The following article will help you choose between Zignature vs NutriSource. Both brands are known to produce grain-free dog foods. However, they do use slightly different ingredients. They also provide different levels of nutrients. So, which one is better for your dog? Continue reading below to find out.
What we will discuss below include:
– The ingredient quality of Zignature
– The ingredient quality of NutriSource
– The nutrition of Zignature vs NutriSource
– The available recipes on each brand
– The recall history of each brand
– Which dog food that is more recommended for your dog
Zignature: The Ingredients
We are going to start with Zignature first. In general, the ingredient quality is good. This dog food uses real meats that are rich in protein. There are also some vegetables to enhance the nutrition. It does use a kind of filler, but it has significantly more beneficial ingredients than filler. See also: Canidae vs Zignature.
We take the Zignature Trout and Salmon Meal Formula as the basis of our comparison. The ingredients of Zignature that come in the highest amounts include salmon meal, trout, salmon oil, natural flavor, chickpeas, peas, pea flour, flaxseed, dehydrated alfalfa meal, sunflower oil, dried beet pulp, carrots, blueberries, cranberries, as well as added vitamins and minerals.
Most of these are very good ingredients. Trout and salmon meal are very high in protein. In addition, trout and salmon meal provide omega-3 fatty acids which are highly beneficial for your dog. Flaxseed is also high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids, while sunflower oil provides omega-6 fatty acids.
Vegetables like chickpeas, peas, and dehydrated alfalfa meal provide carbohydrate and fiber; however, they are also high in protein. While dogs are able to digest them, plant-based proteins aren’t as good as meat-based proteins for dogs. Unfortunately, Zignature uses beet pulp, which some people consider as a cheap filler. That said, it is actually rich of fiber, and it can help to maintain your dog’s intestinal health.
NutriSource: The Ingredients
The overall ingredient quality of NutriSource is also good. It also uses real meats and great vegetables to provide complete nutrition to your dog. However, it also has some ingredients that are somewhat controversial. It is not recommended if your dog has allergy issues with yeast-based ingredients.
We take the NutriSource Grain Free Seafood Select recipe as the basis of the comparison between Zignature vs NutriSource. We choose this recipe because it is the closest one to Zignature’s recipe that we have discussed above.
The ingredients of NutriSource that come in the highest amounts are menhaden fish meal, salmon, chicken fat, natural flavor, peas, pea starch, pea flour, flaxseed, alfalfa meal, sunflower oil, dried tomato pomace, lactic acid, dried brewers yeast, rosemary extract, Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast culture, added vitamins and minerals, as well as dried fermentation products.
As you can see, there are good meat-based ingredients here. Menhaden fish meal, salmon, and chicken fat are very good for your dog. They provide meat-based proteins and fatty acids. There are also good vegetables, such as peas, flaxseed, alfalfa meal, and sunflower oil, which provide carbohydrate, protein, and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. However, this dog food apparently has a high amount of plant-based protein, which isn’t as good as meat-based protein.
Furthermore, one of the distinctive features of the NutriSource dog food is that it is enriched with probiotics. There are Saccharomycesscerevisiae yeast culture, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Aspergillusniger, Enterococcus faecium, Bacillus subtilis, and Trichodermalongibacterium as probiotics. They are highly beneficial for your dog’s digestive health.
However, some dogs may be allergic to some of these ingredients. Dried brewers yeast can also enhance your dog’s digestive health and immunity, but there are some dogs that develop allergic reactions because of this ingredient.
Nutritional Values
Now, let’s compare the nutritional values of Zignature vs NutriSource. Of course, dogs also require a variety of vitamins and minerals. However, both dog foods here are enriched with added vitamins and minerals. We are going to focus with the macronutrients that they contain. Macronutrients include carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Dogs indeed require carbohydrate, but protein and fat are the most important ones.
Based on the dry matter basis, Zignature contains about 43% carbohydrate, 33% protein, and 16% fat. The guaranteed analysis values of Zignature are 32.5% crude protein, 17.2% crude fat, and 5.6%crude fiber.
Based on the dry matter basis, NutriSource contains about 48% carbohydrate, 28% protein, and 17% fat. The guaranteed analysis values of NutriSourceare 29.4% crude protein, 16.9% crude fat, and 7.0% crude fiber.
We can say that Zignature is generally better than NutriSource in terms of nutrition. It is more balanced. The nutrition profile isn’t way too heavy on carbohydrate; it also provides a decent amount of protein. In particular, Zignature provides more protein than NutriSource, so it is really good for your dog.
Available Recipes
Zignature provides several different recipes with different meats and flavors. You can choose one that suits your dog best. Some popular examples include:
– Zignature Trout and Salmon Meal Formula
– Zignature Catfish Formula
– Zignature Pork Formula
– Zignature Duck Formula
– Zignature Lamb Formula
– Zignature Kangaroo Formula
– Zignature Venison Formula
– ZignatureZssential Formula
NutriSource also provides a wide range of options. There are recipes for specific ages and breeds. Some popular examples include:
– NutriSource Grain Free Seafood Select
– NutriSource Grain Free Woodlands Select
– NutriSource Grain Free Prairie Select
– NutriSource Grain Free Heartland Select
– NutriSource Grain Free Large Breed Puppy
– NutriSource Grain Free Small and Medium Breed Puppy
– NutriSource Grain Free Senior
– NutriSource Grain Free Weight Management
History of Recalls
We can check the track record to estimate how good the quality control of a dog food company is. If the company has never recalled their products, it may indicate that the quality control is really good. If the company frequently recall their products because of some problems, the quality control is probably not good.
Both Zignature and NutriSource have never recalled any of their products. This is awesome. It means that both companies have very good quality control. Hopefully, both of these companies will keep their clean track records in the future.
Zignature vs NutriSource
Zignature | NutriSource |
---|---|
- Doesn’t contain brewers yeast | - Contains brewers yeast and some probiotics |
- Less likely to cause allergy reactions | - Slightly more likely to cause allergy reactions |
- Higher protein content | - Lower protein content |
- Available with various recipes of different meats and flavors | - Has some recipes that are for specific ages and breeds |
Conclusion
In general, Zignature is more recommended. This dog food has better overall ingredient quality. It does not come with ingredients that may cause allergy problems on some dogs. It provides better nutrition, with a higher amount of protein.