5 Hounds Dog Food Review (By Dr Will)
Throw your kibble in the bin.
We’ve learned our lessons, and thankfully found better solutions – of which 5 Hounds by Dr Will is one of them.
Who would’ve thought pet owners across the world could be so utterly duped into believing processed nuggets of plants and cheap grains were the optimum diet for our ancestrally carnivorous domestic dogs?
It just doesn’t make sense.
But then we see marketing claims quoting “backed by science” and we seem to stop thinking for ourselves.
So let’s reset. Forget what kibble companies have told us via their uber-funded marketing departments, and ask yourself what your dog really should be eating. Rice nuked into pellets at 130°C and dusted with synthetic vitamins to make it “complete and balanced”, or real beef, organs, and superfoods?
With no shadows of any doubts in your mind, let’s take a look at 5 Hounds by Dr Will, and why it’s so much healthier for your gorgeous poochums.
Special introductory offer!
(Bonus content! At the bottom of this review you’ll find a quick Q&A with Dr Will himself, which will give you a great insight into the care which has been taken creating the 5 Hounds brand.)
What the marketing says
I’ll skirt over the claim “Built on Veterinary Standards”, as I’m not sure what credibility that offers. I’m sure Dr Will Maginness, founder of 5 Hounds, would admit veterinary training on canine nutrition is scant at best – in the same way human nutrition isn’t overly covered if you trained to be a medical doctor (they’re different fields despite some small overlap).
We also find the overused-and-abused claim “Backed by Science”, so let’s sweep that one under the rug as well.
Now let’s get to what really matters, and that’s the statement 5 Hounds will “support better digestion, healthier skin, more energy, and longer lives.”
We don’t need science to realise this is what’s really important. We just need common sense, and that’s where the ingredients of 5 Hounds really speaks for itself.
Because, over the past couple of decades reviewing pet foods, I can assure you the ingredients and composition speak more honest volumes than the marketing of any pet food.
Let’s take a look, shall we?
Needless to say, 5 Hounds should really turn your dog’s health around, and possibly more than you realise!
What the ingredients really say
There’s some great protein options in the 5 Hounds range, which is great news if your dog has a specific protein allergy (or grain sensitivity for that matter… although when it comes to grain you could argue all dogs are sensitive, because it’s not biologically appropriate).
For this review we’ll focus on the Beef recipe, but you’ll also find Fish, Goat, Kangaroo, and Venison on offer, and all are single-protein.
With the beef recipe, you’ll be happy to hear beef mince is the first and primary ingredient, backed up by beef heart as a super nutrient-dense organ meat high in taurine, CoQ10, iron, and B vitamins.
Anyone remember the “Boutique grain-free foods cause heart disease” scare which went viral all over the Internet, and still bandies around today?
Well, did you know lack of taurine causes heart disease, and historically many brands of dog food have had dubious or inappropriate taurine content – go figure!
Anyway, these are reasons a dog food rich in organ meats like heart (and liver which we also find in 5 Hounds) are such noteworthy additions – organs may sound yucky to you, but they’re the building blocks of your dog’s health.
The third ingredient is sweet potato, which is one of the best carbohydrate inclusions in a dog food, being low GI, and a source of fibre and beta-carotene for digestion and energy. We can tell it’s in moderation as well, as the listed carbohydrates as fed are 3.34% of the formula wet weight (and listed as 12.56% dry weight) which is far better than kibbles which mostly sit around 50% carbs (which makes you understand why there are so many overweight dogs in America!)
We also have carrots for a little more beta-carotene, fibre, as well as antioxidants. Carrots help you see in the dark, right? Well, beta-carotene converts to vitamin A, supporting vision, as well as the immune system and skin health. There’s a smaller inclusion of green peas as well, for fibre and also some protein.
Beef liver is a wonderful inclusion in any dog food, and a further source of vitamin A alongside a whole laundry list of highly beneficial vitamins and minerals. We also have the wonderfully nutritious beef bone broth which is absolutely excellent to see, and an ingredient I truly advocate for in a dog’s diet – eggs (pasture-raised in this case).
I could ad lib about other ingredients in 5 Hounds, like organic kelp powder, but I’m sure by now you’ve really started to see why I rate 5 Hounds by Dr Will so highly. It’s a great option for your dog.
As a slow-cooked dog food similar to Lyka, which speaks for itself in terms of popularity, I don’t think you could go far wrong with 5 Hounds, even if you limit it to part of your dog’s diet to keep costs down.
Recommended!
(And if you’re still not convinced, make sure you read the Q&A with Dr Will himself below!)
Where to buy?
5 Hounds by Dr Will is available from their website (make sure you use the code PFR40 for a special Pet Food Judge discount!)
A quick Q&A with Dr Will
Why did you create 5 Hounds as a slow cooked dog food?
Moving dogs away from ultra-processed diets and towards real food is the core of our mission.
We rely heavily on real whole foods themselves to provide micronutrients naturally, rather than heavily fortifying with synthetic premixes.
Across our adult recipes we only use four synthetic vitamins/minerals per recipe to complete and balance, which was a deliberate goal from the beginning. Finding that balance between making the food affordable but ensuring as much real fresh food provide the nutrients was a real struggle, but we made it happen.
How does 5 Hounds differ from other brands in terms of cooking?
We lightly cook at lower temperatures (75°C compared to the 90°C of other fresh food brands) and from our perspective as vets, once you safely achieve the bacterial kill step, there’s no benefit in cooking at higher temperatures.
We’d much rather preserve moisture, palatability and nutrients while still improving digestibility and safety.
What makes the ingredients in 5 Hounds different from other fresh dog food brands?
One thing we’re incredibly passionate about is sourcing. We place a huge emphasis on ethically sourced, regenerative and where possible wild-harvested proteins.
Our goat, kangaroo, venison and fish bowls especially are a massive part of our philosophy, not just nutritionally, but from an animal welfare and environmental perspective too.
We’ve also intentionally leaned towards novel proteins because philosophically we’ve tried to avoid heavily industrialised factory-farmed systems wherever possible.
Why do you create separate puppy and adult formulas?
We intentionally formulate separate puppy and adult diets rather than taking the ‘all life stages’ approach.
We just don’t believe a Great Dane puppy and a sedentary older Maltese should necessarily be eating the exact same formulation long term.
5 Hounds doesn’t rely on synthetic supplements as much as other brands?
We rely heavily on real whole foods themselves to provide micronutrients naturally, rather than heavily fortifying with synthetic premixes.
Across our adult recipes we only use four synthetic vitamins/minerals per recipe to complete and balance, which was a deliberate goal from the beginning.
Ingredients
The ingredients of 5 Hounds Dog Food (Beef Recipe):
Beef Mince, Beef Heart, Sweet Potato, Carrots, Beef Liver, Green Peas, Grass-Fed Beef Bone Broth, Red Apples, Pasture Raised Eggs, Zucchini, Walnut Oil, Celtic Sea Salt, Calcium Carbonate Supplement, Magnesium Supplement, Organic Kelp Powder, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin D Supplement.
Nutritional Analysis
The nutritional analysis of 5 Hounds Dog Food (Beef Recipe):
| As Fed | Dry Matter | |
| Crude Protein | 14.48% | 54.38% |
| Fat | 6.68% | 25.10% |
| Ash | 1.52% | 5.72% |
| Moisture | 73.37% | |
| Fibre | 0.60% | 2.25% |
| Carbohydrates * | 3.34% | Listed 12.56% |
* May be estimated. Read how to calculate carbohydrates in a pet food.
The 5 Hounds beef recipe is formulated to meet AAFCO and FEDIAF guidelines, providing complete and balanced nutrition for both adult dogs and growing puppies.
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