Is Diamond Dog Food Good for Dogs?

Diamond Pet Foods offers Diamond dog food in canned or dry formulations, and Diamond Naturals in dry only. Each is rated differently based on ingredients by the DogFoodAdvisor, a website edited and largely written by Mike Sagman, a graduate of the Medical College of Virginia, whose passion is reading and interpreting pet food labels. Sagman rates Diamond Naturals 4 out of 5 stars, Diamond canned dog food 3.5 out of 5 stars and Diamond dry dog food 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Diamond Naturals contains natural ingredients and is free of corn, soy and wheat. The Small Breed Adult Lamb and Rice food is used for evaluation. The first two ingredients are proteins: lamb and lamb meal. Lamb meal is a concentrate that contains 300 percent more protein than lamb. The third ingredient is barley, a carbohydrate that supplies fiber. The fourth ingredient, ground rice, is a substitute for wheat flour and is a controversial ingredient; some critics say dogs don’t need this to be in dog food. The 4-star rating means this food is highly recommended.

Diamond Lamb and Rice Formula canned food is used for evaluation. The first ingredient is lamb, a quality ingredient that contains 10 essential amino acids. The second ingredient is lamb broth, which is nutritionally empty but provides moisture. The third ingredient, lamb liver, is a quality ingredient. The fourth ingredient is rice flour, a controversial ingredient. Overall, the food has average protein content, above-average fat and below average carbohydrates. The 3.5-star rating means this food is recommended.

Diamond Premium Adult Formula is used for evaluation. The first ingredient is chicken byproduct meal. Byproducts are slaughterhouse wastes that are left over after the meat has been taken from the bone. For chicken, this could be the head, feet, beak, organs and bones. The second ingredient is corn, a controversial ingredient that contains little nutritional value for dogs. The same goes for wheat, the third ingredient. The fourth ingredient, chicken fat, is a quality ingredient that contains omega-6 fatty acid. The next two ingredients, however, also are controversial: brewers rice and beet pulp. The 2.5 rating means this food is not recommitted.

Diamond Pet Foods recalled dry dog food that was manufactured between December 9, 2011 and April 7, 2012 due to a salmonella outbreak at its Gaston, SC, plant. If you’re concerned about any Diamond Pet Food products or any products co-manufactured with Diamond, such as Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul, Country Value, Premium Edge, Professional, 4Health or Taste of the Wild, you can get more information from the Diamond Pet Food recall information website.