American Journey Dog Food 2022 Review, Rating & Recalls
Online retailers have grown considerably over the past few years, and pet owners have begun relying heavily on sites like Amazon and Chewy to keep their animal friends healthy and happy. As a natural response to growing demand, many of these same companies have started manufacturing proprietary pet food brands for exclusive sale through their websites and select stores. American Journey is one such pet food brand. In this review, we’ll discuss this brand’s product line, its recall history, and the nutritional contents of one of its popular products.
We’ll also cover…
- Is American Journey made in the United States?
- Has American Journey been recalled?
- Which flavors and recipes get our top ratings?
Which American Journey Sub-Brand Is Right for You?
These are American Journey’s 5 most popular sub-brands. In the following section, we’ll look at each one’s different features so that you can make a more informed pet food choice.
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Best Overall  | American Journey Grain-Free Adult, Duck & Sweet Potato Recipe
| 10 | Check Price |
Best for Small Breeds  | American Journey Grain-Free Small Breed, Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe
| 9.8 | Check Price |
Limited Ingredients  | American Journey Grain-Free Limited Ingredient, Turkey & Sweet Potato Recipe
| 9.7 | Check Price |
Best for Puppies  | American Journey Puppy Active Life Formula, Salmon, Brown Rice, & Vegetables Recipe
| 9.6 | Check Price |
Healthy Weight  | American Journey Grain-Free Healthy Weight Formula, Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe
| 9.4 | Check Price |
American Journey Dog Food Reviews
Best Overall
1. American Journey Grain-Free Adult, Duck & Sweet Potato Recipe
American Journey Adult Duck & Sweet Potato is a grain-free, high-protein kibble recipe designed to deliver long-lasting energy and essential nutrients to your active dog.
- Delicious, deboned duck is high-protein and full of amino acids to maintain lean muscle mass
- Recipe includes carrots and cranberries contain antioxidants that help with immune system health
- NO Grain, corn, wheat and soy for dogs with sensitive stomach
- Omega-rich salmon oil and flaxseed provide DHA for skin and coat health
- High in dietary fiber from chickpeas and sweet potatoes
Best for Small Breeds
2. American Journey Grain-Free Small Breed, Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe
American Journey Small Breed Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe is a small breed formula specially designed to fuel the high energy and nutritional needs of your dog.
- Great tasting salmon and sweet potato recipe filled with antioxidants, amino acids and phytonutrients
- Rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids from flaxseed and salmon oil
- Chickpeas and sweet potatoes are fiber-rich ingredients for your dog
This crunchy, bite-sized kibble is a fibrous, nutritious option free of grains and artificial ingredients.
- Made with additional protein and fats for extra energy
- Includes taurine to promote heart health
Best Limited Ingredient
American Journey Grain-Free Limited Ingredient, Turkey & Sweet Potato Recipe
American Journey Limited Ingredient Diet Turkey & Sweet Potato combines high-quality, single-source animal proteins for lean muscle maintenance with easily digestible, fibrous carbs to encourage healthy digestion.
- Wholesome, limited ingredients for your dog's sensitive stomach
- Recipe blend with high-protein turkey and fiber-rich sweet potatoes
- Grain-free
This focused formula is perfect for dogs with skin and stomach sensitivities.
- Sweet potatoes supply plenty of fiber and prebiotics to support digestion
- Omega-6 fatty acids from sunflower oil promote a healthy immune system
Best for Puppies
4. American Journey Puppy Active Life Formula, Salmon, Brown Rice, & Vegetables Recipe
American Journey Puppy Active Life features wholesome, nutrient-dense kibble to power your growing puppy and support their overall growth and development.
- Salmon is the #1 high-protein ingredient that encourages healthy development for your pup
- NO wheat, corn, soy, chicken, poultry by-product meals. No artificial preservatives, colors or artificial flavors.
- Include DHA and ARA fatty acids for brain and eye development
- Made with appropriate levels of calcium and phosphorus for bone health
Best for Weight Management
5. American Journey Grain-Free Healthy Weight Formula, Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe
American Journey Healthy Weight is made with reduced calories to support healthy weight goals, making it a perfect choice for dogs that struggle with weight loss or maintenance.
- Same delicious chicken and sweet potato recipe with reduced calories
- L-carnitine enhances your dog's active lifestyle by supporting lean muscle mass
- Free of grains, wheat, corn and soy
This nutrient-dense, balanced kibble will energize your pet and encourage them to lead a more active, healthy life.
- Provides the amino acid L-carnitine for metabolic support
- Naturally-sourced glucosamine and chondroitin support joint health and mobility
Who Makes American Journey Dog Food?
American Journey brand products are made exclusively for the USA-based online retailer Chewy. According to the site, this brand’s dog food products are manufactured in the company’s Kansas-based partner facilities. These products are then distributed and sold alongside other Chewy-exclusive pet product brands, including Frisco, Dr. Lyon, Tylee’s, and True Acre Foods.
Has American Journey Dog Food Been Recalled?
As of the time of this review, American Journey brand dog food products have not faced any FDA recalls. This is generally indicative of a company’s dedication to high levels of safety and quality in its manufacturing and distribution processes. However, Chewy itself is a younger company, having been founded a decade ago in 2011. As such, it’s difficult to say if any of its exclusive brands will be able to maintain this trend in the years to come, but American Journey’s early results seem promising.
Is American Journey a Good Dog Food?
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½
American Journey Dog Food receives our second-highest rating of 4.5 stars.
Individual Recipe Ratings
The American Journey product lineup includes a decent variety of grain-inclusive and grain-free dry and wet dog food options. Below, you will find a list of this brand’s products, along with a star rating for each.
- American Journey Grain-Free Adult, Duck & Sweet Potato Recipe (5 stars)
- American Journey Grain-Free Small Breed, Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe (5 stars)
- American Journey Small Breed Active Life Formula, Salmon, Brown Rice, & Vegetables (5 stars)
- American Journey Large Breed Puppy Active Life Formula, Chicken, Brown Rice, & Vegetables Recipe (4.5 stars)
- American Journey Large Breed Puppy Active Life Formula, Salmon, Brown Rice, & Vegetables Recipe (4.5 stars)
- American Journey Puppy Active Life Formula, Salmon, Brown Rice, & Vegetables Recipe (4.5 stars)
- American Journey Active Life Formula, Beef, Brown Rice, & Vegetables Recipe (4.5 stars)
- American Journey Active Life Formula, Chicken, Brown Rice, & Vegetables Recipe (4.5 stars)
- American Journey Active Life Formula, Lamb, Brown Rice, & Vegetables Recipe (4.5 stars)
- American Journey Active Life Formula, Salmon, Brown Rice, & Vegetables Recipe (4.5 stars)
Recipe Ingredient Analysis
American Journey Grain-Free Adult, Duck & Sweet Potato Recipe to act as the representative product for the American Journey brand. Ingredients listed here include their water content, which may contribute to their relative prevalence in the product.
This recipe’s first ingredient is deboned duck. This fresh meat ingredient is an easily digestible, high-quality protein source packed with essential omega-3 fatty acids, iron, and antioxidants. Duck is also a flavor favorite among dogs that can shake up their boring kibble routine.
However, it’s important to take into account that the weight of this ingredient can be skewed due to the water content in real animal ingredients. Meat loses moisture during the cooking process; and since these ingredients can contain a water content of up to 80%, much of the meat’s initial weight may also be lost during cooking. Thus, the duck and associated protein in this product may be less prevalent than it originally seems.
Chicken meal is the next ingredient on this list. Meat meals like chicken meal are rendered meat products that are ground up into powders that act as concentrated sources of protein. Named meat meals are known to contribute much more protein to a kibble’s content than the meat that they are named after due to a lack of moisture content to skew food formula measurements.
In addition to protein, this ingredient is a natural source of glucosamine and chondroitin. Glucosamine and chondroitin are natural compounds found in cartilage, and they support healthy joints. The third listed ingredient is chickpeas. Chickpeas are a balanced, low-fat source of protein and dietary fiber packed with nutrients like potassium for heart health and vitamin A for vision health.
Sweet potatoes are the fourth ingredient in this recipe. These high-fiber, high-carb vegetables offer plenty of vitamin A and C, as well as B-vitamins for immune health. Sweet potatoes also serve as prebiotics to ensure that your pup maintains a healthy gut and digestive tract.
The fifth ingredient is turkey meal. Similar to chicken meal, turkey meal is produced by drying and rendering turkey and acts as another protein-rich addition. Turkey meal also supplies essential nutrients like riboflavin and phosphorus, which support food-to-energy conversion and metabolic functions.
Lentils are the sixth listed ingredient. Lentils are low-calorie, high fiber legumes that serve as a great source of fiber and protein, as well as nutrients such as iron and B-vitamins. However, it’s important to be aware of the FDA’s current investigation into the potential link between this ingredient and Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy, or DCM.
The seventh ingredient listed is peas. Peas are considered high-quality ingredients that supply an abundance of carbs and dietary fiber, as well as some protein. These vegetables are often used to supply your dog with a healthy, digestible energy source. It should be noted that the previously-mentioned FDA investigation does involve this ingredient as well though.
Chicken fat is the eighth ingredient in this product. Natural animal fats are skimmed off of cooking meat and added to kibble as high-quality fat sources. Chicken fat in particular is rich in omega-6 fatty acids, which help keep your dog’s skin and coat healthy.
This formula indicates that its chicken fat is preserved with mixed tocopherols. Tocopherols may sound like a frightening chemical, but they are simply a natural preservative that protects kibble from spoiling and does not cause negative health effects.
The ninth ingredient of this recipe is dried plain beet pulp. Dried beet pulp is a plant by-product of sugar beet processing. This ingredient is a natural source of soluble fiber that can support your pet’s digestive system. Pea protein is this product’s tenth ingredient. Pea Protein is a by-product of pea processing that is added to dog food recipes to boost protein levels at a lower price.
Now that we’ve looked at the first ten, most prevalent ingredients in this American Journey product, let’s take a look at some of the other ingredients included in its formula. While these ingredients may contribute slightly less to the overall recipe, it’s important to consider their health benefits and detriments when you make your purchasing decisions.
Less Prevalent Ingredients
This product includes additional high-protein animal ingredients such as duck meal and menhaden fish meal. Both concentrated meals are rich in fatty acids to promote skin health and iron to support muscle maintenance. Flaxseed is packed with omega-3 and 6 fatty acids that will add shine to your dog’s coat. It also has alpha-linolenic acid, which is an essential fatty acid that contributes to overall health and wellness.
Carrots are included as low-calorie sources of fiber and the plant pigment beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is a precursor to vitamin A and supports healthy vision development and maintenance. The blueberries in this recipe provide plenty of vitamin C and antioxidants to support cell repair and brain health. This recipe also features small amounts of dried kelp. Dried kelp is a natural source of vitamins, minerals, and essential amino acids. It also supplies iodine to support your dog’s thyroid and metabolism.
Nutrient Summary
Dog food nutrient data is calculated on a dry matter basis using the Guaranteed Analysis panel. This panel acts as the dog food equivalent to the “Nutrition Facts” listings found on food products meant for human consumption. It allows us to compare protein, fat, fiber, and moisture content to better understand the overall quality of our pet food products.
However, the nature of these calculations and their inclusion of moisture content makes it a challenge to compare wet and dry food products. Thus, the following information should be considered primarily in comparison to other dry, kibble-based dog foods. Our representative product has a dry matter protein content of 32%. This protein is derived from a variety of quality animal and plant ingredients, including deboned duck, chicken meal, and chickpeas.
This recipe has a fat content of 14%, which consists largely of healthy fats from the deboned duck and chicken fat inclusions. Finally, the estimated carb content of this product is 36%. Sweet potatoes, lentils, and peas all contribute to this carb count.
Additionally, this recipe is packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from carrots and blueberries. It’s also filled with omega-3 and 6 fatty acids from flaxseed and salmon oil and is high in easily digestible fiber from chickpeas, sweet potatoes, lentils, peas, and flaxseed.
Our Rating of American Journey Dog Food
You’ll find an average of 36% protein, 16% fat, and 41% carbohydrates across American Journey brand dog food products. This equates to a fat-to-protein ratio of about 39%. Given this data, the American Journey brand includes more protein and fewer carbs and fat than other dry dog food brands, making its products suitable options for all dog breeds and life stages.
We consider American Journey to be a higher-grade dog food brand. Their grain-inclusive and grain-free dog food products feature high-quality animal protein and nutrient-rich ingredient choices. Additionally, the brand’s products are formulated without artificial preservatives, artificial flavors, or fillers. Considering all of these factors, we give the American Journey brand 4.5 stars.
What Do Others Say About American Journey
American Journey fans praise this brand’s dog food for a variety of health benefits. Many of these dog owners boast that their pups’ weight, coat, and digestion all improved as a result of switching to American Journey food. Reviewers also love the affordability of this brand’s pet food and say that even their picky eaters cannot get enough of this tasty food.
“I am very pleased with this food. My 4 dogs love it, and even want to come in the house at eating times! I have 2 Chihuahuas, a Labrador, and a Great Pyrenees. One of the Chihuahuas has a skin allergy that has caused him to lose his hair over half his body. He now has started growing his hair back and there’s less scratching going on.
My Lab has a sensitive stomach and throws up her food on a regular basis. She has now quit throwing up completely. My Great Pyrenees loves to stay outside most of the time, but now he’s at the door reminding me of feeding times. All of my dogs love this food, and they’re very satisfied with it!”
Final Thoughts
In our American Journey product analysis, we took a brief look at the role dried beet pulp plays as a dog food ingredient. There are far more health benefits to this staple vegetable than we had time to talk about here though. To find out more, check out our article discussing how dogs can eat beets safely and all of the nutritional benefits that can come from them.
