Tate is my 12 year old foster Chihuahua.  Among the things he arrived with was a bag of the Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Senior Dog Formula.  I hadn't actually looked at this food before, so my first thought was I had to get Tate off it and eating good food.




Then I read the ingredients.  I realized that while this may not be the greatest dog food ever, it is a pretty good food.  For starters it contains glucosamine hydrochloride, "not less than" 1200mg/kg, and Chondroitin Sulfate, "not less than 400 mg/kg, both of which are great for senior dogs and dogs with hip problems.   While common in all of the better foods for senior dogs, not all dog foods contain these supplements.  I was more than pleased to see the Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Senior Dog Formula contains more than a trace.  Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Senior Dog Formula also Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids, for a healthy skin and coat.
 
 
My one real issue with the Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Senior Dog Formula is that it contains chicken, turkey, duck, and salmon.  As yummy as that might sound to your dog, any one of those meats could be something your dog is allergic to.  One of the first things to go when a dog has a food allergy is chicken.  Taking chicken out of the dog's diet would mean you would have to change foods completely.  Anyone with a dog knows you can't just change food on them; it upsets the dog's tummy and eventually you when you start cleaning up the mess.  It is all that much worse with a senior dog.   One might argue that the dog owner would know prior to starting the dog on the Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Senior Dog Formula, that the dog has food allergies.  Not always true.  As with humans, dogs develop conditions.  If your dog is eating the Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Senior Dog Formula and develops a food allergy, you either have to make him sick to change the food, or make him suffer while you wean him off.
 
 
Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Senior Dog Formula touts on the front of the bag that the chicken is fresh, never frozen.  That's GREAT, but what about the other 3 meat sources?  Yeah, it is a mystery to me as well, as Diamond Pet Foods doesn't say.  There are a lot of grains in this food, which depending on whom you ask may or may not be beneficial to your dog.  I am more inclined to believe it isn't, but it won't hurt your dog.  More grains means your dog will likely eat more and make more waste.   There are vegetables and fruits in the Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Senior Dog Formula, which would provide all the fiber your dog needs without the addition of a lot of grains.   All in all though, the ingredients list for the Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Senior Dog Formula is sound with no corn.  Corn is the absolute most useless thing you can feed a dog.
 
The Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Senior Dog Formula bag says the dog food is slow cooked to preserve goodness.   This makes sense since cooking any food, human or dog, at high temperatures leeches minerals from the ingredients, especially vegetables. 
 
 
 
The Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Senior Dog Formula kibble itself looks like little brown doughnuts.  They are the perfect size for smaller dogs; something even the biggest dog usually appreciates.   The bag does not have a self sealing feature, such as a zipper close.  This means you will have to have another container to store it in.
 
 
Calorie content, something important for the older dog watching his figure, is 315kcal per cup.
 
 
INGREDIENTS:
Chicken, turkey, oatmeal, whole grain brown rice, chicken meal, turkey meal, whole grain white rice, chicken fat (persevered with mixed Tocopherols), potatoes, cracked  pearled barley, millet, duck, salmon, egg product, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, potassium chloride, choline chloride, glucosamine hydrochloride, dried chicory root, vitamin E supplement, Chondroitin sulfate, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B6) vitamin B12 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfate complex (source of vitamin K activity), riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.
 
 
I choose to list the ingredients in dog food, and most dog treats because I think it is important to know what you are feeding your dog.  My dog, Diego, has pancreatitis, which means we have to know exactly what is in his food, down to the last additive.  I think it is helpful to have this in a review of a dog food, to save you time if it sounds appealing for your dog.   Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Senior Dog Formula's ingredient list has nothing in it that makes me not want to buy it for my other dogs.

Recommended: Yes