Many of the dozens of dry dog foods on the market, especially most "top selling" brands, are very unhealthy, with some even being unfit for consumption. There's actually only a handful of foods out there that contain mostly, if not all, healthful and nutritious ingredients.

What dogs need first and foremost in their diets, more than anything else, is meat protein. Good quality meat protein. Canidae provides that and more. Of the first five ingredients listed, three of these are meat-based proteins (chicken, turkey and lamb) in meal form. Herring meal rounds out the list of proteins. That's four meat proteins listed among the first seven ingredients. Also included are other healthful ingredients which seem to make this food a fair choice.

I also like the price. Because less food is used per meal Canidae is economical as well.

The reason I did not rate this food "5 stars" is because it contains two "questionable" ingredients,  yucca schidigera and herring meal.

Yucca is a natural herb used to reduce the odor of a dogs stool. It is suspected, though not yet proven, that by using this ingredient over an extended period of time it might interfere with the absorption of fat soluble vitamins, resulting in nutrient deficiencies.  But by using Canidae All Life Stages Formula for short periods of time, rotating its use with other foods that do not contain yucca, it would seem to make an acceptable addition to any dogs diet.

On the other hand the herring meal used in this product is of a more serious concern. All fish caught and marked for commercial food use are regulated by the U.S. Coast Guard. By their regulations any fish destined to become fish meal must be treated with a preservative. Usually the preservative of choice is Ethoxyquin, an artificial rather than natural preservative. Ethoxyquin is a known carcinogen. And foods containing fish meal of any kind can be suspected of containing this harmful ingredient unless the manufacturer explicitly states otherwise.

I have personally contacted Canidae several times to find out if they use ethoxyquin-free sources. I have yet to get a response from them.

It would be on this basis alone that I would not recommend using this food. This would be unfortunate considering this particular formula by Canidae is a decent dog food.

It's of great benefit to a dogs overall health if their food is changed (rotated) every few months, switching to one of the other high-quality foods or even just changing formulas. By doing this you can rotate with foods that omit certain ingredients, such as yucca. Rotation will also help fill in nutrient gaps that some foods may have. Just remember to gradually change from the old food to the new over a period of about 7 days and your "pup" should have no problems with the transformation.

It has been noted by a few that this food caused dry skin and fur. Occasionally this does occur, but in very few dogs. The reason why is unclear. Canidae actually contains several ingredients that are very beneficial to skin and coat.

It is a fact that not all dogs can tolerate all foods. Yet most dogs will do very well on this food with no negative affects whatsoever. 

I would honestly consider using this food as part of a rotation diet if I am assured that all the ingredients are healthy and safe.

If you really care about your dog, as I do mine, then please check out the following websites. They will really open your eyes.

dogfoodanalysis.com

4dogma.com

dogaware.com

dogfoodproject.com.

These websites will help educate you so that you can make the right choices for your "best friend".

After all, they are counting on you!