Page Contents
Our Recommendation
Alpo Prime Cuts is a basic commercial dog food and nothing more. The first ingredient is ground yellow corn. I cannot recommend any dog food that has corn, wheat, or soy as the first ingredient. Another thing that I noticed right away on the ingredients list is that Red 40 is listed in the middle of the ingredients list. That is pretty remarkable considering that most dog foods that have artificial colors at least have very little. For those that don’t already know, ingredients are listed from greatest to least content. This dog food is full of questionable ingredients. Animal digest, soybean meal, Yellow 5, and corn gluten meal round out my list of things that I do not recommend for any dog.
Alpo is good at marketing so they brag about a high meat content. Studies show that younger dog parents are heavily influenced into buying any brand that brags about having more meat or real meat in their food. Don’t be fooled by the fancy wording and slick advertising. If you are on a budget and want a good dog food, go with the Diamond Naturals line of dog foods.
Ingredients
Ground Yellow Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, Soybean Meal, Beef Tallow
Preserved with Mixed-Tocopherols (Form of Vitamin E), Corn Gluten Meal,
Egg and Chicken Flavor, Animal Digest, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Choline
Chloride, Red 40, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement,
Yellow 5, Manganese Sulfate, Blue 2, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, 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
3,429 kcal/kg, 383 kcal/cup
Guaranteed Analysis
| Nutritional Component | Value | Meets AAFCO Growth & Reproduction Standards | Meets AAFCO Adult Maintenance Standards |
|---|---|---|---|
| ____________________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| CRUDE PROTEIN | 18.0% min | – | – |
| CRUDE FAT | 8.5% min | – | – |
| CRUDE FIBER | 5.5% 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 1/8 |
| 13-20 LBS | 1 1/4 – 1 2/3 |
| 21-35 LBS | 1 2/3 – 2 1/3 |
| 36-50 LBS | 2 1/3 – 3 |
| 51-75 LBS | 3 – 3 3/4 |
| 76-100 LBS | 4 – 4 2/3 |
| Over 100 LBS | 4 2/3+ 1/4 cup for each 10 lbs of body weight over 100 lbs |
Feeding Guidelines
The amounts in the chart above are for adult dogs with
normal activity. The food intake requirements for your dog will vary based on their activity level. If feeding with wet Alpo dog food, refer to the chart on the can for guidelines.
Transition Instructions
When switching to Alpo, gradually replace your dog’s current food over a 10 day time period until they are exclusively eating Alpo.
The Bottom Line
Dog foods with ingredients like this should not be fed to anything. Considering the recalls and concerns over euthanasia drugs being found in Alpo foods, I highly recommend that any pet parent stays away from this dog food. There are plenty of brands that are in a similar price bracket that offer much better ingredients and no artificial colors or flavors. Since the first ingredient is ground yellow corn, that means that your dog is getting a heavy dose of GMOs with every bite they eat of this dog food. The recent scandal over euthanasia drugs in being found in Alpo also makes me question if there is any actual beef in this food at all.
Check out other dog products with our review for Alpo dog food.
Leave a Reply