Retriever Dog Food Review 2024: Recalls, Pros & Cons

Review Summary

If you haven’t heard of Retriever dog food, you most likely aren’t a regular at your local Tractor Supply. This dog food brand is exclusive to Tractor Supply and only available at their over 2,000 locations countrywide or on their online store. Unfortunately, this dog food does have a few issues. This is why we’ve given it an overall rating of 2 stars.

Let’s take a look at Retriever’s most popular dog foods, the ones we’d recommend, and the ingredients we aren’t that fond of. Hopefully, this review will help you decide if Retriever dog food is the right choice for your pet’s health and overall nutritional needs.

 

At a Glance: The Best Retriever Dog Food Recipes

Retriever Dog Food Reviewed

While finding a lot of information on Retriever Dog Food isn’t the easiest thing in the world, we’ve given it our best shot. What we can tell you is this dog food brand is designed to be a low-cost way of keeping your pets fed. For dog owners on a budget, it can be considered a decent choice, especially if you turn to the canned food variety. Let’s take a look at a few of the things we have learned about this food.

Who Makes Retriever and Where Is It Produced?

Retriever brand dog food is made by Tractor Supply Company. While we aren’t exactly sure about the location, we do know the food is made in the USA and is only sold on the Tractor Supply website. This makes it an exclusive product and part of Tractor Supply’s dedication to making life easier for farmers and their pets.

Which Type of Dogs Are Retriever Foods Best Suited For?

One of the good things we noticed about the Retriever brand is that they make foods that are safe for dogs of all ages. One of their most popular, Retriever Mini Chunk, is designed for all life stages. You’ll even find that they have adult high-protein formulas and puppy formulas in both canned and dry versions. This can help pet owners who use this brand ensure their dog has foods geared to their needs no matter their age.

You’ll also want to ensure that your pet doesn’t have certain allergies or sensitivities if they are using this brand. Chicken is a common ingredient in Retriever dog food. If your pet has a poultry allergy this food may not be the best for them. We even noticed that in their Beef in Gravy canned food, chicken and chicken by-product is more prominent than beef. Most of the recipes also include grains of some sort. If your dog has issues digesting grains you may want to look for other options.

Discussion of the Primary Ingredients (Good and Bad)

We may not be overly impressed with the ingredients inside Retriever dog food, but that doesn’t mean it’s the worst thing you can feed your dog. Let’s take a look at a few of the ingredients we feel are questionable and let you decide whether you’re okay with your dog having it as part of its diet.

Meat and Bone Meal

Just like you, we’ve seen the back and forth about meat and bone meal being included in dog recipes. Why do people have such an issue when they see it listed on the ingredients? It is made from basically the leftovers of deceased animals. Luckily, there are no hooves, hair, stomach, or hide trimmings included.

People are so up in the air about this ingredient for two main reasons. First, they aren’t sure what animals the meat and bone meal come from. Were they sick? What animal was it? Could their pet be allergic? The other issue is that often it seems pets have difficulty digesting this ingredient. While this ingredient is a good source of protein, we prefer knowing where it came from.

Corn

Corn can be quite controversial when it comes to being an ingredient in dog food. Whether you frown upon it being added or not, it does give your dog energy. Our issue with the corn in Retriever dog food is the fact that in some recipes it is the first and main ingredient listed. We would prefer protein to be the main ingredient in our dog’s food and listed first on the ingredients list.

A Quick Look at Retriever Dog Food

Recall History

There has been one recall reported for Retriever brand dog food. While the brand has been tagged in several recall alerts, it has only had to physically recall foods once. On October 8, 2020, a recall of Retriever Bites and Bones Adult Complete Nutrition Savory Chicken Flavor took place due to the use of corn that was high in aflatoxin.

Reviews of the 3 Best Retriever Dog Food Recipes

Here’s a look at the three Retriever dog foods we liked the best. Take a look at our thoughts so you can decide whether you want to add either of these foods to your pet’s diet.

1. Retriever Chicken & Rice Canned Dog Food

This Retriever Chicken & Rice Canned Dog Food is easily our favorite. The main ingredient is chicken, also making it the main source of protein. The food is designed for growth and maintenance making it safe for dogs of all ages. Inside each can you’ll find 482 kcal, making a good source of energy to keep your dog active throughout the day. The guaranteed analysis of this canned dog food is crude protein 8%, crude fat 6%, crude fiber 1.5%, and moisture 78% putting it on the same level as several other canned foods on the market.

While it’s nice to see protein as the main ingredient in this canned food, chicken has been known to be an allergen for some pets. Keep this in mind when trying this dog food for the first time.

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2. Retriever with Beef Cuts in Gravy Canned Dog Food

Unlike the chicken formula, the Retriever Beef Cuts in Gravy Canned Dog Food is designed for your dog’s immune system. Inside the can, you’ll find chicken, meat by-products, and beef along with vitamin and mineral supplements to promote healing and the maintenance of body tissue. In each can, you’ll find 359 kcal. This makes it a good food to control weight issues. The guaranteed analysis of this canned food is crude protein 8%, crude fat 3%, crude fiber 1%, and moisture 82%.

While this food may be tasty for your pet, we don’t love the idea of beef being so far down on the ingredients list. With the name beef cuts in gravy, we expected more. Instead, chicken and meat by-products are the primary sources of protein.

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3. Retriever Puppy Blend Canned Food

Retriever’s Puppy Blend Canned Food aims to give your pup tasty foods to help them start strong. Inside each can you’ll find a good blend of vitamins, minerals, and even folic acid for a growing pup. You’ll also find chicken, beef, animal liver, and egg products. Each can also has 453 kcal inside making it good to keep up with energetic puppies. The guaranteed analysis of this canned food is crude protein 9%, crude fat 8%, crude fiber 1%, and moisture 78%.

Our biggest concern with this puppy blend is the ingredients. Yes, it has beef and chicken inside, but unfortunately, chicken by-products and beef by-products are listed ahead. For a healthy pup, we’d prefer to see chicken and beef as the primary ingredients. There are also added colors and other ingredients we aren’t very fond of.

 

Conclusion

Retriever dog food may not be the highest quality dog food available for your pet, but for owners on a budget, it is a decent option. Keep in mind, however, that not all ingredients inside their foods are the greatest for your pet. If you feel this food may be the best option for your pet, we suggest taking a look at the canned food options they offer as well. You may find something your pet enjoys that has ingredients you can trust.

See also:

• 10 Best Dog Foods at Tractor Supply
• 4health vs Purina Pro Plan Dog Food

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Featured Image Credit: Tractor Supply