Diamond Pet Foods is a private company based out of Meta, Missouri. It began as a family-owned business in 1970 with brothers-in-law Gary Schell and Richard Kampeter at the helm. It prides itself on its nutritional integrity and quality assurance. It produces several product lines, including its Naturals, Care, and Grain-Free dog foods.

The business clearly targets the pet parent, with the humanization of these products a cornerstone of their marketing. Diamond Pet Foods is fast-growing, with its dog and cat food lines available in 100 countries worldwide. It acquired The J.M. Smucker Company’s Private Label Dry Pet Food Business in Dec 2021.

It’s a USA-based business with operations in Lathrop and Ripon, California, Gaston, South Carolina, Dumas, Arkansas, and Frontenac, Kansas. Diamond Pet Foods produces all its products stateside, with locally and globally sourced ingredients. The company undoubtedly has its heart in the right place, with foods to serve different dietary needs. However, does it meet these lofty goals?

The Diamond Puppy Formula Dog Food Recipe

Diamond Pet Foods produces five different dog food lines. We opted for an offering from its Naturals category.

Diamond Puppy Formula Dog Food Reviewed

About Diamond Puppy Formula Dog Food

Diamond Naturals Small & Medium Breed Puppy Formula Dry Dog Food is a chicken-based product meant for extra small through medium-sized breeds. The distinction is important since the dietary needs vary with the breed and adult size of the pet. This diet is best for pups with a potential adult weight of less than 70 pounds.

Who Makes Diamond Puppy Formula Dog Food, and Where Is It Produced?

Diamond Pet Food produces all its products in the United States in one of the five plants listed earlier. It is available for sale in all 50 states and online.

Which Types of Dogs Is Diamond Puppy Formula Best Suited For?

The company markets this food for puppies. However, the nutritional statement by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) says it’s appropriate for pets in all life stages, barring adults of large breeds. The protein content exceeds the organization’s recommendations. Unfortunately, so does the fat percentage.

Which Types of Dogs Might Do Better with a Different Brand?

Breeds susceptible to canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), such as the Cocker Spaniel, would fare better with a food that included the amino acid taurine in its formula. We can wholeheartedly recommend Royal Canin Small Puppy Dry Dog Food or its medium puppy formula. We suggest you discuss your pet’s diet with your veterinarian to make the best choice for its needs and health risks.

Discussion of the Primary Ingredients (Good and Bad)

A popular trend in human and pet foods is the inclusion of so-called natural ingredients. Many prefer to see foods they recognize versus chemical names. It’s worth noting that many of the latter are simply nutrients in scientific language and nothing to fear. Nevertheless, we read labels to learn if we’re getting the best diet for our dogs. Let’s see where the Diamond Puppy Formula stands up to the test.

Traditional Protein Source

The first ingredients are chicken, chicken meal, ground white rice, and chicken fat. That should please consumers who are seeking foods that follow this protocol. Protein sources like poultry and beef are well-studied, unlike non-traditional ones such as duck or kangaroo. It’s worth noting that offering your pet diets containing the latter won’t affect its risk of developing a food allergy.

Varied Proteins

Animal-based proteins contain all the essential amino acids your pup needs. We like that the Diamond Naturals formula has egg, fish meal, and salmon oil among its ingredients. The meals are easily digestible, making them a good choice for your puppy. It also contains grains, specifically, white rice. That provides extra carbohydrates to provide extra energy for active pups.

Ingredients for Pet Parents

The good stuff in the formula leads to a list of ingredients meant to appeal to pet owners while not offering any appreciable nutrient value. Feeding your dog foods like kale, blueberries, or oranges isn’t going to provide anything significant. We also have to question the inclusion of citrus fruit since they may cause GI upset. Remember that dogs are carnivores that may not benefit from these ingredients as much as you may think.

The other red flag is the use of the term superfoods to describe the ingredients. The reality is that the term has no scientific backing and is only a marketing term. People foods are followed by several nutrients and probiotics. The latter may offer some health benefits for GI distress. However, we can’t help but wonder if the high fat content of the food makes it necessary.

Beet Pulp and Taurine

Dog foods have come under scrutiny after a spike in DCM cases. Veterinarians and the FDA became concerned with possible links to grain-free and substituted ingredients like legumes and lentils. This cardiac condition has a genetic element, so it undoubtedly plays a role. However, another red flag is a potential association between beet pulp and canine taurine deficiency.

While dogs can synthesize this amino acid, scientists have found compelling evidence of a link between taurine deficiency and DCM. The FDA’s investigation is ongoing. However, its inclusion within the first 10 ingredients makes it a matter to discuss with your veterinarian.

Recall History

Diamond Pet Foods has had five recalls since 2005, with the last one in 2013. To its credit, the company has made quality assurance a priority and publishes data about its testing on its website. They also put their products through a third-party facility. A check on the FDA website turned up four submitted complaints about the company. However, all cited grain-free formulas. This puppy food contains white rice.

Diamond Puppy Formula Dog Food Review

Diamond Puppy Formula Dog Food offers pet owners a source of high-quality protein to give their pups a good start in life. It meets and exceeds the AAFCO’s nutritional standards for protein and other vital nutrients, making it a complete and balanced diet. The product is geared toward small and medium breeds, which mature quicker than larger dogs.

The poultry and rice formula is palatable and easily digestible thanks to its small kibble. Chicken is the first ingredient, with other quality sources included, too. Unfortunately, the fat content is high for puppies. The AAFCO recommends 8% for a pup this age. This diet contains a 22% minimum. We also thought the caloric content was high, especially with the recommended feeding schedule.

For example, the label states you should offer a 10-pound adult dog about ¾ cup per day. That comes out to just under 340 calories. The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention recommends just 200–275 a day. Exceeding these suggestions by that amount could increase your pup’s chances of becoming overweight, which is certainly not a good way to start life. We suggest discussing caloric intake with your vet.

The puppy formula comes in three sizes, 4-pound, 18-pound, or 40-pound. We questioned why the company wouldn’t opt to include a 10-pound size instead of the 40-pound bag. It’ll take a long time for a smaller pooch to go through that much food and still stay fresh. It also makes it less of a value for these pet owners.

Ingredients Analysis

Calories per cup breakdown:

What Other Users Are Saying

A scan of reviews of pet sites and forums yielded favorable reviews for Diamond Naturals Puppy Formula. A frequent comment touted how tasty it is, even for finicky pets. Of course, it’s imperative that your pup eats at every meal to ensure it has the proper nutrition. This product makes that task easy. The few negative remarks cited the issues we identified with fat and an overly rich diet for some pets.

As pet owners, we always double-check with Amazon buyers’ reviews before buying something, especially food. The feedback was similar to what we’ve found elsewhere on the internet.  You can read these by clicking here.

In Conclusion

Diamond Puppy Formula Dog Food offers a high-quality protein diet for your growing pup. It ticks off the essential boxes for vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that your pet needs. The small kibble size and the palatable taste made it a hit for pet owners and their dogs. You won’t have any problems with your puppy not joining the clean plate club.

As good as the food is, we had concerns over some ingredients with possible links to health issues in some pups. The product is marketed toward pet parents who may find the inclusion of so-called people foods like carrots and spinach comforting. Unfortunately, they don’t add much on the nutrient side and probably are included more for pet owners.

Nevertheless, Diamond Pet Foods is a reputable company that is transparent about the safety of its products. We appreciated them offering this grain-inclusive diet to their product line.

See also:

• Aldi Pure Being Dog Food Review
• Lotus Dog Food Review