Victor vs Taste of The Wild Comparison 2021

Choosing dog food can be confusing.

For every brand you look at, you’ll find reviews claiming X brand caused someone’s dog to get sick (and sometimes even die). We’d advise you to take anecdotal evidence with a grain of salt.

Plus, even if you decide on a particular brand, there’s no guarantee your dog will like it. Dogs can be picky with food, and that’s not a reflection of the food’s quality.

Every brand is licensed, adheres to AAFCO guidelines, and has quality standards. You should consider things like the types and variety of food, ingredients and nutritional value, price, and product safety.

In this comparison guide, we’ll cover Victor dog food vs Taste of the Wild — two premium-grade dog food brands that have been around since 2007 and have gained popularity over the years.

Victor pet food (not to be confused with the mousetrap company with the same name) was founded in 2007. It’s made by Mid-America Pet Food, which Trinity Equity acquired in 2014.

Mid-America Pet Food has manufacturing facilities in East Texas, and every piece of kibble is made in the USA with quality ingredients. And to jump ahead, the family-owned company hasn’t had a recall since opening its doors.

Victor has formulas for every life stage, breed size, and a few special diet formulations. Their product line also includes grain-free options for dogs with grain allergies. Each of the 19 dry food recipes provides balanced nutrition and includes a proprietary blend of nutrients. Victor also makes three flavors of doggie treats and five flavors of canned food (including grain-free).

As we compare Victor vs Taste of the Wild, you’ll find more similarities than differences. Both are considered “boutique” dog foods (read: pricey).

VICTOR Classic Hi-Pro Plus Formula Dry Dog Food

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Four out of the first five ingredients are animal sources of protein/fat (Beef Meal, Chicken Fat, Pork Meal, and Chicken Meal). A versatile kibble perfect for all life stages, this dog food includes a blend of vitamins and minerals and pre- and probiotics.

VICTOR Select Yukon River Canine Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

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Recommended for dogs with grain sensitivities and allergies, this dry dog food is made with “premium-quality” fish proteins. It can be given to dogs of all breeds and sizes since the kibble is smaller than a penny. The high protein content will fuel your furry friend for each day’s adventures.

VICTOR Beef & Vegetables Stew Cuts in Gravy Grain-Free Canned Dog Food

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Five out of the first five ingredients are from animal sources (Chicken, Beef Broth, Chicken Broth, Beef, and Chicken Liver). The nutritional profile makes it suitable for all life stages and breed sizes. Contains zero grains and no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.

Victor Pros

• All recipes are either gluten-free or grain-free.
• Variety of recipes for every life stage, breed size, and special diet considerations.
• Includes pre- and probiotics for easy digestion.
• Protein breakdown by source (animal, plant, and grain (if applicable)).
• Locally sourced (Texas, USA) ingredients.
• Made in the USA.

Victor Cons

• Most recipes don’t have “pure” proteins, but instead meals (Chicken Meal, Beef Meal, etc.).

Read our full Victor Dog Food Review.

Taste of the Wild is a family-owned brand that was founded in 2007. They entrusted Diamond Pet Foods with manufacturing, packaging, and distributing Taste of the Wild at Diamond facilities across the USA.

Taste of the Wild’s main selling point is recipes that are as close to a natural wolf diet as possible (hence Taste of the Wild). Each source of animal protein is carefully selected and is the #1 ingredient in all formulations.

When the brand first got started, they only had grain-free recipes, but they’ve since expanded into grain-inclusive territory with their Ancient Grain formulas. Ancient Grains include sorghum, millet, quinoa, and chia seed.

While the quality is there, the variety is lacking, not to mention the lack of recipes for dogs with special nutritional/medical requirements.

Taste of the Wild Ancient Prairie with Ancient Grains Dry Dog Food

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Ancient Prairie refers to buffalo meat, which is the #1 ingredient. This recipe includes DHA, Zinc, Selenium, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, L-Carnitine, Taurine, Omega 3 & 6 Fatty Acids, Chondroitin, and Glucosamine. All Taste of the Wild dry dog foods also includes pre- and probiotics for easy digestion.

Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

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The grain-free alternative has everything a dog needs to be happy and active. This formula is a balanced mix of proteins (salmon, ocean fish meal), vegetables (potato, peas, tomatoes), fruits (raspberries, blueberries), antioxidants, pre- and probiotics, and other nutrients.

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Four out of the first five ingredients are made with animal proteins. This wet food is a gravy, so it’s soupy, and it’s grain-free. Like dry foods, Taste of the Wild canned food is rich in antioxidants and contains no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.

Taste of The Wild Pros

• Animal protein sources are always #1 on the ingredients list.
• Complete and balanced nutrition with pre- and probiotics included.
• Taste of the Wild PREY is a limited-ingredient line of dry dog food and it’s grain-free.
• No wheat, corn, or fillers.
• No artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.

Taste of The Wild Cons

• Not a lot of variety for breed sizes and no special diet formulas.

Read our full Taste of The Wild Dog Food Review.

To see which brand has the most variety, we analyzed their product lines and the number of products available.

Victor has four dry food product lines:

1. Classic — grain-inclusive recipes with complete and balanced nutrition for normal activity and high-energy lifestyles.
2. Select — grain-inclusive and grain-free recipes with complete and balanced nutrition for normal activity lifestyles.
3. Purpose — grain-inclusive and grain-free recipes for special diets and needs (senior dogs, weight management, low-carb). Read the AKC .
4. Realtree® — Victor and Realtree collaborated to create special recipes for adult dogs with high-energy lifestyles (hunting, sporting dogs).

In addition to dry foods, they also make crunchy dog treats for all life stages, activity levels, and canned foods with grain-inclusive and grain-free recipes.

Taste of the Wild has a different marketing strategy. They technically have three product lines (grain-inclusive, grain-free, and PREY). PREY is something unique, and Taste of the Wild is one of a handful of brands that offers limited ingredient formulas. The three PREY recipes currently available are made with sustainable animal protein sources (pasture-raised Angus beef, cage-free turkey, and spring-fed trout).

Taste of the Wild vs Victor dog food comparison table

If we’re judging purely on the variety and types of dog food available, Victor wins hands-down.

Winner: Victor

Since the amount of products is fairly similar, we decided to calculate the average amount of protein/fat/fiber for grain-inclusive and grain-free dry food and grain-free canned food (Taste of the Wild only offers grain-free, unlike Victor).

Average guaranteed analysis by type of food (grain-inclusive & grain-free dry food and grain-free canned food)

Note: Figures were converted to a dry matter basis .

Both brands exceed the AAFCO standards, and, interestingly, Taste of the Wild has higher numbers for their grain-inclusive dry food than their grain-free dry food. If this were a Victor grain free vs Taste of the Wild grain free comparison, Victor would win, but judging it objectively, we can’t pin down a clear winner.

Winner: Tie

Comparing Taste of the Wild vs Victor is annoying because of all the marketing fluff that gets in the way. We waded through the marketing muck and found one clear difference in ingredients — Victor tends to use Meat Meal instead of Meat.

A quick Google search reveals that Meat Meal (be it chicken, beef, or what have you) is animal meat, fat, and bones. Meat is purely meat without fat (but may include water). After doing some further research, we found a Myths vs. Facts article on AKC, which states that Meat Meal may contain higher protein (what a surprise!).

But there’s an inherent problem here — we don’t know which animal parts or the proportions of those parts were added to make the Meal. There’s no clear consensus on what’s “better,” so you as the pet parent need to decide what to feed your dog.

When it comes to flavors, it can be difficult to gauge what Taste of the Wild is made of. The names they use for foods include Taste of the Wild Ancient Prairie with Ancient Grains Dry Dog Food. It’s unclear what’s in it until you look at the label and find that the first ingredient is always a (pure) Meat.

Taste of the Wild Flavors

To be fair, Taste of the Wild also uses Meat Meal but never as the first ingredient. Here’s a list of the first ingredients you’ll find in Taste of the Wild dry food recipes:

• Angus Beef
• Bison
• Wild Boar
• Buffalo
• Fish
• Fowl (quail, duck, and turkey)
• Lamb
• Venison

Wet food flavors include Beef in Gravy, Bison in Gravy, Salmon in Gravy, Lamb in Gravy, and Fowl in Gravy.

Victor Dog Food Flavors

You have to give it to Victor for not trying to mask Meat Meal as something else. Most dry foods include the flavor in the title, but if you don’t see it, it’s likely Beef Meal.

Victor dry food recipes include flavors like:

• Chicken Meal & Sweet Potato
• Lamb Meal & Sweet Potato
• Chicken Meal & Brown Rice
• Ocean Fish Formula with Salmon
• Lamb Meal & Brown Rice
• Beef Meal & Brown Rice

Victor wet foods flavors:

• Grain Free Formula Chicken and Vegetables Cuts in Gravy
• Grain Free Formula with Beef and Vegetables Cuts in Gravy
• Grain Free Formula Turkey and Sweet Potato Cuts in Gravy
• Lamb and Rice Formula Pâté
• Chicken and Rice Formula Pâté

Winner: Taste of the Wild

The choice of where to buy Victor dog food vs Taste of the Wild is up to you. If you prefer supporting a local pet shop, you can find both brands in-store (locate the closest retail store for Victor here and Taste of the Wild here). But if you want to get the best price possible, buying it online through auto-delivery is the best option.

For prices, we looked at chewy.com (for ⅚ picks) and tractorsupply.com for canned Taste of the Wild, which is crazy expensive on Amazon and not available on chewy.

Price comparison of our Top-3 picks

Judging by our top-3 picks, Victor grain free vs Taste of the Wild zero-grain recipes are more expensive, while Victor grain-inclusive dry food is considerably cheaper. The tie-break was decided in the wet food category, where Victor turned out to be more expensive.

Winner: Taste of the Wild

When it comes to safety, both brands have extensive quality control checks. This is evidenced by the number of recalls. Taste of the Wild only had one recall back in May 2012 due to potential Salmonella contamination. Victor has not had a single recall.

It should be noted, however, that Taste of the Wild has been (and may currently be) involved in class-action lawsuits related to misleading marketing and possible heavy metal contamination. The result of these lawsuits is unclear, so we did not consider this when judging the brand.

In this category, answering which dog food is better, Taste of the Wild or Victor is easy — 1 recall vs. 0 recalls.

Winner: Victor

So, after tallying up the wins for each brand, it’s a tie.

That’s not a surprise to us — we’ve seen plenty of ties before, and we swear we’re not doing it on purpose :)

The real question shouldn’t be “is Taste of the Wild or Victor a better dog food?” Instead, it should be — “What’s better for my dog?” And the only person(s) who can answer that is you, your vet, and possibly your family.

Before switching your dog to new dog food, consult your vet, and think hard about what matters to you in human food, and transfer that mindset over when you go to choose your dog’s food.

Because, after all, if dogs are our best friends, we shouldn’t feed them something we wouldn’t put in our own bodies.