Black Gold Dog Food Review 2025: Best Premium Pet Food?

Black Gold is not one of the most well-known brands of premium pet food on the market, but it is definitely one worthy of notice. This company follows a simple, scientific approach to pet nutrition that starts with high-quality ingredients that nourish the bodies of pets from the inside out.

Black Gold products are always 100% complete and balanced, designed for optimal nutrition as well as optimal performance, especially in active and working dogs.

This brand ensures that all of their products are highly digestible and all-natural, plus they offer many recipes that are gluten-free and grain-free.

Black Gold dog food is not only great for your dog’s health – it is also full of natural flavor that he won’t be able to get enough of. This brand is also available at a surprisingly affordable price!

Read on for our full, comprehensive Black Gold Dog Food Reviews below.

Details on Manufacturing

The Black Gold Dog Food Company was Black Gold Dog Food Company was founded in 1995 by a pair of brothers – Don and John Allen – who have dedicated their lives to promoting the health and wellness of animals.

On Christmas Eve of 1995, these two brothers began formulating their own line of premium pet food products and they named it after one of their father’s favorite Foxhound Champions. The company was sold to ProPet, LLC in 2015 after being a family-owned and -operated company for nearly 20 years.

This change has led to an increase in distribution for Black Gold products as well as improvements in manufacturing safety and quality. ProPet, LLC is headquartered in St. Marys, Ohio with production locations in Ohio, Kansas, and Minnesota.

 

Black Gold Dog Food Review

The Black Gold brand markets itself as an affordable line of premium pet food products. While their recipes all have good-sounding names like “Performance Blend” or “High Energy Blend,” a quick review of several products reveals the use of sub-par ingredients.

Black Gold does use quality proteins like chicken meal and lamb meal, but they also use low-quality carbohydrates like corn meal. This brand makes heavy use of grains in general, many of which contain gluten which could be a problem for some dogs.

The quality and nutritional value of Black Gold products varies significantly, so be sure to do your research before choosing a product for your dog.

1. Explorer Chicken Meal & Brown Rice

This recipe is designed for dogs at all life stages, including puppies, adults, and pregnant or lactating females. It’s a grain-free, protein-rich formula, featuring chicken meal as the primary protein source, which offers 300% more protein than fresh chicken due to reduced moisture.

It also includes beneficial grains like sorghum, brown rice, and barley, providing essential nutrients, carbs, and fats. Contrary to popular belief, grains are beneficial for most dogs unless they have allergies.

There’s a bit of misinformation that some dog sites are putting forward, and that is that grain-free food is superior. That can’t be further from the truth.

The formula supports digestion with prebiotics and probiotics, while omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids promote healthy skin and coat. It includes DHA for brain development and a balanced calcium/phosphorus ratio for bone and joint health.

Fiber is provided by ingredients like flaxseed meal and chicory root, along with natural vitamins from fruits and vegetables.

Overall, this is a balanced, nutrient-rich dog food offering high-quality ingredients for comprehensive canine health.

If you like this, Black Gold has these other healthy recipes for adult dogs that also utilize grains:

• Explorer Fish Meal & Oat
• Explorer Beef Meal & Barley

2. Explorer Original Performance 26/18

Dogs with high energy levels need high protein food that is able to keep up with all of their activities. High protein food can also help with dogs who need to lose a little weight. This performance formula is named for its protein and fat content (26% and 18% respectively) that keeps stamina and endurance levels high.

This dog food recipe primarily features beef meal as its main ingredient, which provides more concentrated protein than fresh beef due to the removal of moisture.

While it contains a variety of grains such as corn meal, ground wheat, brown rice, and malted barley, these grains provide valuable nutrients like protein, carbohydrates, fatty acids, and vitamins. Contrary to misconceptions, grains are beneficial for most dogs unless they have specific sensitivities.

In addition to beef meal, the recipe includes chicken fat for concentrated energy and taste, as well as chicken by-product meal, which provides additional protein from less premium parts of the chicken.

It also contains prebiotics and supplements to support digestion and overall health, plus glucosamine and chondroitin for bone and joint support, particularly benefiting active dogs.

Overall, this formula is nutritious, energy-dense, and affordable, though it loses some points due to the use of by-product ingredients. However, it remains a highly functional and palatable choice for dogs.

3. Explorer Puppy Formula

Growing puppies need foods that are especially crafted with their developing bodies in mind. The Black Gold Explorer Puppy targets the specific areas that little ones need the most support in because growing up is hard work.

This puppy food formula is protein-rich, with chicken meal as the main ingredient, supported by protein boosters like dried eggs, fish meal, and tomato pomace, contributing to a high protein content of 30%, essential for puppies' fast growth.

The recipe also includes multiple grains such as brown rice, brewers rice, oatmeal, and brewers dried yeast to provide the carbohydrates puppies need for energy.

Each grain offers different benefits: oatmeal supports digestion, brown rice provides fiber and vitamins, and brewers yeast aids muscle development and coat health.

While the formula includes nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables like carrots, spinach, cranberries, and blueberries, the inclusion of brewers rice, a less nutritious filler, is a drawback.

Although brewers rice provides energy, it lacks significant nutritional value and occupies a prominent place in the ingredient list. Overall, the formula delivers strong protein and nutrient support, but could be improved by reducing the use of fillers.

4. Explorer Mature 7+ Formula

Aging canine bodies need particular care to keep them healthy for many more years. The Black Gold Explorer Mature formula aids senior dogs in maintaining healthy joints, mobility, and strong cognitive functions in their twilight years.

This senior dog food recipe features chicken meal as the main ingredient, which is a more concentrated protein source than fresh chicken, essential for aging dogs.

The formula also includes beef meal, fish meal, and dried eggs, resulting in a high protein content of 27%, which supports muscle maintenance and provides a flavorful meal.

Chicken fat enhances palatability and adds energy, while carbohydrates from brown rice, brewers rice, barley, oatmeal, and sweet potatoes provide additional energy.

Key ingredients like dried beet pulp, flaxseed, brewers dried yeast, and chicory root contribute important fiber, amino acids, and Omega fatty acids, aiding digestion, boosting the immune system, and supporting bone health. While brewers rice is considered a filler ingredient, it isn't harmful but takes up more volume than ideal.

Overall, the recipe provides essential nutrients for senior dogs at an affordable price, making it a highly recommended option for aging pets.

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Made in the USA?

Black Gold began as a family-owned and -operated company in the winter of 1995. As a small company, however, Black Gold struggled with distribution until they were bought out by ProPet, LLC in 2015.

ProPet, LLC has their corporate offices in Ohio with additional production facilities in Kansas City, KS and Owatonna, MN. All of Black Gold’s products are made in these U.S.-based facilities.

 

Ingredient Sourcing

The Black Gold Dog Food Company markets itself as a brand of premium dog food that outperforms the competition. In order to achieve this goal, Black Gold uses only the best ingredients available.

Though the Black Gold website doesn’t provide specific information about where they get their ingredients, the ProPet, LLC website states that the company’s manufacturing sites are located in “the heart of the farming community where raw materials are produced”.

Black Gold makes an effort to develop relationships with local producers to ensure that their products are made with fresh, high-quality ingredients from natural sources.

Food Recall History

The Black Gold brand of pet food is currently produced by ProPet, LLC. The ProPet website provides some detailed information regarding the production and manufacture of their products in terms of the quality of their ingredients and the kinds of safety checks they employ.

Their facilities are regularly inspected by APHIS, the FDA, ASI Food Safety Consultants, and state departments of agriculture. Because Black Gold pays so much attention to ensuring the safety and quality of their products, it should come as no surprise that the brand has yet to be affected by a major recall.

The ProPet Company has one recall in their history, but it did not affect the Black Gold brand.

Price Comparison

The Black Gold brand of dog food is surprisingly affordable for a premium pet food brand. The price for a 40-pound bag of Black Gold dry dog food ranges from about $30 to $65, depending on the recipe. Black Gold does not offer any wet food products but they do offer dog treats which sell for $8 to $12 for a 25-ounce bag.

Product List

The Black Gold dog food company only offers dry dog food products and a limited assortment of treats – they do not offer any canned food product. Black Gold dog foods are marketed as being “premium quality”, though an analysis of several products reveals the use of corn and wheat ingredients.

This brand does offer some gluten-free and grain-free options, however, and the brand is one of the more affordable options in so-called “premium” pet food.

Dry Products

Black Gold offers three different product lines for dry dog food — Performance, Life Stages, and Grain-Free. The Grain-Free range incorporates alternatives to grains, such as potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Life Stages are the different recipes crafted for specific dog age groups, such as puppies, adults, and seniors. The Performance Line is dedicated to the strict dietary requirements of working dogs (or physically active ones).

Here is a list of the dry foods Black Gold offers:

Black Gold Grain-Free Blends:

• Game Bird with Turkey & Quail
• Ocean Catch with Salmon & Whitefish
• Timber Ridge with Beef & Venison

Black Gold Life Stage Blends:

• Adult Beef Meal & Barley
• Adult Chicken Meal & Brown Rice
• Adult Ocean Fish Meal & Oat
• Puppy Formula
• Mature 7+ Formula

Black Gold Performance Blends:

• Original Performance 26/18
• Super Performance 32/21 Formula

Treats

In addition to offering an assortment of dry dog food recipes, Black Gold also offers two types of dog treats. Black Gold Jerky Strips are made with real beef and natural pepperoni flavor. Black Gold Bak’n Strips are made with bacon and cheese flavors.

Verdict

Black Gold dog food offers a range of nutrient-dense recipes designed to meet the needs of various life stages and activity levels in dogs. The brand uses quality protein sources, such as chicken meal, beef meal, and fish meal, ensuring dogs receive sufficient protein for muscle development and maintenance.

Their recipes also include beneficial grains, fruits, vegetables, and added supplements to support overall health, including digestion, skin, coat, and joint health.

However, some of their formulas include ingredients like brewers rice and by-products, which are considered lower quality or filler ingredients by some.

While these ingredients are not harmful, they may not be as nutrient-dense as other options. Despite this, Black Gold provides a well-balanced, affordable option with a focus on key nutrients, making it a viable choice for many dog owners.