Food Friday: Solid Gold Hund-N-Flocken with Lamb

Way back when I first became interested in dog food, around 15 year ago, Solid Gold was just about the best food on the market. It was hard to find, nobody in my area sold it, but I was told by multiple sources that this was the stuff to feed if you could get your hands on it. The dog food landscape has changed dramatically in the last decade and a half, and Solid Gold no longer fills me with awe at the sight of its shiny metallic packaging. It still occupies a special spot in my heart though, and is definitely a food I would use if I could.

Why can't I feed Solid Gold on a regular basis? It's because they insist on cramming poultry and/or eggs into nearly every damned recipe. Admittedly I'm a bit angsty because Brisbane is allergic to chicken, turkey, duck, and eggs. There aren't a ton of dogs with egg allergies, so obviously food companies should go ahead and include them in every single product they make, right?

Anyway...where was I? Oh yes, Hund-N-Flocken. The dry kibble version of this food was Solid Gold's original flagship product. It first hit the market in 1974, two years before the founder of the company won Best of Breed with her gorgeous Great Dane. Their SeaMeal, a vitamin supplement I've used in the past, has been around since 1982. I had no idea.

I truly appreciate this company. Apparently the original founder is still around and working. Since I first heard about them, their food has become infinitely easier to find in my local stores.

Solid Gold has been making grain-free dog food since 2006. Their only recall was a voluntary one in 2012. However, they do not own their own facility. Solid Gold uses a co packer, their products are mostly manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods. To me, this makes them a bit more of a marketing company and a little less trustworthy than those with dedicated facilities.

Some Solid Gold foods merit five out of five stars on the Dog Food Advisor website. This one only rates three out of five stars, probably due to its equal percentages of protein and fat. Sisci liked this food, Ru was unimpressed, and Brisbane loved it because he loves all food all the time.

If Brisbane could eat it, Solid Gold's foods would probably a part of our regular food rotation. They've done a pretty decent job of keeping up with the changing pet food market. Their devotion to eggs as the most perfect protein, worthy of inclusion in all but one or two formulas, reminds me a lot  of Fromm. Solid Gold's rank in my mental list of quality dog foods has been gradually falling for a decade now, as brands like Acana and Orijen surpass them in sheer quality. I still think they make good food, but no longer believe they make the very best things I can feed my dogs.

When did you first hear about Solid Gold dog food?