Diamond CARE Dog Food Review

If you’re looking at Diamond CARE for your dog then it’s because they’re suffering some kind of issue – overweight, itchy skin, sensitive stomach, urinary, or renal issues.

Perhaps you’re looking for a better alternative to vet-endorsed prescription diets made of corn or grains?

If that’s so, Diamond CARE dog food might prove a better (and cheaper) option, but do you want to know what most of us dog owners completely neglect to consider?

Keep reading and I’ll tell you what you really should be thinking about!

The truth about prescription diets

Expensive vet-endorsed prescription diets aren’t as scientific as you may think. As consumers we readily trust in products and marketing without taking a moment to think or do a little research.

Have you trusted a product based on marketing alone? I know I have, and I’m sure I still do without thinking.

Vets are people too, and although some consider the ingredients in the dog foods they recommend, many don’t.

In fact, many vets totally believe prescription dog foods work because they’ve seen many dogs improve on them!

That doesn’t mean those dog foods are decent, or even wonderfully healthy, it simply means they are better than what your dog was fed previously!

Consider this – if you feed a carnivorous animal with skin rashes hard-baked nuggets of wheat and cereal by-products, preserved with chemicals, and coloured with food dyes, then you swap to an expensive diet of hard-baked nuggets of corn or rice, do you think their health would improve?

Of course it will.

But is wheat, rice, or corn good for a carnivore?

Oh, and before you argue a dog is an omnivore like us (which they’re not), the same applies to veterinary-endorsed cat foods.

Nobody can dispute a cat is a carnivore, yet many Australian cat owners pay hand-over-fist for prescription cat foods made of grains.

It’s baffling, isn’t it!

What you really should be thinking

If your dog (or cat) has any of the conditions listed in the opening paragraph, from slight skin rashes to severe diet-related illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, or renal failure, then your best course of action is considering what they’ve been fed previously.

Diamond CARE review

I find Diamond CARE dog foods better than other options in the category. The range is cheaper than others, and the ingredients seem better.

At the very least, they’re not packed with cereal grains or multiple inclusions of corn.

For the sake of this Diamond CARE dog food review we’ll take a look at the Weight Management formula, but whichever one you’re interested in take a look at the ingredients and see what you think – they do differ.

Diamond CARE Dog Food Review

Starting with the positives, I find all the ingredients in Diamond CARE pretty good.

The Diamond company (who also make the excellent Taste of the Wild brand) have a great long standing reputation for quality and affordability, so that’s important to us dog owners – we want to know the dog food we’re feeding is safe.

However, don’t go believing there’s lots of meat in Diamond CARE dog foods, because that doesn’t appear to be the case.

The Weight Management formula only has 8% fat, and a moderate protein of 22%. That may sound fine for a diet formula, but generally I find overweight dogs benefit far better from a higher protein and decent fat diet than one with high carbohydrates.

I expect around 50% of this formula is carbohydrates.

Don’t be put off just yet though, as adding some lean meats, organs, and meaty bones alongside something like Diamond CARE may offer you an affordable way forward which shows a noticeable difference in your dog’s health.

Supplementing a dry food such as this with fresh human-grade animal products effectively reduces the amount of carbohydrates you’re feeding them, and likely won’t break the bank.

Diamond CARE Dog Food Review

If we consider the main ingredients in Diamond CARE Weight Management, these will be lamb meal, peas, chickpeas, lentils, sweet potatoes, powdered cellulose, and potatoes – possibly in equal amounts.

That should give you an idea of the meat to non-meat ratio. The other ingredients are all fine, the only issue is how little meat there is in the dog food as a whole.

I’d question powdered cellulose as a quality ingredient, but we can understand why it’s included when we consider the food has 10% fibre – to help with weight loss.

Summary – should you feed Diamond CARE to your dog?

Given my belief dogs are more carnivorous than pet food marketing departments want us to believe, it’s worth considering if this is a good long-term option for your dog.

If you’re baffled at what’s causing your dog’s skin condition, rashes, obesity, or other health concerns, then feeding Diamond CARE to your dog for a few weeks may confirm the previous diet was problematic.

If other veterinary-endorsed prescription dog foods are offering success, but are costing too much, then Diamond CARE may be a more affordable and possibly healthier option.

Given the ingredients of Diamond CARE all have benefit in their own right, you might find it an affordable base diet which improves the health of your dog.

However, I would recommend considering what your dog has been fed until this point, and whether that could be the real cause of your dog’s problems. If you conclude it is, then simply feeding a better dog food can be the way forward.

Let me know what you think in the comments! Have you had success with Diamond CARE dog foods?

Where to buy?

Ingredients

The ingredients of Diamond CARE Weight Management for dogs (at the time of writing):

Lamb meal, peas, chickpeas, lentils, sweet potatoes, powdered cellulose, potatoes, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), flaxseed, natural flavor, ocean fish meal, menhaden fish oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), DL-methionine, choline chloride, taurine, dried chicory root, L-Carnitine, glucosamine hydrochloride, kale, chia seed, pumpkin, blueberries, oranges, quinoa, dried kelp, coconut, spinach, carrots, papaya, yucca schidigera extract, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product, vitamin E supplement, chondroitin sulfate, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid.

Contains a source of live (viable), naturally occurring microorganisms.

Guaranteed analysis

The guaranteed analysis of Diamond CARE Weight Management for dogs (at the time of writing)

Protein(min) 22%
Fat(min) 8%
Crude Fibre(max) 10%
Carbohydrates *(max) 52% (estimated)
* May be estimated. Read how to calculate carbohydrates in a pet food.

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7 Total Score
Diamond CARE dog food review

As a more affordable alternative to expensive vet-endorsed prescription diets Diamond CARE might be a good option for your dog. Most of us have heard of Taste of the Wild as one of the most reliable dog foods sold in Australia, and Diamond CARE is made by the same manufacturer.

PROS
  • No nasty ingredients.
  • Diamond has a good reputation.
CONS
  • Not as much meat as you may think.

David D'Angelo

David D'Angelo has worked as a scientist since graduating with a BSc (Hons) in 2000. In addition, David holds a CPD accredited Diploma in Pet Nutrition as well as being CPD accredited VSA (Veterinary Support Assistant). However, his experience and involvement in the pet food industry for 15+ years has given true insight into pet food, formulations, science, research, and pet food marketing. Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram | Pinterest

3 Comments
  1. I have used this food to reduce weight in a fat lab, it was the lowest calorie on the market and the only thing that worked for her, now she is down in weight she is doing so much better

  2. Peas are a low allergen ingredient, kibble needs a carb to bind the kibble, I prefer potato also a low allergen food, they could of used Tapioca like Royal Canin – Sensitivity Control vet diet uses Tapioca & Duck??
    It’s worth a try if you have a itchy dog who suffers with skin allergies or suffers with food sensitivities that cause yeasty itchy smelly skin, ears, anal gland problems & needs a limited ingredient diet or need to do an food elimination diet, this formula has limited ingredients.
    Diamond Care also have Renal Care, Weight Care & Stomach Care formula’s. All formula’s are low in Kcals 328Kcals per cup …

    Sold Pet House online.
    https://www.diamondpet.com/dog/diamond-care/

    • Hi Susan,
      I’m looking at rotating my kibble for my 2yr old Gsp,have used recently TOTW grain free ,Open farm ancient grains with good results and no issues. Noticed Diamond Naturals range 18kg $109 are at Pet circle now,did you use them or know anything about them? I know TOTW is also diamond foods. Thanks

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