When it comes to our four-legged best friends, we all like to think of ours as symbols of prowess and courage to protect us in the face of danger. But sometimes, they are sensitive little souls that might require a simple diet to keep them at their best. For them to live a happy and healthy life, finding the right food is important, but it can also be a challenge.
Whether your pup suffers from mild reactions to certain foods or full-blown allergies, Taste Of The Wild has you covered with their new Prey range. Each of their products has just four ingredients. So not only are they easily digestible, but they also still deliver the nourishment your pooch needs to be healthy and fit.
While these dry kibbles won’t be the solution for every dog and every ailment, they can go some way to helping. Reducing the number of ingredients that your pup’s digestive system must tackle at mealtimes could ease their reactions to food considerably. We show you everything you need to know about the Prey range, including what ingredients they use, why, and what effect it could have on Fido’s diet and health.
At A Glance: Taste Of The Wild Prey Flavors
Trout
Wild-Caught Trout
Turkey
Cage-Free Turkey
Beef
Pasture-Raised Angus Beef
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About Taste Of The Wild Prey
For the owners among us who have sensitive pups, finding a good quality formula we can rely on to not upset Fido’s tummy is very important. Taste Of The Wild has offered its Prey recipes as a solution that represents the more natural, wild diet of canines.
Its Prey formula has only four ingredients. So, it takes a simplified approach to pet food, which is also known as limited ingredient recipes. It simply takes the wild diet and adds the extras that domesticated omnivores need. The theory is that a simplified diet with fewer ingredients means less chance of something causing a reaction, especially if the ingredients are natural and high quality.
The ingredients used are whole meat, lentils, tomato pomace, and sunflower oil. That’s it. They also add vitamins, minerals, and natural preservatives to the bowl, which are the only other ingredients that go into their recipes.
The company states its food is made in five state-of-the-art facilities in the USA: two in California and one each in Missouri, Arkansas, and South Carolina. They are owned and managed as part of the Diamond Pet Group, which produces and packages many brands of dog food.
Diamond Pet Foods are an American-based company. They have plants in Lathrop, California, Gaston, South Carolina, and Meta, Missouri, the town of its headquarters and where it was founded in 1970 by brothers-in-law Gary Schell and Richard Kampeter.
Prey Food Recipes
The Prey line is limited in both ingredients used and flavors available. At the time of writing, you and your pooch have three different recipes to choose from:
Trout
Wild-Caught Trout
Turkey
Cage-Free Turkey
Beef
Pasture-Raised Angus Beef
Is Taste Of The Wild Prey Right For My Pup?
The recipes in the Prey line are not your average dog food. It’s a protein-dense kibble formulated to be simple, using just a handful of ingredients. Limited ingredients are especially important for dogs that struggle to process complex recipes.
The line is great for the sensitive pups among our furry friends and can be fed to any dog. It offers the benefit of a natural balanced diet without the mess and expense of a BARF diet (Bones and Raw Food, or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food).
Many dog owners now push the virtues of a grain-free diet or home-cooked recipes as a healthy alternative to traditional dog food recipes. But buyer beware, not all grain-free recipes are made equal, and home-cooked food can lack nutrition.
This line is a little different. Pet food manufacturers have strict guidelines that they must follow laid down by the Association of American Food Control Officials. So even limited ingredient recipes have to offer the correct nutritional values expected from complete dog food.
Each flavor of Prey has a guaranteed level of probiotics to support digestion and scientifically calculated levels of vitamins, minerals, and guaranteed antioxidants. There is also plenty of omega fatty acids and DHA to meet and even exceed your pup’s nutritional needs. So you’ll have no worries feeding your pooch this superbly balanced grain-free recipe.
It is perfectly suitable for sensitive and healthy dogs alike. The one caveat we would add is that if your pup does show signs of a sensitive tummy and you haven’t spoken to your vet yet, go and see them. They rule out any sinister causes of tummy upset and advise what Fido needs to be at his best.
Pros And Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Limited ingredients | Limited flavor choice |
| Non-GMO ingredients | No age or lifestyle-specific recipes |
| Grain-Free | No grain inclusive formulas |
| Whole meats (no by-product meals) | |
| Probiotics for digestion | |
| No artificial ingredients |
Prey Ingredients
There are only four key ingredients in each recipe, with added micro-ingredients that he needs for a well-balanced diet. Let’s take a closer look at the key ingredients.
Meat
The first ingredient of these Prey recipes is always meat – real whole meats and no meat by-products. The Angus beef is pasture-raised, which means it has spent the vast majority of its life outside. The trout is spring-fed and not produced on a trout farm with high levels of mercury. And lastly, Turkey is cage-free, which might not mean free-roaming, but it is a step up from battery caged.
All in all, each one is good quality meat that has been sourced ethically.
Lentils
Lentils (legumes) are a great carb alternative for grain-free dog food. Lentils deliver extra protein, fiber for intestinal health, and carbohydrates. They are also a great source of B vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc.
If your pooch is allergic to lentils, many other limited ingredient diets are lentil free, so be sure to check them out.
Sunflower Oil
Sunflower oil is a plant oil that’s commonly used in pet food to add healthy fatty acids. Dogs cannot produce enough of these naturally, so they need to consume extra in their diets. The added benefit of using sunflower oil is that it is less common than other widely used cheaper oils. As such, it is less likely to trigger an allergic reaction in your pup.
Tomato Pomace
Tomato pomace is the term given to a mix of tomato products, including skin, pulp, and seeds. It provides carbohydrates without grains, extra fiber, and an abundance of antioxidants. Tomatoes are safe for your pooch to eat in moderation.
Just bear in mind that if you feed him too many tomatoes, your dog may get an upset stomach from too much acid. So, it may be wise to stick to the pomace found in kibble.
Nutrition And Ingredients Analysis
| Beef | Trout | Turkey | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 27% | 27% | 30% |
| Fat | 15% | 15% | 15% |
| Carbs | 43% | 43% | 40% |
| Fiber | 5% | 5% | 5% |
| Moisture | 10% | 10% | 10% |
All dogs are different when it comes to ideal nutrition. Whether they are a stubborn and lazy Bull Terrier or a high-energy working dog like a Spaniel, they need a carefully monitored diet. This helps to make sure they get all the dietary nutrition they need without piling on the pounds.
For most, a high proportion of protein and fat combined with a healthy balance of carbs is best. While most pups happily consume their body weight in tasty carbs, a diet high in protein and fat is more appropriate and like their natural ancestral diet, which is precisely what this kibble line offers.
Carbohydrate Content
Lentils are the only source of carbohydrates present in the Prey recipes. Lentils are a relatively high-quality source of carbohydrates, and they have the added benefit of welcomed nutrients and vitamins, as previously mentioned.
Dogs use carbs, like humans, as an easy energy source. Too many carbohydrates lead to a lack of storage and use of the better, more complex energy found in proteins. This can lead to a porky pup if left unchecked. Your pooch does not need a lot of carbohydrates in his diet, so when the levels are high in pet food, they are likely a ‘filler’ that was added to reduce cost.
The percentage is below average in this product line. This is a good sign that Taste Of The Wild Prey is a relatively well-balanced kibble when it comes to carbs.
Protein Content
Protein is paramount for growth, development, energy, and maintenance. Prey has an average level of protein of 28% across the three recipes. This is excellent news for both Fido and you as a dog parent. Couple that with the fact that real meat is the first and largest ingredient in these recipes, and you can be sure you are getting a quality kibble.
The protein is sourced from quality meat sources, with a little added by the lentils as well. Protein from meat-based sources is touted as the best kind. They are naturally occurring proteins that provide the best range of amino acids that your pup needs for his development and health. Not forgetting the big meaty taste that all dogs crave.
Fat Content
Fats have a bad rap in the world, blamed for health problems caused by obesity. But they are an essential part of your pups’ plate. They are an essential dietary requirement that is involved in the development and maintenance of his health.
Not only is fat a concentrated energy source, but it also helps to keep hair and skin healthy. But, be sure to keep the amount of fat Fido consumes in check to avoid unhealthy weight gain.
The Prey formulas have two sources of fat: tasty whole meats and added sunflower oil. Both are natural sources of fat and are easily digestible. These fats and oils add omega 3 and 6 fatty acids to Fido’s diet that offer additional joint health benefits and brain function advantages. Mimicking the way, a dog would naturally obtain these nutrients with a wild diet.
Calorie Density
The calorie density of kibble is a significant indicator of the quality of the food when compared to the nutritional analysis. If there are lots of calories per cup but a low protein measure (less than 20%), chances are the calories are made up of extra fat or sugars added to the recipe. Calorie density also allows you to work out the portion size your pup requires per day.
Measuring by cup size alone can be a problem if the cup used for each food is not standardized. Take a look at a few different brand labels and notice that the cup weight can vary from around 90g per cup up to extreme measures of 160g per cup.
Obviously, if the weight is lower and the calorie count higher, the kibble is calorie-dense. This is good for the waistline and wallet because less food is needed to give your pup what they need. Overall, Taste Of The Wild’s Prey product line contains an average of 3,592 kcal/kg or 336 kcal/cup.
Digestibility
Not only is each product easily digestible thanks to its limited ingredients, but Taste Of The Wild has made it extra digestible thanks to the added probiotics.
They have added a K9 strain of probiotics to their kibble after cooking, which means that they are more potent and provide more friendly gut bacteria. With every pound of kibble, there is a guaranteed 80 million colony-forming units (CFUs). Ultimately, that’s a lot of good stuff for Fido’s sensitive gut.
Recall History
The parent organization Diamond Pet Food has had several recalls through the years across its many brands. Only one of them was related directly to the Taste Of The Wild brand, but it did not affect the Prey product line.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to the Prey line.
Can I feed Prey kibble to my puppy?
In short, yes. All the Prey formulas are designed to be all-life stage formulas. This means the recipe meets the nutritional needs of dogs of all ages. But, if you are concerned, talk to your vet or consider puppy-specific dog food.
What is the size and shape of the Prey kibbles?
The kibbles in Prey are flat, oblong discs that are approximately the diameter of a dime. They are the right size for most dogs, even puppies. Although, your toy-sized pooch might have a little difficulty eating them.
What is the difference between Prey and standard TOTW formulas?
In a nutshell, the Prey limited ingredient formulas are more straightforward. Containing just four key ingredients, it keeps things simple so that the recipe has fewer triggers to keep your pup’s digestive system in check. The main line features potatoes, sweet potatoes, or peas as carbohydrate sources. Plus, added vegetables, legumes, and fruits to provide antioxidants. Both are grain-free recipes designed to be perfectly balanced and nutritious.
How good is Taste Of The Wild Dog Food?
A quick Google search answers this question very succinctly. It looks like it has a large and loyal following that says their pups love this kibble and their novel, extra meaty recipes. Overall, we were impressed with the simplicity of the recipes and the committed approach to meat being the first ingredient in all recipes. We also applaud their commitment to not adding chemical preservatives, MSG, ethoxyquin, or artificial dyes to their formulas. However, if your veterinarian recommends feeding your dog a food with grains, this brand is not for you.
Final Thoughts
We think Taste Of The Wild Prey is an excellent option for your pup, as long as they are okay not eating grains. Although it is a relatively new line compared to their standard offering, it is proving to be popular with customers and dogs alike. They offer great value for money, and by choosing one of these kibbles, you are taking a step in the direction of happier and healthier hounds.
