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In The Kibble
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BRAND

Wysong

Family-ownedSince 1979Midland, Michigan

RECIPES REVIEWED
20
AVG PROTEIN, DM, KIBBLE
43.8%
AVG STARCH, KIBBLE
23%
FDA RECALLS
None since 2012
LINES
Original Diets 11 Optimal Line 3 Optimize 3 Epigen 2
THE LINES

Wysong Lines, Reviewed

4 lines

Wysong sorts its recipes into four lines. Original Diets is the widest: nine grain-inclusive kibbles and two wet foods, mostly chicken or turkey, plus a Vegan kibble and a lamb-based Anergen. The rest are kibble only. Optimal Line builds three adult and senior recipes on chicken meal and turkey meal. Optimize offers three grain-free recipes that open with named meat or fish, then green lipped mussel and cheese. Epigen has two adult recipes led by chicken and meat protein isolate.

Estimated starch drops line by line from Original Diets to Epigen. The kibble catalog average is 37.4%. Original Diets kibbles go down to 22% starch in Nurture and up to 41% protein in Nurture with Quail. Optimal Line runs 40 to 50% protein and 13.5 to 25% starch, Optimize 35% to 52% and 8.5% to 17.5%, and Epigen 60% to 63% protein with 2% to 5% starch, as fed.

Original Diets

9 kibble · 2 wet food
Protein
32.4%
Fat
14.2%
Starch
32.6%
Kcal / cup
442

Average kibble, as fed

Wysong Original Diets is a grain-inclusive line of nine kibbles and two wet foods, most built on chicken or turkey. Its range is wide, running from a plant-based Vegan kibble and a lamb-based Anergen to Nurture with Quail at 41% protein.

A good fit for: Owners wanting grain-inclusive kibble above the catalog protein average; Owners seeking lower estimated starch, down to 22% in Nurture

Read the Original Diets review

Optimal Line

3 kibble
Protein
44%
Fat
14.3%
Starch
20.3%
Kcal / cup
--

Average kibble, as fed

Wysong Optimal Line is a three-recipe kibble range built on chicken meal and turkey meal, with 40 to 50% protein as fed. Its estimated starch of 13.5 to 25% sits well below the 37.4% kibble catalog average.

A good fit for: Owners seeking kibble with 40% protein or more; Owners wanting starch well below the 37.4% kibble average

Read the Optimal Line review

Optimize

3 kibble
Protein
43.7%
Fat
34%
Starch
11.5%
Kcal / cup
--

Average kibble, as fed

Wysong Optimize is a three-recipe, grain-free kibble line whose ingredient lists open with named meat or fish, then green lipped mussel and cheese. Protein runs 35% to 52% and estimated starch 8.5% to 17.5% as fed, far from the catalog's kibble averages.

A good fit for: Owners seeking kibble with 35% to 52% protein; Owners avoiding grain, peas, lentils and potato in kibble

Read the Optimize review

Epigen

2 kibble
Protein
61.5%
Fat
15.5%
Starch
3.5%
Kcal / cup
--

Average kibble, as fed

Wysong Epigen is a two-recipe adult kibble line led by chicken and meat protein isolate, with protein of 60% to 63% as fed. Its estimated starch of 2% to 5% sits far below the kibble catalog average of 37.4%.

A good fit for: Owners seeking kibble with estimated starch at 5% or less; Adult dogs whose owners want kibble protein above 60%

Read the Epigen review
WHICH LINE FITS

Choosing Between The Wysong Lines

  • A grain-inclusive line with both kibble and wet food: Original Diets
  • A vegan kibble or a lamb-based kibble: Original Diets
  • Kibble with protein above 60% and very little starch: Epigen
  • Grain-free kibble without peas, lentils or potato: Optimize
  • Turkey-based kibble for both adult and senior dogs: Optimal Line

All recipes

20 foods matched · newest first
Wysong Original Diets 11 recipes · See all
DEEP DIVE

Inside The Wysong Range

Across 20 recipes we review

Protein runs higher than the average kibble we review (43.8% vs 30.1% on a dry matter basis).

Starch is lower than average, at 23% of the food as fed.

95% of recipes lead with a meat, fish or egg ingredient (89% across the site).

50% of recipes are grain-free.

NUTRITION

How The Range Measures Up

this range, lowest to highest its average average of all 3,215 foods we review

Protein, dry matter 44% 28% to 70%
15%site avg 30%50%
Fat, dry matter 19% 11% to 48%
5%site avg 18%30%
Starch, as fed 23% 2% to 43%
10%site avg 38%60%
Kcal per cup 442 437 to 447
250site avg 395600

Starch is our estimate from the guaranteed analysis, since no manufacturer prints it. How we work it out

INGREDIENTS

What Goes In The Bowl

Chicken 65% 56%
Turkey 65% 20%
Beef 10% 20%
Fish 5% 35%
Lamb 5% 14%

Share of recipes that list each animal protein as an ingredient, not counting oils, fats or flavorings. Useful if your dog has a food sensitivity.

Ingredients Some Owners Avoid

By-products 0% 13%
Artificial colors 0% 1%
Chemical preservatives 0% 9%
Corn 5% 15%
Wheat 5% 13%
Soy 10% 10%

These are not unsafe. They are listed because readers ask about them.

LIFE STAGE
  • Adult15
  • Senior4
  • All Life Stages1
BREED SIZE
  • All Breeds20
SPECIAL DIETS
  • Grain-free (no wheat, corn, rice, barley or oats)10
Wysong Epigen 90 Starch-Free Dry Dog Food MOST PROTEIN Wysong Epigen 90 Starch-Free Dry Dog Food 70.0% dry matter Wysong Epigen Starch-Free Grain-Free Dry Dog Food LEAST STARCH Wysong Epigen Starch-Free Grain-Free Dry Dog Food 5% as fed Wysong Synorgon Dry Dog Food FEWEST CALORIES Wysong Synorgon Dry Dog Food 437 kcal per cup
THE COMPANY

About Wysong

Ownership
Family-owned
Founded
1979
Headquarters
Midland, Michigan

Who Makes It

Wysong is made by Wysong Corporation of Midland, Michigan, which was started by Dr. Randy Wysong, a veterinarian. The company makes dry, canned, and raw foods and supplements for dogs, cats, and ferrets, and is known for high protein lines such as the starch-free Epigen kibble. The company calls itself a pioneer of natural, holistic pet foods. 1, 2, 3

Where It Is Made

Wysong says it owns and controls its own manufacturing, with manufacturing and company headquarters in the Midwest. A third-party review reports that its dry foods are made in Wisconsin, supplements at its Midland facility, and canned foods by US co-packers including Evanger's. 4, 5

History

Wysong Corporation was established in 1979 in Midland, Michigan. It describes itself as family owned and operated, and it has not been acquired by a larger pet food company. 1, 6

Worth Knowing

In 2009 Wysong recalled certain lots of Maintenance, Senior, and Synorgon dry dog food over mold linked to high moisture, and it reported that mycotoxin tests were negative. In 2018 a federal appeals court upheld the dismissal of Wysong's false advertising lawsuit against several larger pet food makers over ingredient photos on packaging. 7, 8, 9

  1. wysong.net
  2. wagwalking.com/product-guides/reviews/dog-food/wysong-dog-food
  3. wysong.net/products/epigen
  4. wysong.net/pages/why-wysong
  5. cats.com/wysong-cat-food
  6. dogster.com/dog-nutrition/wysong-dog-food-review
  7. dvm360.com/view/wysong-recalls-more-dry-dog-food-exposed-moisture
  8. dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recalls/wysong-dog-food-recall-of-october-2009-update
  9. caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-6th-circuit/1930824.html

Researched from the sources above. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

RECALL HISTORY // WYSONG

No Recalls In Our Record Since 2012

Our log holds FDA dog food recall notices from 2012 on, so this is not a guarantee that Wysong has never had one. See the recall log

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