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We all love our pets and we generally turn to the big named brands to ensure we get the right pet foods.
However, it really is no secret that Pedigree has been one of the most popular brands on the market for decades.
When the brand got its first big recognition, their marketing efforts were geared toward breeders and show dogs. This led them to a very lucrative partnership with The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
However, over the years, the brand has shifted its marketing focus to more closely on shelter dogs, subsequently ending their partnership with the esteemed dog show.
This article will take a deeper look into what this commercial dog food is actually made of and explore what customers really think of one of the most well-known dog food brands out there today.
Our Rating
After comparing multiple sites along with customer reviews of Pedigree Dog Food ingredients and satisfaction, Pedigree receives 3 out of 5 stars. If you want to see our top-rated dog food read the guide here.
Reviews
The Pedigree Dog Food reviews were quite shocking given the fact that the brand has been a household name for quite a while.
There was obviously a need to determine the answer to the question is Pedigree a good dog food because there have been studies and analyses completed regarding the ingredients found in the well-known dog food.
Unfortunately, while reviews from chewy.com and amazon.com show mostly 4 out of 5-star ratings, trusted websites such as Dog Food Advisor and Dog Food Insider state otherwise giving very low ratings of 1 and 2 stars.
Pros
Dogs Prefer
Most of the comments regarding the canned food on chewy.com and amazon.com stated that dogs preferred Pedigree’s canned food over other brands’ canned food.
Customers stated that while they have tried other brands, they have found that their dogs specifically choose Pedigree more frequently.
There is also no denying that Pedigree dog food contains a source of essential vitamins and minerals, such as d-calcium pantothenate, monocalcium phosphate, potassium iodide, potassium chloride, and folic acid.
Price
Customers reported enjoying the price point of Pedigree because it was affordable with an ingredient list they could agree with respectfully.
Cons
Main Ingredient – Corn
One of the chief complaints from Dog Food Advisor and Dog Food Insider was that the main ingredient used was corn.
While corn is inexpensive and used mostly as a filler, dogs have a hard time digesting it.
It has also been proven that corn is known to cause many allergies and skin issues for dogs; therefore, it is hard to understand why corn would be the number one listed ingredient in this dog food.
Too Much Grain
There is a reason why dog foods advertise as being “grain-free” – dogs do not digest grain well which causes more waste and gas than necessary for any pup.
Among the top ingredients listed were corn gluten meal, soybean meal, and ground whole wheat. With that much grain in one recipe, dogs are bound to produce much more gas and waste than ever necessary.
Colors and Dyes
According to Dog Food Insider, a breakdown of the ingredients list for a complete Pedigree Dog Food review showed that artificial colors and dyes were used frequently in all of their recipes.
And while this is mostly to attract human customers (dogs can’t see colors in that way), the artificial colors and dyes could actually be harmful to your pup.
Upset Tummies
Many of the Pedigree Dog Food reviews found on chewy.com and amazon.com stated that the fur friends who tried Pedigree dog food ended up getting sick from the food.
The customers even stated that their dogs refused to eat Pedigree Dog Food after just one taste. These were among the most common complaints found on the purchase sites.
Watch this video from a veterinary surgeon for more pros and cons:
Product Line
1. Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition Roasted Chicken, Rice & Vegetable Flavor Dry Dog Food
2. Pedigree Weight Management Canned Food
3. Pedigree Chunky Ground Dinner With Beef, Bacon & Cheese Flavor Canned Dog Food
4. Pedigree Puppy Chopped Ground Dinner With Chicken & Beef Canned Dog Food
Ingredient Analysis
Again, the ingredients listed for Pedigree Dog Food show that corn is their first ingredient.
While this is not necessarily a terrible ingredient to have, it should not be listed as the number ingredient for dog food as it does not provide most nutritional value at all and can cause allergies and other skin issues to arise.
Poultry by-product meal is listed second, which is waste from the slaughterhouse, according to Dog Food Advisor.
While chicken by-product meal is a composition of unwanted parts of animal bodies that weren’t used for meat (organs, feet, beaks, meat bone meal, etc…), a positive can be found in the fact that they do provide 300% more protein than fresh poultry.
Corn gluten meal is listed as the third ingredient in Pedigree Dog Food, which has most of the starchy carbohydrates washed out before it ever is put into the food!
One of the leading concerns regarding the ingredients list is the use of BHA to preserve animal fat that is used in the food. Of course, BHA is suspected to actually cause cancer; therefore, it is alarming that it is used.
According to Dog Food Advisor and Dog Food Insider, the ingredient list is enough to make a pet owner question giving their pup Pedigree Dog Food.
The Pedigree Dog Food ingredients list alone makes this a below-average product.
Recall History
As with many dog food brands, Pedigree has had a few products on the recall list a time or two.
Recalls have occurred as recently as 2014, which was simply voluntary recall due to the possible presence of foreign material.
One other recall in recent times was in 2012 with a voluntary recall for a limited number of three varieties of Pedigree weight management canned products due to potential choking risk.
Conclusion
It is safe to say that this dog food, while popular, is not the top dog food that you should be serving to your pup.
We value our animals as parts of our family, and they deserve to eat quality food that will help promote healthy bodies, minds, and spirits! Pedigree may be well known, but Pedigree Dog Food reviews prove otherwise in terms of quality and ingredient breakdown.
If the price is a concern, Pedigree meets the low price check off on your list. However, it is not worth putting your dog’s health in jeopardy for lower-priced dog food.
While many people have been happy with Pedigree throughout the years, it is still not a high-quality food that should be recommended.
If you’re looking for more information regarding reviews on the well-known dog food, check out this video.
And remember, do your research and consult a veterinarian before purchasing this dog food for your best fur friend.
Top Picks For Our Dogs
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For a list of all the supplies we get for our new service dog puppies check out our New Puppy Checklist on the PuppyInTraining.com blog.
47 comments
All of my dogs were fed Pedigree, and lived to their expected life spans. A number of years ago, there was a major recall of many types of dog food due to propylene glycol being put in the dog food. There were a number of dogs that died an agonizing death. I checked for Pedigree on the list of offenders, and did not find it there! In fact, it was one of the few not on the list. That being said – I am looking to find a higher quality product. But it seems that when it comes to dog food, many of these companies seem to keep trying to get away with things. The latest scare is the Euthanasia drug being found in dog food. Like me, you might be wondering – how does a Euthanasia drug get into dog food in the first place? Well – apparently from putting euthanized dogs into dog food! Talk about cannibalism! How disgusting! So do your research before buying any dog food.
I have 4 chihuahuas and they all have pedigree puppy vital .I have looked everywhere in Stockport area and none of the shops have it in Stock is there a shortage or a problem with it
The best dog food i have found for my maltipoo and cockapoo is 4 health sensitve skin and stomach is from tractor supply grain free they make there own don’t have any bad food ingredients in it no by products if there is a tractor supply check it out they have food for all problems in dogs
My 2 doxies were raised on 4Health and love it. Good quality and they love it!
My Westie has always been fed Pedigree…he loves it and had no issues for 10 years. In May 2022 he developed a skin condition which just kept getting steadily worse. His fur thinned and he was suffering. I changed his food from Pedigree and 6 weeks later he is skin issue free!! Makes me wonder what the manufacturer may have changed last year???
Pedigree killed 3 of my dogs within 3 mos..My fourth was having seizures..This was in 2014..Should have sued them. Now I make my own. Never will I ever buy commercial dog food again!!!
Marilyn, Could you give me your recipe please?
My dog has had two seizures two days in a row after eating pedigree soft food. I am definitely suing after a £300 emergency vet bill. People need to know about this!
I have been using pedigree dog food for years and my dogs love it.
I found a German Shepard at a shelter,feed her Pedigree dry food and never took her to a vet. She lasted 17 years.
I bought 6 cans of chicken and rice and there isn’t any rice in three cans that I opened and the food is very thin I am afraid to feed it to my dog I have been feeding it to my dog’s for a long time can you tell me what is going on
Every dog that has to eat kibble suffers. Imagine being fed Grape Nuts without the milk; day after day. Sure it tastes okay and is even somewhat healthy; but when a dog sees his/her family cooking those wonderful smells and watches them enjoying whatever that is. You gave your dog the same boring dry food day after day? Now if you gave your dog some of your food too from time to time; id say your dog did not live too bad of a life. Only feeding a dog dry kibble is sad. Kibble sucks. My dog would stop eating it after a bag or two. I would share some of my food with him sometimes and he seemed to say; “ ive gotta keep eating this shit, and you eat that yummy smelling tasty stuff?” Dogs may eat too fast in our opinions; but their digestive process is much faster than ours and they are literally tasting the food you cook when they smell it.
We rescued Our Buddy at 10 weeks old , Lab /Shepard mix .
We tried All the “Exclusive “ brands first
hoping to hook him on the healthiest
choice. Pedigree was his choice. Fifteen healthy and happy years and hes still enjoying it today!! Don’t know if it’s the food but our vet says whatever we’re doing for him, keep it up, he’s doing great!!
Did you keep your dog outside by himself most of the time? Did you ever cook and eat with him in the same room? My dog tried all of the top brands as well as pedegree dry and he got bored after every one of them; to the point I had to starve him because the stupid vets all said that eventually he will eat it. Imagine telling your kid to eat some nasty tasting stuff. Oh he/ she will eventually eat if they are hungry enough. No; i have more respect for my dog than that. To me kiibble is not real food. My dog loves cooked greenbeans; carrots; brocolli; apples; melon and many other fruits and vegetables; not just the lamb; chicken breasts; salmon and steak he gets. Thats real food. If all you can afford is cheap kibble; I hate to see what you feed yourself. There is a reason that some dogs can always have food in their bowls. Its because they eat when they have to if they dont care much for the food. If you were more into your dog; you might find that he likes other real food too.
David – dog obesity is rampant because of anthropomorphic thinking like yours. Dog obesity cripples and kills. Many humans would also do better heathwise they left some food in the bowl and only ate food for nutrition rather than pleasure.
I have 5 cocker spaniels. Here lately they have all been to the vet which is very unlikely. I buy the 55lb pedigree complete chicken etc. My dogs started having severe poops with bright red blood. Well I look up the recall notice for pedigree & the # upc I had the bag. I bought it @ Sams club in Winston-Salem north Carolina. Sams club was mentioned where it was coming from but not in North Carolina. People read recall notices & upcoming before buying anything to eat.
I agree. Also; try feeding your dog’s real food instead of just one plain boring dry kibble day after day. Dogs like a wide sort of vegetables and fruits. Real chicken breasts are not very expensive at all; a dollar and a half a pound? You feed yourself 20 or 30 dollars a day but pay less than a dollar a day to feed your dog’s? That is just lazy and mean. Why would you even get a dog; just to watch your house every day when you are gone? Im not sure how a person can care for their dog and watch it eat highly processed filler food dry kibble every day. Its pretty sad people are that disconnected.buying the bottom of the barrel bare minimum dog food for their pets.
I compared the gredance of Pedigree to more expensive brands of dog food to Pedigree, Although the more expensive dog food has a tiny more amount of protein and other ingredients I’m not sure that the more expensive dog food is worth more then double the price of Pedigree. When all you have to do is add one 5 cent egg per bowl to equal the same protein outcome!
Kibble is all garbage. Your dog should eat real food; not super heated and overly processed dry pellets. That is all marketing meant for lazy ignorant people. This is a perfect example of feeding your family member shit that you would never eat. Why is it that dogs like the same fruits and vegetables; grains and meats we enjoy? So we can feed them some non-food garbage we would never eat? Look at the ingredients in most of the kibble made; its really a great ploy to get people to give their money to you. It is so cheap and easy and you really dont care what you feed your dog as long as it doesn’t kill him or her. Lowest common denominator food for your dog. Your dog must not mean very much to you. Did you just get him/her to throw into the backyard to watch your place when you are gone? Do you pet your dog and give him/her a hug every day? Most dogs are highly social animals like people and they have the same feelings as we do. If you aren’t social with your dog; at least get him/her a companion to share life with. Don’t rob your dog of a happy life by being cheap and disconnected. How would you feel?
The best dog food i have found for my maltipoo
Why, all of a sudden are you packaging the small bites dog food back to the one you have totear open, I like the zipper bags better, Ive been buying your dogfood for years. It was easy to open for me with the zipper bag!
If its kibble you feed your dog you dont need to seal it back up. It is so dry and cooked; not even mold will decompose it. Don’t give an animal that likes the same foods you do; some dry superheated garbage you would never eat; unless you just dont give a shit about your dog. They have feelings just like you. How would you feel if a family member treated you like less of anything?
My rescue ,5 year old large Yorkie (17 lbs)
Is eating Pedigree for small dogs, chicken and steak flavor. He constantly bites and licks his paws. I bought the “tender bites for small dogs.
He does like it but doing his paws concerns me.
I’m wondering if he’s allergic.
Licking and biting his paws is definitely a sign of allergies.
Yes; allergic to eating pure garbage. Imagine what ground up and melted hooves; hair; cartilage; tendons and some chicken fat with corn would do to you if thats was all you ate. Kibble is definitely not real food. Give a dog kibble who you kind of dislike or hate. Otherwise you buy it out of ignorance and being cheap.
My Min Pin at Pedigree for 16 years. I had to put him down for spinal issues. I fed my miniature dachshund for 24 years until he had to be put down. Neither dog has ever had health issues!! The Mini Pin I bought in the late 80’s and the Dachshund I bought in in 2000. Both dotloved the food and lived healthy long lives. Currently I have a Baby Lab and he is also on Pedigree. It’s a brand I trust!
Its a lazy and ignorant fools brand along with all of the rest of the kibble on the market. Dog’s like the same foods that we do. Would you eat that kibble? Of course not. Just because your dog has to eat it and seems fine on it; takes away from the joys of eating real food. Imagine how long they would live eating fruits; vegetables; grains and meat. Real food for a real animal with the same feelings that we have. The reason your dogs lived as long as they did was because they did not get to eat and abundance of food that they loved. Dogs will live 10 percent longer lives when fed 25 percent less calories. Your dogs eat the bottom of the barrel bare minimum kibble. They get all of the nutrients that they need from it; but they had no choice. You think they were just as happy as they would have been eating actual real food? Do you think you would be as happy if you were conditioned to eat the same dry tasting pellets day after day?
I bought a large bag of the weight control dry food. I wanted a small one to try it, but it only came in a large one. My little guy got severe
diarrhea with blood in it. I will be throwing it all out. Now I don’t trust the wet food either.
My female Black Lab has been fed Pedigree since she was a puppy. She continues to have no health issues, her teeth are excellent, and her coat has always been healthy, albeit a bit grey now. She continues to have a good amount of energy for her age, jumps and runs and still loves the water. She just turned sweet 16!
I had a great rescue dog that had developed a bad eye disease that for many years was controlled by expensive eyedrops and a long distance drive to the specialist eye doctor vet when needing new drops. I found a new specialty vet opened and eye doctor was part of service and closer. Was told that the eye drops were not needed but a low fat (10% or lower) high protein diet was. Tried several in the 9% range and around 18% on protein and found my three rescues would nibble and never eat a full meal. I was using the last of the eye drops and needed a different dog food. I found Pedigree at Sam’s and found 10% fat and 21% protein, what a find for my dog’s eye issue, now to see if it worked. Three months later, all three dogs were enjoying eating and Harley’s eye never needed another eye drop. I thought about figuring how many bags of Pedigree I could have bought for the amount I spent on the vet and medicine, but I didn’t, no need to get pissed off. Just thankful for and honest vet. I have been rescuing dogs since 1993 and found finicky eaters but after switching to Pedigree dry, I don’t have an issue. Problems solved and many years of great lives for the dogs. Dachshunds, multiple labs and lab mixes, and a few odd breeds and mixes and they all preferred Pedigree. They all lived past expectations and the three I have now are all passed expectations. I had a fourth, an old dachshund with hair and coat issues and a very low self-esteem when I rescued it. It was named Frack as his brother was named Frick. After realizing the feeding bowls were assigned to each dog, Frack was eating his meals like every other dog, loving the Pedigree. Still was trying to get along with the other dogs and we seen such a change with his attitude that we changed his name to Happy and we noticed after four months his coat was filling in and at 6 months was almost complete. Our dogs hate it when I don’t have time to get to Sam’s and I buy something else. They eat one bowl and nibble for the rest of the bag. I will always stay with Pedigree. My apologies for the long story, love my rescues.
We were feeding our chihuahua and chi-terrier mix the Pedigree Small Dog lines of dry kibble, alternating between the steak and chicken “flavors”. Not sure how we started on the Pedigree brand, but I suspect my wife just found it randomly at the supermarket and bought it cause it’s about the cheapest brand there is, barely over $10 for a 16 lb bag. Both of us were new dog owners, never having pets as kids, so we didn’t know any better. Our chihuahua died in less than a year from seizures which I never suspected was because of his food until I read other reviews of Pedigree.
Our chi-terrier mix was vomiting at least once a week, usually on our bed. We just thought she had a sensitive digestive system until one day she vomited blood which scared us to death. We rushed her to the vet in the morning and spent a fortune on tests and they couldn’t find anything “wrong” with her in terms of injury or disease or conditions. It was then from doing my own research on what could be ailing her that I learned a lot more about the importance of diet and the kinds of ingredients to avoid in dog food like corn and excessive grains, etc.
After switching to another brand our chi-terrier mix stopped vomiting like she was before. She also seemed more alert and wouldn’t spend all day curled up listless like she did before. It was eye-opening to us how much changing her kibble improved her health. I guess that wouldn’t be surprising to long-time dog owners but we just didn’t know. I would strongly recommend against purchasing Pedigree dried dog food for your beloved pets if you can afford even just to pay a little more for a better brand that isn’t mostly grain or corn.
P.S. The only thing that I think Pedigree is good for is that it came with a zip-loc type bag. The brand we switched over to doesn’t use these types of bags so we were glad we had kept the Pedigree bag and use it to keep the other brand’s kibble. That’s one thing I can give Pedigree credit for.
I have been feeding my Lab Pedigreed dry bag food for 13 years and i never have to take him to a Vet. he is still full of
life and acts like a puppy, He sure likes to take me for walks every day. Thanks, Pedigree.
Its the synthetic dyes and preservatives that are the most concerning in the pedigree
My beautiful female labrador of 18 months of age , died on 28th November 2020, due to renal failure caused by pedigree.
Did she have any seizures prior to that? My dog has had two seizures in 24 hours after eating pedigree. She was on Caesar but I ran out and gave her that instead.
I’m holding a can of Pedigree Chopped Ground Dinner, Chicken, in my hand right now, not only isn’t corn the first ingredient listed, it isn’t listed at all! There is no corn in this product. The first ingredient is chicken, second is water, third is animal liver, fourth is meat by products, it isn’t until the fifth ingredient that it deviates away from proteins. In the other hand I’m holding a can of Pedigree Chopped Ground Dinner, Beef, and the ingredients are identical (including chicken being the first ingredient) in the identical order, with the addiction of beef. AND AGAIN NO CORN!!! The food dyes used are all food grade, FDA approved food dyes, ones you and I consume all the time and mostly without consequence, and have been deemed safe for animals by the FDA. The only time that food colors are harmful to anyone, including your animal, is if there is an allergic reaction to it or it is consumed in larges quantities (which a serving of dog or cat food doesn’t have). I have a 14 year old Lab’, Boomer, and he’s been a Pedigree dog since his first meal. I’ve deviated away from that on a couple of occasions, mainly because I’ve either listened to some “animal lover” or dogmatic salesperson belittle me for not doing the best I “could do” by not buying some designer brand at four times the cost and for the most part having the same damn ingredients. By the way… Boomer runs everyday, no not walks, runs, in a 2500 acre field behind my house, every frickin’ day!~ He still hikes with me, isn’t overweight, and has enough energy for both of us. His last vet’ tried to have me change his food, I changed vets’! His current vet’ says keep feedin’ him whatever it is you do, he’s just fine.
my beagle has been sick for 17 days, i took her to the vet 3 times already they can’t find the problem. but in the mean time a was given her chicken and medication, she was doing better until i decided to go back to pedigree dry food and i noticed that is in pain again, when she gets better never again I’m giving her pedigree dog food
Has she had any seizures at all?
I had several dogs. They lived to be 15-16 years. Shihi Tzu. All were fed Pedigree. Chicken mostly but even tho it says chicken, beef or what ever there is always other meats added, like fish and others they don’t mention. But I am at the point I am going to make my own dog food. Some cans I have open smell bad. Like chemicals.
What is a healthy dog food brand for kibbles? Is making homemade food healthier? For homemade food, what is a good healthy recipe for everyday food?
Thank you.
I have been feeding my pitbull Pedigree wet and dry for 4 years. I have noticed this week that there is no rice in the chicken and rice recipe. Explain what’s going on with this chopped dog food, please. Thank you.
I just got off the phone with Pedigree. The most recent purchase of the chicken and rice ground dinner was very different than what I had bought for many years. The new cans were very wet and almost soupy compared to the older cans.. The explanation I got was that the ingredients were the same but they had changed to a different processor that “blended the food more”. I could buy into that except that the new cans had a strong odor. I am switching to a different brand.
Dog’s can’t digest corn (maize)? – Where are the sources to back up this claim? The American Kennel Club recommends maize as an ingredient saying “Our research and expert nutritionists have shown us that corn in dog food is not only acceptable in a dog’s diet, but also beneficial”
The last 3 (three) 44 lb bags I’ve bought, had bugs in them and they appear to be maggots. This last bag I purchased is inundated with them. I am changing dog food immediately. I have used Pedigree for years, but not any more. I have sent an email to Corporate, but have not received a reply yet. Evidently, they don’t care.
I had five dogs, and I fed them Pedigree. They all suffered from diarrhea, and it wasn’t a matter of them getting used to it because this lasted many weeks till I switched kibble.
Hi Fellow Companions.. I have had Big Dog’s for 40yrs.. Have 2 Mastiff’s Now.. I’m Sure that I have Found the Right Combination for Food.. We all know of Zehrs Store’s.. Many years ago I looked into Their Dog Food. It’s Called Nutrition. Comes with Chicken or Salmon.. Has Peas & Carrots/Sweet Potatoes, etc.. Vitamins Added.. I Buy Chicken Drumsticks, P’s&C’s, Rice. Which is Cooked in NoSalt Broth.. The Mix is Cooking Juice w/Broth, Sm Amount of Rice, Peas’nCarrots, & Fresh Cooked PC of Meat..
I Believe that this is a Perfect Recipe for them..
Their Skin, Fur, Energy, is All Fabulous..!!
I Hope This Helps Someone Who is Looking to Change Their Furries Diet..!!
I have 1 Mastiff who is a Few Years Older Than His Life Span Expectancy
Regarding your commercial where The guy adopted the dog and drives him home. I don’t even own a dog and went out to buy your product and homages it to our local kennel. It touched my heart so. Thank you for finally someone showing a perfect commercial.