Cesar Dog Food Reviews June 2023: Tasty Meals For Your Little Buddy

Cesar is a brand of dog food made specifically for the nutritional needs of small dogs. Best known for their wet dog foods with the picture of a little West Highland White Terrier, Cesar is one the Mars Inc’s pet food brands along with Pedigree, Nutro, and Royal Canin among others.

To help you find the right food for your pint-sized pup, we have created this 2023 Cesar dog food reviews of their top-rated products at Chewy.com.

The Cesar dog food brand is easy to identify as the brand that features a picture of a West Highland White Terrier on all of their pet food products.

This brand states that it is their mission to, “provide food that your furry best friend will love, made with the nutrition and quality every dog deserves”. Cesar states that their brand is designed to offer a wide variety of options for pet owners to choose from, all at an affordable price point.

When you pick up a tray of wet food you’ll see the happy Westie featured front and center along with a picture of tasty ingredients cooked up in a pate or blend.

Before you decide to offer your dog this brand, however, you would do well to read some Cesar reviews to determine whether this brand is a good fit for your dog – you can’t always believe what you read on a pet food package or even on the company’s website.

One of the reasons Cesar dog food is so popular among pet owners is that it is inexpensive and easy to find. You can typically buy this brand of pet food in grocery stores, big box stores, and pet stores – their products are also available online from many pet food retailers. It is also easy to find Cesar coupons on the brand website as well as from independent and online retailers.

Cesar Dog Food Reviews

While many of Cesar’s recipes start with real meat as the first ingredient, they are closely followed by by-products as well as corn and wheat ingredients.

Many of this brand’s recipes are high in carbohydrates and they make heavy use of unnamed ingredients – things like meat meal rather than chicken meal.

The guaranteed analysis for many products puts the protein and fat content within the appropriate range, but the quality of the ingredients used to determine those values is important.

Though best-known for wet dog food, Cesar also offers dry dog food and treats. They have 3 dry food variants, 8 dog treats, and a host of wet food options for your tiny pooch.

Here are the best choices for us that you may want to consider:

1. Cesar Rotisserie Chicken Flavor & Spring Vegetables
2. Cesar Filet Mignon Flavor & Spring Vegetables
3. Cesar Classic Loaf in Sauce Variety Pack
4. Cesar Simply Crafted Variety Pack
5. Cesar Home Delights & Classic Loaf In Sauce Variety Pack
6. Cesar Puppy Classic Loaf In Sauce Chicken & Beef Recipe
7. Cesar Softies Grilled Chicken Flavor Dog Treats

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1. Cesar Rotisserie Chicken Flavor & Spring Vegetables

The Rotisserie Chicken Flavor & Spring Vegetables is described as a succulent dinner fit for a best friend. The Cesar website states that it is full of slow-roasted chicken flavor with the nutritional benefits of spring vegetables.

It is nutritionally complete for dogs in all life stages with the exception of large breed puppies – it is, however, complete for small-breed dogs.

The package for this recipe features a picture of the brand’s Westie as well as a picture of chicken pieces with fresh green peas and carrots – this image may lead pet owners to assume that these are the main ingredients in the product which may not be entirely true.

The first ingredient in this formula is fresh chicken then it is followed by chicken by-product meal and ground yellow corn.

Fresh chicken as a first ingredient is definitely a good thing, but you have to wonder how much it actually contributes to the total protein content of the recipe when other low-quality protein sources like chicken by-product meal, meat & bone meal, and corn gluten meal are all featured within the top 10 ingredients.

Pros: 

Quality meat. Made with real chicken as the first ingredient for protein-rich nutrition and great taste.

Dental health. Contains a blend of crunchy pieces, including an “H” shape that helps keep teeth and gums healthy.

Special formula. Gourmet recipe is specially crafted with 26 nutrients that are beneficial to small dogs.

Convenience. The re-sealable zipper helps keep the food fresh until it runs out

Cons: 

Allergens spotted. Ground yellow corn does contain some plant protein but it, along with the ground wheat, is primarily used as a carbohydrate ingredient. Unfortunately, these ingredients are two of the most common dog food allergies and many dogs find them difficult to digest.

Artificial contents. It is also worth noting that this product includes generic animal fat, several artificial colors, and an assortment of synthetic supplements, none of which are chelated to improve uptake.

Not grain free. This recipe loses points for the use of corn, wheat, and soy products as well as artificial colors. Other questionable ingredients include sugar, dried beat pulp, and brewers rice.

Conclusion

Overall, this is not the worst product on the shelf, but you can definitely do better. This formula starts off strong with fresh chicken as the first ingredient but with multiple plant proteins and unnamed meats following close behind, it is hard to tell how much this ingredient actually contributes to the total protein content of the formula.

This is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Nutrient Profiles for all life stages except for growth of large size dogs (70 pounds or more as an adult).

2. Cesar Filet Mignon Flavor & Spring Vegetables

The Cesar Filet Mignon Flavor & Spring Vegetables Garnish is a dry dog food that provides complete and balanced nutrition specially formulated for your small dog. Made with real beef, this dry dog food has the protein your dog needs to help her build strong and lean muscles.

This dry food has 26 nutrients to help support the overall health of small dogs of all life stages. This filet mignon and spring veggies recipe features a mix of tender, meaty pieces and crunchy kibbles. It also has H-shaped kibbles to help keep teeth and gums healthy

The first five ingredients of this recipe are beef, chicken-byproduct meal, ground yellow corn, ground wheat, and brewer's rice.

Pros

Gentle on sensitive tummies. This dry dog food from Cesar has been great for dogs with sensitive stomachs. Little dogs who were previously vomiting their old food have been able to keep this food down without upsetting their tummies.

Little pups love it! Small pooches enjoy the tasty mix of meaty and crunchy pieces of the Cesar Filet Mignon Flavor & Spring Vegetables Garnish. The rich beefy flavor is enhanced with chicken by-product meal as well as filet mignon smoky natural flavor. Even picky dogs love this dry dog food.

Cons

Unnamed animal ingredients. While real beef is the most abundant ingredient, this dry dog food does have animal fat. This unnamed animal ingredient is considered inferior in quality. It could potentially be unsuitable for dogs with allergies to certain animal protein sources.

Conclusion

It offers a tasty meal for your small dogs that is also nutritionally complete and balanced. It has 26 nutrients specifically included for the needs of small dogs. Many dogs with sensitive stomachs enjoy this dry food without vomiting or upsetting their little tummies

However, this product does include chicken by-product meals and animal fat, which is an unnamed animal ingredient. It also has artificial colors and preservatives. While it has real beef as the first ingredient, it may not be the one for your pup if you are looking for food that is all natural.

3. Cesar Classic Loaf in Sauce Beef Recipe, Filet Mignon, Grilled Chicken, & Porterhouse Steak Flavors

Cesar Classic Loaf in Sauce Beef Recipe, Filet Mignon, Grilled Chicken, & Porterhouse Steak Flavors Variety Pack is a great way for your dog to try 4 flavors of Cesar’s popular Classic Loaf in Sauce recipes. This pack has six 3.5 oz trays of each flavor. It includes Beef Recipe, Grilled Chicken Flavor, Filet Mignon Flavor, and Porterhouse Steak Flavor.

Each of these recipes has beef or chicken as the first ingredient. The highly-palatable wet food are served in a meaty loaf in rich and tasty sauce. The flavors of each recipe are made even richer with chicken liver, heart and broth, as well as beef lung.

Every single-serve tray of these Cesar Classic recipes provides complete and balanced nutrition for your little pup. They can be served as meals on their own, or as kibble toppers.

The first five ingredients for Beef Recipe, Filet, Mignon, and Porterhouse Steak flavors are beef, chicken liver, beef lung, chicken broth, and water.

The first five ingredients for Grilled Chicken Flavor are chicken, chicken liver, beef lung, chicken broth, and water.

Pros

Pups love it! Dogs just love all the recipes in this Cesar Classic Loaf in Sauce Variety Pack. A lot of them impatiently wait for their meals to be served. According to reviews, even large dogs enjoy the meaty loaves in sauce. These Cesar recipes have received numerous reviews from owners of picky pooches. According to them, these Cesar classic recipes are the only food their dogs like.

Convenient trays. Dog parents love the convenience of the single-serve trays of this Cesar Variety Pack. The peel-off lids are easy to open. No need to transfer to bowls. The trays make it perfect for traveling with your pooch. Simply peel the lid and serve.

Cons
By-products. All recipes in this Classic Loaf in Sauce Variety Pack contain pork by-products. Some consider these as lesser quality sources of protein. It is however, still better than unnamed sources. The recipes in this pack do not contain any unnamed animal ingredients. However, they do contain artificial enhancers such as colors, flavors, or preservatives.

Conclusion

Cesar Classic Loaf in Sauce Beef Recipe, Filet Mignon, Grilled Chicken, & Porterhouse Steak Flavors Variety Pack is a good option if you have a picky eater or if you want to add variety to your dog’s dinner options. The tasty recipes have passed the standards of numerous picky pooches. The extra flavorful meals are also served in convenient single-serve trays.

A few reviews stated that they do not like that the recipes all have by-products. In this pack’s case, all recipes contain pork by-products. They are typically considered lesser quality ingredients. They also contain artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.

4. Cesar Simply Crafted Variety Pack

Cesar Simply Crafted Variety Pack has 4 tubs each of Cesar’s limited ingredient food topper recipes Chicken, Carrots, Potatoes & Peas and Chicken, Sweet Potato, Apple, Barley & Spinach.

These recipes are perfect for little dogs with allergies or are sensitive to proteins other than chicken. The ingredient list is very clean and contains no fillers or artificial enhancers.

The versatile food toppers can also be served as a snack or treat on its own. The Simply Crafted recipes in this pack can help entice extra picky pups to eat their kibble or meal.

As it is only meant to be given as a meal complement, your dog should still be fed food that provides complete and balanced nutrition.

The complete list of ingredients of the Chicken, Carrots, Potatoes & Peas topper include chicken, carrots, potatoes, and peas.

The complete list of ingredients of the Chicken, Sweet Potato, Apples & Spinach topper includes chicken, sweet potatoes, apples, water, barley, and spinach.

Pros

High-quality ingredients. Dog owners love the high-quality ingredients that go into every tub of Cesar Simply Crafted food toppers. Made of visibly real chicken and nutritious vegetables, it is a tasty treat that adds nutrients and hydration to dry kibble or any other complete and balanced meal.

The clean list of ingredients for both Cesar Simply Crafted recipes make them ideal for dogs who are sensitive to proteins other than chicken.

Simply tasty. These Cesar Simply Crafted food topper recipes are enjoyed by numerous dogs. Real chicken and veggies pack more than enough natural flavor for pups to enjoy. They get especially excited for mealtimes when complemented with these Cesar chicken recipes.

Cons

Slightly expensive. According to some reviews, this pack of food toppers is a bit too costly, especially for the size of every tub. Some dog owners feel that the portion sizes are too small for its price.

Conclusion

Cesar Simply Crafted Variety Pack is a highly-recommended food topper or snack for your little dog. The ingredient list is very clean and has no fillers, or artificial enhancers such as colors, flavors, or preservatives. It has visibly real chicken and nutritious vegetables.

Dogs just love having these chicken toppers with their crunchy kibbles. However, some find it a bit too expensive for its portion sizes.

5. Cesar Home Delights & Classic Loaf in Sauce Variety Pack

Cesar Home Delights & Classic Loaf in Sauce Variety Pack is a treasure box of tasty meals for your little dog. It contains 36 trays of Cesar’s Home Delights and Classic Loaf in Sauce recipes.

This doggy gift box comes with 6 trays of each of the following flavors: Filet Mignon, Grilled Chicken, Porterhouse Steak, Beef Stew, Slow Cooked Chicken and Vegetables Dinner in Sauce, and Pot Roast with Spring Vegetables Dinner in Sauce.

Every tray from this box of Cesar goodies provides vitamins and minerals for complete and balanced nutrition. The tasty recipes have real beef or chicken as the first ingredient for high quality sources of protein.

The first five ingredients of Pot Roast with Spring Vegetables are beef, chicken liver, beef lung, chicken broth, and water.

Slow Cooked Chicken & Vegetables has chicken, chicken broth, water, chicken liver, and potatoes as its first five ingredients.

Beef Stew’s first five ingredients are beef, chicken broth, water, chicken, and potato.

Grilled Chicken has chicken, chicken liver, beef lung, chicken broth, and water as its first five ingredients.

The first five ingredients of both the Filet Mignon and Porterhouse Steak flavors are beef, chicken liver, beef lung, chicken broth, and water.

Pros
Good source of hydration. Every recipe in this Cesar Home Delights & Classic Loaf in Sauce Variety Pack provides additional hydration to your little pooch’s diet. You can serve it on its own for a fancy dinner just for your pup, or use it as a topper to add moisture to your dog’s dry kibbles

Makes giving medicines a breeze. Almost all pet owners have faced the challenge of giving oral medication to pets. Cesar’s extra tasty recipes make giving medicines to dogs so much easier. They just love the 6 recipes in this variety pack so much, they barely notice the meds that you tucked in it.

The dogs gobble up the meaty pieces and lap up the rich sauce along with the meds you secretly snuck in.

Cons

Unnamed animal ingredients. The Pot Roast with Spring Vegetables, Slow Cooked Chicken & Vegetables, and Beef Stew recipes all have animal plasma. Unnamed animal ingredients are considered by many as low quality ingredients. It could potentially make the food unsuitable for dogs who have allergies to certain animal ingredients.

Conclusion

The Cesar Home Delights & Classic Loaf in Sauce Variety Pack offers 6 tasty dinner options for your tiny pooch. You can give her a different kind almost every day of the week. Numerous dogs enjoy the beef or chicken flavors of these Cesar wet foods. It has helped a lot of pooches take their medicines too.

However, three of the recipes have animal plasma, while the other three has pork by-products. Both are considered ingredients of lesser quality.

6. Cesar Puppy Classic Loaf in Sauce Chicken & Beef Recipe

Cesar Puppy Classic Loaf in Sauce Chicken & Beef Recipe is developed to meet the nutritional needs of little puppies. Enriched with vitamins and minerals, this Cesar puppy food provides complete and balanced nutrition in every serving.

Made with real chicken and beef, every tray of this Classic Loaf in Sauce recipe gives your puppy a tasty and hydrating meal. The flavor is made even richer with the inclusion of nutritious chicken liver and chicken broth.

The first five ingredients of this recipe are chicken, chicken liver, beef lung, beef by-products, and chicken broth.

Pros

Perfect for picky puppies. This chicken and beef Loaf in Sauce food from Cesar is a hit among tiny puppies. Even picky ones seem to love the rich chicken and beef flavors of this recipe. It is a great way to encourage young puppies to eat more solid food.

Gentle on sensitive tummies. This Cesar recipe is quite gentle on the stomach. According to reviews, sensitive puppies are able to keep this food down without upsetting their tummies. No vomiting or belly aches for these pups.

Cons

Carrageenan. This wet puppy food contains an additive called carrageenan. Some experts claim that carrageenan may be a possible contributor to certain conditions in pets.

Conclusion

Cesar Puppy Classic Loaf in Sauce Chicken & Beef Recipe is loved by many picky puppies. If you are having trouble getting your small pup to eat solid food, this may the one for you. It has been quite gentle on sensitive puppy tummies, according to many reviews.

Puppies enjoy their meals without getting upset stomachs. However, this puppy food does contain additives such as carrageenan, as well as artificial enhancers.

Cesar Dog Treat Review

Cesar Softies Grilled Chicken Flavor Dog Treats

Cesar Softies Grilled Chicken Flavor Dog Treats is a tasty way to reward your little pup. The soft and chewy treats are flavored with grilled chicken. The bite-sized paw-shaped little treats can be used for training, learning a new trick, or just rewarding them for being cute.

It can also be crumbled over your dog’s meal, or given as a snack. The treats are packaged in a resealable bag that locks the flavor even after being opened. It also helps keep the treats soft and chewy.

The first five ingredients of these Cesar Softies are rice flour, wheat flour, sugar, glycerin, and propylene glycol.

Pros

Easy to chew. It is soft and chewy. Senior dogs love these tasty treats. Even those who no longer have all of their teeth can easily chew these Cesar treats.

Easy to break into smaller bites. These Grilled Chicken flavored treats can easily be broken into smaller pieces without crumbling. This is great for training pups with small rewards.

Cons

Ingredients. The ingredients of this dog treat are not exactly the most ideal in the market. It has no real chicken, has sugar, and contains artificial enhancers. If you are looking for a treat that is also highly nutritious, this may not be the one for you.

Conclusion

Cesar Softies Grilled Chicken Flavor Dog Treats is loved by many doggies. They love that it is tasty and quite easy to chew. However, this is indeed meant only as a treat, and not a source of nutrition. It contains no real chicken, has sugar as the third ingredients, contains unnamed animal fat and artificial enhancers.

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Manufacturer Information:

The Cesar dog food brand is produced and manufactured by Mars, Inc. Though primarily known as the maker of popular candy bars, Mars, Inc. is actually the sixth largest privately held company in the United States and a global manufacturer of pet food.

This company was founded in 1911 and they have acquired or developed dozens of brands over their 100-year history. Some of the other pet food brands produced by Mars, Inc. include Eukanuba, Greenies, Iams, Nutro, Pedigree, Pill Pockets, Royal Canin, Sheba, and Whiskas.

Made in the USA?

The pet care division of Mars, Inc. is headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, though they have manufacturing facilities all over the U.S. and Canada – they even have a few plants in Europe. Some sources say that Cesar foods are all manufactured in the United States but there is no information provided on the company website to back up this claim.

In fact, their product labels don’t even carry the “Made in the USA” statement that many pet foods do. This doesn’t necessarily mean that their products aren’t produced in the USA, but we can’t confirm or deny it.

Ingredient Sourcing:

Not only does Cesar provide very little information about where their products are made, but they also don’t speak to the sourcing of their ingredients. If you quickly review the ingredients lists for several of their products, you will find that they use a variety of meat by-products as well as artificial additives including colors, flavors, and preservatives.

Cesar dog food reviews are often not very positive because the brand uses so many low-quality ingredients. Keep reading to find our review for this brand.

Cesar Dog Food Recall History:

As of 2023, there has been no product recall issues on Cesar dog food products. However, there is only one recall in recent brand history – here are the details:

In October 2016, Mars Petcare US voluntarily recalled a limited number of CESAR® Classics Filet Mignon Flavor product due to potential choking hazards from small pieces of plastic in the food.

It is important to remember that the fact that a brand does or does not have recalls isn’t necessarily an indication of quality, but it can be a supporting factor.

How Expensive Are Their Products?

Again, this brand is very inexpensive and you can save even more using Cesar dog food coupons. You can purchase 24-packs of wet food trays for between $15 and $30 for most recipes – that averages to about $0.94 per tray. This brand of dog food offers 12-pound bags of dry food for about $15 and their treats sell for less than $10 for an 18-ounce bag, in most cases.

List of Current Products Available:

As you may already know, the Cesar dog food brand is primarily a wet food company, though they do offer a very limited selection of dry foods and a small assortment of treats. This brand markets their products as being made with real meat flavors such as grilled chicken, roasted lamb, and filet mignon.

The important thing to note about these products is that while they may be made with those real meat flavors, they often do not contain the actual meat itself. If they do, it is typically paired with a lower quality (less expensive) meat product like chicken by-product meal or meat and bone meal.

Dry Products

Though the Cesar brand is mostly known for their wet foods, they do offer a limited selection of dry dog food products. There are three recipes to choose from, each formulated for small breed adult dogs. These recipes are made with real meat flavors like filet mignon and rotisserie chicken as well as spring vegetables. Here is a list of their dry recipes:

Dry Recipes:

• Slow Roasted Lamb Flavor & Spring Vegetables
• Rotisserie Chicken Flavor & Spring Vegetables
• Filet Mignon Flavor & Spring Vegetables

Wet Products

The Cesar brand of dog food is primarily known for their wet food products – they have a much larger variety to choose from than they do dry foods. There is a total of forty-eight different flavors of wet food that come in small 3.5-ounce trays. There are also two limited edition recipes currently available.

Wet Recipes:

• Filet Mignon Flavor
• Grilled Chicken Flavor
• Porterhouse Steak Flavor
• Chicken & Beef
• Chicken & Liver
• T-Bone Steak Flavor
• Top Sirloin Flavor
• Beef
• Turkey
• Duck
• Chicken & Veal
• Oven Roasted Chicken Flavor
• Lamb
• Puppy Canine Cuisine with Chicken & Beef
• Puppy Canine Cuisine with Lamb & Rice
• Senior Canine Cuisine with Slow Simmered Chicken & Rice
• Grilled Porterhouse Steak Flavor with Potatoes, Bacon & Cheese
• Grilled Ribeye Steak Flavor with Potatoes & Vegetables
• Grilled New York Strip Steak Flavor with Potatoes & Summer Vegetables
• Slow Cooked Chicken & Vegetables Dinner
• Pot Roast with Spring Vegetables Dinner
• Beef Stew
• Beef with Broccoli & Brown Rice Dinner
• Beef Stroganoff
• Hearty Chicken, Noodle & Vegetables Dinner
• Meat Lasagna
• Turkey, Green Beans & Potatoes Dinner
• Sausage Flavor with Egg & Cheese in Gravy
• Scramble with Turkey, Spinach & Cheese in Gravy
• T-Bone Steak Flavor with Egg & Cheese in Gravy
• Country Stew with Vegetables
• Cheesy Chicken Pasta Dinner in Sauce
• Chicken & Turkey Casserole in Sauce
• Harvest Potluck with Turkey in Gravy
• Rotisserie Chicken Flavor with Bacon & Cheese
• Filet Mignon Flavor with Bacon & Potato
• Angus Beef Flavor with Bacon & Cheese
• Porterhouse Steak Flavor with Peas and Carrots
• Pork Tenderloin Flavor with Roasted Potatoes & Green Beans
• Ham & Egg Flavor with Potato and Cheese
• Rosemary Chicken Flavor with Spring Vegetables
• Filet Mignon Flavor
• New York Strip Flavor
• Prime Rib Flavor
• Grilled Steak & Eggs Flavor
• Smoked Bacon & Egg
• Chicken & Cheddar Cheese Soufflé
• Scrambled Egg & Sausage Flavor
• Limited Edition BBQ Chicken Flavor with Orzo & Green Beans in Sauce
• Limited Edition Grilled Cheeseburger Flavor with Diced Potatoes in Meaty Juices

Treats

In addition to their dry food and wet food options, this brand also offers an assortment of dog treats. These treats are made with real meat flavors such as beef, chicken, filet mignon, and Applewood smoked bacon.

Treats:

• Medley Trio Soft Dog Treats
• Filet Mignon Soft Dog Treats
• Grilled Chicken Soft Dog Treats
• Applewood Smoked Bacon Soft Dog Treats
• Peanut Butter & Honey Soft Dog Treats