Why River Run Dog Food Reigns Supreme in Canine Nutrition

High-quality nutrition

Raw feeding has pushed doggy nutrition right up the agenda. But raw meat isnt every dog owners cup of tea

not to mention the storage issues. Enter cold pressed dog food the perfect, affordable, dry alternative.

Low heat manufacturing locks in delicate nutrients and natural flavours nothing artificial needed. The end result? Very yummy food packed with 100% natural ingredients.

No junk here. Only goodness.

No fancy sounding herbs; no superfoods you need to Google; nothing added just to show off.

Almost ten years of learning about what makes top-quality dog food (thanks to Rns very own fusspots, Murphy the lab and Ripley the working cocker), every single ingredient in the Rn recipe is there for a reason.

Super-green packaging. Youre not filling landfill.

The cherry on top is that you and your dog will reduce your carbon pawprint.

Like you, we werent fans of pet food packed in single-use plastic. So, we did something about it.

To cut a long story short (the longer version ishereif you fancy a read), we discovered the holy grail in recyclable, biodegradable and compostable packaging 100% super-strong paper!

So, put your paws up and relax.

You have the power to give your dog and your planet exactly what they need, right here.

The Truth About Grain-Free Dog Food: Insights from a Nutrition Expert

The phrase grain-free has become one of the most confusing and debated in the world of dog food in recent years. It was and is often seen as a positive many nutritionists warn against high levels of grains in dog food.

However, in recent years, a growing concern has emerged regarding the potential connection between canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and dogs diets with grain-free foods framed by some as the problem.

As a result, pet parents, believing they are offering their furry companions the best nutrition, find themselves troubled by the notion that their diet could be linked to such a serious disease.

While DCM has various causes, including genetics, medications, and infections, its crucial to note theres no scientific evidence definitively linking grain-free or grain-inclusive diets to DCM.

This, however, has not eased the concern or confusion among many pet parents. Not least because people confuse food advertised as grain-free which often has grain substitutes with food that simply has no grains in it, such as raw dog food.To address the uncertainties around foods labelled grain-free, we spoke Dr. Richard Patton, a seasoned Ph.D. animal nutritionist with over 40 years of experience and expertise in formulating canine diets, more than 25 scientific publications to his name, and who has authored a book on pet nutrition. Hes a nutritional consultant for the raw food community.

(Please note that these are Dr. Pattons expert opinions, not those of Dog Food Advisor.)

In the popular language of the pet food industry, grain-free trade signifies the absence of ingredients like corn, oats, wheat, soybeans, and the like. This labelling suggests the replacement of these perceived problematic grains with supposedly more benign options such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, or other non-grain alternatives.

However, the crux of the issue isnt the specific grains name but rather the quantity of soluble carbohydrates it contains essentially, starch and sugar. Potatoes, often deemed virtuous replacements for grains, can be just as carbohydrate-rich and, therefore, pose similar concerns as grains like corn. Similarly, a diet featuring lower levels of soluble carbohydrates can still be highly nutritious, even if it includes moderate amounts of grains.

How do I know if my dog should be grain-free?

Your dog should generally be fed a diet that is low in starch and sugar. Their diet should be low in soluble carbohydrates its usually easiest to feed your dog complete and balanced meat-based dog food.

Apart from honey, there are very few natural sources of food that are high in carbohydrates. If we were to survive in the wild, we would find many things to eat, but very few carbohydrates. Mankind made them easy to find, but a high-carb diet is ill-suited for our genetic machinery.

Should pet parents avoid grain-free food?

The thing to avoid is a high-carb diet. The pet food industry is dominated by brands that make crunchy kibble on a machine called an extruder. To properly run an extruder requires a fair measure of starch due to its inherent qualities. It expands when heated with water; it stays expanded when cooled and dried.

The pet food industry is a behemoth, with a dog or cat for every other person in the country. Big kibble has coerced the market into thinking kibble is the way to go. In fact, a pet parents buying decision is guided by three things: cost, convenience, and correct nutrition. Its hard to have all three. Big kibble trades on its strength in cost and convenience.

Are there different types of grain-free dog food?

There are different ingredients one can replace corn, oats, wheat, etc. with. However, if its a crunchy kibble, it will contain excess carbohydrates.

What are the benefits of grain-free dog food?

Given that both with grain and grain-free can be equally dubious due to high starch content, the benefits are confined to economics and convenience.

What are the disadvantages of grain-free dog food?

A grain-free kibble will be high in starch and deliver excess carbohydrates, the same as regular grain kibble. Everyone thinks fat causes obesity. This is incorrect. Excess carbohydrates cause obesity.

Does grain-free dog food cause heart disease (DCM, enlarged heart or dilated cardiomyopathy)?

There is no credible scientific evidence for this, let alone proof. If there is a link between diet and DCM in dogs, it is far more likely to be a matter of protein quality, amount and specific amino acid amount.

Is grain good for dogs?

Grain can be fed to dogs if fed in moderation. A primordial diet is 5-7% carbohydrate, and this is the dietary level mammals are genetically evolved to consume, and thrive on best.

Is grain-free food the same as gluten-free/wheat-free dog food?

If grain-free means the diet is free of wheat, rye, barley and oats, then the diet can be considered gluten-free. There are pet food kibbles in the market that snub these specific cereal grains.

If you or your pet has a gluten intolerance, you readily grasp the relevance of this issue. Gluten intolerance is a genetic inability to digest the gliadin fraction of the wheat protein gluten. Gluten is also found in the protein of rye and to a smaller extent in barley and oats. So no, grain-free does not speak to gluten-free specifically, but often a grain-free diet can be gluten-free as well.

Can puppies eat grain-free food?

Talking about grain-free dry kibble, yes, of course, they can eat it, and given that puppies chew on anything, they will appear to relish it. The excess carbohydrates in some foods are just as bad for puppies as adults. Puppy food should derive its calories from protein and fat, not from carbohydrates.

What is the best grain-free dog food?

The question should be what is the best type of food? Regarding grain-free kibble, one can assume the various competing products all comply with AAFCOs recommended guidelines for nutrient content.

In this regard, it is not easy to identify one superior brand among dry kibbles. However, pending AAFCO changes will call for labels to state not just total calories but what percentage of these total calories derives from protein, fat and carbs. This will greatly inform pet parents buying decisions and advance awareness that low-carb diets are best.

For example, a grain-free dry kibble with 30% carbohydrate calories is better than one that is 40 or 50%. Under current label rules, this way of evaluating and ranking is not possible. When it does become the norm, it will show that natural and natural raw diets at 5-10% calories from carbohydrates are the best.

Is grain-free food better for allergies?

If a pet is indeed allergic to one of the grains shunned in grain-free formulas (viz., corn, oats, wheat, soy, barley, rice) a grain-free kibble could lessen symptoms. There was an all-meat-type pet food producer who guaranteed his meat-based product would clear any skin problem or your money back. In 30 years he never refunded a cent. Often, a dogs food sensitivity is not to a specific ingredient but to a diets overall carbohydrate analysis. Lowering starch and sugar in a diet often lessens allergic symptoms.

River Run Dog Food Review (Dry)

River Run Dog Food Review (Dry)

By Mike Sagman

Updated: April 24, 2024

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Review of River Run Dog Food

River Run Dog Food receives the Advisors lowest-tier rating of 1.5 stars.

The River Run product line includes the 5 dry dog foods listed below.

Each recipe below includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

River Run Hi Pro 27-15 was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.

River Run Hi-Pro 27-15

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Meat and bone meal, whole ground corn, wheat middlings, rice bran, animal fat (preserved with BHA), corn gluten meal, natural flavors, salt, vitamins (vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, menadione sodium bisulfite complex [source of vitamin K activity], biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), minerals (zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, ethylenediamine dihydroiodide, sodium selenite, iron oxide), propionic acid (a preservative), choline chloride

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.5%

Red denotes any controversial items

Ingredient Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is meat and bone meal, a dry rendered product from mammal tissues, including bone, exclusive of any added blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents.¹

Meat and bone meal can have a lower digestibility than most other meat meals.

Scientists believe this decreased absorption may be due to the ingredients higher ash and lower essential amino acid content.²

Whats worse, this particular item is anonymous. So, the meat itself can come from any combination of cattle, pigs, sheep or goats which can make identifying specific food allergens impossible.

Even though meat and bone meals are still considered protein-rich meat concentrates, we do not consider a generic ingredient like this to be a quality item.

The second ingredient is corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain. And aside from its energy content, this grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

For this reason, we do not consider corn a preferred component in any dog food.

The third ingredient includes wheat middlings, commonly known as wheat mill run. Though it may sound wholesome, wheat mill run is actually an inexpensive by-product of cereal grain processing.

Unfortunately, the variations in nutrient content found in wheat middlings can be a critical issue in determining their suitability for use in any dog food or even livestock feeds.³

In reality, wheat middlings are nothing more than milling dust and floor sweepings and an ingredient more typically associated with lower quality pet foods.

The next ingredient is rice bran, a healthy by-product of milling whole grain rice. The bran is the fiber-rich outer layer of the grain containing starch, protein, fat as well as vitamins and minerals.

The fifth ingredient is animal fat. Animal fat is a generic by-product of rendering, the same high-temperature process used to make meat meals.

Since theres no mention of a specific animal, this item could come from just about anywhere: salvaged roadkill, spoiled supermarket meat even dead, diseased or dying cattle.

For this reason, we do not consider generic animal fat a quality ingredient.

Whats worse, this fat is preserved with BHA, a suspected cancer-causing agent.

The sixth ingredient is corn gluten meal. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it.

Although corn gluten meal contains 60% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.

And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

After the natural flavors, we find salt (also known as sodium chloride). Salt is a common additive in many dog foods. Thats because sodium is a necessary mineral for all animals including humans.

However, since the actual amount of salt added to this recipe isnt disclosed on the list of ingredients, its impossible to judge the nutritional value of this item.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.

With 4 notable exceptions

First, iron oxide is a synthetic color additive used in industry to impart a reddish color to food and paint. In its natural form, this chemical compound is more commonly known as iron rust.

Were always disappointed to find any artificial coloring in a pet food. Thats because coloring is used to make the product more appealing to humans not your dog. After all, do you really think your dog cares what color his food is?

Next, this dog food contains menadione, a controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.

Since vitamin K isnt required by AAFCO in either of its dog food nutrient profiles, we question the use of this substance in any canine formulation.

In addition, we find no mention of probiotics, friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing to help with digestion.

And lastly, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually associated with higher quality dog foods.

Nutrient Analysis

Judging by its ingredients alone, River Run Dog Food looks like a below-average dry product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 30%, a fat level of 17% and estimated carbohydrates of about 45%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 29% and a mean fat level of 18%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 45% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 64%.

Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.

When you consider the protein-boosting effect of the corn gluten meal in this recipe, and the soybean meal contained in another recipe, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.

Is River Run a Good Dog Food?

River Run is a grain-inclusive dry dog food using a moderate amount of unnamed meat and bone meal as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 1.5 stars.

Not recommended.

Has River Run Dog Food Been Recalled?

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls since 2009 related to River Run.

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.

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