Artemis Dog Food Review (Dry): Evidence-based Analysis

By
Dr Fiona Caldwell, DVM
Artemis Dog Food Review Dry Formula

Artemis Dog Food ReviewArtemis dog food review has given this brand an A rating. It scored 90/100 points on our scale.

Highly recommended brand.

The below NextGen Dog’s Artemis dog food review analyzes product’s ingredients and nutrition, sourcing and manufacturing, and any certifications and marketing claims used.

This dog food review was hand-written by a certified veterinarian and used an evidence-based evaluation approach for accuracy.

Artemis dry dog food is manufactured by a company in California that only produces Artemis pet food. All ingredients are sourced in the USA.

The brand offers these other dry dog food formulas:

  • Small Breed Puppy
  • Large Breed Puppy
  • Small Breed Adult
  • Weight Management Adult
  • Adult Fresh Mix Dog Food

For this NGD Artemis dog food review, company’s Artemis Fresh Mix Adult Dog Food Formula has been chosen to represent their line of dry dog foods.

Ingredients

Artemis dog food met AAFCO nutrient profile requirements, which ensures adequate nutritional value for canines.

Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken meal, Turkey, Cracked Pearled Barley, Whole Grain Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Millet, Peas, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Tomato Pomace, Potatoes, Duck, Salmon, Egg Product, Flaxseed, Natural Chicken Flavor, Salmon Oil (a source of DHA), Salmon Meal, Choline Chloride, Dried Chicory Root, Kelp, Carrots, Apples, Tomatoes, Blueberries, Spinach, Dried Skim Milk, Cranberry Powder, Rosemary Extract, Parsley Flake, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Green Tea Extract, Barley Grass Extract, L-Carnitine, Enterococcus Faecieum, Lactobacillus Casei, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Saccharomyces Cerevesiae Fermentation Solubles, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (vitamin B6), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin, Vitamin D Supplement, Folic acid.

Let’s take a closer look at the most important ingredients and sources of nutrition that may have the biggest impact on dog’s health.

Most important ingredients

Chicken: Chicken is defined by the AAFCO as the clean combination of flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, exclusive of feathers.

Chicken is an excellent, high quality source of protein for dogs.

Since ingredients are listed by weight and raw chicken contains up to 80% water, this ingredient contributes much less to overall nutrition when cooked.

Chicken meal: Chicken meal is defined as having been ground or reduced in particle size.

Meat meal is a dried product made through rendering. It can be a highly nutritious and concentrated source of protein that improves the amino acid profile of dog food [1, 2, 3, 4].

Rendering is the process of separating the components that make up chicken, allowing the protein portion to be more concentrated. It’s considered a good source of protein [5].

Turkey: Turkey is another excellent, good quality source of protein for dogs.

Again, this ingredient is listed by weight in it’s raw form, meaning that when cooked it will contribute much less to the overall diet.

Barley: Barley is an average nutritious source of carbohydrates and fiber, which has many known health benefits [6, 7, 8].

Barley by the AAFCO definition consists of 8% sound barley and must not contain more than 3% heat damaged kernels, 6% foreign material, 20% other grains and 10% wild oats.

Brown rice: Defined as unpolished rice after kernels have been removed.

Brown rice is a highly nutritious complex carbohydrate source that’s high in vitamin E and fiber [9, 10].

Oatmeal: Oatmeal is a whole-grain that is a nutritious source of carbohydrates, fiber and B vitamins [35].

Oatmeal is made from coarsely ground oats and is considered gluten-free when pure.

Millet: Millet is a small seed grass grain considered a gluten-free cereal.

This is a commonly used ecological food security crop that is safe for dogs [11].

Millet is rich in fiber and B vitamins.

Peas: Peas are a healthy high fiber source of carbohydrates.

Peas may have some benefits on dog’s overall health and metabolism, but further research is required [12, 13].

Chicken fat preserved with mixed Tocopherols: Poultry fat has been defined as fat obtained from poultry tissue during rendering.

It contains only the fatty matter natural to the product and should not contain added free fatty acids or other materials obtained from fat.

Fat is an essential part of a balanced diet and is important to the absorption of fat soluble vitamins. Chicken fat in particular is a healthy source of fat and a quality ingredient.

AAFCO requires that if an antioxidant is used for fat preservation, as it is in this case with mixed tocopherols, the common name must be listed along with the term “preservative.”

Mixed tocopherols are a Vitamin E compound derived from sources like vegetable oils, fish and nuts and used for preserving foods. They are safe to use [14, 15].

Studies have repeatedly shown the benefits of a diet rich in daily Vitamin E [16, 17, 18, 19].

Tomato pomace: Tomato pomace is a safe by-product that’s high in fiber and a good source of antioxidants [20].

It is produced from tomato skin, pulp and seeds leftover after being processed from other uses.

Other additives

Artemis dog food has added omega fatty acids and DHA in the form of Salmon oil.

Research has shown benefits of both in a healthy diet [21, 22, 23, 24].

It also has added prebiotics and probiotics which may help digestibility and promote gut health [25, 26, 27, 28].

However, the amounts of additives in this diet are unlikely to have much benefit. A supplement separate from dog food diet is generally necessary to see appreciable results.

Problematic ingredients

Artemis dog food has no ingredients added that could be harmful or unhealthy to dogs.

The bottom line on ingredients

Overall, the ingredients in Artemis dog food are of high quality for the most part.

Artemis dog food contains no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

The ingredient list is ordered by weight.

Chicken is first on the list since meat contains significant water, thus making it heaviest. This doesn’t indicate that it is the biggest contributor to overall nutrition.

One important limitation of dog food labels is its inability to provide information on the quality of ingredients.

While the quality of Artemis dog food’s ingredients cannot be inferred, the ingredients themselves are all wholesome and an appropriate part of a balanced diet for dogs.

Nutrient Analysis

Below is a guaranteed nutrient analysis of Artemis Fresh Mix Adult Dog Food Formula.

  • Protein: 23% minimum
  • Fat: 14% minimum
  • Carbohydrates: 43.7%
  • Fiber: 3.0%

Calories: 3,593 kcal/kg (336 kcal/cup) calculated metabolizable energy.

Recommended adult dog food protein content is typically in the range of 20-35% for healthy dogs [29].

Fiber is beneficial to dogs in many ways but further research is required on several health benefit claims [30, 31, 32, 33].

However, crude fiber listed on the label is not a particularly accurate measure of actual total dietary fiber content [34].

Certifications and Claims

Dog food manufacturers can have their foods tested and certified to meet specific regulations.

Some manufacturers also use undefined statements. Below, we analyze all certifications and claims made by the company.

Certifications

Artemis dog food has no specific certifications to evaluate.

“Premium/holistic”

On their website, the company claims to be holistic in their approach to dog nutrition.

The bag states that the diet is a “super premium” dog food.

Terms Premium and Holistic have no legal definition under AAFCO or FDA. They are used solely for marketing purposes.

AAFCO requirements

The nutrition standards set by the AAFCO are voluntary. The presence of a statement by the AAFCO on the dog food’s label is the most important indicator of dog food’s nutritional adequacy.

Ingredients requirements: Artemis dog food line meets AAFCO nutrient profiles for maintenance.

All of Artemis dry dog foods carry AAFCO statements, and they all meet requirements for the purpose they are intended, i.e. Puppy Food meets nutrient profiles for growth.

Using food composition tables of the ingredients, Artemis dog food review has shown that the product meets set AAFCO guidelines.

Feeding trials: Artemis dog food has not undergone any food trials with dogs.

Diet trials are the most stringent and costly AAFCO standard, and the highest AAFCO standard that can be met.

The lack of a diet trial does not necessarily indicate that this dog food isn’t high quality.

Other Evaluations

There are a few other factors that are useful to take into consideration for the final assessment of this dog food brand.

“Best by” date on the label

When considering dog food’s quality control, it is important to have a “Best by” date present on the label to ensure proper shelf life.

Artemis dog food includes a “Use By” label on their packaging.

While seemingly inconsequential, the presence of this date is an important indicator of a dog food’s quality and the company’s commitment to safety.

Testing, safety and quality control

When contacted over the phone, Artemis representative claimed that routine and standard on-site product testing is performed. This is done to ensure quality and safety prior to any product leaving the manufacturing plant.

Although the representative couldn’t elaborate on the precise type of testing, knowing that there are testing parameters in place is reassuring.

Recalls

At the time of this writing, Artemis has never had any recalls.

Summary of Artemis Dog Food Review

This brand has scored an 90 points out of a possible 100 points for an excellent A rating, according to our Dog Food Rating System.

Artemis Fresh Mix Adult Dog Food Formula shares many of the characteristics of a high quality nutritious dog food.

This brand does not claim any certifications, but it meets AAFCO nutrition adequacy requirements and includes a “Use By” date.

While ingredients listed are limited in giving insight to their overall quality, they are appropriate for dogs, and there are no added artificial flavors or colors.

The manufacture is located in the USA, ingredients are sourced in the USA and the company undergoes standard safety testing to assure quality.

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