Adirondack Dog Food Review: Natural Nutrition for Adventure-Ready Dogs!

Adirondack is a pet food brand that focuses on slow cooking to preserve the flavor in nutrients in all the food they serve.

The company specializes in limited ingredient foods that minimize the likelihood of allergies in your pets and maximize the number of vitamins and minerals they get in each bite.

They base all their food lines on research from leading pet nutritionists at Kansas State University, and they compare their food to slow cooking in your own home. When you cook food in a slow cooker, it’s easier to lock in all the flavor.

Based on their tests, they can claim that even the pickiest of dogs will enjoy Adirondack dog food.

In this article, Adirondack Dog Food Review, we’re putting them to our test to see if their food lives up to the big claims.

Brand Quick Look

• Parent Company: Adirondack Pet Food
• Founded in: Approx. 1980
• Made in: Ohio, New York, and Wisconsin
• Available at: Chewy and Amazon
• Types of Food: Dry
• Real Meat in First 5 Ingredients? : Yes
• Recalled in Past? : No

Behind the Brand

The story of Adirondack pet food started forty years ago with the Golladay family. They made their food in a feed mill in Rogers, Ohio. It wasn’t soon after that they outgrew that facility and had to move their processing to Lisbon Ohio.

Every day from then Jim Golladay spent his time perfecting their formula and trying to find ways to increase the number of nutrients while preserving the flavor that dogs love. He realized that slow cooking the food creates a higher starch conversion which leads to increased stamina and energy in dogs.

The food works like how eating carbs in the morning is recommended for humans because it helps gives you the energy you need to start the day and keep going as time wears on.

The company is proud to say they are still operating as a family run business with Jim's three children.

 

Adirondack Dog Food Review

1. Chicken Meal and Brown Rice Recipe

• Overall: 4 out of 5
• Ingredients: 4 out of 5
• Flavor: 4 out of 5
• Packaging: 4 out of 5
• Price: 4 out of 5

This food is intended for dogs of all stages of life. The all-natural and balanced food contains vitamins and essential minerals your pupper needs for their digestion, skin, and coat.

The main thing that separates this food from the previous one is the protein and fat content in the formula. This one is more intended for an active dog who requires a lot of energy throughout the day. Foods like these are useful for hunting or performing pups who may go long periods without eating again.

If your dog is primarily an inside dog and doesn’t have a lot of activity, the high-fat content in this food may cause them to gain weight.

We do not see anything wrong with the list of ingredients here, but we do want to mention that this food is also not grain-free. Overall, the food contains a list of healthy ingredients that provide optimal nutrition for your pup.

As we mentioned previously, this food is intended as a high protein, high fat diet for dogs who are active and do not eat a lot of small meals throughout the day.

2. Limited Ingredient Turkey & Lentils Recipe

• Overall:  4 out of 5
• Ingredients:  3.5 out of 5
• Flavor:  4.5 out of 5
• Packaging: 4 out of 5
• Price:  4 out of 5

Handcrafted for dogs of all breeds, size, and for puppies to senior dogs, this dog food recipe offers wholesome nutrition without the use of fillers or artificial flavors.

The food is cooked at a low temperature to ensure that most of the nutrients remain intact instead of being cooked away. Plus, this slow-cooking process also helps enhance the flavor.

There are only 7 customer reviews for this dog food but all rated this product 5-stars with a 100% recommended feedback. 

Reviews note how picky their dogs usually are, but something about this recipe had them scarfing down on the food. Another thing they liked about this is that the food smells good, which was an improvement over other formulas.

The food leads with fresh turkey, while turkey meal adds more protein support. If your pup is food-sensitive, this might be a good recipe for you to consider since it only uses a single animal protein source.

And if your doggo is grain sensitive too, well, there’s none of that here. Instead the formulation uses lentils, peas, and fava beans as carbohydrate sources.

Looking at the guaranteed levels of protein, you can see that it’s above the standard content in dog food. The fat and fiber are both at the higher end of average, although still not considered too high.

3. Limited Ingredient Pork & Lentils Weight Management Recipe

• Overall:  3.87 out of 5
• Ingredients:  3.5 out of 5
• Flavor: 4 out of 5
• Packaging:  4 out of 5
• Price: 4 out of 5

Crafted specifically for helping dogs watch their waistline, this recipe fuels everyday canine adventures without packing on the calories. The recipe promotes the use of pork, with legumes as the carb source instead of grains. 

This meal only has 7 reviews on Chewy but plenty on other sites. It has a 5-star review on the former, and a 4.6 stars out of 5 in many other websites, including Amazon, where Adirondack has been offered for a long time. 

One of the common positive comments about this food is about its wholesome formulation that steers away from artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors. There are no ingredients that cause an instant red flag. 

Dogs seem to like the food a lot, and their human owners find the smell good too and not as displeasing as other kibbles.

There have been no digestive or skin issues detected in those that have switched to this diet. In fact, some did report that their pets’ itching stopped after switching to this formulation.

As for the negative feedback, there’s just one two-star review and no one-star. The complaint was more on how the kibbles were shipped  improperly (not by Chewy) and arrived with a fourth of the bag as crumbs.

If you’re looking for red flags, there are none. The recipe uses a single animal as the protein source. It doesn’t have corn or soy or anything that is considered a common allergen in sensitive canines.

This recipe uses a different take on weight management where the fat is low, but the protein is high. The calories are lower than is usual for an Adirondack product, but not as low as is common in other weight management formulations.

This is actually a good thing for canines who only need to maintain their weight and not lose too many pounds. 

4. Lamb & Brown Rice Recipe

• Overall:  4.25 out of 5
• Ingredients:  4.5 out of 5
• Flavor:  4.5 out of 5
• Packaging:  4 out of 5
• Price:  4 out of 5

Made with all-natural ingredients and slow-cooked to preserve the maximum amount of nutrients, this recipe offers all the wholesome goodness of grains to keep your dog’s body fueled for any adventure. 

There are omega fatty acids to promote lustrous hair and healthy skin as well as added probiotics to help support the maximum absorption of nutrients in your pet’s body. The recipe is designed for adult dogs of all breed sizes.

While there are only 6 ratings on Chewy, it has plenty of reviews from other sites. On Amazon, it has garnered 4.4 stars out of 5. There are no negative reviews, which says a lot about this recipe.

The feedback is mostly centered on the ingredients in the dog food that most reviewers labelled as excellent. There is no question about the grains used, which are all quite healthy and high-quality. The protein content was also praised because 24% is considered a good level.

The only thing some dog owners considered negatively (although they still rated the food 4 or 5 stars), is the number of animal protein sources. They wished the food got its protein from just one source. But they still think that it’s a good formula overall. 

There are three animal protein sources here. Lamb meal, chicken meal, and catfish meal. That’s a really good thing if your pooch is not food-sensitive. It’s meaty so your dog will most likely find it delicious. The grains are also nicely healthy and not the kinds that are mostly used as fillers. 

5. Herring, Turkey Meal & Lentils Recipe

• Overall: 4 out of 5
• Ingredients:  3.5 out of 5
• Flavor:  4.5 out of 5
• Packaging:  4 out of 5
• Price:  4 out of 5

This premium recipe is specially designed for small breeds. Small breeds tend to burn through their energy stores faster than larger dogs because of their higher metabolic rate so they need food that will give them plenty of the calories and macronutrients they require.

Crafted for maximum nutrient retention, this recipe is also a wholesome one that has zero fillers or artificial ingredients. What it does have are plenty of vitamins, minerals, probiotic blends, and omega fatty acids.

Although it only has 3 reviews on Chewy, this formulation boasts of a 4.6 stars out of 5 from Amazon.

Many of the customer feedbacks commend the ingredients found in this recipe because there are no unnecessary products listed and all the selected ingredients are functional.

One customer even added that her pet’s waste does not smell much now that the dog is on this diet, which is a happy side-effect for her.

The only bad review is that when the item was shipped, much of the kibbles have been ground down to crumbs.

While the food is said to be turkey meal flavored, it also contains a fresh ingredient in the form of deboned herring. The occurrence of food sensitivity in dogs is low when it comes to fish protein so this is a good thing.

The only thing that has us worrying a little is the inclusion of three kinds of legumes in the food — and they’re all in the first 5. 

6. Limited Ingredient Whitefish & Peas Recipe

• Overall: 3.87 out of 5
• Ingredients:  3.5 out of 5
• Flavor: 4 out of 5
• Packaging: 4 out of 5
• Price:  4 out of 5

This limited ingredient diet keeps it simpler by sticking to one single animal protein source. It’s nutritionally complete for all dogs, from puppies to seniors, and for small breeds to large ones. It’s a great and tasty solution for pets with allergies or food sensitivities.

The common comment about this recipe is that its ingredients all seem to be high-quality. One called it “one of the better homegrown dog foods out there,” while many more like it because their dogs all gobble the food up.

This is also a good option, according to another buyer, for dogs who have digestion/stomach problems because it has resolved the issue for her pooch.

On the other hand, the recipe has also garnered some not-so positive ratings. These are based on the recipe having too many legumes in it.

Too many legumes in a dog’s diet is not advisable for daily feeding especially since legumes, when used as main ingredients in dog food, have been associated with canine heart disease. 

While the first two ingredients are commendable for being meat-based, the succeeding three are all legumes.

Sensitive dogs may very well thrive on a grain-free diet, but it is still not recommended to give dogs a daily meal with lots of legumes in them, particularly after the FDA is investigating a possible link between too much legumes and the risk of DCM in dogs. 

Dog Treats

1. Freeze-Dried Pure Whitefish 

• Overall:  4.5 out of 5
• Ingredients:  5 out of 5
• Flavor:  5 out of 5
• Packaging: 4  out of 5
• Price:  4 out of 5

Designed to give a pure and clean snack for all dogs, even sensitive ones, these treats use only a single ingredient — whitefish.

The grain-free and single-ingredient snacks are freeze-dried to preserve them longer and also to maximize the nutrients that your dog will receive.

Almost all of the reviewers found these worth the purchase, as these make great training snacks, especially for doggos who love fish. 

These are reported to smell strongly of fish, but not in a way that’s repulsive. Dogs think these little snacks are interesting and will promptly follow commands just to get their paws on one.

A negative review focused on how one bag was full of dust and flakes instead of solid little pieces for training. Only a few pieces were reportedly whole, while the rest of the bag was said to be crumbs.

It would be hard to find anything wrong with this recipe as there is only one ingredient in it. It doesn’t need any preservatives because of the freeze-drying process it underwent to retain the nutrients in the food. 

Extremely high protein levels are due to the single ingredient make of these snacks. The fat is comparatively very low, while the fiber content is standard.

There is only 2 kcal per treat, so even if your canine is on a weight management diet, these goodies should still be okay to feed on a daily basis. 

2. Freeze-Dried Pure Beef Liver

These single-ingredient, grain-free treats are made with 100% real beef liver, allowing you to reward your dog with wholesome, protein-packed nutrition free of artificial flavors or fillers.

Beef liver is a nutrient-dense organ meat that supplies essential vitamins and minerals, including iron, zinc, and B vitamins, which contribute to your dog's overall health and well-being. It also offers high-quality protein, aiding in the maintenance of strong muscles and a healthy coat.

The sole negative review mentioned that her dog refused to eat it, while the others had no issues.

Because these easy-to-digest snacks contain no corn, wheat, or soy, they are perfect for dogs with allergies or food sensitivities. Additionally, each tasty, bite-sized morsel is freeze-dried to preserve the raw flavor your dog loves.

Overall, the simplicity of the ingredients list, with beef liver as the only component, makes it easy to identify which ingredient contributes to the guaranteed analysis values.

 

What Types of Dog Food Do They Offer?

Adirondack  offers premium slow-cooked dog food that gives your pup delicious flavor, proper nutrition, and high digestibility. This food provides your dog the energy they need to keep going all day without requiring frequent feedings.

They also supply omega three fatty acids and flaxseed for healthy skin and coat. They round everything out with a unique blend of probiotics explicitly created for dogs to help with their immune system and gut health.

The company offers a few different lines of dog food including:

• Grain-Inclusive
• Grain-Free
• Limited Ingredient
• Puppy Food
• Weight Management
• All Stages

If your dog is not highly active, you should check with your veterinarian before switching them to a high-protein diet.

The brand also manufactures several treats for dogs. They have two ranges of dog treats: one called Pure for freeze-dried treats that use a single ingredient only, and another regular line that combines different ingredients. 

Recall History

Based on our research, there are no current or previous recalls from the Adirondack pet food company.

Customer Reviews

The best way to determine whether a dog food is the right choice for you is to read reviews from real customers who have tried it. The last thing you want to do is waste your money on dog food that your pup won’t like.

Many of the positive reviews of this brand say that the food helped regulate their pups weight and that they enjoyed the flavor. Some of the negative reviews are due to a weird smell coming from the bag when it opened, and that the food gave their dog bad gas.

Below are some 100% honest reviews from actual customers who already purchased and tried Adirondack dog food.

Positive

Great Food

• I use this food as a supplemental food on top of my dogs “base food” to help him put on some weight without breaking the bank. His base food is pretty high calorie already and a good quality food, but this is even higher calorie and also a nice quality. He liked the taste; which was great since he is such a picky eater. I'm certainly a fan! – Chewy Customer

Great for putting on Weight

• This food was great at helping to put weight on my rescue puppy. My pup was underweight from being emaciated so I was looking for a high-calorie content food so I could still feed a low volume. This food completely fit the bill. My pup gained ~10lbs in almost three weeks and finally looks like a healthy pup again. – Chewy Customer

Good Quality

• My only beef so far is how small the kibble pieces are. Hopefully, our lab will still chew them. They're a bit more expensive than what we had been buying, but because we have to feed her so much less it will last much longer! – Chewy Customer

Negative

What’s that smell?

• My young, energetic pup will eat ANYTHING, but she won't even sample this food. There is an off-putting chemical smell as soon as the bag is opened that had me reeling. And I think I was snookered by a previous review comparing this food to another I'd never heard of, Blackwoods. It turns out they are made by the same company. – Chewy Customer

Gas-filled doggo

• My dog has made noises I've never heard before (and smells) after changing to this food. Going up and down stairs now is a musical event. It might just be a blend that doesn't mix with her, but something to consider if your doggo has a sensitive stomach. – Chewy Customer

Specific Food For a Specific Dog

We recommend Adirondack to pet owners who are looking to change or supplement their dog's health with something different. It appears that most people who use this food use it in addition to their regular regimen to help them lose or gain weight depending on what brand you choose.

Adirondack does a great job of catering to your pup’s specific needs and desires, and they also provide a delicious and nutritious dog food along the way.