Canine Caviar is back with another comparison to a popular dog food. Are you looking to switch dog food but don’t know who? Canine Caviar Alkaline Limited Ingredient diets could be the answer. We’re going to compare Canidae to Canine Caviar to see the differences between one another. We’ll compare them in terms of ingredients, profile, calories, price, and cost to feed.
It is up to you to make your own decision of which dog food you believe is the best for your special friend. To make this comparison appropriate, we’ll use formulas that mirror each other as close as possible. That way, the results are relative and you can make a better informed decision. We’ll compare Canine Caviar Free Spirit and Canidae All Life Stages Chicken Meal & Rice. They both feature chicken as the main ingredient and are designed for all life stages.
Canidae Ingredients Comparison
Let’s look at the ingredients that make up these formulas because ingredients are the most important part of your dog’s food. The ingredients establish what proteins, carbs, amino acids, and other essential nutrients your dog receives. Canidae and Canine Caviar’s approach to ingredients vary. That is why there are a variety of ingredients you see in the picture above. Dog food companies design their formulas to reflect their respective nutritional philosophies.
Canine Caviar is set on being a limited ingredient diet and one of the only alkaline dog food products. Canine Caviar Free Spirit’s 33 ingredients each play an important role in creating the alkaline effect designed to take dogs to their healthiest state.
Canidae’s All Life Stages kibble line is focused on being vet formulated and good for multiple dog homes. Canidae Chicken Meal & Rice’s 54 ingredients are designed for a dog filled home to satisfy all dogs’ basic needs.
Ingredient Profile Analysis
Let’s look at those same ingredients in a new way. We’ll look at the ingredient profile for both Canine Caviar and Canidae. The ingredient profile refers to the make-up of the formula; how many proteins, carbs, and other nutrients account for the formula.
Canine Caviar sticks to their limited ingredient and alkaline philosophy. The first three ingredients, dehydrated chicken, pearl millet, and chicken fat, make up 85% of the total formula. The free spirit formula has only one protein, dehydrated chicken and one complex carbohydrate, pearl millet. Digestion of amino acids and energy is more effective when kept simple. Amino acid variety are limited but that’s why Canine Caviar suggests protein rotation; switching protein flavors makes sure dogs get all their necessary amino acids. On top of it, our 12 botanicals are essential to creating the alkalinity that maximizes your dog’s health. 15 vitamins and minerals help complete the formula by providing other essential nutrients to your dog’s system.
Canidae has a different composition. Canidae’s formula include 6 different carbohydrate sources which requires more digestive power and can make nutrient absorption harder. They also have twice as many listed vitamins and minerals. This could be a sign that nutrients were not naturally found in their ingredients or lost during the cooking process resulting in the need to add so many vitamins and minerals. Lastly there are ingredients like salt, tomato pomace, and natural flavor which aren’t necessary for Canine Caviar’s formulas.
Canidae Calorie Comparison
The next thing we’ll look at are the calories for each formula because the more calories a kibble has, the less you need feed and the more nutritious it is. Processing eliminates a kibble’s natural calories and lowers the digestibility so the amount of calories in a cup can say a lot. It also means that the kibble was better able to maintain its original nutritional value.
Canine Caviar’s Free Spirit has 599 Kcal/8oz and a total average of 550 Kcal/8oz across the line. Canine Caviar strives to keep calories high and nutritional value secure. We do this by flash cooking our kibble instead of relying on conventional practices. We cook the kibble for only 6 seconds at 82 degrees Celsius and no more. The kibble exterior is cooked but the inside keeps its nutritional goodness. Canine Caviar uses quality ingredients from sustainable sources because doing so is what leads to the kibble’s high caloric content.
Canidae’s Chicken Meal & Rice formula has 449 Kcal/8oz. The average for the All Life Stages line is 418 Kcal/8oz. This is similar to other popular brands.
Canidae Price Comparison
Another factor to consider when choosing a kibble is the price. Canine Caviar and Canidae are both brands that promote good quality nutrition. The benefits of both are similar; however Canine Caviar has the added benefit of being Alkaline. Canine Caviar also uses dehydrated chicken vs Canidae’s chicken meal which will result in a different price point. For this comparison, the prices are based on the total average of 2019 online prices. at first glance, it seems Canidae is able to provide a lower price but face value prices don’t always tell the whole story. Canine Caviar takes pride in carefully selecting the finest ingredients available offering the best nutrition for our beloved pups. Sometimes that results in the cost of our kibble being higher than some other brands available. We always believe in getting what you pay for.
How Much Does it Cost You to Feed?
This comparison shows how much it costs daily for you to feed a dog based on our example formula. We use the formula on the bottom right of the analysis to come up with these numbers.
Canine Caviar’s Free Spirit cost $1.35 a day while Canidae cost $.82 a day. That’s a difference of $.53 but where is this difference coming from. Could the difference be from the cost and quality of ingredients. Could the different processing methods be the reason?
Final Thoughts
This ends our Canidae comparison. It’s important that you make your own conclusions. It can be difficult to make a choice we can feel confident in. That’s why it is important for dog food companies to have transparency; giving you the information necessary to make informed decisions. Canine Caviar aims to become more transparent just like this comparison. If you have further questions, call our office at 714.223.1800 from the hours of 8AM-4PM PST. You can also email us at info@caninecaviar.com. Check the Canine Caviar Blog for more great articles. Check out last Comparison to Acana and Orijen or figure out How Much You Should be Feeding your Dog.