Ingredient file // Named animal protein
Venison
The clean flesh of deer, used fresh.
Our read // In our catalog
In 1 of every 54 foods we track
Share of foods that list it
2%
47 of the 2,523 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 22 brands. 29 dry dog food, 14 wet dog food, 4 frozen dog food.
Each square is 1% of the catalog
Where it sits on the label
Median position 6. In the top five of 23 foods, so it is usually a supporting ingredient.
17
1st
3
2-3
3
4-5
10
6-10
14
11-20
0
21+
Top five
List position, heaviest first
Above the salt
Almost always listed before the salt, so there is more of it than a pinch.
Price per lb
Foods with it
$3.52
All foods
$3.23
Median of the cheapest bag price across 24 priced foods, 9% above the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.
Who leans on it
23%
of the foods that list it are from Blue. 22 brands use it in total.
What it is
Why it turns up in dog food
- Very lean with lots of iron, and uncommon enough for dogs that react to the usual meats.
Who uses it
Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps
Top brands, by foods that list it
Plus 12 more brands.
Amazon best sellers that list it
Rank on Amazon's dog food best seller list, checked October 2026.
Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it
- Peas 36%
- Beef 32%
- Pea Protein 26%
- Potatoes 21%
- Dried Egg Product 21%
- Flaxseed 21%
- Chicken Meal 21%
- Pea Starch 21%
- Lamb 19%
- Sweet Potatoes 19%
- Tapioca Starch 19%
- Natural Flavor 17%
On the shelf
Foods that list it
47 foods in our reviews list it. Here are some of them.
Carna4 Easy-Chew Venison Dry Dog Food32.2% proteinEvanger’s Grain Free LID Venison + Beef Dinner Wet Dog Food40.9% proteinGo! Solutions Sensitivities Limited Ingredient Grain-Free Venison Recipe Dry Dog Food24.4% proteinHealth Extension Grain Free Little Bites Grain Free Venison & Sweet Potato Little Bites Recipe Dry Dog Food27.8% proteinHealth Extension Grain Free Venison & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food27.8% proteinLotus Pasture Raised Venison Recipe Raw Frozen Dog Food56.0% proteinLotus Pasture Raised Venison Recipe Raw Frozen Dog Food56.0% proteinLotus Pasture Raised Venison Recipe Raw Frozen Dog Food56.0% protein
Show 40 more
Taste of the Wild High Prairie Canine Recipe with Bison in Gravy Wet Dog Food44.4% proteinWellness CORE Beef, Venison & Lamb Wet Dog Food54.5% proteinWellness Complete Health Venison & Salmon Wet Dog Food44.4% proteinWellness Complete Health Petite Entrees Shredded Medley Braised Lamb, Venison, White Sweet Potatoes & Carrots Wet Dog Food40.0% proteinBlue Wilderness Denali Dinner Wild Salmon Venison Halibut Dinner Wet Dog Food45.5% proteinPurina ONE True Instinct Grain Free Turkey & Venison Wet Dog Food40.9% proteinI and Love and You Naked Essentials Moo Venison Stew Dog Cans Wet Dog Food41.7% proteinNature’s Logic Original Canine Can: Venison Wet Dog Food39.3% proteinNutriSource Field and Forest Wet Dog Food43.2% proteinNutriSource High Plains Select Wet Dog Food43.2% proteinZignature Original Food Venison Formula Wet Dog Food38.6% proteinBlue Wilderness Snake River Grill Wet Dog Food38.6% proteinMerrick Wilderness Blend Grain Free in Gravy Wet Dog Food44.4% proteinRachael Ray Nutrish Healthy Weight Real Turkey, Brown Rice & Venison Recipe Dry Dog Food28.1% proteinAbound Wild Beginnings Adult Beef, Venison & Lamb Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinOpen Farm RawMix Great Plains Grain-Free Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinOpen Farm Ancient Grains New Zealand Venison with Ancient Grains Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinZignature Original Venison Formula with Probiotics Dry Dog Food31.1% proteinBlue Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe Senior Red Meat Dry Dog Food31.1% proteinBlue Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe Large Breed Adult Red Meat Dry Dog Food31.1% proteinBlue Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe Adult Healthy Weight Red Meat Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinBlue Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe Adult Red Meat Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinBlue Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe Puppy Red Meat Recipe Dry Dog Food35.6% proteinTaste of the Wild Pine Forest Canine Recipe with Venison & Legumes Dry Dog Food31.1% proteinTaste of the Wild Appalachian Valley Small Breed Canine Recipe with Venison & Garbanzo Beans Dry Dog Food35.6% proteinStella & Chewy’s Venison Blend Frozen Raw Dinner Patties Frozen Dog Food50.0% proteinSolid Gold Buck Wild Sensitive Stomach with Venison, Potato & Pumpkin Dry Dog Food25.6% proteinPurina One True Instinct with a Blend of Real Turkey & Venison Dry Dog Food34.1% proteinNutriSource PureVita Grain-Free Venison & Red Lentils Entree Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinOrijen Tundra Dry Dog Food45.5% proteinNature’s Recipe Prime Blends Beef, Barley & Venison Recipe Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinNatural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Grain-Free Sweet Potato & Venison Dry Dog Food22.2% proteinMerrick Grain-Free Real Venison + Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food36.0% proteinMerrick Backcountry Raw Infused Big Game Recipe Dry Dog Food38.2% proteinMerrick Full Source with Healthy Grains Raw-Coated Kibble with Lamb & Venison Dry Dog Food29.2% proteinFromm Four-Star Zealambder™ Recipe Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinBlue Wilderness Snake River Grill Adult Trout, Venison & Rabbit Grain-Free Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinBlue Wilderness Denali Dinner Adult Wild Salmon, Venison & Halibut Grain-Free Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinBlue Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe Small Breed Adult Red Meat Grain-Free Dry Dog Food35.6% proteinBlue Wilderness Adult Red Meat Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinOn labels as
Other names for this
Manufacturers do not all use the same wording. These all mean the same thing.
An ingredient on its own tells you very little.
What matters is how much of it there is and where it sits in the list. That is why we weigh
the top five rather than reacting to any single name further down.
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