# Trader Joe's Premium Canned Dog Food



## JayJayisme

Okay, as promised, here is the information on the canned food I've been trying as a topper on the premium kibble I feed my pups (currently Wellness Super 5 Mix). It's sold by Trader Joe's, a specialty grocery chain in select regions that is based on a principle of high quality and specialty products at reasonable, every-day prices. 

Welcome to Trader Joe's - Your Neighborhood Grocery Store

Some of you may not be familiar with this chain since they aren't everywhere. I'm fortunate to be in Southern California in this regard since this is where TJ's started and there are no less than 3 stores within a few minutes drive of me. They do not have sales. This is an every-day price and product.

Anyway, these three dog food flavors are all sold in 22 oz cans for $1.09 each (at least where I am, your local price may vary a little). That's almost twice as much food per can as most brands that come in 12 to 13 oz. cans. They SEEM to be decent quality from reading the ingredient lists and both my dogs like all the flavors. I'm not too sure about "Textured Soy Protein Product" or things like Guar Gum even though both of these ingredients come from "natural" sources. I suppose the soy is a protein filler and is probably miles better than grain-based fillers. But hey, what do I know? :wink:

Trader Joe's Chunky Beef Dinner

Ingredients:
Sufficient Water for Processing, Beef, Chicken, Textured Soy Protein Product, Animal Liver, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Guar Gum, Potassium Chloride, Tricalcium Phosphate, Carrageenan, Cassia Gum, Choline Chloride,Vitamins (Vitamin E, A, B12, D3 supplements, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Riboflavin supplement), Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Proteinate, Manganous Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Selenite).

Guaranteed analysis:
Crude protein 9% min
Crude fat 5% min
Crude fiber 1.5% max
Moisture 78% max

Trader Joe's Chopped Lamb & Rice Dinner

Ingredients:
Lamb broth, lamb, chicken, Textured Soy Protein Product, Parboiled Rice, Potatoes, Peas, Carrots, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Carageenan, Cassia Gum, Guar Gum, Choline Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin E, A, B12, D3 supplements, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Riboflavin supplement), Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Proteinate, Manganous Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Selenite).

Guaranteed analysis:
Crude protein 7% min
Crude fat 4% min
Crude fiber 1.5% max
Moisture 78% max

Trader Joe's Chunky Chicken Dinner

Ingredients:
Sufficient Water for Processing, Chicken, Beef, Textured Soy Protein Product, Animal Liver, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Guar Gum, Potassium Chloride, Carageenan, Cassia Gum, Choline Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin E, A, B12, D3 supplements, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Riboflavin supplement), Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Proteinate, Manganous Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Selenite), Tricalcium Phosphate

Guaranteed analysis:
Crude protein 9% min
Crude fat 5% min
Crude fiber 1.5% max
Moisture 78% max

Each can states that this is a product of the U.S.A.

Each can also states, “Trader Joe's Premium Dog Food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles of all life stages”.

So there you have it. This may be a good option for those looking for an economical, grain-free (except for rice in the lamb flavor) high quality canned food. I'll keep my pups on it for awhile, again just as a topper, and see how they do.

Anyone else have any experience or feedback on this stuff? Raw people, I know you are itching to blast me and my food choices, and you are welcomed to IF you PLEASE keep it relevant and on-topic (i.e. comparing this food to other commercial, canned foods). :biggrin:

Cheers.

Jay


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## BabyHusky

doesn't look too bad. i'm in southern california also so Trader Joes are everywhere.


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## Unosmom

Its definitely better then most grocery brands, but there are some questionable ingridients like unspecified animal liver( what animal?), as well as soy (common allergen)

I convinced my parents to switch their cats to TJ's canned cat food, which is very price compatible to some of the premium brands. They do quite well on it along with taste of the wild dry.


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## JayJayisme

I thought about the "animal liver" thing but I thought that was miles better than "meat by-products", which is totally vague. At least you know it is liver and how many different commercially raised animals could it possibly come from? Beef, chicken, pork, turkey, goat, rabbit, fish. What else is there? They probably use a combination of these in varying ratios from time to time so they use this term just to keep from relabeling the product every time the ratio of chicken liver goes up relative to beef liver or something like that. Just my theory.

Thanks for the feedback.

Jay


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## CorgiPaws

JayJayisme said:


> I thought about the "animal liver" thing but I thought that was miles better than "meat by-products", which is totally vague.


It's equally vague Both are unnamed and could very well have come from a euthanized animal in a shelter, roadkill, or some other source. Unnames sources are unnamed sources, no matter what organ or body part you think you're getting.


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## CorgiPaws

JayJayisme said:


> Okay, as promised, here is the information on the canned food I've been trying as a topper on the premium kibble I feed my pups (currently Wellness Super 5 Mix). It's sold by Trader Joe's, a specialty grocery chain in select regions that is based on a principle of high quality and specialty products at reasonable, every-day prices.


Props on the decent kibble. 



JayJayisme said:


> They SEEM to be decent quality from reading the ingredient lists and both my dogs like all the flavors. I'm not too sure about "Textured Soy Protein Product" or things like Guar Gum even though both of these ingredients come from "natural" sources.


marijuana is a "natural" source. It's about as equally nutricious as that. 



JayJayisme said:


> Ingredients:
> Sufficient Water for Processing, Beef, Chicken, Textured Soy Protein Product, Animal Liver, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Guar Gum, Potassium Chloride, Tricalcium Phosphate, Carrageenan, Cassia Gum, Choline Chloride,Vitamins (Vitamin E, A, B12, D3 supplements, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Riboflavin supplement), Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Proteinate, Manganous Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Selenite).
> 
> Guaranteed analysis:
> Crude protein 9% min
> Crude fat 5% min
> Crude fiber 1.5% max
> Moisture 78% max


Fourth and fifth ingredient are incredibly questionable. Soy is a common allergen. 
Protien level is too low to make it worthwhile. 
ot going to pick apart the others, they're pretty much the same and I have places to be.....



JayJayisme said:


> Each can also states, “Trader Joe's Premium Dog Food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles of all life stages”.


Cool, so does Pedigree and beneful. 



JayJayisme said:


> So there you have it. This may be a good option for those looking for an economical, grain-free (except for rice in the lamb flavor) high quality canned food. I'll keep my pups on it for awhile, again just as a topper, and see how they do.


"Grain free, except..." means it's not grain free. Pedigree is Corn free! Oh yeah, except for the corn. 
It's not high quality. 



JayJayisme said:


> Anyone else have any experience or feedback on this stuff? Raw people, I know you are itching to blast me and my food choices, and you are welcomed to IF you PLEASE keep it relevant and on-topic (i.e. comparing this food to other commercial, canned foods). :biggrin:


I am very much so a supporter of raw, though unfortunately my pups are back to kibble til I can move in December due to lack of freezer space. 
I don't have a problem with QUALITY pet food products, this one, however, is not quality enough for me to buy. I will admit I have seen many that are a lot worse that sell for a lot more. 
I may be coming across incredibly rude. Sorry. I'm blunt. Not intending to be rude. 

I have no experience with it. It's not to my standards, therefore I will not spend my hard earned money on it. Not trying to "blast" anyone, (though I have a few ex's I'd like to) just very bluntly stating the facts, as well as my opinion, which happen to be one in the same. heh.


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## JayJayisme

CorgiPaws said:


> marijuana is a "natural" source. It's about as equally nutricious as that.


Notice I put the word "natural" in quotes. That means I'm just quoting a source that states that these ingredients are derived from "natural" sources. I didn't say I thought they were healthy or unhealthy, or even inert. I don't really know. Arsenic is "natural" too, as is celery. Natural means nothing, which was my point. Just because some ingredient doesn't add nutrition, doesn't necessarily mean it is bad. It could be inert.



CorgiPaws said:


> Fourth and fifth ingredient are incredibly questionable. Soy is a common allergen.
> Protien level is too low to make it worthwhile.
> ot going to pick apart the others, they're pretty much the same and I have places to be.....


Thank you (and others) for pointing out that soy is a common allergen in dogs. I didn't know that. I guess if either of my dogs have a bad reaction to this stuff, I can suspect that. I don't need extreme protein as this is a topper, not their main food source, which IS protein rich.



CorgiPaws said:


> Cool, so does Pedigree and beneful.


I didn't type this as an endorsement, only that it is on the can in case anyone is wondering. I was trying to be thorough as I know not everyone has easy access to a Trader Joe's so they can do their own label reading.



CorgiPaws said:


> "Grain free, except..." means it's not grain free. Pedigree is Corn free! Oh yeah, except for the corn.
> It's not high quality.


You must really be busy because you clearly didn't read this. Two out of the three "flavors" are grain free. Only the lamb flavor has grain and the grain is rice. A lot of premium quality dog foods have rice and a lot of people don't have a problem with it. I was only stating a summary of the ingredients, not an opinion. Try reading before posting.



CorgiPaws said:


> I am very much so a supporter of raw...
> 
> ...just very bluntly stating the facts, as well as my opinion, which happen to be one in the same. heh.


Ahhh...yes, it all makes sense now. All the raw people know everything and the rest of us know nothing.


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## claybuster

CorgiPaws said:


> Fourth and fifth ingredient are incredibly questionable. Soy is a common allergen.




That was the first thing I noticed when looking at the ingredients of Trader Joes. You are 100% correct about the Soy. Textured Soy Protein is commonly used in dog food as a cheap source of protein. Not only is it a cheap source of protein, it is also a potentially a very dangerous ingredient and ingredients like Soy has been linked to bloat in carnivores.


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## CorgiPaws

JayJayisme said:


> Notice I put the word "natural" in quotes. That means I'm just quoting a source that states that these ingredients are derived from "natural" sources. I didn't say I thought they were healthy or unhealthy, or even inert. I don't really know. Arsenic is "natural" too, as is celery. Natural means nothing, which was my point. Just because some ingredient doesn't add nutrition, doesn't necessarily mean it is bad. It could be inert.


I understand. I was making the same point. Natural labels on our food don't mean much, so a dog food being "natural" means even less as their food is far less regulated than ours. Even things that are natural aren't necessarily of any use for our dogs, as we both made examples of. 



JayJayisme said:


> I don't need extreme protein as this is a topper, not their main food source, which IS protein rich.


Understandably so. I was not taking that into account. For a topper to a quality kibble you dont need mega protien so what I would look for is something that just doesn't have red flags. (ie. corn, wheat, soy, beet pulp, etc.) This one does have some of these, so I guess it's a matter of waiting to see if there will be a problem. 



JayJayisme said:


> I didn't type this as an endorsement, only that it is on the can in case anyone is wondering. I was trying to be thorough as I know not everyone has easy access to a Trader Joe's so they can do their own label reading.


I understand this as well, I'm just pointing out that the label means nothing. The only printing on a dog food product that means ANYTHING is the ingredient list and analysis. All the slogans, sayings, and claims on the box, bag, can, etc, mean nothing. Sadly, this stuff isn't very regulated. 



JayJayisme said:


> Ahhh...yes, it all makes sense now. All the raw people know everything and the rest of us know nothing.


No No No. I assure you, I do not feel I know everything. I learn new stuff on here every day. I understand how it can come across this way, though. Consider what makes people go raw. For me, it was doing SO much research and educating myself on commercial pet foods. The more I learned about it, the more I wasn't okay with it and raw is the only way I have peace of mind over what my dogs eat. There are a lot of very educated raw feeders on here because they've been practicing the diet for ages, and studying it for even longer. I don't (and many other raw feeders on here don't) think every kibble is awful and kibble feeders are terrible. In fact, my living situation has made raw undoable right now and my pups are back on kibble for four months. 
Some kibbles are better than others, as we all know. If you're doing the very best you cn for your dogs, that's all you can do! heck, I have a small dog on Evo because I can afford it for the amount he eats, but my Shepherd is on Canidae because that's the best I can do for him right now.


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## catherine

*soy*

Hi, I am new to this community so "Hi all!"

A friend told me that soy is a concern when it is genetically modified (GMO) but since Traders guarantees "NO genetically modified ingredients" at the bottom left per their website that JayJay gave initially, this shouldn't be a problem. 

So, what do you think?

catherine


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## JayJayisme

I dunno. I gave up on all commercial food and finally went with a prey model raw diet for both of my dogs. That was about a year ago, they are thriving on it, and I've never looked back.


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## trikerdon

I was just at TJ's. I was impressed with their canned dog foods as compaired to what you presented at some other leading stores. I didn't buy any, but I did purchase some natural treats and a twisted billy bone at a reasonable price......


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## PUNKem733

What i don't like amongst other things is the first ingredient is basically water.


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