Pedigree Puppy Food Review: Exploring the Ingredients and Benefits


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Have you recently brought home a new addition in the form of a wagging tail and four clumsy paws? If so, you are undoubtedly curious about which puppy food might be best.

Pedigree Puppy Food has been a long-trusted brand among families. One has to wonder, though, if the brand really measures up to all the hype.

Comparison Table for Pedigree Puppy Food Review

Product

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Rating

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Pedigree Puppy Food

[amazon fields=”B01LQN5M0C” value=”thumb” image_size=”large”]

[amazon fields=”B01LQN5M0C” value=”button”]

Wellness Core Natural Grain-Free Dry Puppy Food Large Breed

[amazon fields=”B01DAGJ380″ value=”thumb” image_size=”large”]

[amazon fields=”B01DAGJ380″ value=”button”]

Farmina Natural & Delicious Chicken Grain-Free 

[amazon fields=”B008YQHLRM” value=”thumb” image_size=”large”]

[amazon fields=”B008YQHLRM” value=”button”]

Hill’s Science Diet Dry Dog Food, Puppy, Large Breeds

[amazon fields=”B003MWGS22″ value=”thumb” image_size=”large”]

[amazon fields=”B003MWGS22″ value=”button”]

What to Look for in a Puppy Food

The best puppy foods will have a recipe rooted in scientific research. In previous generations, dog food companies would create food from anything they thought would taste good to a dog and then they would stick with that formula without really considering the health benefits.

After all, in those days, more effort was put into keeping costs down than creating quality food for an animal.

Now pet food companies have gotten serious about their products. They know that a good quality puppy food should have higher calories than its adult brand. This helps puppies continue to grow despite the energy they expend in their rough play as they age.

About half the calories your puppy eats will be burned, leaving only the other half to help them mature physically. It is important to make sure they are getting enough.

Puppy food should also be in smaller size kibble than adult dog food. This is obviously because of the puppy’s mouth size and the fact that they are still using their first, weaker set of teeth.

Finally, you want to make sure your puppy is getting the right kind of ingredients. A puppy’s nervous system, for example, depends on fatty acid DHA, so their food should have a high DHA quantity.

This not only keeps your puppy physically healthy but also encourages memory and brain development, which will help in training.

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Pedigree Puppy Food Review: Puppy Food Pricing

Puppy food pricing will vary significantly depending on brand name and reputation as well as ingredients. You can buy a 15 lb. bag of budget puppy food for about $10, but it most likely won’t be as quality-driven as a more expensive bag.

At the same time, there are brands of dog and puppy food that cost as much as $100 for the same size bag but aren’t necessarily the best on the market.

Pedigree Puppy Food Review: How It Compares to Other Brands 

To do a fair and balanced Pedigree puppy food review, we have decided to compare the product to similar products on the market. The three competing brands that we have also chosen to review are:

  • Wellness Core Natural Grain Free Dry Dog Food Large Breed
  • Farmina N&D Small and Medium Breed Puppy
  • Hill’s Science Diet Dry Dog Food, Puppy, Large Breeds

In the sections that follow, we will tackle each brand independently and then make a final determination about how Pedigree puppy food stands up.

Pedigree Puppy Food

Pedigree Puppy Pouches Meat pedigree puppy food review

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Brand Reputation

Taste

Quality Ingredients

Nutrition

Brand Reputation

Pedigree Puppy Food review have always been among the best on the market thanks to the reputation the pet food has built over the years.

Taste 

Pedigree has real dogs taste test their food to ensure that it is going to be appealing. They also put a lot of focus into making sure that their food contains no non-natural or synthetic flavoring.

This is a definite plus because synthetic flavors are often attractive to animals but come at the cost of sacrificing health benefits.

Typically, Pedigree uses both vegetables and meat to flavor their food. They do also use rice and other grains.

Quality Ingredients

Using natural ingredients to flavor the food is a definite bonus, but Pedigree does have one downfall in that they still include soy, corn, and wheat in their recipe.

These are often referred to as “fillers” when discussing pet food. Pedigree claims, however, that they use the ingredients as a source of burn-able energy.

Nutrition

Pedigree puppy food contains a suitable amount of DHA to promote healthy nervous system, memory, and hearing. It is also 4% fat, meaning it is full of calories for your puppy to burn as it plays and learns throughout the day. Y

our puppy will also gain strength from the high amount of protein found in the puppy food, sourced directly from eggs and pork. 

While there are a lot of great nutritional benefits to Pedigree puppy food, it is not a suitable option for puppies who struggle with grain or gluten allergies due to the soy, corn, and wheat ingredients.

Quality

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Wellness Core Natural Grain-Free Dry Puppy Food Large Breed

Wellness CORE Puppy Dry Formula pedigree puppy food review

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[amazon box=”B01DAGJ380″]

Brand Reputation

Taste

Quality Ingredients

Nutrition

Wellness CORE is a lesser-known dog food brand and is a little harder on the budget, but it does come with its own rewards. 

The brand promises grain-free, high-protein dry foods that are sourced from all natural ingredients and based on research into the primal ancestry of domesticated dogs.

This dog food is made in the United States and backed by a Wellness Guarantee.

Brand Reputation

The brand is not widely known, which is the only reason this section is rated at a three. Those who do know the brand tend to have wonderful things to say about it and online reviews have been overwhelmingly positive concerning Wellness CORE, particularly when we read about their Large Breed Puppy food.

Many reviews state that their puppies have had better coats and been more playful after switching to this food as well as maintained a healthy body weight thanks to the easy-to-understand feeding instructions found on the pet food label.

Taste

There are some reviewers on online forums who have expressed concern that their puppies did not seem to like Wellness CORE’s flavor as much as some of the other brands they had tried.

While Wellness CORE promises all-natural ingredients and flavors, just as we saw in the Pedigree puppy food review, it’s possible that these ingredients are sourced differently.

Quality Ingredients

A glance at the ingredients list shows deboned chicken, peas, dried potatoes, and turkey meal among the most important ingredients.

This is a great sign because there are no wheat or gluten ingredients in the top row. These ingredients in the top row usually indicate the use of fillers.

Other ingredients include apples, green tea extract, and spearmint. These are all-natural ingredients used to flavor and provide extra vitamins as well as immunity boost and calming effects.

Nutrition

This puppy food contains an appropriate level of DHA as well as crude protein, crude fat, and plenty of fiber and calcium. Working together, these ingredients will help your puppy grow up stronger, smarter, and happier than they would on a lesser-quality food.

You will also see the benefits of these nutritional values shine through in your dog’s coat and skin.

Quality

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Farmina Natural & Delicious Chicken Grain-Free

Farmina Natural & Delicious Chicken Grain-Free pedigree puppy food review

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Brand Reputation

Taste

Quality Ingredients

Nutrition

The second alternative brand we looked into in our Pedigree puppy food review is Farmina Natural & Delicious Chicken Grain-Free Small & Medium Breed Puppy Formula. Farmina is a well-known brand that has earned a reputation for being a quality manufacturer of pet products.

Every bag of Farmina pet food includes an easy-to-read table explaining the proper feeding amount and frequency for your puppy based on their current weight. There are also instructions on how to transition your puppy into Farmina food from the food you are currently feeding.

Brand Reputation 

Farmina has earned a wonderful reputation throughout the United States as a quality producer of pet products, including dry food. If you are doing your own research into pet food brands, you will likely see the Farmina name come up; and with glowing commentary.

Taste

Most reviews we found on the Farmina puppy food recipe took time to specifically mention that the puppy food seemed to be a tasty treat for their beloved pet. This is probably because it is sourced, like the other brands, with high-quality and all-natural ingredients.

Quality Ingredients

This puppy food also has deboned chicken, dehydrated chicken, potato, chicken fat, eggs, and herring as the main ingredients, ruling out any grain or corn fillers as a major contributor.

In reading through the ingredients entirely, the fillers used seem to be more healthy than the old grains and corn standby. This recipe uses dehydrated fruits, alfalfa meal, and seed husk instead.

Nutrition

Nutritionally, this might be the best option in this side-by-side comparison Pedigree puppy food review. The puppy food contains high fat, fiber, protein, Omega Fatty Acids and DHA at appropriately high levels.

It also contains a low level of glucose, making it a great option for puppy breeds that often struggle with difficulty regulating their blood sugar.

Quality

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Rating

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Hill’s Science Diet Dry Dog Food, Puppy, Large Breeds

Hill's Science Diet Dry Dog Food pedigree puppy food review

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Brand Reputation

Taste

Quality Ingredients

Nutrition

Hill’s Science is a well-trusted brand of pet foods that you will often find recommended and endorsed by veterinary practices. This is because it is cost-friendly pet food that comes at a reasonably high quality.

The Hill’s Science dry large breed puppy food is specially formulated for puppies up to one year of age who will be over 55 lbs. when they are fully grown.

Brand Reputation

Hill’s Science probably has the best reputation of all brands listed in this comparison pedigree puppy food review. This is because it has widely been endorsed by veterinary practices and loves to market itself through the use of veterinary and pet-friendly channels.

You will often find that they advertise heavily during televised dog shows and at dog and cat-focused social events.

Taste

While this pet food is made with all natural ingredients, it is another where some consumer reviews have expressed difficulty getting their pets to make the switch.

This could be because of how the ingredients are sourced or it could be related to the high sodium levels found in some pet foods.

Dogs like salty tasting things, so it stands to reason that if they are making a switch from a high-sodium food, Hill’s Science just would not be as appealing to their puppy as their prior brand.

Quality Ingredients

Oats are one of the primary ingredients, as is whole grain corn, which is a disappointing find although not surprising. Many pet foods contain such fillers to help dogs feel more full after a serving and to reduce the overall cost of the pet food.

While not ideal, this should not be a deal-breaker for anyone considering Hill’s Science for their pet unless there is an underlying gluten sensitivity or other extenuating circumstance.

Nutrition

Glucosamine and chondroitin work together to promote healthy bone and joint growth with a controlled level of calcium assisting with bone strength. There are also antioxidants and Vitamin E and C promoting a healthy immune system.

One area where this option lacks, though, is that the DHA level seems to be lower than with competing brands.

Quality

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Rating

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Pedigree Puppy Food Review: Conclusion

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While all the products covered in this side-by-side comparison Pedigree puppy food review are good quality options, the Farmina brand seems to be rated at the top. Scoring 5 stars all across the board, it will be a hard one to beat and certainly seems to be worth the higher price tag.

Of course, if shopping for a more budget-friendly option is necessary, sticking to the Pedigree brand will be a fine option for you assuming your puppy is capable of handling grain and gluten ingredients in reasonable levels.

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