You might find it hard to believe, but that ball of fluff who spends much of their day chasing their tail and snoozing on the sofa? They’re descended from wolves.

This is a fact that the team at Crave dog food takes into consideration when they’re designing recipes. The resulting products have impressively high protein levels, just as a wolf’s carnivorous diet would. This comes from real meat as the first-listed ingredient, as well as several other animal sources.

In this Crave dog food review, we find the company’s offering to be excellent, especially for the more active of canines. The one drawback is you might find that the fat levels are a little too high for pets that don’t move around as much.

Unlike other brands with sprawling collections of dog food, Crave’s range is relatively limited. In fact, there are just four Crave dry dog food recipes and three varieties of Crave wet dog food.

Crave also produces pet food for the UK market. These products have different recipes and aren’t formulated to meet AAFCO standards.

The four Crave dry dog food recipes contain real meat or fish as the first-listed ingredient. However, this alone wouldn’t be enough to account for the mighty 34% crude protein levels — some of this also comes from meat or fish meal, a concentrated form of protein.

Each recipe has at least two different meals in the recipe, which means that they’re not single-source protein recipes. Each also features chicken fat, which might make Crave dry dog food a no-go for dogs with poultry allergies.

Aside from the meat, Crave dry dog food is grain-free, with split peas and lentils in their place — these are both great sources of plant-based protein as well. Lower down the ingredient list, there’s nothing concerning to report, like artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

Instead, all that can be seen are the supplemented vitamins and minerals to help the formulation meet the AAFCO’s nutritional targets.

There are only three Crave canned dog food products and these are similarly plentiful when it comes to protein. This comes from real chicken, beef or turkey as the first listed ingredient, followed by broth and organs — there are no meat meals in these products. Like the Crave dry dog food recipes, the wet food is grain-free and there’s not much by the way of carbohydrates or vegetables further down the list.

The wet recipes are also absent of any artificial preservatives or flavors. However, they do include guar gum, which is a slightly controversial ingredient in some circles — the natural thickening agent is approved as safe for use by the FDA.

All of the dry dog food recipes have a crude protein level of 34%. The figures for the wet dog food are more modest (around 12%), but this is still much higher than other canned dog food. 

There are plenty of reasons why we’re so happy to see high protein levels. It gives dogs the energy to run around and helps with muscle growth and repair, too. Protein also contributes towards healthy digestive and immune systems.

It should also be pointed out that when dogs lived in the wild — thousands of years ago, admittedly — they would have survived on such a diet.

We wouldn’t be so enthusiastic about Crave dog food’s high protein levels if they came from questionable sources — say, animal by-products or anonymous meat meals.

Thankfully, parents can look at Crave’s ingredient lists without concern. The first-listed ingredient in all recipes is always real meat or fish. Additional protein comes from organs, named meat or fish meals (essentially a concentrate) and plants, such as lentils and split peas. There are no artificial preservatives, colors or flavors, either.

Grain in dog food isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, some dogs with sensitive stomachs can find it quite disagreeable. All Crave dog food is made without grains, which could well prove helpful for parents looking for more easily digestible dog food.

Crave dog food is manufactured in US factories and the company has never had to recall any products — this reassures Wag! that high standards are maintained in these facilities.

All of Crave’s dog food meets the nutritional standards set out in the AAFCO’s Maintenance nutrient profile— this means it has all the vitamins and minerals an adult dog needs to function healthy.

That’s all well and good, but it also means that there are no Crave dog food products suitable for puppies or pregnant mothers

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We’ve already mentioned that Crave’s product range isn’t the biggest. This scarcity is exacerbated by the fact that some of the wet dog food products are quite difficult to find.

At the time of writing, the full Crave wet dog food range could only be found on Amazon and they were either fully or mostly missing on the websites for Chewy, Crave and Walmart.

The UK range also includes different recipes and high-protein treats that can’t be purchased in the USA.

The old adage ‘you get what you pay for’ holds true here. Yes, the ingredients in Crave’s recipes are excellent, but this is reflected in the cost of the products.

At the time of writing, we found Crave dry dog food going for $2.80/lb when bought in bulk. Similarly, the lowest price for Crave wet dog food was just over $2 a can for the turkey recipes.

While this is far from the most expensive dog food on the market, it might put it out of reach for parents shopping on a budget.

“All 3 of my dogs love this food! There aren't a lot of crumbs at the bottom of the bags, like there [is with] a lot of dog food. I like that it is grain free and high in protein and that there is never any left in their bowls! I have been buying this for a few years now and the only thing I would change would be a bag that is recyclable and easier to open (it doesn't tear in shipping, though!).”

“We have 3 rescue Saint Bernard's that are picky eaters. They have plenty of energy and no skin conditions since starting them on Crave some 2 years or so ago, even the 8 year old. Empty bowls at every feeding. Wish you guys sold larger bags. These guys eat me out of house and home.”

“If you do your homework, Crave is very good for your animals compared to other brands. Look at the protein and fat content[,] and the animals they process to use in the dog food. I wish it was a bit cheaper but if you compare it to the other brands with the same protein count it's right there!”

Read more reviews at Chewy.

Launched in 2017 by Mars Petcare US, Crave dog food is a new face in pet shops. However, the parent company — Mars, Incorporated — has a long and illustrious history in the pet food world.

This ultimately began in 1935 when the company — which had at that point specialized in confectionery — acquired its first pet food company. Over the following decades, the company’s pet food portfolio expanded massively, both through the launch of new brands and the acquisition of established ones.

Crave has never recalled any dog food products at the time of writing.