Crave Dog Food 2022 Review, Rating & Recalls
Recent years have brought about an avalanche of “healthy” dog food brands, many of which champion entirely different ingredients as the source of their products’ high levels of nutrition. This can leave pet owners with the complicated challenge of determining which of these brands truly are appropriate, nutritious options for their beloved pups.
In this review, we’ll make that challenge just a bit easier for you by examining the Crave pet food brand, which is crafted with your dog’s nutritional needs and optimal health in mind.
We’ll also cover…
- Is Crave dog food made in the United States?
- Have any Crave products been recalled?
- Which flavors and formulas get our top ratings?
Which Crave Sub-Brand Is Right for You?
The 5 sub-brands below are the Crave brand’s most popular options. In the following section, we’ll take a look at each product to determine what features make each one unique.
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Best Overall  | CRAVE Grain Free Adult High Protein Natural Dry Dog Food with Salmon and Ocean Fish
| 10 | Check Price |
Best Value  | CRAVE Grain Free Adult Canned High Protein Natural Soft Wet Dog Food Turkey Paté
| 9.5 | Check Price |
 | CRAVE Grain Free Adult High Protein Natural Dry Dog Food with Chicken
| 9.8 | Check Price |
 | CRAVE Grain Free Adult High Protein Natural Dry Dog Food with Lamb and Venison
| 9.7 | Check Price |
 | CRAVE Grain Free Adult Canned High Protein Natural Soft Wet Dog Food Beef Paté
| 9.6 | Check Price |
Crave Dog Food Reviews – Overview
Best Overall
1. Crave High Protein Grain Free Adult, White Fish & Salmon
Crave High Protein White Fish & Salmon recipe sources high-quality protein from omega-rich salmon and white ocean fish to design a delicious, grain-free kibble that will keep your pet fueled and fit.
- Great taste from real white fish
- Enhanced with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients
- Made from high quality proteins
- Potassium and magnesium from chickpeas provide nervous system support
- Rich in omega-3 and 6 fatty acids to keep your dog’s skin and coat in great shape
Best Value
2. Crave High Protein Grain Free Adult, Turkey Paté
Crave High Protein Turkey Paté canned dog food is formulated to fuel your dog with quality, muscle-building protein from real turkey and chicken ingredients. Dogs with skin issues will also benefit from omega-rich inclusions such as fish oil.
- Real turkey is the no. 1 ingredient
- Recipe is enhanced by essential vitamins
- Does not contain corn, wheat or soy
- Essential B-vitamins such as biotin support vital nerve functions
- Some critics complain that the added carrageenan may cause digestive inflammation
3. Crave High Protein Grain Free Adult, Real Chicken
Crave High Protein Real Chicken recipe features grain-free kibbles packed with quality chicken protein fortified with chelated minerals to support easier nutrient absorption.
- Delicious chicken provides 34% protein
- Peas provide grain-free carbohydrates
- No artificial colors or preservatives
- Contains immune-boosting linoleic acid from chicken fat
- Peas supply quality carbs to keep your pet energized
4. Crave High Protein Grain Free Adult, Real Lamb
Crave High Protein Real Lamb formula blends nutrient-rich, quality lamb protein with high-quality produce into an excellent pet food option for dogs that have lost interest in or face allergies from traditional meat ingredients such as chicken and beef.
- Lamb is a delicious source of protein
- Supports lean body and muscles
- Complete nutrition for dogs of all breeds
- Packed with energizing B-vitamins sourced from real lamb & venison
- The calcium-fortified recipe strengthens and maintains your dog’s bones
5. Crave High Protein Grain Free Adult, Beef Paté
Crave High Protein Beef Paté is savory wet dog food made from real meat ingredients, including high-protein, quality beef, mixed with a tasty broth sure to satisfy your hungry pup.
- Beef Paté contains 99% protein
- Contains vitamin E supplement
- Does not contain chicken by-product meal
- Includes real beef and chicken pieces rich in iron and B-vitamins
- Highly-digestible dried eggs provide extra protein and antioxidants
Who Makes Crave Dog Food?
Crave brand dog food is manufactured in the USA by the Mars Petcare division of Mars, Inc. It was first introduced in 2017 and is currently available at many in-store locations, as well as through online retailers. Mars Petcare also owns and manufactures many other popular pet food brands, including Pedigree, Royal Canin, IAMS, and Nutro.
Has Crave Dog Food Been Recalled?
As of the time of this review, the Crave brand has not had any dog food products recalled by the FDA. A lack of product recall history like this generally indicates high-quality safety and manufacturing standards for dog food brands. While this information is certainly promising, it is important to note that Crave is a fairly newer pet food brand. As such, it’s difficult to guarantee if this trend will continue moving forward.
Is Crave a Good Dog Food?
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Crave dog food receives our third-highest rating of 4 stars.
Individual Recipe Ratings
Crave brand dog food comes in 7 different high-protein, grain-free product varieties. Despite this brand’s limited selection, it includes both wet and dry dog food options. Below, you’ll find all of Amazon’s current listings for Crave dog food along with their star ratings and convenient links that you can use to compare prices and package sizes.
- Crave High Protein Grain Free Adult, White Fish & Salmon (4.5 stars)
- Crave High Protein Grain Free Adult, Real Chicken (4.5 stars)
- Crave High Protein Grain Free Adult, Real Beef (4.5 stars)
- Crave High Protein Grain Free Adult, Real Lamb (4.5 stars)
- Crave High Protein Grain Free Adult, Beef Paté (4.5 stars)
- Crave High Protein Grain Free Adult, Chicken Paté (4.5 stars)
- Crave High Protein Grain Free Adult, Turkey Paté (4.5 stars)
Recipe Ingredient Analysis
Crave High Protein White Fish & Salmon recipe was selected to represent the Crave brand for this ingredient analysis. Ingredients are listed in order of their overall weight in the product. This weight also includes each ingredient’s water content, which may impact actual overall nutrient contributions.
The first ingredient in this recipe is real salmon. Salmon is known to be a high-quality fish protein that is packed with omega-3 fatty acids for skin, coat, and immune system support. This omega-rich addition may also decrease or prevent joint inflammation.
Unfortunately, real meat ingredients contain high levels of moisture, which evaporate when cooked. As such, the final weight and associated protein content of this ingredient may be lower than initially expected. Chicken meal is the second ingredient in this recipe. Meat meals are concentrated protein powders produced by rendering, drying, and grinding meat.
In this case, chicken is used to produce this meat meal. The process of rendering cooks away the chicken’s moisture as well as a portion of its fat, leaving behind a dense, protein-rich powder. Meat meals such as this are added to dog food recipes as additional sources of animal protein, as they pack more protein per gram than fresh and raw meat ingredients do.
Chickpeas are this product’s third listed ingredient. These low-fat, protein-dense legumes are high in dietary fiber and contain many essential vitamins and minerals, including potassium and magnesium. These two elements are essential to canine diets, as they provide a significant amount of necessary support for muscle, nerve, and enzyme functions.
Split peas are listed as the fourth ingredient. These green vegetables are an excellent source of vitamins A and K, as well as B-vitamins. Vitamin A is necessary for proper skeletal, reproductive, cellular, and immune functions, as well as for proper visual adjustment in dark environments. Meanwhile, vitamin K supports blood clotting and B-vitamins assist in energy conversion.
Additionally, split peas are a source of the essential minerals iron and zinc, which are vital for cell development and immune system health. However, dogs with kidney problems should avoid split peas in their diet, as these veggies contain the naturally-occurring compounds known as purines.
The body converts purines into a waste product known as uric acids, which cannot be effectively filtered through the kidneys. This can lead to kidney stones, as well as more severe issues. The fifth ingredient in this dog food is menhaden fish meal. Similar to other meat meals, menhaden fish meal is produced by rendering menhaden fish. It is then added to pet food formulas as an additional protein source.
This meal also serves as an excellent source of omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, which promote skin and coat health in your dog. Dried potatoes are the sixth listed ingredient. Dog food manufacturers add these dehydrated ingredients to their products for small amounts of added protein.
The seventh listed ingredient is chicken fat preserved with mixed tocopherols. Chicken fat is an animal by-product skimmed off during the chicken rendering process. This animal fat makes kibble more flavorful and palatable while also supplying essential fats and fatty acids. Mixed tocopherols, meanwhile, are antioxidants used as natural preservatives to prevent fat spoilage.
Lamb meal is the eighth ingredient in this recipe. Like other meat meals, lamb meal is a quality, concentrated protein powder produced by rendering meat. Lamb is particularly known for containing higher concentrations of calcium, which promote bone growth and development.
The ninth ingredient in this list is pea protein. This ingredient is considered controversial, as dog food brands often include it as a cheap, plant-based protein booster that provides little nutritional value. Finally, sunflower oil is this formula’s tenth ingredient. Sunflower oil serves as an excellent source of omega-6 fatty acids, which can keep your dog energized. As with the chicken fat mentioned earlier, this ingredient is preserved with mixed tocopherols.
With that, we’ve covered the first ten ingredients that make up this representative product. These ingredients are the most prevalent components of this dog food and should be your primary considerations when making purchasing decisions. However, it can also be valuable to consider some of the ingredients further down the list as well as their potential health impacts.
Less Prevalent Ingredients
Moving further down the ingredient list, we find dehydrated alfalfa meal. Alfalfa meal can be considered a controversial ingredient, as its low cost and high protein content make it a potential filler ingredient used to boost overall protein levels.
However, alfalfa also acts as an abundant source of essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin K, calcium, and beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is of particular note here, as it’s an antioxidant required for vitamin A production. We also find dried plain beet pulp in this recipe. Beet pulp is produced during sugar beet processing and serves as an easily-digestible source of soluble fiber that can aid digestion.
Although some critics complain that beet pulp is used as a cheap filler ingredient, the nutritional benefits of this root vegetable make it acceptable as a less prevalent inclusion. Finally, folic acid is added to this formula. Folic acid is an essential B-vitamin that supports metabolism and cell function.
Nutrient Summary
We use the Guaranteed Analysis panel as the basis for our nutrient summaries. This panel allows us to appropriately assess protein, fat, fiber, and moisture content levels in pet food products so that we can compare them with other brands’ product lineups. All data included in this summary is based on the analyzed product’s dry matter content.
Due to the difference in moisture levels between wet dog food and dry dog food products, it’s difficult to compare the two. As such, this information is meant to be used in comparison with other dry dog food products. Crave High Protein White Fish & Salmon consists of 34% protein. This high level of protein comes from a variety of quality animal and plant sources, including salmon, chicken meal, and chickpeas.
This product has a 17% fat content, with chicken fat appearing to serve as the primary contributor. We estimate that this dog food contains a carbohydrate content of roughly 31%. This carb count is lower than most other dog food brands and makes Crave an appropriate option for dogs of all activity levels.
This product supplies a balanced variety of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to support your pup’s overall health. Additionally, it contains plenty of highly-digestible dietary fiber sourced from chickpeas, split peas, and dried beet pulp to keep this recipe gentle on your dog’s stomach.
Our Rating of Crave Dog Food
As a whole, Crave brand pet food products contain an average protein content of 38%, an average fat content of 19%, and an average carbohydrate content of 35%. This suggests an average fat-to-protein ratio of 50%. This data indicates that Crave dog food formulas have higher levels of protein and fat, as well as lower levels of carbs when compared with other brands of dry dog food.
As such, Crave brand dog food is considered a suitable option for dogs of all breeds, activity levels, and life stages. We consider Crave to be a higher-grand dog food brand. Crave dog food recipes are highly-palatable and grain-free products that feature quality real meat and meat meal protein. The brand’s formulas include no corn, wheat, or soy ingredients, no meat by-product meals, and no artificial flavors, artificial colors, or artificial preservatives. With all of this in mind, we give Crave brand dog food a rating of 4 stars.
What Do Others Say About Crave
As of this review, all Crave products in its Amazon lineup, including our chosen representative product, have ratings of 4.5 stars. Customers appreciate this brand’s focus on providing high-quality, high-protein ingredients. These dog owners boast that Crave dog food has helped improve their pets’ skin and coat health, appetite control, and digestion. Here is an actual review from a delighted Crave customer:
“This hands down has to be the favorite food that I have fed my 100lb Malamute! I normally feed him grain-free, fish-based foods, but after going through a number of brands, this is my choice! The bag size is smaller than some other brands, however, it has a higher protein content and more high-quality ingredients higher up in the ingredients list, which is a good thing when you look at dog food.
My 100lb malamute has had great skin and coat after feeding this food and his energy level is amazing! Another plus is that he LOVES this food and will eat the entire bowl as soon as it is fed to him. Stool size is also smaller, showing that there are fewer filler ingredients and more nutritionally filling ingredients!”
Final Thoughts
Crave includes chickpeas in many of their recipes. Did you know that, despite their name, chickpeas are beans rather than peas? They’re not the only bean that your dog can enjoy either. Check out our article on how your dog can safely eat beans to find out more!
