Canidae VS Taste of The Wild: Which One Is Better For Your Dog?

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As a dog owner, you want your lovely canine friend to have the best things. And one of the things you will consider first is providing them with the best dog foods. With a wide range of choices, prices, and qualities, it can be a tall task to choose the right food for your furry friends. On that note, here’s your guide on choosing between Canidae vs The Taste of The Wild.

For some of us, dog foods are dog foods; there’s no distinct quality that makes them better than the others. BCanidae VS Taste of the Wildut you need to know that not all dog foods provide the same qualities. Some pet owners just cut to the chase and buy their pets the most expensive foods available. This is under the assumption that they have the best qualities. But is it true? Well, not necessarily. There are cost-efficient alternatives without having to compromise on the quality.

One way or another, you want to be sure that your dog’s foods are worth it. Both Canidae and Taste of The Wild are nutritious and suitable for dogs with specific dietary needs. Read on for a more thorough comparison!

Canidae VS Taste of The Wild Comparison Table

Description Canidae Taste of The Wild
Protein Source Fresh lamb, bison, duck, wild boar Roasted venison & bison, lamb, quail, salmon, eggs
Vitamin Source  Salmon, sweet potato, fruits, vegetables Potatoes, sweet potatoes, salmon, peas
Nutrition 29% protein 32% protein
Varieties 24 dry food recipes, 15 wet food recipes, 12 treat recipes 9 dry food recipes and 5 wet food recipes
Price Average of $2.09 per pound  Average of $1.59 per pound
Availability Available at several largest pet food retailers Available in most pet stores

About Canidae

Canidae is a family-owned company that has been around since 1996. They’re committed to providing the best dog food with top of the class nutrition, sourcing it from ranches and farms all across The United States. This commitment is reflected through the process in which all ingredients must be tested at Canidae’s Ethos Pet Nutrition facility in Brownwood, Texas.

Being a family-owned business, Canidae supports businesses like its own. The company sourced its ingredients from family-owned ranches and farms whenever possible. This effort is even extended to working with family-owned distributors and retailers.

Canidae is one of the most popular dog food producers in the country. You can choose from a wide selection of high-quality recipes for dogs at any age. The Life Stages line of products offers recipes made with premium protein. As well as digestible carbohydrates. The ingredients also include quality fruits, vegetables, and even legumes. Not only they are lab-tested safe they’re also highly nutritious.

Canidae Grain-FREE Pure is one of their favorite line of products. They’re specifically made for dogs with sensitive stomachs and allergies to the grain. The premium protein included in these products is coming from duck, wild boar, and fresh lambs. Apart from food dogs, they also offer high-quality treats. Canidae products are available in nine grain-free formulas.

Canidae Top Three Formulas:

Recall

Almost a quarter of a century being a dog food company, Canidae has had only one recall in May 2012. The voluntary product recall was due to a concern over potential salmonella contamination.

About Taste of The Wild

Living up to the brand’s name, Taste of The Wild offers premium, grain-free dog foods that your pet is meant to eat. This is important since grains can be dangerous for sensitive and allergic dogs. With grain-free formula foods, Taste of The Wild is protein-rich and highly nutritious.

The use of animal proteins from bison and venison in the product is something new. Real meat is the first source of proteins included in your dog’s food. Along with fruits, vegetables, minerals, and antioxidants. Both prebiotics and probiotics are also included in each bag of Taste of The Wild dog food.

The brand understands that your dogs crave natural flavor. This way, the company ensures that the product they offer mimics your dog’s ancestral diet. It’s an interesting point of view on its own. And surely, they’re also committed to providing safe consumption for your pet. The company runs rigorous safety measures and quality control to ensure the products are of the top quality.

Taste of The Wild Top Three Formulas:

Recall

Taste of The Wild was recalled once in 2012. This was due to the concern of potential salmonella contamination in its product. Diamond Pet Food Processors–the business owner– initiated the move as a precautionary step. Certain products manufactured in one of their facilities were tested positive for salmonella. Read more about it on Taste of The Wild Dog Food Reviews: Recalls in 2020.

Ingredients Comparison

All pet food labels must provide their guaranteed analysis of nutrient content, according to AAFCO. Companies have to disclose the maximum crude fiber and moisture. As well as the minimum percentage of crude protein and fat. We’ll go through the details of each ingredient included in the two brands.

Protein

The first nutrient content you need to pay attention to is the product’s level of protein. The right amount of animal-based protein can help dogs to reach their optimal health. While there is also plant-based protein included in most dog foods product and fed to the pets, dogs are not herbivores. That’s why it’s best to provide them with dog foods that contain a high-level of animal-based protein.

You’ll find plenty of animal-based protein in Canidae dog foods. From chicken, turkey, fresh lamb, duck, to bison. Different kinds of fish such as salmon and menhaden fish meal are also found in the ingredients. These ingredients alone provide a very high protein source in your dog food.

The same goes for Taste of The Wild dog foods’ ingredients. Most of the animal-based protein found in Canidae dog foods you can also find in their products. What differs, though, Taste of The Wild includes roasted bison & venison, egg product, and peas. Note that the extra ingredients only add a small amount of protein to the food.

Generally, both products include a similar source of protein, which most are animal-based. But Taste of The Wild features 32% protein which is more than a typical dry dog food would provide. And when you compare the crude protein of both products, they provide roughly the same amount. With Taste of The Wild provides about 2.20% more.

Carbohydrates

As the ultimate source of energy for your furry friends, your dog food should include carbohydrates. It’s also responsible for providing fiber in the diet. Ensuring proper food digestion and absorption. Companies usually use sweet potatoes and potatoes for carbs intake.

You can find both sweet potatoes and potatoes in either Canidae or Taste of The Wild. Sweet potatoes are also high in magnesium, potassium, and manganese. While potatoes provide more complex nutrients; minerals, vitamins, as well as antioxidants. Although in large quantities, it can contribute to obesity.

Some of Canidae’s products use brown rice and white rice. White rice found in dog food is usually frowned upon so be it may not be the best find.

Fats

Fat digestion is more complex than carbohydrates or protein. But healthy dogs can digest fat efficiently. About 90 – 95% of fat gets metabolized by a healthy dog on a regular. Fat in dog foods is coming from poultry, fish, and meat. Omega fatty acids like Omega 3 and Omega 6 are also great sources of fat in dog foods.

One of Canidae’s top three formulas is the Canidae Grain FREE Pure Sea. The main ingredients feature salmons, salmon meat, and menhaden fish meal. Dog foods with high salmon ingredients are high in oil and fatty acids. Besides, that also means more proteins in the food.

Tate of The Wild adds egg product into some of their dog foods. Egg products can be egg whites or yolks but note that the amount is not even over a minute of the shell. To say that this will improve the fat nutrient in the whole dog food will be misleading. Aside from egg products, you can also find canola oil included in Taste of The Wild’s dog foods. We’ll talk about how canola oil is a controversial ingredient in dog foods.

Canidae and Taste of The Wild have a different approach to include fat into their dog foods. The crude fat percentage between the two brands is relatively small. Taste of The Wild guarantees more than 2.71% of fat compared to Canidae.

Vitamin & Mineral

Vitamins and minerals are responsible for building bones and keeping your poochies strong. A balanced dog food includes vitamin A, E, K, D, phosphorus, B complex vitamins, and calcium. Your dog doesn’t need vitamin C because its body produces it. Also, your dogs may not need extra supplements if they’ve enough nutritious food on daily basis. Some dog supplements are even dubbed to be dangerous for their bodies.

Ingredients such as peas and sweet potatoes are the best source of vitamins and minerals. The plant-based source is commonly found as a great addition to dog foods. But keep in mind that they are harder to digest. But don’t worry, you won’t find a large amount of it in your dog food.

Controversial ingredients

While both brands are committed to providing the best ingredients to attract customers, their effort is not flawless. Both Canidae and Taste of The Wild use canola oil, pea protein, and tomato pomace in their ingredients. These ingredients are all considered controversial ingredients according to animal health experts. Canola oil is more processed and it likely comes from genetically modified crops.

Canidae dog foods are also using some other controversial ingredients. This includes iron oxide, white rice, caramel color, and garlic powder.

Based on this observation, Canidae seems to have more controversial ingredients compared to Taste of The Wild. While it may only be in a small amount, taking the risk for your lovely pet is not going to worth it. Better safe than sorry!

Price Comparison

One of the biggest factors that sometimes determines your choice of dog food is the price. More expensive dog food doesn’t always guarantee better quality and vice versa. The cheaper option is not always the worst. Most importantly, we don’t want to buy the company’s marketing gimmick over mediocre dog food quality.

Canidae dog food averages about $2.09 per pound. That means you’ll need about $105 dog food cost per month (about 50 pounds). But, Taste of The Wild more cost-efficient according to our observation. With an average of $1.59 per pound ($79.5 per 50 pounds), you’re saving about $20 every month if you choose it as your go-to brand.

Conclusion

It’s no doubt that both of the brands are very much close-tie in most aspects above. Both are American brands and both had only been recalled once for the same reason. But we have to say that Taste of The Wild is winning today. Considering how their dog foods are using a wider range of animal-based protein for their products, higher protein, as well as a cheaper price tag. Choosing Taste of The Wild is like getting the best of both worlds when you have to compare these two products. If you’re still not sure, read more comparison of Taste of The Wild vs Diamond Naturals or vs Blue Buffalo.

On top of that, Taste of The Wild is also better for your dog if it has a sensitive stomach and more prone to allergy. Their products are grain-free and every element in the ingredients mimic your dog’s ancestral diets.

Yet, when it comes to a wider variety of flavors, Canidae is better in this aspect. Both promise the best quality ingredients it can provide. Considering the availability, you can find products from both brands in most of your neighboring pet stores. That being said, there isn’t any big deal-breaker that will make Canidae far less competitive.

Between Canidae VS Taste of the Wild, we think Taste of The Wild is the winner. What do you think?

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