Victor Dog Food Review, Recalls & Ingredients Analysis in 2018

Victor Dog Food is manufactured by a small company based in Texas. They pride themselves on their high-protein, “Super Premium” dog food, which they manufacture for “typically active” dogs, as well as highly active and working dogs.

Let’s take a further look into the Victor brand and some of its top recipes.

My List of the Best Victor Dog Food Options in 2018:

Overview of Ingredients in Victor’s Recipes

Protein

The majority of Victor’s recipes seem to include 3 meat-based ingredients in the first 5 ingredients, which is the ideal. What I like about Victor is that on their website you can see the percentage of meat vs. plant protein, and the former always far outweighs the latter.

Each of Victor’s recipes (except for Yukon River Canine, which contains salmon) contains beef meal as their primary protein source. While this ingredient may sound unconvincing, it is actually a meat concentrate that contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh beef.

Fats

Victor includes good-quality, named fats, including chicken fat, flaxseed, and canola oil (used in the Yukon recipe instead of chicken fat). These all provide your dog with nourishing fats that help keep her skin and coat healthy, as well as providing her with good sources of energy.

Carbohydrates

Victor’s regular recipes usually contain two of the following carb sources: grain sorghum, whole grain millet, feeding oat meal, and whole grain brown rice. These are all healthy, whole grain sources of carbs for your dog, which are full of fiber and vitamins.

Victor’s grain-free recipes contain sweet potatoes and peas as alternatives to grains. These are both excellent grain-free alternatives, as they not only provide carbohydrates but contain lots of antioxidants as well.

The majority of Victor’s recipes have reasonably low levels of carbs. In the regular, lower-protein formulas, however, the number of carbs can rise to almost 50% due to the inclusion of more grains.

Antioxidants

For me, the downside to Victor’s recipes is that they do not include many whole food sources of antioxidants. While they comply by adding vitamin supplements, it seems that most of their recipes only include a few vegetables (dried tomato pomace, dried carrot, and dried kelp) and no fruits.

For a dog’s immune system to stay healthy, I always prefer to see a few fresh, antioxidant-rich ingredients.

#1 Victor Hi-Pro Plus

As well as beef meal, this recipe contains chicken meal, pork meal and menhaden fish meal, making it varied in protein sources.

The high protein and fat levels make this food great for active puppies, as well as highly active or working dogs (who exercise more than an hour a day). It will not be suitable for overweight or less active dogs, as the high fat content may cause weight gain.

I do not recommend this food for dogs or puppies prone to or already suffering from joint conditions, as there is no glucosamine or chondroitin in this dog food.

This animal protein in this formula is derived solely from salmon, nor does it contain chicken fat, which makes this a good choice for dogs with allergies to beef, pork, or poultry. This food is also grain-free, so it is suitable for dogs with grain allergies.

I think this recipe is suitable for active dogs who do more than 1 hour of exercise a day. It can suit large dogs such as Boxers, as well as small or toy dogs like Yorkshire Terriers.

As with the above recipe, this one does not contain ingredients to support your dog’s joints. So, if your dog is prone to joint conditions, it may be better to choose a food with glucosamine and chondroitin.

Due to its lower protein and fat content, this formula is a good choice for typical dogs who exercise about an hour a day. However, the carb content is fairly high here, so if your dog is overweight, this food may not be the best choice.

Due to the low fat content, plus the fact that the omega fatty acids are low here too, I would recommend this food for short-haired breeds.

There are no ingredients for joint support, so it’s not the top choice if your dog is prone to or suffering from joint conditions.

Though not high in fiber, this formula contains a little more compared to the other recipes, so if your dog suffers from digestive problems such as diarrhea or constipation, this food could be a good option.

This is another formula suitable for dogs with grain allergies, which contains sweet potato and peas as healthy alternatives to grains.

As with the above recipe, the macronutrient balance here is suited more to active dogs. This recipe, however, contains glucosamine (850 mg/kg) and chondroitin (250 mg/kg) to support your dog’s joints. For me, these levels make it more suitable for dogs prone to joint conditions, such as German Shepherds.

The levels of omega fatty acids are quite high in this formula, so it is also a great choice for dogs with long coats.

This senior recipe is formulated for dogs in the last quarter of their lives. It is low in fat to prevent weight gain and is slightly higher in fiber than the other recipes to keep your dog’s digestion regular.

There are high levels of joint-supporting nutrients here (glucosamine - 1100 mg/kg and chondroitin - 300 mg/kg), which I think makes it a great choice for dogs already suffering from joint problems.

While this recipe is low in fat, the carbohydrate levels are higher than desirable, so if your dog is already overweight or prone to weight gain, it may not be the best choice.

What is the average price and how long will it last?

Victor seem to sell their dog food primarily in bags of 40 lb (18.14 kg), and prices can range from $37 - 70*, depending on which formula you choose. The Hi-Pro plus formula is about $70, which equals $1.58/lb.

*all prices in this post are given approximately by looking on average at 5 of the top online retailers. The final price can vary.

Below I have drawn up a chart showing how long a bag of 40lb Victor Dog food can last you. Bear in mind that these calculations are based on feeding a “typically active dog,” and that inactive/senior dogs and very active or working dogs may require a different amount.

*Victor uses a standard 8 fluid oz. measuring cup, which weighs approximately 113g (4oz.)

**approximately

Average Price and Duration in Comparison with Other Dog Food Brands

Victor Dog Food seems to last roughly the same amount as Fromm Gold Dog Food and 4health Dog Food.

In terms of price, Victor’s prices range more from recipe to recipe, but it tends to be much cheaper than Fromm Gold. 4health offers the best prices overall for all of their recipes.

You might be surprised to know that when compared to a bag of Orijen Dog Food (weighing 25 lb), a bag of 40 lb Victor Dog Food lasts a very similar amount of time. This is because the recommended daily intake for your dog is much less with Orijen, as they include lots of high-quality protein and fiber, which help to fill up your dog.

It is true that Victor Dog Food is less costly compared to Orijen - Orijen costs about $4/lb, while Victor’s most popular recipe costs about $1.58/lb. However, it is worth noting that there are higher-quality dog foods like Orijen that, despite their smaller bags, can last you almost as long as a larger bag of dog food that is not as high in quality.