Maxximum Nutrition Super Premium Dog Food Adult Recipe Review

Our Miniature Schnauzer, Brandy was getting a little too skinny a couple of months back. She had been eating Science Diet Adult Light in cans since chunking up on her puppy blend. I guess we may have overdone it a bit with the light food and when she returned from getting clipped by the groomer she was looking just a tad too lean. Now understand, Brandy isn't a show dog. In fact, she's a bit tall for her breed. Brandy is my daughter J.J.'s pet, a great pet. Okay, she's also one of my best buds and yes we spend an awful lot of time together (she's watching me now).

So we went looking for new foods. We first tried some Science Diet Original Formula canned food. She liked it, but did it ever make her breath foul. Our Vet suggested a dry crunchy food to help with the breath issue, so we continued our search. And, that's when we came across Maxximum Nutrition, Adult Recipe - Chicken & Rice Formula for Active Dogs.

The first thing that caught my attention when I saw a bag of this food is the claim "Free of Animal By-products, Artificial Colors, Flavors & Preservatives". Now understand, I'm not out there on the lunatic fringe of the no by-products movement. After all, what are by-products here are called calves brains in France, Frito misto in Spanish speaking countries and Tongue in a kosher deli. But still, it looked like an impressive claim. And, both Brandy and I figured we could take a pass on all those artificial things.

Ingredients

What did impress me were the ingredients. No, I'm not going to recite them all for you. You can relax. But the first two ingredients are chicken and chicken meal. Chicken meal is a very highly concentrated source of protein. I liked that. I also liked that the food contained carrots and peas. Brandy loves her veggies and especially carrots. Additionally, the food is fortified with chelated vitamins and minerals. While Maxximum Nutrition also contains the usual complement of ground grains it didn't seem like they were bulking up the food with too much filler. The Guaranteed Analysis seems to bear this out, with a minimum Crude Protein content of 27%, Fat 18% and fiber of 4%.

I was satisfied that that the food was nutritious. But, would Brandy like it? The verdict is in. Pouring a cup of the pencil-eraser sized pellets into her bowl, the bag is not yet sealed before Brandy starts to inhale them. She likes it.

The Taste

The taste Brandy, what about the taste? Hmmm, she's not talking. Okay, it tastes like Grape Nuts. See what I'm willing to do for Viewpoints?

The Price

Maxximum Nutrition is very economical. We started out trying an 8 lb. Bag for just $6.58. We now buy it in 20 lb. Bags for just $13.58. Lasting almost 2 months that works out to an incredibly low 25 cents a day. In contrast, 1 ½ cans of Science Diet Light used to cost about $1.90 a day. Now, if you know me, you know that the cost of dog food isn't much of an issue with the Xenos. But, I mean, Good Lord! That'll pay for Brandy's annual vacation.

No Jobs in West Podunk?

So, who makes this food and what does it have to do with jobs in West Podunk? Maxximum Nutrition is manufactured by Doane Pet Care, of Brentwood, Tennessee. Doane is the largest manufacturer of store brand pet food in the US. In the case of Maxximum Nutrition, they are manufacturing it for none other than Wal-Mart, the destroyer of jobs in West Podunk, USA.

Now look. If you have a Wal-Mart thing, you might want to take a pass on Maxximum Nutrition. Your pet may be missing out, but you'll feel better about yourself. Before you pass final judgement, remember West Podunk has no baseball, basketball, football or hockey teams either. They are however on the map for a new Honda or Toyota factory.

Brandy and I? We recommend Maxximum Nutrition highly. Try it yourself (for your dog that is).

Regards,

Rudi