Four Health Dog Food Brand
Four Health Dog Food Brand Review
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Four Health Dog Food Brand receives the Advisor’s second-highest tier rating of 4 stars.
The Four Health Dog Food Brand line includes nine dry dog foods.
Although each appears to be designed for a specific life stage, we were unable to find AAFCO nutritional profile recommendations for these dog foods on the product’s web page.
The following is a list of recipes available at the time of this review.
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Small Bites Adult
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Large Breed Adult
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Mature Adult (3 stars)
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Chicken and Rice Adult Dry Dog Food
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Chicken and Rice Adult
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Salmon and Potato Adult
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Lamb and Rice Adult (3 stars)
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Healthy Weight Adult (3 stars)
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Performance Formula Adult (5 stars)
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Puppy Formula
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Chicken and Rice Adult formula was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein = 29% | Fat = 17% | Carbs = 46%
Ingredients:
Chicken, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, millet, brewers rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), dried plain beet pulp, natural chicken flavor, flaxseed, fish meal, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, glucosamine hydrochloride, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, Yucca schidigera extract, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, chondroitin sulfate, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.4%
Red items indicate controversial ingredients
Estimated Nutrient Content
Method Protein Fat Carbs
Guaranteed Analysis 26% 15% NA
Dry Matter Basis 29% 17% 46%
Calorie Weighted Basis 25% 35% 40%
Protein = 25% | Fat = 35% | Carbs = 40%
- The 1st ingredient in this dog food is chicken.Although it is a quality item, raw chicken contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.
- The 2th ingredient is chicken meal.Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
- The 3th ingredient is barley. Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. However, aside from its energy content, this cereal grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
- The 4th ingredient is millet, a gluten-free grain harvested from certain seed grasses. Millet is hypoallergenic and naturally rich in B-vitamins and fiber as well as other essential minerals.
- The 5th ingredient is brewers rice. Brewers rice is a cereal grain by-product consisting of the small fragments left over after milling whole rice. Aside from the caloric energy it contains, this item is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
- The 6th ingredient is chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.
- The 7th ingredient is beet pulp. Beet pulp is a controversial ingredient, a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing.
Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding intestinal health and blood sugar benefits.
We only call your attention here to the controversy and believe the inclusion of beet pulp in reasonable amounts in most dog foods is entirely acceptable.
After the natural flavor, we find flaxseed, one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.
However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.
With three notable exceptions…
First, we note the inclusion of fish meal, another protein-rich meat concentrate.
Fish meal is typically obtained from the “clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings” of commercial fish operations.1
Unfortunately, this particular item is anonymous. Because various fish contain different types of fats, we would have preferred to have known the source species.
Next, chicory root is rich in inulin, a starch-like compound made up of repeating units of carbohydrates and found in certain roots and tubers.
Not only is inulin a natural source of soluble dietary fiber, it’s also a prebiotic used to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in a dog’s digestive tract.
And lastly, this food contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.
But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story.
We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 29%, a fat level of 17% and estimated carbohydrates of about 46%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 27% and a mean fat level of 15%.
Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 50% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 54%.
Near-average protein. Near-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the flaxseed, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.
Four Health Dog Food Brand is a plant-based dry dog food using a moderate amount of chicken, lamb or fish meals as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.
Highly recommended.
Please note certain recipes are sometimes given a higher or lower rating based upon our estimate of their total meat content and (when appropriate) their fat-to-protein ratios.
The descriptions and analyses expressed in this and every article on this website represent the views and opinions of the author.
The Four Health Dog Food Brand line includes nine dry dog foods.
Although each appears to be designed for a specific life stage, we were unable to find AAFCO nutritional profile recommendations for these dog foods on the product’s web page.
The following is a list of recipes available at the time of this review.
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Small Bites Adult
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Large Breed Adult
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Mature Adult (3 stars)
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Chicken and Rice Adult Dry Dog Food
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Chicken and Rice Adult
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Salmon and Potato Adult
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Lamb and Rice Adult (3 stars)
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Healthy Weight Adult (3 stars)
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Performance Formula Adult (5 stars)
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Puppy Formula
- Four Health Dog Food Brand Chicken and Rice Adult formula was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein = 29% | Fat = 17% | Carbs = 46%
Ingredients:
Chicken, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, millet, brewers rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), dried plain beet pulp, natural chicken flavor, flaxseed, fish meal, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, glucosamine hydrochloride, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, Yucca schidigera extract, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, chondroitin sulfate, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.4%
Red items indicate controversial ingredients
Estimated Nutrient Content
Method Protein Fat Carbs
Guaranteed Analysis 26% 15% NA
Dry Matter Basis 29% 17% 46%
Calorie Weighted Basis 25% 35% 40%
Protein = 25% | Fat = 35% | Carbs = 40%
- The 1st ingredient in this dog food is chicken.Although it is a quality item, raw chicken contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.
- The 2th ingredient is chicken meal.Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
- The 3th ingredient is barley. Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. However, aside from its energy content, this cereal grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
- The 4th ingredient is millet, a gluten-free grain harvested from certain seed grasses. Millet is hypoallergenic and naturally rich in B-vitamins and fiber as well as other essential minerals.
- The 5th ingredient is brewers rice. Brewers rice is a cereal grain by-product consisting of the small fragments left over after milling whole rice. Aside from the caloric energy it contains, this item is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
- The 6th ingredient is chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.
- The 7th ingredient is beet pulp. Beet pulp is a controversial ingredient, a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing.
Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding intestinal health and blood sugar benefits.
We only call your attention here to the controversy and believe the inclusion of beet pulp in reasonable amounts in most dog foods is entirely acceptable.
After the natural flavor, we find flaxseed, one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.
However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.
With three notable exceptions…
First, we note the inclusion of fish meal, another protein-rich meat concentrate.
Fish meal is typically obtained from the “clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings” of commercial fish operations.1
Unfortunately, this particular item is anonymous. Because various fish contain different types of fats, we would have preferred to have known the source species.
Next, chicory root is rich in inulin, a starch-like compound made up of repeating units of carbohydrates and found in certain roots and tubers.
Not only is inulin a natural source of soluble dietary fiber, it’s also a prebiotic used to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in a dog’s digestive tract.
And lastly, this food contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.
Four Health Dog Food Brand
Judging by its ingredients alone, Four Health Dog Food Brand looks like an average dry product.But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story.
We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 29%, a fat level of 17% and estimated carbohydrates of about 46%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 27% and a mean fat level of 15%.
Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 50% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 54%.
Near-average protein. Near-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the flaxseed, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.
Four Health Dog Food Brand is a plant-based dry dog food using a moderate amount of chicken, lamb or fish meals as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.
Highly recommended.
Please note certain recipes are sometimes given a higher or lower rating based upon our estimate of their total meat content and (when appropriate) their fat-to-protein ratios.
Four Health Dog Food Brand Recall History
The following list (if present) includes all dog food recalls since 2009 directly related to this product line. If there are no recalls listed in this section, we have not yet reported any events.The descriptions and analyses expressed in this and every article on this website represent the views and opinions of the author.
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