Annamaet Dog Food: Review

Annamaet (pronounced like animate) has been a family-owned and operated pet food company for more than 30 years. Founded by husband and wife team Rob and Mary Jo Downey, and named after Rob’s mother, Anna Mae, they produce sustainable formulas designed to meet the core nutritional needs of pups—with each recipe developed by a team of in-house experts and a board-certified Veterinary Nutritionist.

We’re big fans of Annamaet’s production process, with everything manufactured in small batches within the US, plus a sustainable approach to ingredient sourcing. This means no GMO plant materials and meat and fish that’s deemed fit for human consumption. They also switch out some of their fish oil for omega-rich marine microalgae to help preserve fish stocks while retaining nutritional benefits.

Thanks to their commitment to good food practices, Annamaet is a long-standing member of the Pet Sustainability Coalition and partners with the Marine Stewardship Council, which guarantees that all fish in their formulas are sustainable, and can even be traced back to individual fishing boats.

Annamaet’s packaging is also worth a mention, as it’s made from Bioflex™, a material that’s designed to speed up biodegradation in landfill sites.

Has your dog started to look a little soft around the edges? Do they have a little harder time hopping into the car? Do they prefer to chase a stray piece of kibble more than their ball? Well if that’s the case your dog might be needing a lean low fat formula like this one from Annamaet. Coming in at only 7% fat, this recipe is perfect for those pups that want to get their beach bods ready for the summer. In addition, this formula is a nice option for large breed puppies, and dogs with pancreatitis.

Annamaet makes this recipe without grains, and uses Chicken meal as the first ingredient. Chicken meal has a large concentration of protein, which can be seen in guaranteed analysis with 30% protein. This product also includes L-carnitine that promotes lean muscles, and DHA to aid cognitive functioning, and omega-3 fatty acids, which help support a healthy immune system.

Customer reviews:

“My 9yr old beagle/lab baby had a very bad case of pancreatitis two summers ago. I searched and read many reviews and came across this Lean kibble. He hasn’t had any problems since.”

“My dog eats it, but he usually eats everything. I do top it with another soft food as my vet doesn’t really think grain free is good for dogs’ hearts. My dog has Cushings and always trying to find the right food for him. Hoping he looses a few pounds.”

Guaranteed analysis:

• Protein (min): 30.0%
• Fat (min): 7.0%
• Fiber (max): 3.5%
• Moisture (max): 10.0%

Nutritional Info
Ingredients: Chicken Meal, Field Peas, Lentils, Potato, Tapioca, Duck Meal, Herring Meal, Sun Cured Ground Miscanthus Grass, Natural Flavor, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Dried Apples, Menhaden Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Marine Microalgae, Dried Chicory Root, Lecithin, Dried Blueberries, Dried Cranberries, DL Methionine, L-Lysine, Taurine, Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Salt, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate, L-Carnitine, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Betaine Anhydrous, Iron Proteinate, Selenium Yeast, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Yucca Schidigera Extract.

Caloric Content
3242 kcal/kg = 1474 kcal/lb = 350 kcal/cup

Annamaet Original Puppy Food is a kibble specifically formulated for your new family member, and no, I don’t mean a human baby if you just had one! Although with the wholesome ingredients that this recipe employs, I wouldn’t mind trying it myself. It is full of wholesome ingredients, like chicken meal, brown rice, fish meal, carrots, spinach and more! Looking at the ingredients it is good to see no signs of corn, wheat, or soy, making it a good option for puppies with sensitive stomachs, or to avoid triggering sensitivities.

With 26% protein, and 14% fat content this recipe by Annamaet is suitable for all breeds and sizes. It has a nice middle ground of nutrition content, not too high, not too low! It is also enriched with prebiotics to support gut health.

Customer reviews:
“I started using Annamaet with my last Golden because of food sensitivities and it worked beautifully where so many others failed. The Company is awesome to deal with and will answer your questions to select the right dog food if you are not sure. We just got a new Golden puppy and he loves it and we love it because we know it is quality. Highly recommend.”

“Our now 10 month old puppy appears strong with great muscle definition and posture since using this food for several months now! Her breath is fresh and teeth clean..” 

Guaranteed analysis: 

• Protein (min): 26.0%
• Fat (min): 14.0%
• Fiber (max): 4.0%
• Moisture (max): 10.0%

Nutritional Info
Ingredients: Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Millet, Pearled Barley, Rolled Oats, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Menhaden Fish Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Flax Seed Meal, Dried Apples, Natural Flavor, Menhaden Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Brewers Dried Yeast, Lecithin, Dried Chicory Root, Dried Blueberries, Dried Cranberries, Salt, DL Methionine, L-Lysine, Taurine, Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Calcium Carbonate, Niacin Supplement, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate, L-Carnitine, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Betaine Anhydrous, Iron Proteinate, Selenium Yeast, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Yucca Schidigera Extract.

Caloric Content
3887 kcal/kg = 1767 kcal/lb = 414 kcal/cup

As a dry food-only brand, Annamaet comes in well above many more well-known brand names and corporate giants. All of their products are corn, wheat, and soy-free, and a majority of them exceed industry averages for protein and fat content, without resorting to filler ingredients. Instead, Annameat uses tapioca, which is gluten-free and considered by most people to be a preferable source of starch.

On the downside, most Annamaet products use meat meals instead of whole meat. While this isn’t uncommon across dry foods, and Annamaet’s meals are always named (meaning that they only contain the named animal), we would prefer to see the inclusion of nutrient-rich whole meat sources. On average, Annamaet products are also slightly light on fiber compared to the industry average.

Our research shows that Annamaet hasn’t recalled any of their dog foods over recent years, which a great indicator of quality control across their entire production process.