Dr. Marty Freeze Dried Nature's Blend Radiant Select Dog Food

Dr. Marty Nature's Blend Radiant Select Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food

Radiant Select is the fish-forward bag, and two numbers on its label are unlike anything else in the Nature's Blend line. Omega-3 is guaranteed at 3.5%, more than four times what Premium Origin guarantees and the highest in the line by a wide margin. And it is the only Dr. Marty formula with a guaranteed biotin minimum, at 0.70 mg/kg.

That combination is why Dr. Marty positions it for skin and coat. Both nutrients are the ones nutritionists look at for skin and coat condition, and this is the only bag in the line that puts a guaranteed floor under either of them.

Worth saying plainly though: a dog with real skin trouble needs a vet rather than a bag of food. Itching, hot spots and hair loss come from fleas, environmental allergies, mites and infections at least as often as from diet, and no food fixes those. If the skin problem is new or getting worse, start with the vet and let the food support whatever they find.

One thing to check before you buy it

This is a fish-forward food, not a fish-only one. Pollock leads the list, but beef heart is the second ingredient and beef liver is the fifth. Egg is in there too.

That matters because people often reach for a fish formula specifically to get away from beef. This one will not do that. If beef is what you are avoiding, Sensitivity Select is the bag... turkey, duck, goose and quail, with no beef, no fish and no egg at all.

What's in it

Pollock, beef heart, tuna and salmon lead, then beef liver. Flaxseed, egg and salmon oil follow, which is where a good deal of that omega-3 comes from... salmon oil is a listed ingredient rather than an afterthought. Then sweet potato, pumpkin seed, apple, blueberry, carrot, spinach, cranberry, kelp, ginger, sunflower seed, broccoli and kale. Mixed tocopherols, a natural vitamin E, are the only preservative.

Biotin appears as a guaranteed minimum on the analysis, not as a line in the ingredient list, so it is a nutrient guarantee rather than an added supplement you can point to.

At 38% protein and 27% fat, Radiant Select is one of the leaner bags in the line. At 201 kcal per cup it also has the second-lowest calorie density per cup, which means the feeding chart asks for noticeably more of it than it does of Essential Wellness. That is the chart working correctly rather than the bag being worse value... compare total calories, not cups.

Full ingredient list

Pollock, Beef Heart, Tuna, Salmon, Beef Liver, Flaxseed, Egg, Salmon Oil, Sweet Potato, Pumpkin Seed, Apple, Blueberry, Carrot, Spinach, Cranberry, Dried Kelp, Salt, Ginger, Sunflower Seed, Broccoli, Kale, Mixed Tocopherols (preservative).

No pea ingredient of any kind, and no corn, wheat, soy or added grain.

Guaranteed analysis

• Crude Protein (min) ... 38%
• Crude Fat (min) ... 27%
• Crude Fiber (max) ... 4%
• Moisture (max) ... 6%
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids (min) ... 3.5%*
• Biotin (min) ... 0.70 mg/kg*

*Omega-3 fatty acids and biotin are not recognized as essential nutrients by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.

Read off the bag in our store. The manufacturer's own website publishes 40% protein and 32% fat for this formula and the package does not agree. The package governs.

AAFCO statement

Formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for adult maintenance. Not a puppy food.

Calorie content

4,466 kcal/kg ... 201 kcal per cup. A cup means a standard 8-fluid-ounce dry measuring cup, filled level, holding about 45 grams of this food. It does not hold 8 ounces by weight.

Feeding guidelines

Dr. Marty's published amounts, dry and before water, split across two meals. Note these run higher than the other formulas, because a cup of this carries fewer calories.

Starting points, not prescriptions. Check body condition after two or three weeks... ribs findable under a thin covering, a waist visible from above... and adjust. If you are feeding this for coat condition, give it a couple of months before judging. Coat grows out slowly and nothing you see in a fortnight is the food.

How to rehydrate

Warm water at two parts food to one part water, three minutes, then stir through. The food is raw and uncooked, so handle it like raw meat: wash hands and bowl afterwards, and don't leave a made-up portion sitting out.

Switching over

Ten days. 25% of the new food on days one to three, 50% on four to six, 75% on seven to nine, all of it from day ten.

Sizes, and how many cups you get

16 oz, 48 oz and 80 oz, roughly 10, 30 and 50 level cups. For a 50 lb dog eating 3⅓ cups a day that is about three days, nine days, and fifteen days.

Storage

Seal it fully after each use, cool and dry. Dr. Marty puts an opened bag at up to three months, shortened by heat and humidity.

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