Optimize is built around animal ingredients and dairy. Each recipe opens with a named animal protein (chicken, beef heart and beef liver, or salmon), followed closely by green lipped mussel and cheeses such as cheddar and Monterey Jack. Turkey also appears in all three recipes. Every recipe is kibble, sold for adult dogs of all breed sizes, and none lists grain, peas, lentils or potato.
Protein ranges from 35% in Chicken to 52% in Wild Caught Salmon Grain-Free, with a line average of 43.7% as fed. Estimated starch runs from 8.5% to 17.5%, averaging 11.5%. Against the catalog average for kibble, 26.9% protein and 37.4% estimated starch across 1,834 foods, every Optimize recipe sits well above on protein and well below on starch.
The trade-off is fat. The line averages 34% fat, and Chicken reaches 46%, so these are fat-dense kibbles. Choice is also narrow: three recipes, one format and one life stage, with no puppy recipe in the line.
| Recipe | Protein | Fat | Starch | Kcal / cup | First ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Caught Salmon Grain-Free | 52% | 28% | 8.5% | -- | Salmon, Green Lipped Mussel, Cheddar Cheese |
| Beef Heart & Liver Grain-Free | 44% | 28% | 17.5% | -- | Beef Heart, Beef Liver, Green Lipped Mussel |
| Chicken | 35% | 46% | 8.5% | -- | Chicken, Green Lipped Mussel, Cheddar Cheese |
| Line average | 43.7% | 34% | 11.5% | -- |
All figures as fed, from the guaranteed analysis on each label. Starch is our estimate, since no bag prints it. Highest in the line is marked in bold, lowest in italics.
52% protein · 28% fat · 8.5% starch · Adult
Salmon leads this recipe, the only fish option in Optimize, with turkey as the second animal protein. It posts the line's highest protein at 52%, ties Chicken for the lowest estimated starch at 8.5%, and has the most fiber here at 1.5%, suiting protein-focused owners.
Full review of Wild Caught Salmon Grain-Free44% protein · 28% fat · 17.5% starch · Adult
The only beef recipe in the line, opening with beef heart and beef liver before green lipped mussel and cheese. At 17.5% estimated starch it carries the most starch in Optimize, with 44% protein and 28% fat, for owners who want organ meats leading the label.
Full review of Beef Heart & Liver Grain-Free35% protein · 46% fat · 8.5% starch · Adult
The only Optimize recipe with chicken, which leads the ingredient list ahead of green lipped mussel and cheddar, Monterey Jack and Swiss cheeses. It has the line's lowest protein at 35% but its highest fat at 46%, suiting owners who want a fat-dense adult kibble.
Full review of ChickenYes. None of the three recipes (Chicken, Beef Heart & Liver Grain-Free and Wild Caught Salmon Grain-Free) contains grain, and none lists peas, lentils or potato. Only the beef and salmon recipes carry "Grain-Free" in their names.
Wild Caught Salmon Grain-Free, at 52% as fed. Beef Heart & Liver Grain-Free follows at 44%, and Chicken has the least at 35%.
Yes. Every Optimize recipe lists turkey among its animal proteins, including Wild Caught Salmon Grain-Free and Beef Heart & Liver Grain-Free. Only the Chicken recipe contains chicken.
Protein runs higher than the average kibble we review (45.5% vs 30.1% on a dry matter basis).
Starch is lower than average, at 12% of the food as fed.
100% of recipes lead with a meat, fish or egg ingredient (89% across the site).
100% of recipes are grain-free.
this range, lowest to highest its average average of all 3,205 foods we review
Starch is our estimate from the guaranteed analysis, since no manufacturer prints it. How we work it out
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.
These are not unsafe. They are listed because readers ask about them.
Our log holds FDA dog food recall notices from 2012 on, so this is not a guarantee that Wysong has never had one. See the recall log
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