Appalachian Valley Small Breed Canine Formula with Venison & Garbanzo Beans

• Brand: Taste of the Wild
• Recipe: Appalachian Valley Small Breed Canine Formula with Venison & Garbanzo Beans
• Food Type: Dry
• Life Stage: Maintenance
• Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Formula Overview:

This Appalachian Valley Small Breed Canine Formula with Venison & Garbanzo Beans is specifically designed to meet the unique energy needs of small-breed dogs weighing less than 40 pounds at maturity.

This recipe features highly digestible proteins like venison, lamb, and duck as well as gluten-free and grain-free carbohydrates. Supplemented with both prebiotic fiber and probiotics, this formula supports your dog’s healthy and regular digestion while also providing the concentrated energy smaller dogs need.

It also comes in a smaller kibble size to make the food easy on your dog’s teeth and tummy. Overall, this formula is rich in healthy proteins and full of natural flavor.

Top 5 Ingredients: Venison, Lamb Meal, Garbanzo Beans, Peas, Lentils

Ingredient Breakdown:

The first two ingredients in this Appalachian Valley Small Breed Canine Formula with Venison & Garbanzo Beans recipe are venison and lamb meal – two high quality sources of digestible protein.

Venison, as a game meat, is naturally lean while lamb meal is a highly concentrated source of protein, being that it has already been cooked to remove moisture. This recipe contains several supplementary sources of protein such as egg, duck, and ocean fish meal – it also contains pea protein.

Pea protein is a plant-based protein which offers lower bio-availability than animal proteins. It is somewhat troublesome to see this ingredient included because it is one that lower quality pet food companies often use to increase the protein content of their products without adding more meat.

In terms of carbohydrates, this recipe is completely gluten-free and grain-free. The main carbohydrate sources used are garbanzo beans, peas, and lentils. These ingredients are considered highly digestible for dogs and they are loaded with dietary fiber to support your dog’s healthy and regular digestion.

There are also some supplementary sources of fiber such as pea flour and tomato pomace. While some consider tomato pomace a questionable ingredient, there is no evidence to suggest that it is a harmful ingredient.

Dried chicory root, another supplementary source of fiber, contains inulin which also acts as a prebiotic to support the growth of beneficial bacteria in your dog’s digestive tract.

The remaining ingredients in this Appalachian Valley Small Breed Canine Formula with Venison & Garbanzo Beans recipe consist of fats, extracts, and supplements. Canola oil is the main source of fat used in this recipe and it is supplemented by the natural fats found in the ocean fish meal and other proteins.

It would be better to see an animal source as the primary fat, though canola oil is not harmful for dogs. This recipe does include some fresh fruits and vegetables (tomatoes, blueberries, and raspberries) which provide natural sources for some nutrients but there are also a lot of synthetic supplements included.

It is good to see, however, that many of the mineral supplements are chelated – this makes them easier for your dog’s body to digest and absorb.

Guaranteed Analysis: Taste of the Wild Appalachian Valley Small Breed Canine Formula is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for maintenance.

• Crude Protein (Min) – 32%
• Crude Fat (Min) – 18%
• Crude Fiber (Max) – 4%
• Moisture (Max) – 10%
• Zinc (Min) – 150mg/kg
• Selenium (Min) – 0.35 mg/kg
• Vitamin E (Min) – 150 IU/kg
• Omega-6 Fatty Acids (Min) – 2.8%
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Min) – 0.3%
• Calorie Content – 3,719 kcal/kg (370 kcal/cup)

How Much Does Appalachian Valley Cost?

This Taste of the Wild Appalachian Valley Small Breed Canine Formula with Venison & Garbanzo Beans recipe comes in 5-pound, 14-pound, and 28-pound bags. The average price per pound for this recipe ranges from about $1.78 to $2.50, depending on the retailer.

• $ – $0.01 to $0.50 per pound
• $$ – $0.51 to $1 per pound
• $$$ – $1.01 to $2 per pound
• $$$$ – $2.01 to $3 per pound
• $$$$$ – $3.01+ per pound

Is Taste of the Wild dog food good for dogs?

Average Rating: 4.0. Overall Taste of the Wild is a good dog food. It is full of quality ingredients and receives good reviews from the majority of dog parents that feed this brand. If your dog can eat a grain-free diet, this would be an excellent brand to try.

Which taste of the wild flavor is best?

The brand's best seller is The High Prairie Formula followed by Wetlands Formula.

What dog food is better than taste of the wild?

Pure Balance offers comparable dry dog food recipes at an average cost of $1.54 per pound. On average, Pure Balance dry dog food is 19.24% cheaper than Taste of the Wild. Considering all dry dog foods manufactured by Pure Balance, we've computed an average of 2.14 controversial ingredients and zero harmful ingredients.

How does Taste of the Wild dog food rate?

The Dog Food Advisor finds Taste of the Wild to be an above-average grain-free dry dog food. The recipe includes a moderate amount of named meat meals as its primary source of animal protein thus earning the brand 4.5 stars.