Abady Dog Food
October 2, 2008
Filed under Abady, Dog Food Reviews
Abady Dog Food Review
Abady pet food products are manufactured and marketed by Robert Abady Dog Food Co. Ltd. based in Poughkeepsie, New York. The company prides itself in formulating “species-appropriate rations for dogs and cats”. The company’s website lists down the exclusive features of Abady dog food formulas—“advanced natural designs, superior nutrition, greater safety, no artificial stool-forming agents, revolutionary nutrient-sparing method of preparing food, and industry-leading texture”.
Abady dog food formulas attempt to formulate the best natural diet for carnivores with animal-based, low carbohydrate, low-fiber formulas. One distinct feature of Abady dog food products is the absence of saponin-containing ingredients like tomato pomace, soybeans, alfalfa, oats, beet pulp, garlic, beans, peas, and yucca. They claim that saponin can increase the risk of bloat and other serious metabolic disturbances in dogs and many other species of animals. Another type of ingredients which have been excluded in Abady dog food products includes artificial stool-forming agents like cellulose flour and sodium bentonite. Abady also claims that each group of nutrients is processed separately to preserve their nutrient value. 
Chicken meal is made from parts of the chicken that may include whole carcasses of poultry, heads, feet, feathers, and entrails. Since it is a meat meal, it contains 300% more protein than fresh raw chicken. Chicken meal is a good source of highly digestible protein essential vitamins and minerals which are necessary for your dog’s growth and maintenance.
Menhaden fish meal is a protein-rich ingredient which is made from a species of small ocean fish. It is a concentrated meat meal which contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids and minerals which are essential to normal health and growth. There is a need to determine if the fish meal which is being incorporated in Abady dog food products is ethoxyquin-free. Ethoxyquin is an antioxidant which is often used in preserving fish meals because it can help prevent rancidity of fats. However, it has also been marketed as a pesticide. There are cases when ethoxyquin has been linked to liver problems in dogs.
White rice is also called milled rice because the husk, bran, and germ of the grain has been removed. Although it has a longer storage period compared to brown rice, the polishing process removes the essential vitamins and minerals. It is for this reason that white rice is considered inferior to brown rice where the nutrient-rich bran is still intact.
Chicken by-product meal is an inferior source of protein because it is made from parts of slaughtered chicken where the premium parts have been removed leaving only carcass parts which have been deemed unfit for human consumption like chicken feet, offals, neck, and undeveloped egg. One positive thing though is that the by-product meal has been identified rather than a generic by-product meal with questionable sources.
There are studies which demonstrate that lard in dog food can inhibit the decomposition of organic matter particularly in high amounts. Lard has been incorporated in dog foods as a source of meat-based fats. It contains small amounts of linoleic acid. Linoleic acid is important in the synthesis of linolenic and arachidonic acid. These are fatty acids which are very important to maintain your dog’s skin and coat health. There are those who view lard as a low quality rendered fat.
Flaxseed oil is a rich source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These are healthy fatty acids which are important in maintaining the integrity of body cells including protecting the cells from harmful free radicals.
There are mixed reviews from dog owners who have given their dogs Abady dog food products. Some dog owners decry the “use of waste products from the human food industry”. There are also those who claim that feeding their dog with Abady resulted in serious health problems. However, there are also dog owners who claim that their dogs are living healthy lives while on Abady dog food.
Overall, we do not recommend Abady dog food brand. While we do not believe it among the worst brands out there, it’s a mid-low quality brand and we would recommend going with a dog food brand that contains higher quality ingredients and/or provides higher value.
Please visit the links listed below for Abady dog food reviews by formula.
Have a comment or question about our Abady dog food review? Want to share your experiences with others? We welcome your comments!
Abady Dog Food Formulas Reviews
Abady Dog Food Formulas:
- Abady Maintenance/Stress and Growth Formula for Toys
- Maintenance and Stress Formula for Adult Dogs
- Abady Classic Formula for Maintenance & Stress
- Abady State of The Art Formula for Growing Puppies of The Larger Breeds
- Abady State of The Art Formula for Growing Puppies of The Giant Breeds
Abady Dog Food Consumer Rating
lol…Jess,
Re-read my post. I’m not jumping on the Abady band wagon. I only stated it has a strong following by its faithful servants and that their granular idea is actually a pretty cool idea….cooking all the ingredients at their perspective temperatures instead of all the ingredients at one temperature.
I wasn’t stating or agreeing with anything about hip-dysplasia…the only thing about their website is that it over talks everything almost in defensive mode. And like I said, if the food were really that good, it should sell itself.
You know I’m Orijen through and through.
and can we all stop with the Dog Food Analysis ratings please. That site is only good for one thing, learning about ingredients and nutrient breakdowns in one site….but people will be caught up in the rating system instead of selecting the right food for there dog. Unfortunately, not ever dog can eat Orijen and not every dog can eat Evo. Educate people thru this site…not another. They don’t need 150 choices….maybe like 5 or 6….that’s where you come in.
Have gain back your respect Jess
Regardless, lets let science pick this food apart. Hopefully I’ll have some concrete answers about the hype on this food soon.
No!!!!! annnd absolutly for another reason, which now makes it 2. You hate Purina and others, right? well I see Abady at that level, NOTHING GOOD ABOUT THE food AND THEY CAN NOT BE TRUSTED. I am a huge fan of DFA, why? Because I love the way they give reasons for coming to their conclusions. I totally disagree with you, the different stars is perfect in my mind. Now I do disagree with were they put certain foods and that is expected with everyone. One of my fav’s they have as a 4 star, but I see their point. Just like your point of not manufacturing their own product, I agree but only to a certain point.
I spoke with the scientist and the nutritionist.
Basically was told this about Abady. It was an awesome formula 20 years ago, because Purina and all the others were churning out the crap that they are still producing today. It was the best formula they had seen to date. So the people who jumped on board are still on board. So today….20 years later….The abady formula hasn’t changed and new boutique brands…Orijen, Evo…have taken its place at the top.
All agreed with me that the way they make granular is really cool and others should do it to. (Granular – each component of the food is cooked at the correct temperature it should be cooked at, rather than cooking everything at one temperature.)
So, to give Jess a little faith in me
this food is……crap.
On a side note about DFA, you are agreeing with me that not all the foods are classified correctly?
I just think that people buy the food based on the rating system instead of reading ingredients and NA’s … when truly the only companies that even publish the whole nutrient analysis are Orijen, Acana, Innova, Evo, Cali Natural, Healthwise and Karma. If they can’t publish the NA or you can’t obtain the whole thing….there is a problem.
DFA is informative in that it puts all kibble and canned foods together in one site and re-lists available information from the companies. I just think that to many put to much trust in that rating system.
I have 2 English Mastiffs that were fed Abady food for about a year. I switched from a different brand after my 1 year old was diagnosed with severe bilateral elbow dysplasia. Although the Abady did not cure the dysplasia, it didn’t make it any worse & the dogs were otherwise healthy & loved it. I fed the older dog 4 cups of Abady & the puppy proportionally less. I now feed them 8 cups a day of a different brand. The ONLY reason I switched foods was the stool which was like a cowpie on Abady. Cleaning up cowpies of 2 very large dogs was an unpleasant task. I realize this is because it does not contain artificial stool hardners but non the less enough of a problem to make me switch. Otherwise I was very happy with it & the dogs did very well on 1/2 the amount that I now feed. No one could believe that my dog weighed 225# and only ate 4 cups of food a day.
A quality food does not need a stool hardner. If your stool is a “cowpie”, it is because the food is passing thru without it being absorbed into the body correctly. Could be a result of a weak or damaged digestive tract or overfeeding. When you serve a quality food like Orijen or Evo, you will feed less because of the calorie intake. I have found numerous lab results that stool hardners do damage to the digestive tract over time. Think about it…you don’t eat food with stool hardners in it, do you?
I also recommend a digestive enzyme (Earth Animals or Garden of Life) to help the dog break down the food and absorb it.
The stool will natural be firm from the waste the dog did not consume.
LOL, when the food is 50% fat and lard what do you expect ?? Then throw in that rotton fish and ethoxyquin, WOW, no big surprise.
Mary-PLEASE!?!?You REALLY thought Abady would CURE Dysplasia ?? Are you KIDDING??You ACTUALLY let your dogs have diarrhea for a YEAR??You know how bad YOUR stomach HURTS and CRAMPS when you have diarrhea!!??How could you say that you were happy with and your dogs LOVED this food?? DID the dogs tell you this in between bouts of EXPLOSIVE Diarrhea?? They must have been really comfortable drinking tons of water to keep from dehydrating!! I REALLY just don’t understand some people-would you eat a food that did that to you???!!! This company should be sued- for FALSE advertising!! I call it LYING!!!
I fed my Australian Terrier a so called “super- premium” dog food. It turned out that it contained Chinese made “Rice Protein”. This turned out to be a plastic derivative. I did some research and found out most of these products are made in one factory in Utah. These dog foods rely on the integrity of the manufacturer. In this case, there was much deception. So i did some research and found out that Abady makes all of their food in their own facility using specific sourced materials. My dog has been on Abady Senior for three years. She is 11 years old, is lean, muscular, and full of energy. When I fed her the “super premium” brand with it’s hidden carb based protein, she was heavy. I feed always exactly to the directions on the box. So, to you critics who have never tried Abady, I suggest that you either try it to find out for yourself, or shut up!!
Oh Howard, you are a know all, huh??? Well read whats it this crap before you start typing. And just what was this so called “super- premium” dog food?? What was the brand??? Who owned the factory??? Clay, you should just stay put. This is one of the worst dog foods made today. I would rather feed my dog rice than a giant bucket of lard like this crap ….Can you just imagine the fat just bouncing around like a fat mans gut,, then you feed that fat to your dog…. Lean dog, huh?? lol. I would just love to see this dog up against mine, lol.
Being a dog owner means you get to call the shots on what your dog eats. Feed whatever you want. It’s your dog
I don’t like the term super premium….I like the term quality. Orijen and Evo are also made in their own plants and not outsourced like the “super premium” foods you speak of. For the price of Abady and the by-products it contains…I’ll stick with my Orijen.
Thats fine Eric, but when people tell other people to SHUT UP they then cross the line. Especially if they have NO CLUE what they are talking about.
OK this is just a check to see if my gravatar works.
To Jess, Michelle and Eric:
I find it hysterically funny that you spend a more than an average amount of your time bashing a dog food. Yes, a dog food.
I just happened to find myself on this site and was wasting time reading everyone’s comments about dog food. It seems that the three of you think you know everything about dog food.
Well, here’s your chance to back it up!! If you obtained a higher education, where exactly did you obtain your degree and in what field of study? I’m quite sure all of the followers here are very interested in these tidbits of information.
I’m very sure everyone will understand if you respond with a snide answer. That’s what most individuals do when they feel attacked/ambushed. But it will also prove that your all are just dog owners who believe their opinion is king.
I feel maybe if you put all of your energy into bashing something that deserves it such as the new democratic regime in the white house, you may feel a bit better about yourself.
Laughing Cow-I find it hysterically funny that you sat there and wasted all your time reading all the past comments.It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what total crap this dog food is-just read the ingredients-they speak for themselves.And no your comments do not upset me.Did you bother to click on a formula name and read the review?It’s not just the three of us that “bash” this food-DFA gives it a 1 star rating.But I don’t need dfa to tell me anything-I know how to read a ingredient list and pick out good and bad ingredients-do you? The only worthwhile ingredient in this food is chicken-other than that it is just a big bag of Lard.I don’t know what brand of dog food that you use,but if it is Abady-I feel bad for your dog.Anyway I have heard that Abady is expensive-their are much better foods out there that are less expensive.Laughing Cow- Is your real name Antonio??
Now now you really shouldn’t be so bitter. Thats how people get high blood pressure.I’ve posted here a number of times why I do so much reseach on dog food and why I try to help people learn about dog food. Maybe you should take the time to read one of those posts.