CaniSource dog food began in 2005. It’s located in Quebec, where the company operates its own factory. The company makes dehydrated dog food and cat food. There is no information about company ownership.
For our CaniSource 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 CANISOURCE A GOOD DOG FOOD?
Canisource Grand Cru is a line of dehydrated dog food. There are 6 recipes. They are a moderate risk by our criteria. Average protein is 29%. Average carbohydrate is 39% as calculated.
Dehydrated dog foods involve less processing. There is less heat exposure than dry and wet foods. Those types go through several stages of heating. That causes a loss of nutrients. Dehydrated foods are moderately processed by our criteria.
There’s a loss of nutrients based on added vitamins and minerals in all recipes. This often reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses can result from vitamin premixes. This especially relates to vitamin D and copper. There are no added amino acids. They are from the ingredients and protein sources in the recipes.
Most recipes contain sodium selenite as a source of selenium. Dogs need selenium, and it’s usually added in very small amounts. Some research suggests sodium selenite may be associated with potential toxicity. Selenium yeast is the preferred form of this mineral.
Canisource doesn’t include wheat, corn or soy in its recipes. Recipes include starchy ingredients. These include rice, barley, oats, chickpeas, lentils, peas and sweet potatoes. They raise the carbohydrate levels. Average carbohydrates are 35% to 41% as calculated. That’s noteworthy since we’d expect lower carbs in a dehydrated dog food. They don’t need carbs for processing. Kibble needs them for the extrusion process.
These recipes have average protein of 29%. It’s much lower than we’d expect in a dehydrated dog food.
It’s good to see these foods include probiotics. However, they don’t guarantee the amount of CFU (colony forming units).
The company sources locally from HACCP-certified (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points) food plants. This is an internationally recognized food safety standard. It helps improve product quality and consistency. It reduces the risk of contamination from bacteria and food-borne pathogens.
They also state they use “human-grade” ingredients. Until 2023, human grade wasn’t a recognized term by AAFCO. AAFCO is the regulatory body that establishes guidelines for the pet food industry. It was strictly a marketing term. AAFCO has new guidelines for facilities producing human-grade pet foods. Among them, companies must have documentation. They must show that every ingredient and process is human grade. There is a break-in period of several years.
Here are additional concerns. They lower the scores in ingredient quality and safety.
On the ingredient safety side, similar ingredients are used in all recipes. They include grains and legumes. They’re known for high pesticide or herbicide residues. Some are in the top 5 ingredients so have higher concentrations. Unless organic, crops can carry a high pesticide/herbicide residue. This happens when spray-dried with Roundup before harvest. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria. It’s been linked to cancer and other diseases.
The recipes also contain inflammatory seed oils. They include sunflower and canola. They are highly processed. They’re an inexpensive alternative to higher quality animal fats and oils.
Additionally, canola oil is derived from a GMO crop. There are limited safety studies on GMO and Roundup Ready crops. They are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils. They require increased pesticide risk. They may be involved in bee die-off.
Rice is used in one recipe. It has the risk of arsenic contamination. Rice naturally absorbs arsenic that can contaminate the water it’s grown in. Arsenic is linked to chronic health issues.
Two recipes contain fish. It’s not stated whether fish ingredients are wild caught or farmed. Farmed fish is less nutritious than wild caught fish. Wild fish also has a healthier fatty acid balance.
CaniSource doesn’t state the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in its recipes. This is true of most companies. It’s a concern because AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation.
Let’s look at each line in a little more detail.
CaniSource Grand Cru
Score: 5.4/10
Ingredient List For Grain-Free Pork And Lamb Recipe: Pork, pork liver, lamb, green peas, lentils, lupine, apples, carrots, sunflower oil, sweet potatoes, flax seeds, cranberries,calcium carbonate, tricalcium phosphate, thyme, saccharomyces cerevisiae extract (MOS), chicory root extract (FOS), beet extract, elderberry extract, yeast extract, lactobacillus extract, thyme extract, niacinamide, sodium chloride choline, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, vitamin E supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, vitamin supplement A, manganous oxide, vitamin D3 supplement, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, calcium iodate, folic acid, sodium selenite, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, citric acid, rosemary extract
Grand Cru Benefits
- Made in house
- Probiotics (CFU not guaranteed)
Grand Cru Concerns
- High in carbohydrates
- Added vitamins & minerals
- Seed oil
- Moderately processed
- High pesticide/herbicide foods in top 5 ingredients
- Rice
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
- Doesn’t specify farmed or wild-caught fish
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
CANISOURCE DOG FOOD RECALLS
To date, CaniSource 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.
