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In The Kibble
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BRAND

Diamond

Owned by Schell & Kampeter, Inc.Since 1970Meta, Missouri

RECIPES REVIEWED
30
AVG PROTEIN, DM, KIBBLE
27.6%
AVG STARCH, KIBBLE
40%
FDA RECALLS
5
LINES
Naturals 19 Care 4 Pro89 1
THE LINES

Diamond Lines, Reviewed

3 lines

Diamond sorts its dog food into three lines. Naturals is the broad everyday line, with 16 kibbles and 3 wet dinners built mostly on chicken, lamb, beef, fish and egg with rice and barley, and recipes for puppies, seniors, and small and large breeds. Care is four adult kibbles, each sold for one purpose: sensitive skin, sensitive stomach, weight management, or a renal formula labeled RX. Pro89 is a single adult kibble made with beef, pork and fish.

Among the kibbles, as fed, Pro89 is highest in protein at 30% with 31.8% estimated starch. Naturals kibbles average 25.1% protein and 40% starch. Care averages the least protein, 20.5%, and the most starch, 46.4%, against catalog kibble averages of 26.9% and 37.4%. Two of the four Care kibbles and 3 of the 16 Naturals kibbles are grain-free.

Naturals

16 kibble · 3 wet food
Protein
25.1%
Fat
14.8%
Starch
40%
Kcal / cup
401

Average kibble, as fed

Diamond Naturals is a mostly grain-inclusive line of 16 kibbles and 3 canned dinners built on chicken, lamb, beef and fish with rice and barley. It covers puppies, seniors, small and large breeds, a light formula and a high fat Extreme Athlete recipe.

A good fit for: Owners who want grain in kibble: 13 of 16 recipes include it; Active adult dogs needing calories: Extreme Athlete has 466 kcal per cup

Read the Naturals review

Care

4 kibble
Protein
20.5%
Fat
12.3%
Starch
46.4%
Kcal / cup
390

Average kibble, as fed

Diamond Care is a four-recipe kibble line where each recipe is sold for one purpose: sensitive skin, sensitive stomach, weight management, or a renal formula labeled RX. Recipes average 20.5% protein and 46.4% estimated starch, against catalog kibble averages of 26.9% and 37.4%.

A good fit for: Owners seeking a grain-free kibble with no peas or lentils; Adult dogs that need fewer calories, at 304 kcal per cup

Read the Care review
WHICH LINE FITS

Choosing Between The Diamond Lines

  • A grain-inclusive kibble with puppy and senior recipes: Naturals
  • Canned wet dinners made with lamb, beef and egg: Naturals
  • A kibble sold for weight management or sensitive stomachs: Care
  • A grain-free kibble with no peas or lentils: Care
  • A lower-protein renal kibble labeled RX: Care
  • A higher-protein, higher-fat kibble with beef, pork and fish: Pro89

All recipes

30 foods matched · newest first
Diamond Naturals 19 recipes · See all
DEEP DIVE

Inside The Diamond Range

Across 30 recipes we review

Protein runs lower than the average kibble we review (27.6% vs 30.1% on a dry matter basis).

Starch is higher than average, at 40% of the food as fed.

87% of recipes lead with a meat, fish or egg ingredient (89% across the site).

23% of recipes are grain-free.

NUTRITION

How The Range Measures Up

this range, lowest to highest its average average of all 3,205 foods we review

Protein, dry matter 28% 14% to 36%
15%site avg 30%50%
Fat, dry matter 17% 7% to 28%
5%site avg 18%30%
Starch, as fed 40% 23% to 52%
10%site avg 37%60%
Kcal per cup 404 304 to 488
250site avg 395600

Starch is our estimate from the guaranteed analysis, since no manufacturer prints it. How we work it out

INGREDIENTS

What Goes In The Bowl

Egg 67% 31%
Chicken 47% 56%
Fish 43% 34%
Lamb 30% 14%
Beef 17% 20%
Pork 3% 11%

Share of recipes that list each animal protein as an ingredient, not counting oils, fats or flavorings. Useful if your dog has a food sensitivity.

Ingredients Some Owners Avoid

By-products 20% 13%
Artificial colors 0% 1%
Chemical preservatives 0% 9%
Corn 17% 15%
Wheat 20% 13%
Soy 0% 10%

These are not unsafe. They are listed because readers ask about them.

LIFE STAGE
  • Adult20
  • All Life Stages7
  • Puppy3
  • Senior1
BREED SIZE
  • All Breeds24
  • Large Breed3
  • Small Breed3
  • Medium Breed1
SPECIAL DIETS
  • Grain-free (no wheat, corn, rice, barley or oats)7
  • Weight Management1
Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete Adult Dog Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food MOST PROTEIN Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete Adult Dog Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food 35.6% dry matter Diamond Naturals Small & Medium Breed Puppy Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food LEAST STARCH Diamond Naturals Small & Medium Breed Puppy Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food 27% as fed Diamond Care Weight Management Formula for Adult Dogs Dry Dog Food FEWEST CALORIES Diamond Care Weight Management Formula for Adult Dogs Dry Dog Food 304 kcal per cup
THE COMPANY

About Diamond

Owner
Schell & Kampeter, Inc.
Ownership
Family-owned
Founded
1970
Headquarters
Meta, Missouri

Who Makes It

Diamond is a dog and cat food brand from Diamond Pet Foods, the trade name of Schell & Kampeter, Inc., a family-owned company based in Meta, Missouri. Its dog food lines include Diamond, Diamond Naturals, Diamond CARE and Diamond Pro89, and the same company also makes Taste of the Wild, Nutra-Nuggets and Professional Plus. 1, 2

Where It Is Made

The company says its food is made at seven of its own manufacturing plants in the US: Meta, Missouri; Gaston, South Carolina; Lathrop and Ripon, California; Dumas, Arkansas; Frontenac, Kansas; and Rushville, Indiana. 3, 4

History

Brothers-in-law Gary Schell and Richard Kampeter founded the company in 1970 after buying a former milling company in Meta, Missouri. It added plants in Lathrop, California (1999), Gaston, South Carolina (2003), Ripon, California (2012), Dumas, Arkansas (2016) and Frontenac, Kansas (2021), and the second generation of both families now runs it. A roughly 700,000 square foot plant in Rushville, Indiana was announced in 2021 and built to open in 2024. 4, 5

Worth Knowing

In 2012, Diamond and Diamond Naturals dry dog foods made at the Gaston, South Carolina plant were recalled for Salmonella, and the recall grew to cover other brands made there. That recall led to a $2 million class-action settlement, and an earlier aflatoxin recall in December 2005 led to a $3.1 million settlement. 6

  1. diamondpet.com
  2. diamondpetcompany.com
  3. diamondpetcompany.com/state-of-the-art-facilities
  4. diamondpetcompany.com/our-history
  5. accelerateruralindiana.com/news/diamond-pet-foods-transforms-region-with-300-million-pet-food-manufacturing-facility-in-rushville
  6. petful.com/brands/diamond-recall

Researched from the sources above. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

RECALL HISTORY // DIAMOND

5 FDA Recalls On Record

MAY 21, 2012
SALMONELLA

Diamond Naturals Small Breed Adult Dog Lamb & Rice Formula dry dog food.

MAY 5, 2012
POTENTIAL SALMONELLA

Expansion to batches of nine brands of dry dog and cat food made at Gaston, SC plant Dec 9 2011 - Apr 7 2012

APR 30, 2012
SALMONELLA

Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food

APR 26, 2012
SALMONELLA

Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul Adult Light Formula dry dog food (one production run)

APR 6, 2012
SALMONELLA

Lamb Meal & Rice

See the recall log

HEAD TO HEAD

Diamond Compared With Other Brands

Diamond vs Taste of the Wild Victor vs Diamond Diamond vs Blue Buffalo

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