Ol Roy dog food company is the private label of Walmart. Regardless of the fact that the Ol Roy dog food ingredient list is far from being impressive, this brand is extremely popular here in the USA and has been considered the best-selling dog food for many years.
Why is that happening? Why do so many dog parents trust this brand and choose it as the complete nutrition option for their canines? We’ll figure this out in this Ol Roy dog food review.
Who makes Ol Roy Dog Food?
The Ol Roy brand was launched back in 1983. It got its name after Sam Walton’s bird dog Ol’ Roy. The businessman got an idea to establish a Walmart-exclusive dog food brand that would have the same quality as other dog food brands but would cost fewer pennies. So, he commissioned Doane Pet Care Company to be the Ol Roy dog food manufacturer. This manufacturer is in turn owned by the Mars Corporation, the largest pet food manufacturing company all over the globe.
Ol Roy Dog Food Reviews
How come Ol Roy dog food surpassed Purina, Pedigree, and other dog food brands of nearly the same quality even though its ingredients label is not perfect? The success is explained by the reasonable price and the rise of the popularity of store brands back in 1997 and 2002.
So, what’s so special about Ol Roy dog food products? The brand’s ingredient list includes corn, by-products, artificial colors, preservatives, soybean meal, and other stuff that is not desired in dog food. Let’s dive into the Ol Roy dog food analysis to see where the truth lies.
Ol' Roy Soft & Moist Beef & Cheese Flavor Dog Food
- Tender bites with a delicious flavor
- Easy to serve
- Great for canines that have difficulties eating hard kibble
Ol' Roy High Performance Dry Dog Food
- Formulated for high-performance and working dogs
- A high level of protein and fat
- Reinforced with vitamins and minerals
Ol' Roy Small Breed Dry Dog Food
- Meets the dietary needs of small dogs under 25 lb.
- Crunching tiny kibble size for easier palatability
- Packed with Omega 6 fatty acids for better skin and coat
Ol' Roy Complete Nutrition Roasted Chicken & Rice Flavor Dry Dog Food
- A balanced formula for adult dogs of all sizes
- Includes calcium and phosphorous for strong teeth and bones
- Dogs love this flavor and can’t get enough
Ol' Roy Cuts in Gravy with Lamb & Rice Wet Dog Food
- Soft cuts in rich gravy
- A high moisture level to keep your dog hydrated
- Won’t make a hole in your pocket
Ol' Roy Soft & Moist Beef & Cheese Flavor Dog Food
WHY YOU SHOULD BUY
An affordable feeding option for your canine. Soft and tender bites flavored with beef and cheese. Suitable for dogs with teeth issues.
Ol Roy dog food soft and moist recipe is suitable for all breeds, especially small dogs or senior canines that have a hard time eating kibble. These are perfectly-sized meaty-like pieces that have an optimal moisture texture. This comes especially handy when your dog is in its teens or has already lost some of its teeth.
These bites do not require refrigeration as you open them. They are also not messy, so this is a great solution if you travel with your canine a lot or just would like to treat your pet with something delicious. However, the complete analysis of every Ol Roy dog food ingredient shows that things are not that perfect with this recipe. It’s made of beef by-products, corn, soy, preservatives with no meat or at least meat meal at all.
KEY FEATURES:
- Calories: no info found
- Crude protein: 18% min
- Crude fat: 7% min
- Crude fiber: 3% max
- First 8 ingredients: beef by-product, high fructose corn syrup, soy flour, soy grits, water, wheat flour, corn syrup, phosphoric acid, and more.
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Type: Dry dog food
- Breed size: All breeds
- Life stage: All stages
- Bag size: 72 oz (4 lb. 8 oz) 2.04 kg
WHAT WE LOVED:
- Friendly to the wallet
- Easy on dogs’ teeth
- Contains a high moisture level
WHAT WE DIDN'T LIKE:
- The use of by-products, corn, soy, preservatives
- No meat or other functional ingredients
- The nutrition label is hard to find online
Ol' Roy High Performance Dry Dog Food
WHY YOU SHOULD BUY
Protein-rich recipe for performance dogs. Features meat meal as the first ingredient. Packed with vitamins and minerals for health support.
The Ol Roy high performance dog food is a high protein recipe designed especially for active, working, sporting canines that require a lot of energy to cope with their daily tasks.
The Ol Roy dog food nutrition label says that this formula has 27% protein, 14% fat, and a balanced amount of carbohydrates to ensure your performance doggy feels its best even after intensive workouts or other high-impact activities. This recipe features meat and bone meal, which might be good on the condition you know what meat type they use. It also has Omega-6 fatty acids for healthy skin and coat.
KEY FEATURES:
- Calories: no info found
- Crude protein: 27% min
- Crude fat: 14% min
- Crude fiber: no info found
- First 8 ingredients: meat and bone meal, ground whole corn, ground whole wheat, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, animal fat, natural flavor, salt, and more.
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Type: Dry dog food
- Breed size: All breeds, but for large breed puppies
- Life stage: All stages
- Bag size: 20 lb., 50 lb.
WHAT WE LOVED:
- Made specially for active and working dogs
- The higher protein level than in recipes of this brand
- Includes vitamins and minerals for overall health
WHAT WE DIDN'T LIKE:
- Meat and bone meal of the unknown origin
- Corn, soy, wheat are the basic ingredients
- The protein level might be insufficient
Ol' Roy Small Breed Dry Dog Food
WHY YOU SHOULD BUY
Formulated to keep your small breed dog under 25 lb. healthy. Packed with proteins to ensure lean muscle development. Enhanced with vitamins and minerals for overall well-being.
Ol Roy small breed dog food is a low-budget solution for small canines. It is meant to provide your pet with the nourishment it needs to stay healthy and active.
Just like all Ol'Roy dog food options, this one has corn as the first ingredient that is closely followed by meat and bone meal. Corn is a questionable ingredient since it is not easily digestible by dogs. Meat and bone meal also begs a lot of questions since we have no clue what meat is exactly used. Wheat, soybean meal, and artificial colors are the ingredients you’ll also want to avoid. But in fact, this is a common ingredient profile of inexpensive dog food.
KEY FEATURES:
- Calories: no info found
- Crude protein: 19% min
- Crude fat: 8% min
- Crude fiber: no info found
- First 8 ingredients: ground whole corn, meat and bone meal, soybean meal, animal fat, ground whole wheat, corn gluten meal, natural flavor, salt, and more.
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Type: Dry dog food
- Breed size: Small dogs under 25 lb.
- Life stage: All stages
- Bag size: 4 lb.
WHAT WE LOVED:
- Created to meet the dietary needs of small dogs
- An optimal level of protein and fat
- Packed with vitamins
WHAT WE DIDN'T LIKE:
- Doubtful ingredients like corn, soy, wheat, meat, and bone meal
Ol' Roy Complete Nutrition Roasted Chicken & Rice Flavor Dry Dog Food
WHY YOU SHOULD BUY
Nutritionally balanced formula for adult dogs. Includes essential vitamins and minerals. Dogs love this flavor.
Ol Roy complete nutrition dog food with roasted chicken and rice is meant to be a daily diet for adult canines of all shapes and sizes. Every serving is packed with the essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals an adult pooch needs for a healthy and happy living. Fatty acids add to the shiny coat and healthy skin of your doggy, while calcium and phosphorus ensure strong teeth and bones. This is a relatively new flavor of Ol Roy dry dog food, and dogs are crazy about it. Our only concern is that this recipe includes by-products, corn, wheat, soy, and artificial colors. Meat and bone meal is the second ingredient, which raises a question about the animal protein level in this recipe.
KEY FEATURES:
- Calories: no info found
- Crude protein: 21% min
- Crude fat: 10% min
- Crude fiber: no info found
- First 8 ingredients: ground whole corn, meat and bone meal, soybean meal, animal fat, corn gluten meal, chicken by-product meal, brewers rice, natural flavor, and more.
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Type: Dry dog food
- Breed size: All breeds
- Life stage: Adult
- Bag size: 4 lb., 15 lb., 46 lb., 50 lb.
WHAT WE LOVED:
- The nutritionally rich formula for adult dogs
- Optimal levels of protein and fat
- Won’t burn a hole in your pocket
WHAT WE DIDN'T LIKE:
- The ingredient quality leaves much to be desired
Ol' Roy Cuts in Gravy with Lamb & Rice Wet Dog Food
WHY YOU SHOULD BUY
An affordable and delicious meal for your dog. High level of moisture to increase dog’s water consumption. Soft cuts in gravy canines love.
Ol Roy lamb and rice dog food is a wet recipe that is loved by dogs immensely. This lamb and rice formula has a pleasantly soft texture, so it’s suitable for canines with teeth issues or senior canines. This Ol' Roy dog food formula is meant to target the daily nutritional needs of your pet, ensuring it stays full and healthy. Ingredients in this wet food option are not the best ones since they include by-products, wheat flour, and added colors. But this recipe is also made of real chicken and lamb meat, with chicken going second after water. Rice is a great source of carbs, so your pet will get enough energy for the rest of the day after their Ol Roy wet breakfast.
KEY FEATURES:
- Calories: 340 kcal/cup
- Crude protein: 8% min
- Crude fat: 3% min
- Crude fiber: 1% max
- First 8 ingredients: water sufficient for processing, chicken, meat by-products, wheat flour, lamb, rice, chicken meal, salt, and more.
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Type: Wet dog food
- Breed size: All breeds
- Life stage: All stages
- Bag size: 13.2 oz
WHAT WE LOVED:
- A wallet-friendly canned dog food option
- Includes real chicken and lamb
- Packed with vitamins and minerals
- A high moisture level to prevent dehydration
WHAT WE DIDN'T LIKE:
- Includes some undesirable ingredients
What Formulas Does Ol Roy Dog Food Have?
Because Ol Roy company doesn’t have a website, all their products are presented at Walmart. Product listings do not provide detailed information about the differences in Ol Roy product lines, so these are just our conclusions based on what we saw on the product pages.
Ol Roy Soft & Moist dog food is a series of soft and moisturized meat-flavored pieces. These recipes are great for dogs that love softer food rather than kibble. They come in 216- and 72-ounce packages with 12 packs each. Ol Roy dog food ingredients in these formulas include meat by-products, high fructose corn syrup, soy flour, soy grits, water, and more.
- Ol’ Roy Soft & Moist Beef & Cheese Flavor Dog Food
- Ol' Roy Soft & Moist Beef Flavor Dog Food
Ol Roy Complete Nutrition dog food offers more products to choose from. These are Ol Roy natural dog food recipes for adult dogs. The brand promises to provide canines with a daily pack of essential nutrients so that the pet feels healthy and happy. Since these are low-cost formulas, the ingredients include corn, wheat, soy, by-products, and bone meal with no real meat added.
- Ol' Roy Complete Nutrition Roasted Chicken & Rice Flavor Dry Dog Food
- Ol' Roy Complete Nutrition T-Bone & Bacon Flavor Dry Dog Food
- Ol' Roy Bacon Flavor Dry Dog Food
There are also two more dry food options that do not fall in either of these Ol Roy product series:
- Ol' Roy Puppy Complete Chicken & Oatmeal Flavor Dry Food For Puppies
- Ol' Roy High Protein with Beef & Lamb Flavor Dry Dog Food
Ol Roy Wet Dog Food
Ol Roy wet dog food is intended to provide your beloved canine with a healthy and nourishing diet with a pleasant and easy-to-digest texture. It’s hard to define if there are any series of Ol Roy canned dog food, but we will share what logic we saw in the wet food variety.
Ol Roy Cuts in Gravy canned food recipes are meaty chunks of meat with other ingredients that are soaked in savory gravy. They come in cans and make a complete diet for an adult dog. You can expect to see real meat like chicken, beef, and lamb in these formulas. They also include chicken meal, potato, wheat flour to enhance the nutritional value of every serving.
- Ol’ Roy Hearty Cuts in Gravy Savory Cuts With Beef Wet Dog Food
- Ol' Roy Cuts in Gravy Country Stew Flavor Wet Dog Food
- Ol' Roy Cuts in Gravy T-Bone Flavor Wet Dog Food
- Ol' Roy Cuts in Gravy Savory Cuts with Lamb & Rice Wet Dog Food
Ol' Roy Meaty Loaf Wet Dog Foods are mouth-watering patés that enrich your pet’s diet with the essential nutrients and vitamins they need to stay active and healthy. All the formulas include real meat like chicken and beef complemented with brown rice, animal liver, and supplements so that your pet never feels the shortage of nutrients in their diet. They come in metal cans and are suitable for adult canines, especially medium-sized and large breeds.
- Ol' Roy Meaty Loaf Chicken & Rice Dinner Wet Dog Food
- Ol' Roy Savory Loaf with Chicken Wet Dog Food
Ol' Roy Gourmet Food for Dogs are delicious recipes in plastic trays that are easy to open. They will please the taste buds of your picky eater and bring enough nutrients and vitamins to the pet’s diet. This Ol Roy grain free dog food comes in the texture of tiny chunks of food in savory juices. It’s also grain-free and includes a variety of meat by-products and meat types.
- Ol' Roy Gourmet Food for Dogs, Filet Mignon Flavor
- Ol' Roy Gourmet Food for Dogs, Porterhouse Steak Flavor
The company used to have Ol Roy healthy mix dog food which had a decent ingredient list, but it’s discontinued now.
Ol Roy Puppy Formulas
As the company claims that all their recipes, both dry and wet, meet the AAFCO nutrient profiles required for all life stages, the exclusive Ol Roy puppy product variety is not that huge. Actually, there is only one recipe designed for puppies. This kibble contains higher levels of protein and fat to ensure the immature pet gets all the nutrients they need to grow into healthy adults.
- Ol' Roy Puppy Complete Chicken & Oatmeal Flavor Dry Food For Puppies
Ol Roy Senior Formulas
Ol Roy senior dog food formulas are not present in the company’s product line. However, since there are kibble options and wet recipes that are suitable for canines at all life stages, you can consider them as a feeding solution for your matured pet.
Ol Roy Dog Food Recalls
There were like seven food recalls, so the Ol Roy dog food recall history is really impressive.
The first large recall of Ol Roy dog food was in November 1998, when food was contaminated with aflatoxin, a toxic mold by-product that affects corn at certain temperatures. Because of the contamination, around 25 dogs diet and many Ol Roy dog food reviews report dog sickness.
Later, in June 2006, some Ol Roy canned recipes were recalled due to lining separation. Flaking from the inside coating of cans was noted only in 0.1% of cans, but the company decided to recall the whole batch.
March 2007 was also noted by a huge recall due to the melamine contamination that affected many pet food manufacturing companies that year.
June 2007, September 2008, and October 2008 were the months when Ol Roy dog food recipes were recalled because of salmonella infection.
And, lastly, an independent investigation revealed sodium pentobarbital in some of the recipes in February 2018. This is considered to be a euthanasia drug that is deadly for cats and dogs.
Conclusion
Is Ol Roy a good dog food? We believe this is not the best choice for a dog. If you are on a very strict budget and can’t afford to cook meals on your own, you can go for it. But mind that these recipes include corn, wheat, soy, by-products, carrageenan, artificial colors and flavors, and other ingredients you’d want to avoid in your pet’s diet. Ol Roy dog food rating on Walmart might play a dirty trick on you, and you will get a product your pet will never touch.
Let us finish this Ol' Roy dog food review with a tip. If you cast your glance at this brand because it’s available in your local grocery store or you are attracted by the price, always check the feeding guide to define the perfect serving size for your pooch.
FAQs
Ol Roy dog food is a budget option that has a reputation as a below-average brand. They enrich their recipes with supplements but do not use meat in their kibble at all. Wet recipes are loaded with cheap fillers and unnecessary ingredients that have no value.
All Ol Roy recipes are made in the USA by Doane Pet Care Company, which is owned by Mars Inc.
It’s hard to say because neither product pages nor nutrition labels provide this information.
Yes, Ol Roy dog food has been recalled seven times.
Ol Roy is a Walmart-exclusive dog food brand and can be purchased only at Walmart grocery stores or through this marketplace.
Related articles
What else do you want to learn?
