Ingredient quality

Grain-free, with exotic proteins. Taste of the Wild High Prairie dog food earns a lot of respect from experts and owners — with a few caveats. This grain-free food gets its protein from high-quality, yet unusual sources, including buffalo and venison. Mary Straus at DogAware.com does recommend that owners hold at least some exotic proteins in reserve for use should a food allergy to more ordinary proteins surface, but most others we consulted don’t share similar reservations. Carbohydrates come from preferred sources such as sweet potatoes, peas and potatoes rather than low-quality grains.

Product safety

Recalled in 2012 for risk of salmonella. Taste of the Wild is made by Diamond Pet Foods, and certain batches were part of the 2012 recall over salmonella concerns, along with other Diamond brands. Several pets — and several owners who handled the foods — became sick. A search of the FDA’s website shows that Taste of the Wild has not been recalled since. Taste of the Wild also contains canola oil and sodium selenite — both red-flag ingredients for one top expert, and stuff you won’t find in the very best dog foods. On the positive side, Taste of the Wild says it uses only U.S. ingredients (ingredients from China have been linked to contamination) and that the fish meal is free of ethoxyquin, a controversial preservative.

Value

One of the cheapest grain-free kibbles you can buy. Unlike most supermarket dog kibble — which is mostly compressed corn and soy — Taste of the Wild’s first ingredient is meat. You won’t find any grains here (or corn or soy, for that matter). Even though it costs more than supermarket foods, Taste of the Wild is definitely the better value, experts say. It’s also notably cheaper than super-premium dog foods such as Orijen — though with a few more red flags and a slightly less-sterling safety record.

Specs

Type Dry dog food
Top five ingredients Bison, lamb meal, chicken meal, sweet potatoes, peas
Primary carbohydrate sources Sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes
Organic No
Grain-free Yes
By-products No
Ethoxyquin-free Yes
Sizes 5 lbs., 15 lbs., 30 lbs.