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Primal Dog Food Ingredients


According to our research, Primal manufactures 34 dog food recipes using 65 unique ingredients. To evaluate the quality of ingredients used by Primal, we've studied all 65 ingredients. In this article, we'll share our findings on Primal ingredients.

Dog Food Recipes34
Unique Ingredients65
Artificial Colors0
Animal By-Products0
Anonymous Meats0
Controversial0
Harmful0

First 5 Ingredients

Dog food ingredients in the United States are listed in descending order of pre-cooked weight. The first 5 ingredients typically constitute a significant portion of the recipe.

For Primal, these are the most common ingredients found within the first 5 dog food ingredients.

  1. beef heart
  2. organic blackstrap molasses (unsulphered)
  3. sea salt
  4. organic squash
  5. organic squash

As you can see, the most common first ingredient in Primal is beef heart. The most common 2nd ingredient is organic blackstrap molasses (unsulphered), followed by sea salt, organic squash, and organic squash.

Artificial Food Coloring Dyes

Primal does not use any artificial food coloring dyes. According to our records, none of the 34 Primal dog foods contain artificial food dyes.

Artificial food coloring dyes are unnecessary and potentially harmful ingredients. In general, we not not recommend feeding any pet foods that contain artificial dyes.

In 2010, the CSPI raised serious concerns regarding the safety of many artificial dyes. Most of the studies referenced by the CSPI involved prolonged or excessive consumption. Since most dogs consume the same foods throughout their lives, concerns raised by the CSPI are alarming to say the least.

To read more about Artificial Food Dyes, click here.

Animal By-Products

According to our records, Primal does not contain any animal by-products.

Animal by-products are basically the leftover parts of the the carcass after its been processed for meat. AAFCO defines by-products as the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals.

Although by-products are still fairly nutritious ingredients, consumers have equated them with slaughterhouse waste. Therefore, most premium brands, including Primal have decided to remove by-products and instead use named organ meats (beef liver, chicken gizzards).

For further reading on the controversy over animal by-products, click here.

Anonymous Meat Ingredients

Anonymous meats are inexpensive low-quality ingredients that can come from practically any animal. These type of ingredients are often used to produce very inexpensive dog foods.

In general, we prefer ingredients which specify the animal source used to derive the ingredient. For example, ingredients such as duck fat are much better than animal fat or poultry fat.

In our analysis, we've looked through all 65 Primal ingredients. According to our data, Primal does not contain any anonymous animal-based ingredients.

Controversial Ingredients

Brands which do not use any controversial ingredients are typically top-of-the-line. Avoiding all controversial ingredients indicates that the brand has not sacrificed quality for cost savings.

Our research indicates that Primal is one of these top-notch brands. We've looked through all 65 Primal ingredients and none of these ingredients were classified as controversial in our system

Potentially Harmful Ingredients

Harmful ingredients are those which have been linked to adverse health effects. In general, we do not recommend feeding any product which contains any harmful ingredients.

During our review, none of the Primal ingredients analyzed were classified as harmful by our system. The absence of harmful ingredients is indicative of a relatively premium dog food brand.

Primal Dog Food Ingredient Lists

Primal

Freeze-Dried Formulas
Freeze-Dried Canine Lamb Formula
Primal
Freeze-Dried Formulas Freeze-Dried Canine Lamb Formula
First Five Ingredients
lamb heart
ground lamb bone
lamb liver
organic carrot
organic squash

Primal

Freeze-Dried Formulas
Freeze-Dried Canine Beef Formula
Primal
Freeze-Dried Formulas Freeze-Dried Canine Beef Formula
First Five Ingredients
beef heart
beef liver
ground beef bone
organic carrot
organic squash

Primal

Freeze-Dried Formulas
Freeze-Dried Canine Chicken Formula
Primal
Freeze-Dried Formulas Freeze-Dried Canine Chicken Formula
First Five Ingredients
chicken
chicken neck
chicken heart
chicken liver
organic carrot

Primal

Freeze-Dried Formulas
Freeze-Dried Canine Duck Formula
Primal
Freeze-Dried Formulas Freeze-Dried Canine Duck Formula
First Five Ingredients
duck neck
duck
duck heart
organic carrot
duck liver

Primal

Freeze-Dried Formulas
Freeze-Dried Canine Turkey & Sardine Formula
Primal
Freeze-Dried Formulas Freeze-Dried Canine Turkey & Sardine Formula
First Five Ingredients
turkey
turkey neck
turkey heart
whole sardine
turkey liver

Primal

Freeze-Dried Formulas
Freeze-Dried Canine Pork Formula
Primal
Freeze-Dried Formulas Freeze-Dried Canine Pork Formula
First Five Ingredients
pork heart
ground pork bone
pork liver
organic kale
organic squash

Primal

Freeze-Dried Formulas
Freeze-Dried Canine Rabbit Formula
Primal
Freeze-Dried Formulas Freeze-Dried Canine Rabbit Formula
First Five Ingredients
rabbit
organic kale
rabbit liver
organic squash
organic celery

Primal

Freeze-Dried Formulas
Freeze-Dried Canine Venison Formula
Primal
Freeze-Dried Formulas Freeze-Dried Canine Venison Formula
First Five Ingredients
venison
venison heart
ground venison bone
venison liver
organic kale

Primal

Raw Frozen Formulas
Canine Beef Formula
Primal
Raw Frozen Formulas Canine Beef Formula
First Five Ingredients
beef heart
beef liver
ground beef bone
organic carrot
organic squash

Primal

Raw Frozen Formulas
Canine Chicken Formula
Primal
Raw Frozen Formulas Canine Chicken Formula
First Five Ingredients
chicken
chicken liver
organic carrot
organic squash
organic kale

Primal

Raw Frozen Formulas
Canine Duck Formula
Primal
Raw Frozen Formulas Canine Duck Formula
First Five Ingredients
duck
duck liver
organic carrot
organic kale
organic squash

Primal

Raw Frozen Formulas
Canine Lamb Formula
Primal
Raw Frozen Formulas Canine Lamb Formula
First Five Ingredients
lamb heart
ground lamb bone
lamb liver
organic carrot
organic squash

Primal

Raw Frozen Formulas
Canine Pork Formula
Primal
Raw Frozen Formulas Canine Pork Formula
First Five Ingredients
pork heart
ground pork bone
pork liver
organic kale
organic squash

Primal

Raw Frozen Formulas
Canine Quail Formula
Primal
Raw Frozen Formulas Canine Quail Formula
First Five Ingredients
quail
organic celery
organic kale
organic squash
organic pumpkin seeds

Primal

Raw Frozen Formulas
Canine Rabbit Formula
Primal
Raw Frozen Formulas Canine Rabbit Formula
First Five Ingredients
rabbit
organic kale
rabbit liver
organic squash
organic celery

Primal

Raw Frozen Formulas
Canine Turkey & Sardine Formula
Primal
Raw Frozen Formulas Canine Turkey & Sardine Formula
First Five Ingredients
turkey
turkey liver
whole sardine
organic squash
organic kale

Primal

Raw Frozen Formulas
Canine Venison Formula
Primal
Raw Frozen Formulas Canine Venison Formula
First Five Ingredients
venison
venison heart
ground venison bone
venison liver
organic kale

Primal

Raw Pronto Formulas
Canine Beef Pronto Formula
Primal
Raw Pronto Formulas Canine Beef Pronto Formula
First Five Ingredients
beef heart
beef liver
ground beef bone
organic carrot
organic squash

Primal

Raw Pronto Formulas
Canine Chicken Pronto Formula
Primal
Raw Pronto Formulas Canine Chicken Pronto Formula
First Five Ingredients
chicken
chicken liver
organic carrot
organic squash
organic kale

Primal

Raw Pronto Formulas
Canine Duck Pronto Formula
Primal
Raw Pronto Formulas Canine Duck Pronto Formula
First Five Ingredients
duck
duck liver
organic carrot
organic kale
organic squash

Primal

Raw Pronto Formulas
Canine Lamb Pronto Formula
Primal
Raw Pronto Formulas Canine Lamb Pronto Formula
First Five Ingredients
lamb heart
ground lamb bone
lamb liver
organic carrot
organic squash

Primal

Raw Pronto Formulas
Canine Pork Pronto Formula
Primal
Raw Pronto Formulas Canine Pork Pronto Formula
First Five Ingredients
pork heart
ground pork bone
pork liver
organic kale
organic squash

Primal

Raw Pronto Formulas
Canine Turkey & Sardine Pronto Formula
Primal
Raw Pronto Formulas Canine Turkey & Sardine Pronto Formula
First Five Ingredients
turkey
turkey liver
whole sardine
organic squash
organic kale

Primal

Raw Meaty Bones
Raw Chicken Backs
Primal
Raw Meaty Bones Raw Chicken Backs
First Five Ingredients
chicken back

Primal

Raw Meaty Bones
Raw Turkey Necks
Primal
Raw Meaty Bones Raw Turkey Necks
First Five Ingredients
turkey neck

Primal

Recreational Bones
Raw Beef Marrow Bone
Primal
Recreational Bones Raw Beef Marrow Bone
First Five Ingredients
beef marrow bone

Primal

Recreational Bones
Raw Buffalo Marrow Bone Center Cut
Primal
Recreational Bones Raw Buffalo Marrow Bone Center Cut
First Five Ingredients
buffalo marrow bone

Primal

Recreational Bones
Raw Buffalo Marrow Bone
Primal
Recreational Bones Raw Buffalo Marrow Bone
First Five Ingredients
buffalo marrow bone

Primal

Treats
Buffalo Liver Snaps
Primal
Treats Buffalo Liver Snaps
First Five Ingredients
buffalo liver

Primal

Treats
Pork Liver Snaps
Primal
Treats Pork Liver Snaps
First Five Ingredients
pork liver

Primal

Treats
Beef Chips
Primal
Treats Beef Chips
First Five Ingredients
beef heart
organic blackstrap molasses
sea salt

Primal

Treats
Organic Chicken Chips
Primal
Treats Organic Chicken Chips
First Five Ingredients
organic chicken
organic blackstrap molasses
sea salt

Primal

Treats
Pork Chips
Primal
Treats Pork Chips
First Five Ingredients
pork heart
organic blackstrap molasses
sea salt

Primal

Treats
Turkey Chips
Primal
Treats Turkey Chips
First Five Ingredients
turkey
organic blackstrap molasses
sea salt