Halo Spots Stew Adult Wholesome Chicken Dog Food
December 14, 2008
Filed under Dog Food Reviews, Halo
Halo Spots Stew Adult Wholesome Chicken Dog Food
Halo Spots Stew Adult Wholesome Chicken Dog Food is made and manufactured by Halo, Purely for Pets. Halo Spots Stew Adult Wholesome Chicken Dog Food is one of four products under the Halo brand.
Halo Spots Stew Adult Wholesome Chicken Dog Food Review
As with all dog food recipes the first thing we are going to look at are the first five ingredients. The first five ingredients are a good indication of the quality of the dog food. When looking at the first five ingredients you want to make sure there is plenty of meat and grains are minimal.
Halo Spots Stew Adult Wholesome Chicken Dog Food First Five Ingredients:
- Chicken
- Whole Dried Eggs
- Pea Protein
- Oats
- Vegetable Broth
Chicken is the first ingredient in this recipe. This ingredient is inclusive of its water content. Meaning that once the water is removed and this ingredients becomes a dried ingredient it will weigh significantly less, thus making it fall further in the ingredients list.
The second ingredient Whole Dried Eggs is going to provide a good portion of this recipes protein. This recipe lacks meat content and it appears that most of the protein is coming from this ingredient.
Pea protein adds to the amount of protein that is already added by the Whole Dried Eggs ingredients.
Oats are going to be this ingredients main source of grains and is of decent quality.
Halo Spots Stew Adult Wholesome Chicken Dog Food Full Ingredients List:
Chicken, Whole Dried Eggs, Pea Protein, Oats, Vegetable Broth, Pearled Barley, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Pea Flour, Chicken Liver, Wild Salmon, Flaxseed, Salmon Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Pea Fiber, Sweet Potatoes, Apples, Blueberries, Green Beans, Carrots, Cranberries, Zucchini, Alfalfa, Inulin, Calcium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Taurine, Folic Acid, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Cobalt Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Bitartrate, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Calcium Iodate, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Longum, Enterococcous Faecium, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Sodium Selenite.
Halo Spots Stew Adult Wholesome Chicken Dog Food Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein – 28.0% Min
Crude Fat – 16.0% Min
Crude Fiber – 6.5% Max
Moisture – 10.0% Max
Omega 6 Fatty Acids – 3.0% Min*
Omega 3 Fatty Acids – .48% Min*
Taurine – 0.1% Min*
Lactobacillus Acidophilus – 120,000,000 CFU/lb Min*
Bifidobacterium Longum – 120,000,000 CFU/lb Min*
Lactobacillus Plantarum – 120,000,000 CFU/lb Min*
Enterococcous Faecium – 120,000,000 CFU/lb Min*
*Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Nutrient Profiles
Review
I’d really prefer to see more of the protein coming from animal sources rather than plant sources. This food seems way too grain and veggie heavy with not nearly enough meat in it. Its not the worst food on the market by far, but with the first meat protein source being chicken which is water inclusive so actually about 4 ingredients down on the list, it just isn’t worth the ridiculously high price.
I make all my own dog food and very proud but i have little time, and i do think its good, and value for money, u can always add leftovers to halo, and extra bits of meat it has some excellent ingredients, if you pay rubish for your dog food you will get rubish i love that people are trying to make our dog foods better, stop knocking good quality dog foods because people will b put off buying it, seriously its excellent food just add a bit of protein and u dont have to add it every day there are some serious bad foods out there for dogs.
Maybe I am being knit-picky about some of the comments made but honestly posting that:…..”but with the first meat protein source being chicken….” Is a problem for you when the food is called: “Halo Spots Stew Adult Wholesome Chicken Dog Food” seems not only odd to me but also very more of an attack on the company than on the product itself. Honestly, If a pet food is called chicken and that is the first ingredient I don’t understand pointing out the obvious. Now, I would have a problem if the food is sold as chicken and that ingredient is way down the list when ranked by portion percentage. Halo is an awesome product, the company has both integrity and works with the community and you can be assured your pet is eating what is represented on the label- I don’t think as a consumer I could ask for much more. As a point of reference: My pet is a service animal with whom I spend at leats 3 hours a day every day training…. So YES, I have researched the information available and yes, I make my own dog food… but when we are traveling I utilize the solid piece of mind of knowing what my K9 pal is consuming- I whole heartedly recommend HALO not just because the product is nutritional and I know what I am getting…. But also because I believe in what the company stands for.
not entirely positive now, but with all the research that we have done on the pea protein put into this food, both cat and dog dry food formulas, we are sure that the pea protein comes from the mainland in China, on the front of the bags it states that the pea protein comes from Canada, when we researched where Canada procures its p.p. we were consistantly sent to a site that distributed the product, most from mainland China, that is all we needed to know, no more Halo dog or cat food for us, I guess i will continue making a large portion of the foods. Also have an e-mail that i sent to the co. here it is:
Hello Rachel, Would just like to inquire as to whether the pea protein used in the dry dog and cat foods is ultimately sourced from China through a Canadian distributer? We have done some pretty extensive research into this matter and what we have come up with is that most pea proteins are sourced from the Chinese market. Could you please provide us with an honest answer, I think as pet owners and purchasers of this food we deserve to know. Also if the protein does not come from China via Canada, could the Halo company please provide some kind of documentation confirming that it is not? Thank you for the answer, Brad
P.S. if you cannot answer this question, please pass it along to someone that is knowledgeable about the sources of the aforementioned ingredient
Just sent this on Friday afternoon, so if I don’t hear anything from them i probably assume the worst!
If a company states that any ingredient is not sourced from China than they DON’T GET THAT INGREDIENT FROM CHINA…If they did, it could not be sold in the USA.
Do your homework, If it is routed through Canada and technically does come from Canada, the company does not have to state that this particular ingredient comes from China, indirectly.
Here is Susan Thixton’s article on who may be purchasing Halo foods.
http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/purina-buys-waggin-train-treats-and-more-rumors-(merrick).html
here is another piece of information that some may find illuminating;
I read that shortly after Ellen DeGeneres bought into Halo (Perhaps she is part of Pegasus Investing – I don’t know) that Halo they hired a former exec of Science Diet as CEO. That caused me concern. The products didn’t seem to change – but – maybe they did as you have pointed out with the pea protein.
WOWWEE! I am getting concerned about feeding Spot’s Stew. Thought perhaps if Ellen bought into it, the product would get better. They did change their formulation a bit, increasing the protein just a bit, but also increasing the fat. If this is true about Science Diet former exec now CEO of HALO – that could possibly be very bad. I wouldn’t feed Science Diet if it were free. And I certainly don’t want foods from China being fed to my dogs or anyone’s dogs or cats. My dog had a minor bout with pancreatitis – and at over 12 years had never had one before, but I was trying to switch from Spot’s Stew combined with Organix to Party Animal with a little bit of Organix & bang my schnauzer got sick – they cannot handle this much fat, even when fat is considered “normal amount.” But, I am concerned about Halo being too low protein & the protein sources. The wheat noodles are also contributing to the protein–possibly even more than the peas, as peas are actually low in protein and wheat noodles have a decent amount of protein. All plant foods have protein – question is how much, beans are as much as cattle flesh, and fruits have tiny amount. Many plant foods have ALL the amino acids necessary for HUMANS; I am still very unsure that true omnivores can digest the foods well enough to absorb these proteins (amino acids). (their digestive tracts from the mouth to the end product are very different from human animals) True carnivores must have their animal flesh.
I have spent hours & hours on this subject & decided I will talk with the local nutritionist at the Univ.ofTN – even though I won’t feed from their recommended lists (of crap). I need to know if there is a certain level of protein that is just too high for these schnauzers (I have 2 adopted at ~12-1/4 yr old) – one has an enlarged heart with heart valve disease & other I have to watch for bladder infections (she has being doing great since I fired a vet 2 yr ago). My female also threw up when she ate the Party Animal canned dog food. There are some really low fat diets out there like Weruva & Tiki – but are they too high protein (very high) and possibly too low fat.
And how do I then find out where anyone else gets all their ingredients??
CHINA – HORRIBLE!
I have decided to switch from Halo Spot’s Stew Original Chicken Formula to Weruva human style mixes, starting with Funky Chunky chicken and Jammin Salmon. I have only been mixing it in with Spots Stew for 6 days now – no problem so far. I am amazed at the quality of this food. I thought it was going to be really soupy by looking at the photos. The can is jam packed with solid food!! It is mostly chicken and these versions have the white rice which is really well cooked (which is great for dogs, especially with pancreatitis or digestive problems), and small chunks of carrots and more peas that I thought it would have. These foods are high protein (from animal flesh sources using chicken mainly and adding salmon, duck, beef and some mixes are tuna and mixed sea animals). The dogs are absolutely crazy about this food. ANd it is very low fat – which for dogs that need to watch their fat, this is great. You can always add more fat to the diet if you wanted to, or more carbs such as sweet potato, pumpkin, etc.
NOTE: WERUVA’s KOBE versions are HIGHER FAT – more in the NORMAL RANGE of fats for dogs without problems with high fat.
My cost is only a couple of bucks more per case of 12 cans than Spots Stew. I have come to the conclusion that Spots Stew is way overpriced – where is the meat & why so much noodles!!!?????
Spots Stew ticked me off when I ordered my last 10 cases and was unaware that they had jumped the FAT PERCENTAGE from a dry matter basis for the canned food from ~12% to ~17%. That is a big jump. And they only increased the protein by 1%. THEIR PROTEIN IS JUST TOO LOW – I have often wondered where the meat is. And it appears to have more “noodles” in it! Don’t understand the need for so much wheat noodles!!! Except lowers cost drastically. I was mixing their food with Castor & Pollux Organix canned food – which is a high fat food & caused an overload of fat for my male 12 yr old schnauzer and he had a mild attack of pancreatitis (first one). So I had to read a lot – because I did not want to feed him the garbage that the “nutritionist” at the Univ. of TN wanted to feed him (you know, the sweepings off the floor). I learned that moderate protein & low fat & moderate carbs are good for recovery. (He recovered very quickly.) ANd then higher protein, low fat, low carbs are best. Schnauzers are prone to very high lipids in their bloodstream – not always resulting in pancreatitis, but pre-disposing them to it.
Here is what “nutritionist” at university recommended – actually insisted upon:
The food was Royal Canin Vet Diet – Digestive Low Fat LF (canned) – listen to what is in it – not that I am ignorant about this problem – but it never ceases to astound me as to their ignorance and/or greed!
P.S. I never knew there was such a thing as GELATIN BY-PRODUCTS – I thought it was a by-product!
Water, Pork by-products, pork liver, corn grits, rice flour, chicken by-products, GELATIN BY-PRODUCTS, Powdered Cellulose, NATURAL FLAVORS, dried beet pulp, guar gum, fish oil, then the huge list of vitamins & supplements.
Most of your dog’s nutrition OR your own nutrition should come from FOOD!!! I know they have to add all these supplements to qualify for AAFCO label.
So Goodbye to Spots Stew. They really need to improve their product – want to actually see the chicken & forget the noodles. If using carbs, use less & shoot for sweet potatoes maybe. But now, their food is too high fat for schnauzers anyhow. ANd the chicken is the lowest fat, the others are much higher, too.
Not sure where some of you get your information BUT Canada is the second largest producer of pea products in the world so….why would they need to get it from China????
Oh and to Brad…I subscribe to Truth About Pet Food (I love Susan, she is awesome!!) and it clearly states that MERRICK is up for sale NOT Halo. It does say that Halo is the interested buyer BUT maybe you should read your articles more carefully before posting incorrect information…Hmmm….make me wonder how carefully you really researched the whole pea protein/Canada thing….
very interesting reading here. i used halo dog food since sometime in the 1980′s and yes it has changed some what from then to now.i did call about the BPA lined cans. it upsets me alot that good food goes into a container that can cause cancer in our beloved pets… but i hope that the pea protein isn’t from china. all i know is that now i make my own dog food and use merricks whole earth farm canned food as the cans are bpa free. as i am a nurse and on some hours i can not cook for my pets . and the dogs that i have are very young and i noticed that during the change of the ceo the pet food started changing some what…. now all my pets started to look and act differently. one now has cancer. i called halo… what a answer i got prove it was the bpa. all dogs that ate the can food for some time got skin problems and one with skin cancer on face . i can not and would not try to prove anything in the first place . but bpa does cause cancer.i just have been a customer since the 80′s but no longer am i. but what i do have to say is just this… if it is just a little bpa… but daily use isn’t good. and … why not let my dog pee into their food just a little bit… just a little isn’t bad?!and i can say since i am using merricks can food the fur is looking better or it’s the home cooking. i did feel safe to use halo… but now i do not and will not. and my friends no longer use it 20 people that i talked into switching now they use merricks food and i feel bad now that i talked them into as one of my friends dog has a tumor. but the other 19 friends dogs seem fine but i have 2- 3 lb dogs and my friend that dog had a tumor is 4 lbs.bad things get to the smaller animals first. sad but true.i do not trust any pet food company at all now.i just wonder if anyone started noticing a different fell to the pets fur then staining of eyes with halo dog food as i did. i used everything from the shampoo to ear wash eye wash daily greens and extra -c to vitamin mineral mix’ and the salve for boo boo’s.. last summer sometime is when i noticed changes in the ddry food and can food and i have used it many, many years.so i do know there is a change.i am sad to say but every dog that ate only can food is the change. but now i am no longer a customer enough proof for me. but that is me. i would not change anyones mine this is what i have to go through with my pets now i am trying to save my little girl that her tumor was cancer. but she has eaten halo longer she is the oldest dog 4 years old.but too young to go through this hell. and now my husband and i have broken hearts as not knowing if she will pull through.she was a picture of health now… sometimes change isn’t good but halo does admit they have made changes to their food at least they are honest but say prove it. i wouldn’t and couldn’t if i tried which i won’t.. that would not help my baby… but i will not use the food. i just hope merrick is good food for now. as they said no cans of any size are lined with bpa. soon as i get off the long hours i will not work the same hours so i can cook for my dogs at all times and not use pet food from any company. but this is how i feel and did not know that the ceo was from science diet pet food that explains the change for me good info from this sight.i don’t care who ownes part of the company it isn’t the same halo food… and it is going down just like everything eles is . just another pet food company out to make a buck at the health of pets in my book. hope i did not make anyone mad but i just needed to tell what i have had to go through never used any food but halo until now. and yes i am worried about using merrick for now but i will not add bpa to my pets diet of any amount.another week before i change hours for good. now i will have two days off a week. i was working 7 day’s a week due to icu storage at the hospital nurses are hard to finbd in my area… but my pets are worth too much … to work long hours again.it will be only home made from here on out. no more pet food company pet food.
Dianna, so very sorry to hear about you’re pets, please arm yourselves with knowledge, (the petfood industry hates this), read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Buyer-Beware-crimes-truth-about/dp/1453855017/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305586387&sr=1-1, even if you get it at the library! Another thing to not let ourselves to forget is this, THE PETFOOD INDUSTRY IS TOTALLY SELF-REGULATED!