Which Sundays Dog Food Recipes Get Our Best Ratings?
Sundays Food For Dogs earns The Advisor’s top tier rating of 5 stars.
The Sundays Food for Dogs product line includes the 2 air-dried recipes listed below.
Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available… Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
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Recipe and Label Analysis
Sundays Food for Dogs Beef Recipe was selected to represent both products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.
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Ingredient Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is beef. Beef is defined as “the clean flesh derived from slaughtered cattle” and includes skeletal muscle or the muscle tissues of the tongue, diaphragm, heart or esophagus.
Beef is naturally rich in all ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The second ingredient is beef heart. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing to us humans, heart tissue is pure muscle — all meat. It’s naturally rich in quality protein, minerals and complex B vitamins, too.
The third ingredient is beef liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.
The fourth ingredient is beef bone, an excellent source of natural calcium.
The fifth ingredient is quinoa. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is not a true cereal grain but a plant prized for its gluten-free seeds.
Compared to most other grain-type ingredients, it is high in protein (about 12-18%), dietary fiber and other healthy nutrients.
The sixth ingredient is pumpkin, a nutritious addition high in complex carbohydrates, beta-carotene and dietary fiber.
The seventh ingredient is salmon oil. Salmon oil is naturally rich in the prized EPA and DHA type of omega-3 fatty acids. These two high quality fats boast the highest bio-availability to dogs and humans.
Depending on its level of freshness and purity, salmon oil should be considered a commendable addition.
The eighth ingredient is sunflower oil. Sunflower oil is nutritionally similar to safflower oil. Since these oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids and contain no omega-3’s, they’re considered less nutritious than canola or flaxseed oils.
Sunflower oil is notable for its resistance to heat damage during cooking.
There are several different types of sunflower oil, some better than others. Without knowing more, it’s impossible to judge the quality of this ingredient.
The ninth ingredient is zucchini. Zucchini is a type of squash high in complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.
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 4 notable exceptions…
First, 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.
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.
In addition, this recipe contains selenium yeast. Unlike the more common inorganic form of selenium (sodium selenite), this natural yeast supplement is considered a safer anti-cancer alternative.
And lastly, we find no added vitamins or minerals on the ingredients list. However, since the nutritional adequacy statement included on the label states the product is “complete and balanced”, we would assume these essential nutrients are provided by the food ingredients in the recipe.
Nutrient Analysis
Based on its ingredients alone, Sundays Food for Dogs looks like an above-average dry dog food.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 43% and a mean fat level of 21%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 29% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 48%.
Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the quinoa and flaxseed, this still looks like the profile of a dehydrated dog food containing a significant amount of meat.
Our Rating of Sundays Food for Dogs
Sundays Food for Dogs is a grain-inclusive air-dried dog food using a generous amount of named meats as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.
