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Page Contents
Our Recommendation
Despite the great reviews that this dog food gets, I cannot recommend it. I understand that when you are on a budget you are looking for ways to cut costs. Pet parents like Alpo because their dogs seem to love the taste and it is one of the cheaper big bags on the market. If you are feeding a lot of dogs, I get it, but if you can possibly afford anything else, please do. This dog food is full of questionable ingredients. One of the reasons the price is so low is that the first ingredient is ground yellow corn. At $27 on Chewy for a 47 lb bag including 2-day shipping, this is too good to be true. You cannot produce a quality dog food for that price.
- Contains ground yellow corn as a first ingredient. GMO corn is heavily sprayed with Roundup which is not something you want your dog to be consuming. Corn by products make up another portion. That means you are paying for mostly corn.
- Artificial colors. When will dog food companies learn that pet parent’s don’t need food that is dyed colors? Dogs don’t care and honestly, it adds to the cost and is not good for our dogs. This food contains Red 40 & Yellow 5.
- Animal digest. This can be a variety of low-quality byproducts of processing various animal proteins.
Ingredients
Ground Yellow Corn, Corn Germ Meal, Beef and Bone Meal, Soybean Meal, Animal Fat Preserved with Mixed-Tocopherols (Form of Vitamin E), Pork and Bone Meal, Egg and Chicken Flavor, Animal Digest, Corn Gluten Meal, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Dried Peas, Yellow 6, Red 40, Choline Chloride, Yellow 5, Natural Grill Flavor, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Manganese Sulfate, Blue 2, Dl-Methionine, Niacin, Vitamin A Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Garlic Oil, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Folic Acid, Biotin, Sodium Selenite.
Nutritional Analysis
Pet food ingredients, nutritional values, and the way they are labeled for consumers are monitored by several organizations in the United States including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the NGO, Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).
Each year the AAFCO publishes two sets of nutritional minimum standards for dog food intended to help specify if a food is suitable for:
1. Dogs in the growth & reproduction phases of life
2. Adult dogs maintaining a healthy weight and activity level
Caloric Content
3,407 kcal/kg, 380 kcal/cup
Guaranteed Analysis
| Nutritional Component | Value | Meets AAFCO Growth & Reproduction Standards | Meets AAFCO Adult Maintenance Standards |
|---|---|---|---|
| ____________________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| CRUDE PROTEIN | 18.0% min | – | – |
| CRUDE FAT | 9.5% min | – | – |
| CRUDE FIBER | 6.0% max | – | – |
| MOISTURE | 12.0% max | – | – |
| LINOLEIC ACID | 1.0% min | – | – |
| CALCIUM | 1.0% min | – | – |
| PHOSPHORUS | 0.8% min | ||
| IRON | 80.0 mg/kg min |
* – indicates not yet analyzed
Feeding Amounts
Depending on your dog’s size and activity level, they may need more or less food in their daily feeding amounts.
| Weight | Daily Feeding (Cups) |
|---|---|
| _______________________ | _______________________ |
| 3-12 LBS | 1/2 – 1 1/4 |
| 13-20 LBS | 1 1/4 – 1 3/4 |
| 21-35 LBS | 1 3/4 – 2 2/3 |
| 36-50LBS | 2 2/3 – 3 1/2 |
| 50-75 LBS | 3 1/2 – 4 3/4 |
| 76-100 LBS | 4 3/4 – 5 3/4 |
| Over 100 LBS | 5 3/4* *Add an additional 2/5 cup of dry food for each 10 lbs of body weight over 100 lbs |
Transition Instructions
Over a 7-10 time period, gradually replace your dog’s current food with Alpo. Dogs that are very sensitive to diet changes can be transitioned over 14 days.
The Bottom Line
Alpo is a low-quality dog food that while it does meet AAFCO guidelines, it is not a food I would recommend feeding to any dog. Those that have pets with allergies and other health conditions I would strongly advise staying away from this dog food. Alpo is an old and established brand of dog food. I hope they start to be better about what they are selling to dog parents. Cut out the artificial ingredients and all of that corn Alpo, if you really care about dogs like you say.
If you need other options, check out our review for Alpo dog food products.
