Badlands Ranch Dog Food Review
We’re told Badlands Ranch is a superfood, but is it?
Berries, leafy greens, and avocado are superfoods, but can a dog food be a superfood?
I’ll cut to the chase and say Badlands Ranch as an air-dried mostly animal-based “raw” food is very good, but do you want to know why?
Did you know this food was launched by actress Katherine Heigl? It’s a cool fact, but of course also good marketing.
Let’s take a look!
Badlands Ranch review – Superfood Complete
What the marketing says
On the Badlands Ranch website we find the Superfood Complete Chicken Formula has a stonking 187 5 star reviews.
That’s impressive! Until you realise it’s their website and they can publish what they like. It always makes me laugh when I see ratings such as this.
That’s the only bone I’ll pick with the marketing, as the rest is what we really want to hear:
- Gently Air Dried – This is a much better process of creating a dog food, and a huge improvement over kibble.
- Traceable ingredients – Always a nice touch, and kudos for transparency of ingredients.
- Free Range Chicken – Which is what we want to see, as the conditions for factory farmed chickens in most dog foods is horrible, not to mention sub-standard nutrition.
- Limited ingredients – This makes Badlands Ranch a good option if you have an itchy scratchy dog prone to dietary sensitivities (read: allergies aren’t food sensitivities).
- 87% animal ingredients, 13% beneficial other ingredients, and (my favorite) 0% corn, soy, wheat, and fillers (i.e. the stuff which will cause any dog problems, not just those mentioned above).
I’m a big fan of high-meat protein, high animal fat air-dried dog foods, and the Badlands Ranch marketing is saying all the right things.
Let’s take a look at the ingredients and find out if the marketing rings true…
What the ingredients really say
The Badlands Ranch Superfood Chicken Formula boosts a fantastic 38% protein and 22% fat. Like most dog foods we aren’t told the percentage of carbs, but my estimate is next to nil. Maybe 17% at a push, which is very good.
I should mention at this point ZIWI Peak as it’s around 96% animal ingredients, but Badlands Ranch is still a worthy competitor.
The first five ingredients are great – chicken, chicken heart, chicken gizzards, chicken liver, and salmon. We can also deduce these are the main ingredients in the formula, and they’re all ideal for your dog. The marketing was right – no fillers.
You would be surprised how many dog foods make you believe they’re full of meat, but the reality is protein comes from substitutes like corn rather than meat, and plant proteins are harder for your dog to digest.
The next, more minor set of ingredients are also good – flaxseed, sweet potato, and pumpkin. Flaxseed is good for heart health, skin, and a glossy coat. Sweet potato and pumpkin add some carbs, but also vitamins, minerals, and fibre to help your dog poop.
When it comes to stuff like chia seeds, ginger, and lions mane mushrooms (fancy!) we’re talking around 1% of the formula, so it’s hard to know how beneficial these ingredients are. Better in than out though.
I could cover the mundane vitamins and minerals, but there’s nothing special to say in this respect. You’ll find these in all “complete and balanced” dog foods.
Should you feed Badlands Ranch to your dog?
Badlands Ranch is definitely a quality dog food. Compared with most kibbles you could definitely consider it a superfood, even if it isn’t quinoa, and it should definitely help your dog stay healthy for many years to come.
The downsides with air-dried raw foods is always the price. They’re expensive because they’re better, but also because they offer you convenience over making your dog homemade raw meals (and less risky).
The advice I can give if you want to feed Badlands Ranch but don’t want your bank manager coming knocking is to feed this as part of your dog’s diet.
Some people feed air-dried as a topper, by adding a handful to their usual bowl of kibble, or as a delicious evening or weekend meal. This helps add nutrition to their regular kibble, and a little nutrition goes a long way.
Recommended.
Ingredients
Ingredients of Badlands Ranch dog food (Superfood Chicken Formula):
Chicken, Chicken Heart, Chicken Gizzards, Chicken Liver, Salmon, Flaxseed, Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, Calcium Carbonate, Carrots, Broccoli, Chia Seeds, Blueberry, Ginger, Salt, Turmeric, Lions Mane Mushroom (Hericium erinaceus), Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Selenium Yeast, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin D3 Supplements, Mixed Tocopherols (preservative)
Guaranteed analysis
Guaranteed analysis of Badlands Ranch dog food (Superfood Chicken Formula):
| Protein | (min) 38% |
| Fat | (min) 22% |
| Crude Fibre | (max) 4% |
| Carbohydrates * | Estimated 17% (based on listed moisture of 15% and estimated ash of 8%) |
