Inukshuk dog food is officially titled Inukshuk Professional Dog Food — which signposts the brand’s position and offering. 

Inukshuk produces dry dog food formulated specifically for breeds that aren’t just highly active, but deployed as professional working dogs. Dogs working in the police, military and other service roles would potentially benefit from being fed one of Inukshuk’s recipes — as would dogs who might be used for sporting and hunting purposes, or even high-intensity activities such as sledding.

It isn’t a brand that’s recommended for dogs who have a more leisurely lifestyle, or for breeds outside of working, sporting and hunting groups. Let’s take a look at the products available in the Inukshuk dog food range and learn more about the brand’s history.

Inukshuk offers a fairly limited range of dry dog food recipes — just five in total at the time of writing, in fact. On one hand, it might be slightly disappointing to have a relative lack of choice but on the other, it could be seen as a positive that Inukshuk has stuck to what it knows best and stayed true to its brand values and core ingredients. 

It also keeps it simple for pet parents; there isn’t a huge selection to pore over, nor multiple recipes to try. It comes down, essentially, to three chicken-flavored recipes and two fish-based versions. 

Confused by the numbers in the recipe titles? They might look strange, but they make sense. The digits make it easy to understand the balance between proteins and fats, as Inukshuk has titled its recipes to reflect that — Inukashuk 30/25, for example, has 30% protein and 25% fat. With the Inukshuk Marine recipes, the number denotes the fat content. Marine 16 has 16% fat, Marine 25 has 25% fat.

Though all recipes are flagged as being suitable for all life stages, the different protein/fat ratios mean you can tailor Inukshuk dog food as your working dog grows. Inukshuk 26/16 is considered puppy friendly, while Inukshuk 32/32 is the brand’s high performance version.

The company calls it the ‘highest energy dog food on the market’ and it’s best given to dogs involved in endurance activities. With each cup serving providing 720 kcals, it’s formulated to keep dogs going for longer.

Aside from protein and fat levels, there’s not much to differentiate between the trio of chicken recipes. All have chicken meal as the lead ingredient, which provides almost as much as 300% more protein than fresh chicken. That doesn’t sound appealing, but there’s nothing really wrong with it. Herring meal is also a prime ingredient, as is whole brown rice and chicken fat.

Recipes also include herring oil, which contains high quality fats, and taurine, which can contribute to good heart health.

What isn’t so pleasing to see — as raised by our friends and online partners Dog Food Advisor in this review — is the presence of ingredients such as whole grain corn, whole grain wheat, wheat shorts and dried beet pulp. All of these could be considered controversial, though not necessarily reasons to buy a different type of dog food. 

If you want to know more about what certain ingredients mean, our guide to How to Read a Dog Food Label can answer some of your questions.

Inukshuk’s two other recipes are Marine 16 and Marine 25. These are chicken-free products — not all dogs like chicken — and use salmon and herring meal instead of chicken meal, for the protein. Whole oats, whole barley and brown rice are also key ingredients. There’s no wheat, corn or soy in these recipes; Inukshuk Marine 16 has 16% fat and 26% protein, Marine 25 has 25% fat and 30% protein.

How much protein does a dog need from its diet? We’ve got some answers here.

Inukshuk sources many of its ingredients from close to its location, on Canada’s east coast, and from local fishing and agricultural producers. Other ingredients come from producers in the north of America.

If you’re looking for a dog food recipe that’s high in protein, Inukshuck definitely delivers on that front. Its recipes use chicken meal (fish meal in the Marine versions), which, while it might sound unappetizing, is a positive in high-energy meals — it’s easily digestible and provides more protein than fresh chicken. 

All formulas in the Inukshuk dog food range meet the standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials — more often known as AAFCO. You can read more about how each recipe meets those requirements on the Inukshuk website, while our guide on understanding what AAFCO does is well worth a read.

In feedback from Inukshuk dog food reviews, some customers have reported recent price increases of $20 on recipes, which have pushed into the too-expensive category. Premium dog food comes at a premium price; if you need more of a budget-friendly option, we’ve rounded up some of the best here. That said, it’s only fair to point out that, because of the high protein content, you might find products with similar ingredients in the same price bracket.

Some Inukshuk recipes have a high fat content. Generally, a recipe with a fat content of 20% and over is considered high; ingredients in Inukshuk 30/25 and Marine 25 have 25% fat content, while Inukshuk 32/32 tops those with 32%. Now, fats aren’t completely negative — certain fats are needed in a dog’s diet — but whether these recipes have too much for your pup is something to consider.

Read our guide to ‘How much fat does my dog need?’ here.

Inukshuk dog food isn’t suitable for all breeds. Recipes have been formulated for larger dogs who either work or are intensely active; dogs who burn calories fast and need to replenish those levels. If you have a small-medium sized breed that’s only moderately active, you might find your dog putting on weight quickly.

“I am sold on this food! Feeding it to my police dogs and pet dogs. Have noticed so many benefits. We are two and a half months in and we will not be feeding anything else.”

“I hunt a 2 year old, 35 pound, female Springer Spaniel. Just returned from 10 straight days in South Dakota chasing pheasant. Rosie is not a very good eater - won’t eat the morning before the hunt. I give her one cup of Inukshuk at the end of the day and we do it all again tomorrow. Never faded. Never lost any weight. Made those big Labs look lazy! I’ve tried several different foods for a dozen different bird dogs. Finally-I’m done shopping.”

“My pups seem to gobble up this kibble. The size is perfect for both my larger dog and medium size pup, I give them 26/16 since they are not overly active such as hunting. But they run around the backyard chasing birds, squirrels and lots more.”

Read more reviews on Chewy.

The Inukshuk Professional Dog Food brand is part of the Corey Nutrition Company, which was founded in 1982. The company is based in New Brunswick, Canada.

Inukshuk dog food was originally created as a recipe for Canadian sled dogs, who often worked in the harsh conditions of arctic terrain. Many of these dogs competed in ultra-endurance events such as the Yukon Quest, a grueling 1,000-mile race. In fact, Inukshuk is the official dog food of the Yukon Quest.

At the time of writing, there have been no instances of an Inukshuk dog food recall.

Product images sourced from Chewy. Copyright Inukshuk Professional Dog Food.