Gentle Giants Dog Food 2022 Review, Rating & Recalls
If your family includes a large breed or a giant breed dog, then you understand just how challenging it can be to find a dog food brand that suits their specific dietary needs. This challenge becomes even greater when you begin to consider the amount of food that your beloved pet gobbles down, as well as the associated costs of all of that kibble.
Today, we’ll take a look at Gentle Giants, a brand that aims to solve this larger-breed dog food conundrum with an affordable, nutritious product designed to be suitable for all life stages and dog breeds. This brand was founded by Burt Ward, who is best known for having played Robin in the 1960’s Batman television show.
He and his wife Tracy developed this brand with a focus on extending dogs’ lifespans so that each dog could lead their longest, healthiest, and happiest lives. In this review, we’ll discuss Gentle Giants’ Amazon product lineup, dig into the brand’s history, and analyze one of their popular dry foods. We’ll also cover…
- Is Gentle Giants dog food made in the United States?
- Have Gentle Giants products ever been recalled?
- Which flavors and recipes get our top ratings?
Which Gentle Giants Sub-Brand Is Right for You?
Listed below, you’ll find Gentle Giants’ 7 most popular sub-brands, as well as information on the different nutritional features of each one. Here are the top 3 picks (keep scrolling for more details and picks 4-7).
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Best Overall  | Gentle Giants World Class Canine Nutrition Dog and Puppy Food w/ Real Beef and Real Bacon
| 10 | Check Price |
Best Fish Option  | Gentle Giants All Natural Dog Food, Dry Grain-Free Salmon Dog Food
| 9.9 | Check Price |
Best Value  | Gentle Giants All Natural Dog Food Canned Turkey Wet Dog Food with Grain-Free
| 9.7 | Check Price |
Gentle Giants Dog Food Reviews – Overview
Best Overall
1. Gentle Giants World Class Canine Nutrition, Beef & Bacon
Gentle Giants Beef & Bacon formula is packed with quality protein from real meat to support muscle development, as well as naturally-sourced joint supplements to keep them moving for years to come.
- Great tasting real beef and real bacon that your dog will love
- Vitamins, minerals, taurine and niacine in abundance for whole-body health
- Non-GMO recipe
- Contains antioxidant-rich berries for immune health
- Rich in glucosamine and chondroitin to promote healthy joints
Best Fish Option
2. Gentle Giants World Class Canine Nutrition, Salmon Feast
Gentle Giants Salmon Feast dry dog food features a grain-free, omega-rich recipe to help your dog maintain healthy skin and a glossy coat.
- Delicious salmon feast for your dog who prefers fish protein
- Pumpkin & sweet potatoes are beneficial for digestive health
- Great for dogs of all ages
- Includes pumpkin and sweet potatoes to support liver and joint health
- High in dietary fiber for digestive support
Best Value
3. Gentle Giants All Natural Grain Free 90% Turkey
Gentle Giants 90% Turkey dog food contains a highly-digestible mix of quality proteins to keep your dog’s systems healthy and regular.
- Grain-free option made with 90% farm raised turkey
- Delicious taste and soft texture
- Available in 12 x 13oz cans
- High-quality, highly-digestible protein sourced from dried eggs
- Contains fiber-rich chickpeas to assist digestion
4. Gentle Giants World Class Canine Nutrition, Chicken Feast
Gentle Giants Chicken Feast recipe has a high-protein, grain-inclusive formula that benefits your active dog’s overall health throughout their entire life.
- High in protein to support muscle growth
- Features chelated minerals for easier protein absorption
5. Gentle Giants All Natural Grain Free 90% Chicken
Gentle Giants 90% Chicken canned food is a grain-free, nutrient-rich product that even the pickiest of eaters will enjoy.
- Quality chicken protein is the #1 ingredient
- Packed with vitamins and minerals from nutrient-rich dandelion greens
6. Gentle Giants All Natural Grain Free 90% Beef
Gentle Giants 90% Beef recipe is a hearty, grain-free dish prepared with a soft, consistent texture that even older dogs can stomach.
- High-quality protein sourced from beef supplies essential amino acids
- Omega-rich salmon oil helps maintain brain and vision health
7. Gentle Giants All Natural Grain Free 90% Salmon
Gentle Giants 90% Salmon formula provides all of the nutrition of the brand’s other canned foods in a grain-free recipe that dogs with traditional meat allergies can enjoy.
- A good option for dogs with beef and chicken allergies
- Includes antioxidant-rich blueberries and cranberries
Who Makes Gentle Giants Dog Food?
Gentle Giants brand products are manufactured by the wholesale company Consumers Supply Distributing. This company is located in the USA, in Sioux City, Iowa, and oversees the production and distribution of over 30 different brands of pet food.
According to Gentle Giants’ owners, this manufacturer was specifically selected because of their willingness to custom-make the brand’s dog food products according to “very demanding” product specifications. After the food bags are produced, they are shipped from the facility to various California retailers, select Walmart locations, and to Amazon warehouses.
Has Gentle Giants Dog Food Been Recalled?
As of the time of this review, Gentle Giants has not had any product recalls. This could be attributed to the emphasis that the company places on maintaining an incredibly high quality of safety standards for all product production. Additionally, the owners have previously stated that their choice of a manufacturer was based heavily on the fact that the facility had no prior recall history, which has likely contributed to the brand’s similar lack of product recalls.
Is Gentle Giants a Good Dog Food?
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½
Gentle Giants dog food earns our second-highest rating at 4.5 stars.
Individual Recipe Ratings
Gentle Giants product line includes 7 varieties of dog food. Below you’ll find Amazon’s current listings for this brand’s food and each product’s star rating so that you can easily review their prices and package sizes.
- Gentle Giants World Class Canine Nutrition, Chicken Feast (4.5 stars)
- Gentle Giants World Class Canine Nutrition, Beef & Bacon (4.5 stars)
- Gentle Giants World Class Canine Nutrition, Salmon Feast (4.5 stars)
- Gentle Giants All Natural Grain Free 90% Chicken (4.5 stars)
- Gentle Giants All Natural Grain Free 90% Turkey (4.5 stars)
- Gentle Giants All Natural Grain Free 90% Beef (4.5 stars)
- Gentle Giants All Natural Grain Free 90% Salmon (3.5 stars)
Recipe Ingredient Analysis
We chose Gentle Giants Beef & Bacon dry food to serve as the representative product for this ingredient analysis. Dog food ingredients are listed according to their prevalence in the product. It should be noted that water content is included in these calculations, which might skew this metric.
The first ingredient listed is beef meal. Beef meal is an ingredient produced by rendering all of the fat and water out of beef, and it features a significantly higher protein content than the beef itself would. However, the actual components of meat meal can vary greatly between different dog food brands, meaning that you’ll find plenty of lower-quality additions along with higher-quality ones.
Lower-quality meat meal can contain parts of animals that are not fit for human consumption, such as blood, hair, horn, hide trimmings, or stomach contents. Pearled barley is the second ingredient listed. Pearled barley is a grain known for being low in cholesterol, high in fiber, and high in carbohydrates. It’s also a great source of B-vitamins, manganese, and phosphorus.
All of this makes barley an excellent ingredient for fueling highly active dogs, but also makes it detrimental for overweight pets. The third ingredient listed is brown rice. Brown rice is another high-fiber, high-carb grain that provides lots of energy for your pup. However, it comes with the same weight warnings as barley does.
Oatmeal is listed as the fourth ingredient. This is another high-fiber grain that can help maintain digestive and bowel health in your dog. However, it also contains lots of carbs and calories. Peas are listed as the sixth ingredient. Peas have long been considered a high-quality source of fiber, carbs, and protein.
Recently though, the FDA has been investigating a link between this ingredient and dilated cardiomyopathy, or DCM, in dogs. DCM is a heart disease that typically affects larger breeds, such as Great Danes and Golden Retrievers, and has the potential to lead to heart failure. As the sixth ingredient listed in this recipe, beef adds another source of quality protein to maintain your dog’s muscles.
The seventh listed ingredient is bacon. Although you may enjoy this rich, salty treat and might think that any additional meat is great for your dog, this is a bit of a controversial ingredient. Canine stomachs aren’t built for processing high amounts of fat and sodium, and so ingredients like bacon can contribute to weight and heart issues in your pup.
Whole flaxseeds are the eighth ingredient listed. Flaxseed is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which support skin and coat health. Additionally, flaxseed contains alpha-linolenic acid that can improve their immune health. The ninth listed ingredient is menhaden fish meal. Menhaden fish meal is a concentrated, omega-rich protein source derived from tiny, oily Menhaden fish. This meal is highly digestible and contains all essential amino acids.
Dried yeast is listed as the tenth ingredient. This ingredient is added to improve the recipe’s palatability so that even picky eaters will enjoy their kibble. Dried yeast is packed with protein and nutrients to fuel healthy dogs. Critics have, however, argued that this ingredient is a potential allergen.
This completes our analysis of the first ten ingredients in this recipe. We’ll now take a look at some of the less prevalent ingredients. While these ingredients may be less prominent, it’s still important to consider their role in your dog’s diet.
Less Prevalent Ingredients
Spinach contains immune-boosting vitamins and minerals including B-vitamins, iron, and potassium. It’s also been shown to support heart health. Carrots supply the antioxidant beta-carotene, which is essential in the production of vitamin A. Vitamin A is necessary for ensuring that your dog maintains optimal skin, coat, muscle, and nerve health.
This recipe includes New Zealand green mussels, which are known to be a rich source of vitamin C, vitamin E, minerals, and antioxidants. These nutritious mussels are also a natural source of glucosamine and chondroitin to support joint health and fight inflammation. Pumpkin is a low-calorie, high fiber addition that will help your dog maintain a healthy digestive tract.
Chicory serves as a probiotic that can benefit your dog’s gut health. It also contains inulin, which is a source of soluble fiber that aids digestion. However, there is some concern that these digestion-boosting properties may irritate dogs with pre-existing digestive issues. The amino acid taurine benefits multiple systems, including the cardiac, visual, and immune systems.
Chelated minerals are minerals that chemically bind to proteins or amino acids to increase their absorption. They have been shown to increase mineral absorption efficiency, allowing your pup to get the nutrients they need more quickly than they otherwise would.
Nutrient Summary
We calculate nutrient data on a dry matter basis based on the Guaranteed Analysis panel’s comparisons of protein, fat, fiber, and moisture in pet products. Due to the way these numbers are calculated, it can be challenging to compare canned, wet dog food products with dry, kibble-based products.
Our representative product has 22% protein, 9% fat, and 51% carb content. This formula is intended for all breeds and life stages. The recipe’s protein content appears to be sourced from beef meal, peas, beef, and menhaden fish meal, providing a variety of quality protein sources. Bacon and whole flaxseed contribute to the fat content, however, this level of fat is quite low compared to most dog foods.
Many people attribute the product’s health value and supposed ability to increase longevity to this lower amount of fat. While the protein and fat levels seem acceptable for the average dog, the high carb content derived largely from pearled barley, brown rice, and oatmeal makes it difficult to recommend for heavier-set pups.
If your pet suffers from weight issues, you might need to look elsewhere for their dog food. Otherwise, these products provide dogs with plenty of digestible fiber, vitamins, and minerals. This product also features plenty of added amino acids and minerals for immune and heart health, as well as glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health.
Our Rating of Gentle Giants Dog Food
Gentle Giants brand dog food averages 25% protein, 10% fat, and an estimated 56% carbs. This produces a fat-to-protein ratio of 41%. These percentages indicate an above-average pet food product when compared with other brands. We consider this product to be a higher-grade dog food brand. The all-natural, non-GMO formula features no artificial colors, fillers, flavors, or preservatives. It also contains no corn, wheat, or soy products. Dog owners can find both grain-inclusive and grain-free varieties of Gentle Giants dog food in both the wet and dry product lines. We give Gentle Giants brand dog food 4.5 stars.
What Do Others Say About Gentle Giants
The Gentle Giants Beef & Bacon recipe highlighted in our review currently has a 4.5-star Amazon rating, as do most of this brand’s products. Many users mention that their dogs love the taste of this affordable, AAFCO-approved dog food, and have noted improvements in their pets’ coat health. Here is an actual customer review:
“Our precious 12.5 year old weimaraner Koufax has had some serious health issues. There have been a few times we thought he was in his last days or months. A friend told me about this dog food and after reading their website, I decided to give it a try. On May 23, 2016, I started feeding Koufax Gentle Giants Dog Food. The effects were literally immediate. I am not kidding. He ran into the house and seemed to have a smile on his face. Since then, his mood has become more playful, he doesn’t seem as depressed, his coat looks shinier and he seems happier. This is the only change I have made and I am giving this food all the credit and rating it an A+. A huge bonus is it is cheaper than the ‘quality’ dog food I was feeding him before. I order it on Amazon with free shipping if you are a prime member. Their website says they sell it in some grocery stores, although I haven’t verified this yet.”
Final Thoughts
We mentioned that Gentle Giants dog food contains grains perfect for providing energy to active dogs. Your best friend may have a lot of energy, but is their breed considered active? Check out our list of the most active dog breeds to find out. You might be surprised what you learn and how it can help you make better breed-specific choices when you shop.
