed Formula with Venison & Garbanzo Beans
- Pine Forest Formula with Venison & Legumes
- Southwest Canyon Formula with Wild Boar
- Sierra Mountain Formula with Roasted Lamb
- Wetlands Formula with Roasted Fowl
- High Prairie Formula with Roasted Bison & Roasted Venison
- Pacific Stream Formula with Smoked Salmon
- High Prairie Puppy Formula with Roasted Bison & Roasted Venison
- Pacific Stream Puppy Formula with Smoked Salmon
Taste of the Wild Canned Dog Food: Many of the same recipes that are available in dry food form also come in canned food versions. Taste of the Wild canned food recipes come in large 13.2-ounce cans only and they are made with the same premium-quality ingredients as the dry food formulas. Each recipe starts with a premium protein like wild boar, duck, or lamb as the primary ingredient and they are supplemented with fresh fruits and vegetables for nutritional balance as well as antioxidant support. Here is a list of the canned food options they have to offer:
- Southwest Canyon Canine Formula Stew
- Sierra Mountain Canine Formula with Lamb in Gravy
- Wetlands Canine Formula with Fowl in Gravy
- Pacific Stream Canine Formula with Salmon in Gravy
- High Prairie Canine Formula with Bison in Gravy
Taste of the Wild High Prairie Canine Formula with Roasted Bison and Roasted Venison Dry Review:
This Taste of the Wild High Prairie Canine Formula with Roasted Bison & Roasted Venison dry food formula is a grain-free formula made with premium-quality proteins like roasted bison and venison. Made with sweet potatoes and peas for digestible fiber, this formula will not only meet your dog’s needs for nutrition, but it will help to improve and regulate his digestion as well. According to their website, this recipe “offers a taste sensation like no other” but that is just one of its many benefits. In addition to being full of natural flavor, this formula is made with fresh fruits and vegetables for antioxidant support as well as chelated minerals to ensure nutritional balance. All in all, this is a high-quality adult food formula that any dog would be lucky to receive.
The first ingredient in this recipe is buffalo, a fresh meat and an excellent source of animal protein. One thing you may need to know about this ingredient, however, is that it could contain up to 80% moisture by volume. Once they are cooked, fresh meats like buffalo may lose some of their nutritional integrity and the loss of moisture means that the total volume of protein provided by this ingredient could be much lower than the precooked volume. While this could be a problem for some foods, it is not an issue in this High Prairie recipe because the fresh buffalo is followed by lamb meal and chicken meal with other supplementary proteins like egg product, roasted bison, roasted venison, beef, and ocean fish meal listed as well. Meat meals have already been cooked to remove moisture, making them a highly concentrated source of protein. The addition of several meat meals in this recipe makes the loss of volume for the fresh buffalo a non-issue.
After the first three ingredients in this High Prairie Canine Formula with Roasted Bison & Roasted Venison dry food formula come several carbohydrates – sweet potatoes, peas, and potatoes. These are all gluten-free and grain-free carbohydrates which provide your dog with slow-burning energy and digestible fiber. You will also notice additional sources of fiber such as tomato pomace and dried chicory root. Tomato pomace is a somewhat controversial ingredient, though there is no definitive evidence to suggest that it is harmful for dogs. There are also two plant proteins listed – potato protein and pea protein. Plant proteins like these are less biologically valuable than animal proteins and they are sometimes used to increase the protein content of food products without adding more meat. With so many animal proteins listed, however, it is unlikely that these ingredient contribute significantly to the 32% crude protein value.
The remaining ingredients in this recipe consist primarily of fats, flavorings, and supplements. The main source of fat in this recipe is canola oil, a plant-based fat and a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids. Like proteins, plant-based fats are less biologically valuable for dogs than animal-based fats so it would be good to see a secondary source of fat like chicken fat or salmon oil included in this recipe. You do get some fat from the meat ingredients, but not a significant amount. The main supplements included in this recipe consist of vitamins, minerals and probiotics. The probiotics come in the form of dried fermentation product which will help to improve your dog’s digestion. Many of the mineral supplements are chelated – this simply means that they have been chemically bound to protein molecules in a process that makes them easier for your dog’s body to digest and absorb than traditional mineral supplements.
Overall, this High Prairie Canine Formula with Roasted Bison & Roasted Venison dry food formula has a guaranteed analysis as follows:
- Crude Protein (Min) – 32%
- Crude Fat (Min) – 13%
- Crude Fiber (Max) – 8%
- Moisture (Max) – 10%
- Zinc (Min) – 150 mg/kg
- Selenium (Min) – 0.3 mg/kg
- Vitamin E (Min) – 150 IU/kg
- Taurine (Min) – 0.10%
- L-Carnitine (Min) – 30 mg/kg
- Omega-6 Fatty Acids (Min) – 2.4%
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Min) – 0.4%
- Calorie Content – 313 kcal/cup
Bottom Line:
Overall, Taste of the Wild is a high-quality brand of food that offers a decent variety. Though this brand may not offer as many recipe choices as other brands, all of their products are made with premium protein, grain-free carbohydrates, and fresh fruits and vegetables for nutritional integrity. Each and every one of their food products is complete and balanced, designed not just to meet but to exceed your dog’s nutritional requirements. The one point of contention with this brand is the fact that it is manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods, a company known for frequent recalls. Because this brand has only been affected by one recall – and because they use the best ingredients out there – you don’t have to worry. All in all, Taste of the Wild is a great brand and your dog would be lucky to enjoy any of their products.
Is there something going on with your dog food? Our dogs loved this food, we always buy it and we bought a new bag in beginning of July from Tractor Supply and our dogs are super sick with extreme diarrhea! Has there been a recall?
We just had the same issue with a brand new bag purchased 6/10/2018
Experiencing the same thing with the Taste of the wild wetlands recipe. Our dogs of been eating this for years and have been very sick after eatin from the new bag we just purchased a few days ago from Pet Club in Rancho Cordova.
After feeding this for years, this summer (2018) my dogs refused it. To me it smelled differently. I added bits of cooked chicken to enhance flavor. All three dogs became lethargic and one dog died suddenly! At first I hadn’t suspected the food. After my vet recommended changing the food the two remaining dogs are doing remarkably better. This dogfood needs to be evaluated.
They are being sued for arsenic in the food. Only found out today, but just had a dog die from what in retrospect was long term gradual arsenic poisoning.