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Ketogenic Pet Food Dog Food Review

KETOGENIC
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Ketogenic Pet Foods markets its food as a solution to high starch kibbles. It provides a carnivorous diet for dogs. The company cites research and science. This supports the concept of ketogenic diets for dogs. They offer kibbles and freeze dried meats to meet that need.

The website provides no information about the company. Also missing is info about ingredient sourcing. The manufacturing process is not described either. However, the company is owned by Wysong. Wysong makes these foods in its facilities. 

These are unusual dog food formulas. It’s worth noting labels carry an AAFCO statement. The foods are formulated to meet AAFCO nutritional levels. These levels are for maintenance. 

The company addresses the cost of its food. The website states “Due to the high grade ingredients, hands-on manufacturing processes, and unique formulations, Ketogenic Pet Foods are necessarily costly.”  They suggest a dog may eat less of their foods than other commercial pet foods. This is because protein and fat are the primary source of calories. Cheaper carbohydrates are not the main ingredient. 

For our Ketogenic Pet Foods 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 KETOGENIC PET FOOD A GOOD DOG FOOD?

Ketogenic Pet Foods have moderate risk dog foods by our criteria. It’s not useful to average protein and carbs. They vary enormously from one line to another. The kibbles range from almost zero carbs to 21%. Proteins vary from 40% to 60%. There’s also a wide range of carbohydrates in the freeze dried meat line. 

The freeze dried meat recipes have higher fat than protein content. This isn’t surprising for a ketogenic food. But it’s a concern because toxins are stored in fat. There’s also potential for high fat to cause imbalances in gut bacteria. 

The company provides no information about the quality or sourcing of ingredients. Kibble is ultra-processed. Ingredients undergo several stages of heating. This can reduce nutrient levels.

There are excessive vitamins and minerals added to the food. This suggests lower quality ingredients. They don’t supply needed nutrients. Recipes contain lower quality ingredients highlighted in each review. 

Ketogenic Pet Food  doesn’t state the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in their 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.

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Ketogenic Pet Food Kibble

Score: 5.3/10

Ingredient List For Keto-Kibble Fat Boost Recipe: Chicken meal, organic chicken, freeze-dried chicken, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), beet fiber, meat protein isolate, gelatin, natural flavor, coconut oil, avocado oil, rice bran oil, apple fiber, flaxseeds, taurine, calcium carbonate, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, fish oil, yeast extract, citric acid (a preservative), inulin, mixed tocopherols (a preservative), rosemary extract, yeast culture, minerals (potassium chloride, zinc proteinate, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, iron proteinate, copper sulfate, copper proteinate, manganese sulfate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, calcium iodate), vitamins (ascorbic acid [source of vitamin C], vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, calcium pantothenate, vitamin a supplement, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid), dried aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, dried enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried bacillus subtilis fermentation extract, dried lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried lactobacillus lactis fermentation product.

Ketogenic Pet Food Kibble is a moderate risk food by our criteria. There are 3 recipes. Two recipes contain negligible carbohydrates. Keto-Foundation™ is a more traditional, higher starch product. It has 21% carbohydrate. This is low for a kibble, when compared with competitors. 

Like all kibbles, all 3 recipes lose points for being ultra processed. 

Recipes have added vitamins and minerals. Some foods are known to have high pesticide or herbicide residues. There’s also a GMO crop. The two Keto-Kibble recipes contain meat protein isolate. This ingredient increases the protein level. It also raises quality concerns because it’s an unspecified animal protein. Typically, meat protein isolates are made from cheap leftovers from meat processing. They include carcasses, blood, skin, viscera, hooves and feathers. One recipe has brown rice. It carries a risk of arsenic contamination. Recipes contain natural flavor. This is another low quality ingredient. Yeast extract is also present. It’s a name often used for MSG. 

Kibble Benefits

  • Minimal carbohydrates (except Keto-Foundation)
  • High protein

Kibble Concerns

  • Ultra processed
  • Contains excessive added vitamins and minerals
  • High pesticide/herbicide ingredients
  • Non specific animal protein
  • Contains rice
  • Natural flavor
  • Fish oil appears to be farmed
  • Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio

View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews

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Ketogenic Pet Food Freeze-Dried

Score: 6.7/10

Ingredient List For Salmon Recipe: Salmon, coconut oil, avocado oil, rice bran oil, natural flavor, minerals (potassium chloride, zinc proteinate, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, iron proteinate, copper sulfate, copper proteinate, manganese sulfate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, calcium iodate), taurine, vitamins (ascorbic acid [source of vitamin C], vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid).

Ketogenic Pet Food Freeze-Dried is a moderate risk dog food by our criteria. There are 3 recipes. This line averages 10% carbs, but the Beef recipe has 16.5%. This is high for a ketogenic food. Protein averages 38%, and fat averages 40%. Chicken and Salmon average 46% fat. High fat is expected for keto, but it can cause gut bacteria issues and store toxins. There are added vitamins and minerals. Natural flavor is a low quality ingredient that is used. The company doesn’t specify whether the salmon is farmed or wild-caught. Wild-caught fish is preferable. It’s more nutritious, with a better fatty acid balance. 

Freeze-Dried Benefits

  • Low in carbohydrates (except Beef)
  • High protein

Freeze-Dried Concerns

  • Food is moderately processed
  • Beef is higher in carbs
  • Higher in fat than protein
  • Excessive added vitamins and minerals
  • Contains natural flavor
  • Contains coconut oil
  • Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
  • Salmon appears to be farmed

View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews

KETOGENIC PET FOODS RECALLS

Ketogenic Pet Foods has not had any recalls. However, the foods are made in Wysong’s facilities and in 2009 Wysong recalled several batches of their Maintenance, Senior and Synorgon Canine Diets because of high moisture levels and the potential for mold.

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.

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