Rating
Type
Hot Extruded / Dry
Grain
Grain Free
Origin
Australia
Recipes
3
Is Astar Dry Dog Food Good?
Astar Dry Dog Food is a pet food line with a 3-star rating — around 31% of all the pet food we review fall in this tier.
They seem to have nutrition ratio similar to a common pet food, and contain mainly named ingredents. We think they are fine, and it might be great to give your pets some extra meaty food or treats.
What We like
- Aid Digestion with Probiotics
- No Potential Allergens like Corn, Soy, Gluten, and Dairy products
What We Concern
- More than 34% Carbs
- Include Plant Protein in Top 5 ingredients
- Numberous Controversial Ingredients
- Seems No Organic Minerals
- Include Ingredients that might be Related to Poor Digestion
- Contain Ingredients that might be Uncertain
「Chief of Food」Fat Hill
Recipes Rating
Recipes could have different ingredients in the same product line. We rate each recipe and list them from higest to lowest ratings.
Higher protein and lower carbs recipes are rated higher
Recipe and 1st Ingredient
Rating
Grain Free
Chicken + Beef
1️⃣Chicken 🍚Carbs：36% 3
Cod + Salmon
1️⃣Cod 🍚Carbs：36% 3
Salmon + Chicken
1️⃣Chicken 🍚Carbs：36% 3
Tips
Recipes have similar ratings. This means they are quite similar.
Recipe to review
To rate Astar Dry Dog Food, we will take one representative recipe to evaluate the nutrition, ingredients and meat content of this product line.
We have chosen Salmon + Chicken.
Nutrition Label
Pet food show guaranteed analysis on their labels. It includes moisture and does not reflect the level of carbs — which we prefer lower for dogs and as low as possible for cats.
From the label of Salmon + Chicken
Protein
30%
Fat
15%
Fiber
4%
Carbs
?%
Calculate the dry value (no moisture) on a dry matter basis will help us to estimate the carbs level and other nutrition without water — so we can get a better idea about the ratio.
(We think the ideal nutrition profile would be Protein > Fat > Carbs)
| Nutrition | Our Ideal | Dry Value | Like? |
| Protein | 30% or more | 33% | |
| Fat | 15% or more | 17% | |
| Carbs | Less than 28% | 36% | |
| Fiber | Less than 5% | 4.4% |
Ingredients Overview
26 ingredients are listed on the label. We research their quality to pet and use our best judgement to group them in the proportion of Prefer, Concerned, and Notice ingredients in the bar chart.
♨ Allergen
0 units
🌋 Indigest
4 units
⁉ Uncertain
3 units
Organic Minerals Seems Not Included
Probiotics Seems to Include
Prefer
Concerned
Notice
Neutral
Click an ingredient to see the detail
Chicken
Animal Protein The dominant animal protein source in pet foods. Other than protein, it is also high in iron, zinc, selenium, and B vitamins.
Prefer A high-quality animal protein with high digestibility and biological value.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Sweet Potato
Carbs An alternative high carbs filler with an excellent amount of vitamin A, C, B6.
Neutral An acceptable filler with higher nutrition value compared to rice, corn, and wheat.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Chickpeas
Carbs, Plant Protein 🌋
Also known as garbanzo beans, a type of legume that is added to boost up the protein content and acts as an alternative carb. It contains around 20% protein.
Neutral An acceptable filler with higher nutrition value compared to rice, corn, and wheat.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest Legume contains oligosaccharides, which is a 3 - 5 carbon short-chain sugar that are indigestible by dogs / cats.
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Salmon
Animal Protein One of the most nutrient-dense fish, high in protein, packed with omega 3s, B vitamins, and it is a good source of potassium selenium, and antioxidants.
Prefer A high-quality animal protein with high digestibility and biological value.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Poultry Oil
Fat ⁉
Leftover fat during the production of unknown poultry meat meal. Poultry is a generic name that could include any domestic fowl like chicken, turkey, or duck of any condition.
Notice Often times generic name like poultry is used to cover the inferior meat quality from unknown sources, commonly found in low quality pet foods.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain Unnamed poultry products could be made of "4-D animals" (dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter), turkey, chicken, roadkill, birds, which are not safe for consumption.
Pea
Carbs, Plant Protein 🌋
A type of legume that is added to boost up the protein content and acts as an alternative carb. It contains around 22% protein.
Neutral An acceptable filler with higher nutrition value compared to rice, corn, and wheat.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest Legume contains oligosaccharides, which is a 3 - 5 carbon short-chain sugar that are indigestible by dogs / cats.
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Lentils
Carbs, Plant Protein 🌋
A type of legume that is added to boost up the protein content and acts as an alternative carb. It contains around 27% protein.
Neutral An acceptable filler with higher nutrition value compared to rice, corn, and wheat.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest Legume contains oligosaccharides, which is a 3 - 5 carbon short-chain sugar that are indigestible by dogs / cats.
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Natural Flavor
Food Additive Made of extracts from plant or animal sources to improve the taste of food.
Concerned Contrary to its name, natural flavors are highly processed and contain many chemical additives.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Beet Pulp
Carbs The leftover pulp after sugar is extracted from sugar beets, contains higher fiber and less sugar compared to whole beets.
Concerned Controversial - Some say it is a good dietary fiber source, some believe it is just an inexpensive filler.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Fish Oil
Fat ⁉
An oil extracted from unspecified fish, a source of animal fats.
Notice Unspecified animal products from unknown sources. Its quality is highly concerned, often seen in low quality pet foods.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain Unnamed fish products could source from sick, deadly animal bodies. It is a potential risk for severe illness.
Dicalcium Phosphate
Supplement 🌋⁉
A supplement for calcium and phosphorus. It is mainly used to improve the texture of pet foods. It is also found in some toothpaste as a polishing agent.
Notice A risky supplement that can cause health issues, backed by research studies.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest It does not absorb any water, almost insoluble, and becomes very hard in digesting.
⁉
Uncertain Studies show that it can cause the formulation of kidney stones.
Vitamins
Supplement A mixture of vitamins supplements to ensure the complete nutrition profile of pet food.
Neutral A safe supplement for additional vitamins.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Mineral
Supplement A mixture of mineral supplement to ensure the complete nutrition profile of pet food.
Neutral A safe supplement for additional minerals.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Potassium Chloride
Supplement An inorganic form of potassium, which offers 5 - 15% less absorption rate to the body. It is essential for important functions like nerve impulse transmission, muscle contraction, and carbon dioxide / oxygen transport.
Neutral A safe supplement for additional vitamins.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Salt
Others Mainly added to enhance the flavor, might cause kidney and blood pressure issues in a larger dose. High-quality pet foods should get a sufficient amount from raw meat, additional salt is not necessary.
Concerned A controversial ingredient that might cause health issues, unnecessary for the risk.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Tomato
Carbs Packed with vitamins A, C, K, potassium, and manganese.
Neutral Vegetables are fair source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Carrot
Carbs Well known for its alpha and beta-carotene content, also rich in potassium and vitamin B6. Most pet foods use it as a minor ingredient (include 0.1% to 3% of the total composition).
Neutral Vegetables are fair source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Spinach
Carbs Nutrient-dense leafy greens, an excellent source of vitamin A, C, K1, B9, iron, and calcium.
Neutral Vegetables are fair source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Parsley
Carbs A type of plant native to the Mediterranean. It is particularly rich in vitamin K, and a good source of vitamin A, C, and antioxidants.
Neutral Vegetables are fair source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Choline Chloride
Supplement Vital molecule for various functions in the body, lack of choline can result in weight loss, vomiting, and fatty liver.
Neutral A safe supplement for potential health benefits.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Fos
Prebiotics Known as FOS, a type of fiber derived from chicory roots, beets, or cane. It is added as prebiotics for good bacteria growth in the colon, which aids digestion.
Neutral A safe supplement for probiotics, which may improve digestive health.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Bacillus Subtilis
Probiotics A type of probiotics, good bacteria that promotes good digestion and overall health. Bacillus subtilis helps to boost immunity, protect the body from pathogens (like salmonella), and improve gut health.
Neutral A safe supplement for probiotics, which may improve digestive health.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Taurine
Supplement An essential amino acid (building blocks of protein) to maintain a healthy brain and heart functions.
Prefer A safe supplement to improve the completeness of essential amino acids profile (the building block of protein).
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Lysine
Supplement One of the essential amino acids that dogs and cats cannot produce by themselves therefore must be obtained from the diet. Usually, pet foods with a high amount of meat and legumes do not require this supplement as they are high in lysine naturally.
Neutral A safe supplement to improve the completeness of essential amino acids profile (the building block of protein).
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Yucca
Carbs Yucca schidigera is a desert plant found in the arid southwestern US and Mexico. It has been shown to reduce fecal aroma (poop's smell) without any harmful effect.
Neutral A harmless ingredient with specific benefits.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Methionine
Supplement Added to balance the amino acids profile of pet foods with limited amounts of meat protein. Meat / fish naturally contains methionine, which does not require extra supplements. It is sometimes used to help support urine acidification.
Concerned A safe supplement to improve the completeness of essential amino acids profile (the building block of protein). However, it could imply the lack of meat protein - usually in lower quality pet foods.
♨
Allergen N/A
🌋
Related to Digest N/A
⁉
Uncertain N/A
Tips
We find 4 Concerned and 3 Notice ingredients from Salmon + Chicken. Check from the above list to view the details.Concerned
- Natural Flavor
- Beet Pulp
- Salt
- Methionine
Notice
- Poultry Oil
- Fish Oil
- Dicalcium Phosphate
Estimated Meat Content
Some pet food uses high plant protein ingredients to boost up the overall protein level — to make it looks like it includes a lot of meat, which is more appealing for customers.
Therefore, protein level itself cannot tell the quality and how much animal ingredients (more digestible than plants) is in the pet food.
Check if protein is overrated by plant protein boost up
Count of Plant Protein
3 / 7 (43%)
in top 7 ingredients Protein Level
33%
in dry matterBy looking at the plant protein in top ingredients and compare with the total protein level, we will try to estimate how much animal ingredients is used in the pet food as Meat Content.
Meat Content
Based on my "godly" guess, the meat content might be Medium !
It looks like it contains a moderate amount of meat. Your furbabies should still be fine with it.
Astar Dry Dog Food Product Line Review
To make a conclusion about the whole product line, we will consider all recipes and their average nutrition ratio.
Recipes Average Compares to Ideal Level
In the total of 3 recipes, the group has an average of 33% protein, 17% fat and 36% carbohydrate.
（Protein and Fat: Prefer Higher丨Carbs: Prefer Lower）
- Protein is 3 (%) higher than ideal
- Fat is 2 (%) higher than ideal
- Carbs is 8 (%) higher than ideal
What does it mean?
Overall,Astar Dry Dog Food has an carbs level that is higher than our preferred level.
Conclusion
Throughout the review, we have 3 major opinons about this pet food line:
- Similar nutrition ratio as a common pet food
- Clear, named animal products as main ingredient
- Medium level of meat content
Based on these, we can conclude Astar Dry Dog Food is a pet food line with a 3 star rating.
Do we recommend Astar Dry Dog Food ?
It is a fine pet food, and it might be great to give your pets some extra meaty food or treats.
The review is entirely our own view and opinon. It is for informational reference only and not a purchase advice.
「Chief of Food」Fat Hill
Has an unusual obsession with the taste and ingredients of food, over 5+ years experience in professional eating. As the Chief of Food, he will tell you the truth about food.
"Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish, and Stay Hungry again!"
