Inukshuk is not a dog food brand that most people are familiar with. But we hope to change that! Inukshuk Dog Food for very active dogs, it is difficult to find anything better than Inukshuk dog food. They have four main recipes, which vary in the percentage of protein they offer. Therefore, you can choose the best option for your dog based on the amount of protein they need.

Plus, we love that this dog food provides tons of nutrients, which are necessary for working dogs. Read on to learn more about our experience with Inukshuk.

At a Glance: The Best Inukshuk Dog Food Recipes

Inukshuk Dog Food Reviewed

Who Makes Inukshuk and Where is it Produced?

All Inukshuk dog food is made in a family-owned facility in Fredericton, Canada. They follow very strict quality control standards to ensure that the food meets quality standards and is completely safe when your dog eats it. They use patented technology to ensure that it contains high levels of energy and nutrition.

Technically, when you purchase this brand, you’re buying directly from a manufacturer. Therefore, there is no middleman, saving you a bit of money.

Which Types of Dogs Is Inukshuk Best Suited For?

Inukshuk is created specifically for working dogs. It is not for dogs that are simply companion animals. Instead, it contains a huge amount of protein and calories, which working dogs need to thrive. Therefore, we only recommend it for very active dogs, as it may cause others to gain excessive amounts of weight.

There are many types of working dogs that would thrive on this dog food, like K9 units and service dogs.

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

If your dog isn’t extremely active, they would probably do better with a different brand. While this brand is very high-quality, it has a lot of protein and calories in it.

With that said, if your dog is a companion but extremely active, then we do recommend choosing this brand. In some cases, very active breeds will benefit from this dog food—even if they aren’t technically working animals. However, the dogs do need to be moving quite a lot.

Discussion of Primary Ingredients

Despite having four different main recipes, this brand uses the same ingredients, for the most part. Generally, chicken meal is utilized as the primary ingredient. This ingredient provides tons of protein while containing very little moisture. Therefore, it works great for most dogs.

These formulas often utilize herring meal and chicken fat, as well. Both of these provide essential nutrients, including DHA and important animal fats.

On top of these meat-based ingredients, these foods also include grains of all sorts. For instance, corn, brown rice, and wheat are all included. These provide vital amino acids that are essential for the health and wellbeing of your dog. Grains provide an easy source of energy, which is vital when your canine is active and working.

With that said, this brand does have a marine formula. This formula utilizes slightly different ingredients for dogs that don’t do great on the main formulas. For instance, this food contains no chicken, making it a great option for dogs that are allergic to chicken.

The main ingredient of this formula is salmon meal, though herring meal is included as well. On top of this, they use many different fish oils in their food, too. For instance, you’ll find herring and salmon oil in many of their foods.

Grain-Inclusive

All this brand’s formulas are grain-inclusive. Therefore, they include ingredients like wheat, corn, and gluten. While some dogs are allergic to these ingredients, they play a very important role in your dog’s health. For one, grains provide fast-acting carbohydrates that are particularly vital for active dogs. Therefore, without these carbohydrates, your working dog might have a hard time getting the energy they need.

Furthermore, corn is extremely digestible. This ingredient provides more amino acids than many other ingredients. Despite being a grain, this ingredient is extremely nutritious.

Plus, the FDA has linked grain-free foods to certain heart conditions in dogs. Therefore, if you want your dog to be as healthy as possible, we highly recommend choosing grain-inclusive food. Despite what many websites will have you believe, there is no evidence that grains are bad for dogs. The opposite appears to be true.

Meat-Based Proteins

Unlike many other dog foods on the market, this brand mostly utilizes meat-based protein. You won’t find ingredients like pea protein in these dog foods. There is a small amount of protein provided by the whole grains in these foods, but this protein is much smaller than what you’d find in most other dog foods.

Therefore, you can safely assume that this food contains a high amount of meat, especially since the protein content is surprisingly high.

Allergy-Friendly Recipes

Despite many common misconceptions, the most common food allergies in dogs are chicken and beef. Typically, dogs become allergic to an ingredient after being exposed to that ingredient for an extended period. Chicken and beef are the most common ingredients in dog food, so dogs are often exposed to them a lot.

Luckily, this brand features a recipe that is chicken-free. Therefore, if your dog is allergic to chicken, they can safely eat the Marine recipe this brand produces. This recipe is based on fish, making it pretty allergy-friendly.

Of course, your dog’s particular food allergies need to be taken into account. If your dog is allergic to fish, then feeding them fish-based food is probably not the best option.

A Quick Look at Inukshuk Dog Food

Recall History

This brand has never had a recall. However, considering that they are quite small, this isn’t surprising. They control all of their manufacturing and use very strict quality-control standards. Therefore, they are much less likely to have recalls than brands that outsource their manufacturing.

Because this brand is so small, they may have a recall in the future. However, as of now, their food does appear extremely safe.

Reviews of the 3 Best Inukshuk Dog Food Recipes

Let’s have a quick look at the top recipes available from this brand:

1. Inukshuk Professional Dry Dog Food 30/25

The Inukshuk Professional Dry Dog Food 30/25 is easily the most popular formula that this brand makes. It features quite a bit of protein and fat, making it a great option for many professional dogs. The main source of protein are chicken meal, which is very high-quality. This concentrated chicken provides a high amount of protein, including many amino acids.

The calorie content of this food is very high. It features 578 calories per cup, which is about twice as much as your average dog food. Obviously, this can be a problem for companion animals. However, it can be useful for working dogs.

Much of the protein in this dog food is from animal sources. These high levels of animal fat and protein are great for recovering muscles and the high-energy needs of working dogs.

Thanks to added fish, this formula contains a lot of DHA and omega-3 fatty acids. These ingredients can help improve your dog’s coat and skin health. Plus, they may support your dog’s joints. Prebiotics and chelated minerals are also included. Chelated minerals are much more absorbable than others. Prebiotics help regulate your dog’s digestive system, so they are quite helpful.

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2. Inukshuk Professional Dry Dog Food 26/16

The Inukshuk Professional Dry Dog Food 26/16 contains slightly less protein and fat than other options. Therefore, it may work best for dogs that aren’t quite as active as other working animals. Plus, some dogs simply do better on a lower protein and fat diet—even if they are more active.

The protein content in this food comes from chicken meal and various fish sources, just like most other foods by this brand. As a grain-inclusive formula, this recipe includes various sources of grain. Corn, wheat, and various other sources are included. However, they are all whole grains, which means that they contain a great deal of fiber.

Like most recipes in this brand, this formula includes DHA and omega-3 fatty acids. These are vital for your dog’s overall health, especially for working dogs. We loved that chelated minerals were also added for absorption. Prebiotics are included, thanks to the use of grain.

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3. Inukshuk Professional Performance Marine 25 Dry Dog Food

If your canine is allergic to chicken, you may want to consider Inukshuk Professional Performance Marine 25 Dry Dog Food. This formula utilizes salmon as the main protein, instead of the chicken most other formulas use. In fact, this formula is completely made without chicken, corn, wheat, or soy products. Therefore, it is hypoallergenic and suitable for dogs with food allergies.

Instead of corn and wheat, this formula utilizes oats, barley, and rice. All of these ingredients are whole grain. Therefore, they provide extra fiber and nutrients that refined grains simply don’t have. These grains are often gentler on a dog’s stomach, though, especially if they have an easily irritated digestive tract.

This formula is packed with DHA and omega fatty acids which help improve your dog’s skin and coat health, which may be particularly important for dogs that have current skin issues. This formula is also extremely concentrated at nearly 580 calories. Therefore, while it is more expensive, you have to feed your dog much less than other formulas.

What Other Users Are Saying

These foods generally get very good reviews. The added nutrients and high protein work well for working dogs and even more active companion animals. Most customers reported that their canines absolutely loved this food and devour it. Because this food is so high in protein and fat, we expect that it tastes better than other kibbles out there. For this reason, it appears to work well for picky dogs.

Customers also reported that this brand helps their dog maintain their weight. There were quite a few reviews left by dog owners with active dogs that were on the skinnier side. Because this food includes a high number of calories, they work well for dogs that have difficulty maintaining weight.

This food seems to be used by breeders quite a bit, as it provides the nutrients and calories necessary to encourage a safe pregnancy. Many reported that it leaves their dogs’ coats shiny and healthy. Plus, the nutrient density may help prevent common reproductive problems based on many customer reviews.

Final Thoughts

Inukshuk doesn’t do any heavy advertising, which is likely why you haven’t heard of them. However, their food is one of the few options out there for working dogs that need extra calories. While this food is on the more expensive side, your dog needs half as much as other kibbles, as it is very nutrient-dense. For this reason, you may even end up saving money in the long run.

This food includes high levels of chicken protein. However, for dogs with allergies, the company produces a chicken-free formula too. Therefore, you should be able to find something for just about any dog out there.

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Featured Image Credit: Chewy