Authority is a PetSmart brand of dog food. It’s manufactured by PetSmart. The company’s headquarters is in Phoenix, Arizona. The company has existed since 1986. It began its dog food production in 1995. The label states the food is produced in the US. There is no information that states the exact location. There is no information about ingredient sources.
For our Authority dog food review, we’ll look at the food ingredient quality and safety of each line of food. Our dog food reviews are based on these criteria.
IS AUTHORITY A GOOD DOG FOOD?
Authority has 3 different product lines. Two lines of dry dog foods all score as high risk by our criteria. The wet dog foods are moderate risk by our criteria.
Authority Everyday Health has 16 recipes. Authority Solutions Dry has 5 recipes. Authority Canned has 3 recipes.
Dry foods are ultra processed. Canned foods are slightly less processed. Both involve several stages of heating. This causes a loss of nutrients. It results in lower scores.
Both lines of dry foods have average carbohydrates in excess of 40%. This is substantial for any type of dog food. The recipes include corn, oats, potatoes, legumes, barley, wheat and rice. Canned foods generally have lower carbohydrates. Authority Canned has average carbohydrates of 32%. This is excessive for canned foods.
There is no ingredient information on the website about sourcing or quality. There are no low starch vegetables on the ingredient list for the dry recipes. Pumpkin and green beans are the only whole food vegetables in the canned foods.
All Authority recipes have added vitamins and minerals. This balances them to AAFCO standards. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. It’s preferable that these nutrients come from whole foods. They are more bioavailable to dogs. Both lines of dry food use cheaper plant proteins, and inflammatory seed oils. They use unnamed fish oil. Unnamed sources are of much lower quality, and can be from rendered waste. You want to see beef, salmon or chicken, not animal, fish or poultry.
Everyday Health Dry has corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup in 2 recipes. These are low quality ingredients. They can cause unwanted gut changes, obesity and insulin spikes.
Fifteen of the 16 Everyday Health recipes score 1/10 for ingredient safety. They are ultra processed. Other concerns include use of high pesticide and GMO ingredients. Most have rice which has potential for arsenic contamination. And they use natural flavor, a low quality ingredient. Solutions kibble is only marginally better regarding ingredient safety. They have the same concerns.
The canned foods score much better on ingredient safety. This is due to slightly less processing. They have no high pesticide or GMO ingredients. But they do have rice and natural flavor in 2 recipes.
Authority doesn’t state the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in their recipes. This is true of most companies. It’s unfortunate since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory limit of 30:1. They don’t mention whether fish ingredients are farmed or wild caught. Wild caught fish is more nutritious and has a better fatty acid profile.
Let’s look at each line in a little more detail.
Authority Everyday Health Dry
Score: 2.5/10
Ingredient List For Puppy Dry Dog Food Chicken Recipe: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Ground Whole Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Pea Protein, Dried Carrots, Dried Egg Product, Natural Flavor, Rice Bran, Tapioca Starch, Glycerin, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Fish Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols) (Source Of EPA And DHA), Calcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Flaxseed, Freeze Dried Peas, Pea Starch, Whole Dried Potato, Cultured Dextrose (A Preservative), Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Minerals (Salt, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite), Inulin, Sunflower Lecithin, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Sunflower Oil, Citric Acid (A Preservative), Rosemary Extract.
Everyday Health Dry dog food is a high risk food by our criteria. There are 16 recipes. They average 26% protein. There are 40% carbohydrates as calculated. This is excessively high, even for a kibble.
These foods rank low in ingredient quality. They have added vitamins and minerals. There is unnamed animal protein like fish oil. They also have plant protein and inflammatory seed oil. There’s corn syrup in 2 recipes. On the ingredient safety side, these foods are ultra processed. They have high pesticide foods and GMO crops listed in the top 5 ingredients. They also use natural flavor. They contain rice, which can contain arsenic.
Everyday Health Dry Benefits
Everyday Health Dry Concerns
- High in carbohydrates
- Excessive added vitamins & minerals
- Contains cellulose in 2 recipes
- Contains sugar
- Contains seed oil
- Contains plant protein
- Contains unnamed protein
- Ultra processed
- High pesticide/herbicide foods in top 5 ingredients
- GMOs in top 5 ingredients
- Contains rice
- Contains natural flavor
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
- Doesn’t specify farmed or wild-caught fish
- Ingredient splitting
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Authority Solutions Dry
Score: 2.6/10
Ingredient List For Gut Health Adult Dry Dog Food Chicken Recipe: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Dried Green Peas, Ground Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Brewers Dried Yeast, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Flaxseed Meal, Pea Fiber, Natural Flavor, Dried Bacillus Coagulans Fermentation Product, Salmon Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Yeast Culture, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid), Choline Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate), Rosemary Extract, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate.
Authority Solutions Dry dog food is a high risk food by our criteria. There are 5 recipes. They average 26% protein. There are 43% carbohydrates as calculated. This is excessively high, even for a kibble.
These foods rank low in ingredient quality. They have excessive carbohydrates. They have added vitamins and minerals. There is unnamed animal protein like fish oil. They also have plant protein and inflammatory seed oil. On the ingredient safety side, these foods are ultra processed. They have high pesticide foods and GMO crops listed in the top 5 ingredients. They also use natural flavor. They use rice, which can contain arsenic.
Solutions recipes target specific health concerns. It’s notable that Sensitive Stomach and Gut Health recipes are high in carbs. These are from grains like oatmeal, wheat, and barley. These can be inflammatory and affect gut health. Synthetic vitamins and minerals are also less bioavailable than whole foods. There can be a lack of nutrient absorption. The Weight Management recipe is low in fat and protein. It’s high in carbs. It has added cellulose for fiber instead of nutrient-rich whole foods.
Solutions Dry Benefits
Solutions Dry Concerns
- High in carbohydrates
- Excessive added vitamins & minerals
- Contains cellulose in 2 recipes
- Contains seed oil
- Contains plant protein
- Contains unnamed protein
- Ultra processed
- High pesticide/herbicide foods in top 5 ingredients
- GMOs in top 5 ingredients
- Contains rice
- Contains natural flavor
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
- Doesn’t specify farmed or wild-caught fish
- Ingredient splitting
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Authority Canned
Score: 6.3/10
Ingredient List For Digestive Support Adult Wet Recipe: Chicken, Chicken Broth, Water Sufficient For Processing, Brewers Rice, Chicken Fat, Tricalcium Phosphate, Minerals (Zinc Oxide, Reduced Iron, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Potassium Iodide), Potassium Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement,Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Guar Gum, Magnesium Sulfate, Choline Chloride, Beta-Carotene.
Authority Canned dog food is a moderate risk food by our criteria. There are 3 recipes. They average 45% protein. There are 32% carbohydrates as calculated. This is high for a canned dog food.
These recipes have added vitamins and minerals. They have inflammatory seed oil. On the ingredient safety side, these foods are highly processed. They use natural flavor.
These Canned recipes target specific health concerns. Digestive support has high carbohydrates of 46%, derived from rice. It uses a common recommendation to feed chicken and rice for upset stomachs. However, rice provides very little nutrition. There’s also the concern about arsenic. And in this case, they use brewers rice. It’s a waste product of the manufacturing industry.
The Weight Management recipe has green beans. The beans are ultra-processed with the rest of the ingredients. A better practice is for pet owners to add fresh, steamed beans that provide fiber and nutrients. They also provide a sense of fullness.
The Stomach and Skin recipe uses lamb as a novel protein. This often addresses food sensitivities. However, the recipe contains synthetic vitamins and minerals. They might not be properly absorbed by dogs. There can be a lack of nutrient absorption. The recipe also includes turmeric, an anti-inflammatory. Its amount may be insufficient to provide any benefit.
Canned Benefits
- High protein
Canned Concerns
- High in carbohydrates
- Excessive added vitamins & minerals
- Contains seed oil
- Highly processed
- Contains rice
- Contains natural flavor
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
- Doesn’t specify farmed or wild-caught fish
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
AUTHORITY DOG FOOD RECALLS
To date, Authority has not had any recalls or voluntary withdrawals.
Evaluation Criteria
We evaluate and score dog foods based on two criteria:
Are the Ingredients High Quality?
Here are some common low-quality ingredients or markers we look for:
- Is there excessive carbohydrate content, which can cause gut imbalances?
- Does the food contain unnamed proteins, which are low quality?
- Does the food use cellulose (wood pulp) as a source of fiber instead of real food?
- Are there excessive vitamins and minerals added in place of real food nutrition?
- Are there excessive added amino acids or plant proteins instead of expensive meat protein?
- Does the food contain inflammatory processed seed oils?
How Safe Are the Ingredients?
Many ingredients come from unhealthy, inflammatory sources or are full of pesticides so we look for:
- How processed is the food?
- Does the food contain known genetically modified foods?
- Does the food contain ingredients known to be high in pesticides?
- Does the food contain natural flavor, which are often MSG or animal digest?
- Does the food contain rice, which is high in arsenic?
Each food is objectively evaluated by these criteria and a score is assigned using the average of ingredient quality and safety. This is NOT a paid list and there are no affiliate links. Dogs Naturally has partnered with DogFoodReviews.com to make sure dog owners have unbiased, objective criteria to help them choose the best dog food on the market. You can view the full Evaluation Criteria at DogFoodReviews.com.
