Ol’ Roy Dog Food Review: Tasty and Affordable Meals For Your Pup

Ol' Roy dog food is a Walmart private label brand that is made and marketed by Walmart. It is quite typical for bigger department stores and box stores to have their own brands, and the Walmart chain is no exception with this brand.

Until 2007, when it was sold to Mars, Inc., this brand of pet food was produced by Doane Pet Food. Brentwood, Tennessee currently serves as the company's headquarters.

Mars, Inc. also produces other pet food brands like Pedigree, Eukanuba, Greenies, and Whiskas.

Continue reading for our thorough Ol' Roy dog food review.

Brand Quick Look:

• Parent Company: Mars, Inc.
• Founded in: 1980
• Available at:  Walmart
• Types of Food: Dry, Wet, Treats
• Real Meat in First 5 Ingredients?: No
• Recalled in the Past?: Yes

Who Makes Ol Roy Dog Food?

It is unclear whether the Ol’ Roy brand of dog food is made in the United States. While the packages of dog food carry the label, “Distributed by Mars, Inc.” it does not carry a label saying, “Made in the USA” or anything to that effect.

 

Ol' Roy Dog Food Reviews

1. Complete Nutrition Roasted Chicken & Rice

First 5 Ingredients: Ground Whole Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, Soybean Meal, Animal Fat, Corn Gluten Meals

Rating: 2/5

Best for: Adult dogs of all sizes

Guaranteed Analysis:

This formula purports to offer a well-rounded diet suitable for dogs of all breeds and life stages, boasting a savory meat flavor aimed at enticing a healthy appetite. Additionally, it claims to be fortified with essential nutrients to promote skin and coat health, along with a balanced calcium-phosphorus ratio for optimal dental and skeletal strength.

However, a closer examination of the ingredients reveals potential discrepancies with these claims. Contrary to expectations, the primary ingredient in this dry dog food is ground yellow corn, a widely regarded low-quality and non-nutritive filler. Corn, being indigestible for dogs, contributes little to their nutritional needs.

Furthermore, the inclusion of corn gluten meal, while a protein source, offers limited nutritional value due to its plant-based nature. The subsequent ingredients consist of various by-products and unspecified components like animal fat and poultry by-product meal.

Additionally, artificial colors and flavors are present, alongside vitamin and mineral supplements, though notably lacking chelation, which could hinder optimal nutrient absorption for your dog.

Key Takeaways:

Overall, this doesn’t have much going for it. Not only does it start with a plant ingredient rather than a meat, but it includes several corn and soy ingredients which offer little nutrition and come with a high risk for triggering food allergies.

This recipe is heavy on plant products and unnamed ingredients, not to mention all the artificial additives. In short, there is no good reason to feed this product to your dog.

2. Ol' Roy Complete Nutrition T-Bone & Bacon Flavor

First 5 Ingredients: Ground Whole Grain Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, Soybean Meal, Rice Bran, Animal Fat

Rating: 2/5

Best for: Adult dogs

Guaranteed Analysis:

This is a dry food for adult dogs that provides complete and balanced nutrition. This new formula has added protein and fat content to help support muscle health. It is made of 21% protein and 10% fat.

Just like their other formulas, this recipe has calcium and phosphorous to promote stronger bones and teeth. It is also fortified with vitamins and minerals for overall health.

The recipe’s tasty T-bone and bacon flavor is developed to encourage a healthy appetite for your dog. Dried bacon fat is added for an extra boost of flavor. No artificial flavors are added to this formula. However, it does contain artificial colors and preservatives.

Key Takeaways:

While this new formula does have an increased protein level, this low nutrition dry dog food is still quite heavy on carbohydrates from plant-based ingredients. The animal proteins used are also unnamed.

Overall, this is an economical brand of dry dog food that bacon-loving pups are sure to enjoy. Your dogs get a lot of food that will last them a while at an affordable price. However, its low cost also means lower quality ingredients compared to some of its competitors.

3. Puppy Complete Chicken & Oatmeal Flavor

First 5 Ingredients: Ground Whole Grain Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, Soybean Meal, Poultry By-Product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal

Rating: 2.5/5

Best for: Healthy Puppies; Coat care

Guaranteed Analysis:

A kibble specially made for the nutritional needs of puppies. To support healthy brain development, this food is packed with essential nutrients similar to mother's milk. DHA is included to help puppies’ brain development.

This puppy food is quite heavy on the carbs with whole ground corn as the first ingredient. The main protein source is animal protein in the form of chicken by-product meal.

Personally, I am one with other pet parents that consider by-product meat meals as inferior quality ingredients. Corn gluten meal provides an additional source of protein.

Key Takeaways

According to reviews, pet parents like that their puppies enjoy the chicken and oatmeal recipe. The kibbles are just the right size for small puppies to chew and digest. It has also received feedback that puppies are thriving on this food and have grown shiny coats.

This is another product from the brand that is usually purchased for its affordability. It has better ingredients than some of the brand’s products as this has named proteins and contains no artificial flavors and preservatives. It does contain artificial colors, though, and is quite heavy on carbs.

4. Cuts in Gravy Country Stew Flavor

First 5 Ingredients: Water Sufficient for Processing, Chicken, Meat By Products, Wheat Flour, Wheat Gluten

Rating: 2/5

Best for: Adult dogs; Suitable for eye care and coat care

Guaranteed Analysis:

 This canned dog food is a tasty chicken dinner for adult dogs. It provides complete and balanced nutrition with every meal. The meaty chunks are served in a rich and tasty sauce.

Country stew does contain real chicken and some beef, which make it a flavorful meal that dogs love. However, it also contains unnamed proteins such as meat derivatives and animal liver.

It is packed with quite a fair amount of fillers as wheat flour takes the fourth spot in the ingredient list.

Key Takeaways

Most of the reviews this Ol’ Roy product has received is about dogs enjoying its meaty flavor. They are always excited for mealtimes and happily gobble up the chunks and gravy.

Overall, it may not be the best out of all wet dog foods in the market, as far as ingredients are concerned. The unnamed animal proteins are considered low-quality and cannot be fed to dogs with certain food allergies.

5. Gourmet Food for Dogs, Porterhouse Steak Flavor

First 5 Ingredients: Water Sufficient for Processing, Meat By-Products, Animal Liver, Chicken, Poultry By-Products

Rating: 2/5

Best for: Immune support (Not suitable for dogs with celiac disease, or dogs with gluten sensitivity).

Guaranteed Analysis:

This is a wet dog food that is conveniently packaged in single-serve cups. It is a handy snack that is great for traveling with your pooch.

This tasty porterhouse steak recipe provides complete and balanced nutrition with every serving. The meaty shreds are served in a tasty and hydrating broth.

Key Takeaways

This porterhouse steak recipe does contain real chicken and beef. However, unnamed meat by-products and animal liver are the main ingredients of this wet dog food. It also contains artificial porterhouse flavor and colors. While it does not have fillers such as wheat flour, it contains additives such as carrageenan and guar gum.

It is a wet dog food that does not have high-carb have fillers compared to other Ol’ Roy recipes. This makes this affordable product extra flavorful and is enjoyed by pooches. However, the animal protein sources are mostly unnamed, although it does contain chicken and beef.

6. Cuts in Gravy Savory Cuts with Beef

First 5 Ingredients: Water Sufficient for Processing, Chicken, Meat By-Products, Wheat Flour, Animal Liver

Rating: 2/5

Best for: Adult dogs; For eye care and coat care

Guaranteed Analysis:

It is described as a hearty dinner made with meaty beef cuts in gravy. If you check the ingredients list, you will find several sources of animal protein which is good, but there are also some ingredients you’d rather not see.

This formula contains beef and chicken, both of which could be quality ingredients, but there are also unnamed proteins and by-products like animal liver and meat by-products.

This recipe also contains a thickener called guar gum, which some experts claim could potentially be linked to certain health problems in dogs.

This product is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Nutrient Profiles for all life stages.

Key Takeaways

Overall, this hearty loaf is not the worst wet food on the market, but it is certainly not the best. This formula does contain several sources of animal protein which may be of decent quality, but there are also by-products and unnamed proteins as well. This formula also contains some questionable ingredients like guar gum and added color.

Ingredient Sourcing

Not only is there little information available about where Ol’ Roy dog food is made, but the Walmart website also fails to provide information about the sourcing of their ingredients.

As a private label brand sold in retail stores, the primary goal of the Mars, Inc. company is likely to maximize profits while minimizing expenses – this may mean compromising on the quality of ingredients.

Many store brands use low-quality ingredients like corn, wheat, and soy products as well as plant proteins, by-products, and artificial additives. This brand of dog food makes heavy use of ingredients like this, many of which could be sourced outside the U.S.

 

Recall History

As a store brand designed for profits rather than quality, it should come as no surprise that there are a number of Ol’ Roy recalls in recent history.

It is also worth noting that this brand is manufactured by one of the largest pet food manufacturers in the world and it is possible that their products are made in a variety of different plants both in and out of the country.

Having numerous production facilities leaves a lot of room for error, hence the number of

recalls. Here is a quick overview of recalls for Ol’ Roy food brand:

• In 1999, there was a massive recall for products made by Doane Pet Care in one of their plants due to a fungal toxin that killed 25 dogs. This recall affected 53 other brands as well.
• In March 2007, an AVMA report instigated a recall for dozens of Ol’ Roy dog food products in cans and pouches due to potential melamine contamination.
• In June 2007, the FDA issued a recall for 55-pound bags of Complete Nutrition dry food due to potential salmonella contamination.
• In September 2008, the FDA issued a recall for several dog food products produced at the Mars Petcare Everson, Pennsylvania facility due to potential salmonella contamination.

List Of Their Current Products

Not only is Ol’ Roy known for being one of the most affordable brands on the market, but they also offer a huge selection of different dry pet food products.

Dry Products

In addition to specific diets for performance, small breeds, and large breeds, this brand of dog food offers options with innovative recipes crafted with real meat flavors.

• Complete Nutrition
• Dinner Rounds
• Puppy Complete
• Bacon Flavor
• Cheeseburger Flavor
•  Meaty Chunks & Gravy
• T-Bone & Chicken Flavor
• Ol Roy Soft & Moist: Moist Beef Flavor, and Beef & Cheese Flavor
• High Performance
• Small Breed
• Large Breed
• Tasty Benefits Original
• Weight Management
• Kibbles, Chunks & Chews

Wet Products

This brand currently offers traditional loaf-style wet foods, as well as strips, slices, and cuts in gravy.

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• Strips in Gravy: Filet Mignon Flavor, Ribeye Flavor, and New York Strip Flavor
• Hearty Loaf: Porterhouse Steak Flavor, Top Sirloin, and Gourmet Dinner
• Meaty Loaf: Chopped Chicken Flavor, and Beef & Vegetables
• Hearty Slices in Gravy with Chicken
• Hearty Cuts in Gravy with Chicken & Rice
• Cuts in Gravy
• Tasty Benefits Chicken & Beef Medley
• Gourmet Grilled Chicken Flavor, and Filet Mignon Flavor
• Healthy Mix Rice & Lamb Stew, and Beef Stew

Ol' Roy Dog Treats

This brand offers a wide variety of dog goodies, including biscuits, chewy snacks, bones, dental chews, bully sticks, and more, in addition to their dry food and wet food options.

• Grilled Strips with Real Chicken
• Lean Bark’n Bac’n Treats
• Cheezy Bark’n Bac’n Treats
• Munchy Bone Liver Flavor Treats
• Munchy Bone Minis
• Original Munchy Bone
• Greek Yogurt Munchy Bone
• Ol' Roy Lamb and Rice Dog Biscuits
• Ol' Roy Multi-Flavored Dog Biscuits
• Milk Flavored Dog Biscuits
• Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits
• Jerky Sticks with Real Beef
• Jerky Strips Dog Treats
• Beef Basted Biscuits
• Pig Ear Chews
• Bully Sticks
• Twisted Treats
• Breath Freshening Dog Treats
• Dental Sticks

Is Ol Roy Dog Food Brand Good For Dogs?

This brand sports a grain-inclusive formula that contains a substantial amount of poultry by-product meals as its main protein source, hence, a 1-star dog food and not recommended.

Parting Words

In all honesty, Ol' Roy dog food has faced criticism and concerns regarding its ingredient quality and nutritional value. While it may be affordable and readily available, the inclusion of ingredients like ground yellow corn, unspecified by-products, and artificial additives raises questions about its overall quality.

While some dogs may tolerate it well, many pet owners and experts recommend opting for dog food brands with more transparent ingredient lists and higher nutritional standards to ensure the best health outcomes for your furry friend. It's essential to prioritize your dog's well-being and consult with your veterinarian to make informed choices about their diet.