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Ingredient file // Fiber

Sun-Cured Alfalfa Meal

Useful forage fiber with unproven health claims

Sun-cured alfalfa meal is field-dried alfalfa hay ground for feed. It adds fiber to kibble, along with some plant protein and minerals. Claims that it improves digestion, builds muscle or protects a dog with antioxidants go beyond the evidence.

Sun-Cured Alfalfa Meal
What it is
Alfalfa leaves and stems dried in the field, stored as hay, then ground into feed meal.
Made from
Alfalfa leaves and stems
Main job
Fiber in the recipe
Typical amount
Not published
Watch for
Mold from poorly cured hay
Not the same as
Dehydrated alfalfa meal

Straight answer

Is Sun-Cured Alfalfa Meal safe for dogs?

Read it as fiber, then check the food

When sun-cured alfalfa meal follows the main proteins and fats, read it as a supporting fiber ingredient. If it appears near the top, check the finished food's fiber and calories. Judge the whole recipe, and skip promises about digestion, muscle growth or antioxidant protection.

Why it is in the food
Fiber in the recipe

Our read // In our catalog

In 1 of every 247 foods we track

Share of foods that list it

<1%

13 of the 3,205 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 5 brands. All dry dog food.

Each square is 1% of the catalog

Where it sits on the label

Median position 9. In the top five of 0 foods, so it is usually a supporting ingredient.

Top five List position, heaviest first

Above the salt

75%

Listed before the salt in 75% of foods. In the rest it is under about 1% of the recipe.

Price per lb

Foods with it $2.17
All foods $3.25

Median of the cheapest bag price across 11 priced foods, 33% below the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.

Who leans on it

54%

of the foods that list it are from Canidae. 5 brands use it in total.

What it is

How it is made

Alfalfa is grown mainly as livestock forage. Cutting and field drying turn the crop into hay that stores and ships. Feed mills grind that hay into a meal that kibble makers can weigh and mix.3,4,5

  1. 01 // Source Cut alfalfa The aboveground leaves and stems are harvested for hay while the roots remain in the field.
  2. 02 // Process Field cured Sun and air dry the cut crop before it is gathered for storage.
  3. 03 // Process Stored and ground The hay is stored in bales or stacks, then milled into smaller particles.
  4. 04 // Output Sun-cured meal Ground alfalfa hay reaches the kibble plant as a dry forage ingredient.

What is in it

Composition, dry matter

29

% crude fiber

The rounded average for alfalfa hay. Ground sun-cured hay brings substantial fiber, while its protein is a smaller part of the meal.

Crude fiber 19.4-38.2%2
Neutral detergent fiber 31.3-59.4%2
Crude protein 11.3-25.3%2
Lignin 4.8-11.1%2
Ash 7.2-16%2
Calcium 8.4-24.5 g/kg2

These are hay measurements, the closest published match to ground sun-cured hay. Older, stemmier plants have more fiber; leaves lost during drying take protein with them.2,3,5

Why it is in the bag

What the manufacturer gets

  1. 01

    Adds forage fiber

    Grinding lets the hay mix through kibble. Its fiber contributes to the finished food's fiber total, though a trial has not isolated this meal's effect on dog stool.1,2,4

  2. 02

    Contributes some protein

    Alfalfa protein counts in a recipe's crude protein total. The hay contains much more fiber than protein, so it is a supporting ingredient rather than a main protein source.2

  3. 03

    Uses an existing crop

    Most US alfalfa is grown for livestock feed. Milling stored hay draws on that existing supply instead of requiring a specialty pet food crop.4,6

How much An 8-dog trial listed sun-cured alfalfa meal in a commercial diet, but did not disclose how much the food contained.1

Our read // The claims

What the evidence supports

Strong: controlled studies in dogs agree. Some: small or mixed dog data. Thin: mechanism or lab work only. None: nothing, or the evidence points the other way.

  1. Brands say

    Alfalfa meal supplies dietary fiber

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    Alfalfa hay averaged about 29% crude fiber on a dry matter basis. Grinding does not remove that fiber. The amount a dog gets still depends on how much meal the recipe includes.2,4

  2. Brands say

    Its fiber supports healthy digestion

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    An 8-dog trial fed a diet listing sun-cured alfalfa meal alongside several other fibers. It measured the whole diet, disclosed no alfalfa dose and could not show that this meal improved digestion.1,7

  3. Brands say

    Alfalfa antioxidants protect your dog

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    Alfalfa contains plant pigments, but the 8-dog diet trial did not isolate the meal or test antioxidant protection. Prolonged field exposure also reduces carotene, so the ingredient name promises no protective dose.1,5,8

  4. Brands say

    Its protein promotes muscle growth

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    Alfalfa hay averaged about 18% crude protein on a dry matter basis. In the 8-dog trial, the meal was one undisclosed part of a complete diet, so muscle outcomes cannot be credited to it.1,2,7

  5. Brands say

    Sun curing preserves more nutrients

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    The name describes field drying, not superior nutrient retention. Alfalfa leaves can shatter during haymaking, taking protein with them, and prolonged field exposure reduces carotene. No dog trial compares health outcomes from sun-cured and heat-dehydrated meals.3,4,5

Straight answers

What owners ask

  1. Q01

    Is it just filler?

    No

    It contributes fiber, so it has a recipe job. It also contains some protein and minerals. Those facts do not turn a small, undisclosed addition into a proven source of muscle or antioxidant benefits.1,2

  2. Q02

    Will it firm my dog's stool?

    Not proven

    The dog trial that listed this meal tested a complete food with several other fiber sources. It did not disclose the alfalfa dose or isolate its effect, so the label cannot promise a stool result.1

  3. Q03

    Is dehydrated alfalfa meal the same?

    Different process

    Both come from alfalfa leaves and stems. Sun-cured meal is ground hay dried in the field; dehydrated meal is dried with controlled heat. The names do not prove a health advantage for either one.4

Who uses it

Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps

Top brands, by foods that list it

  1. Canidae 7 / 35
  2. Health Extension 2 / 47
  3. Stella & Chewy's 2 / 85
  4. Jinx 1 / 21
  5. Instinct 1 / 98

Foods that list it / all the brand's recipes we track.

Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it

  1. Chicken Fat 62%
  2. Chicken Meal 62%
  3. Turkey Meal 54%
  4. Peas 54%
  5. Mixed Tocopherols 46%
  6. Flaxseed 46%
  7. Garbanzo Beans 46%
  8. Sweet Potatoes 38%
  9. Chicken 38%
  10. Lentils 31%
  11. Potatoes 31%
  12. Menhaden Fish Meal 31%

On the shelf

Foods that list Sun-Cured Alfalfa Meal

13 foods in our catalog list it, highest on the label first.

Health Extension Ancestry Chicken Meal and Rice Dry Dog FoodHealth ExtensionHealth Extension Ancestry Chicken Meal and Rice Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 6 on the labelHealth Extension Ancestry Lamb Meal With Rice Dry Dog FoodHealth ExtensionHealth Extension Ancestry Lamb Meal With Rice Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 6 on the labelCanidae Under The Sun Grain-Free Lamb Recipe Dry Dog FoodCanidaeCanidae Under The Sun Grain-Free Lamb Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 6 on the labelInstinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken For Healthy Weight Dry Dog FoodInstinctInstinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken For Healthy Weight Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 7 on the labelJinx Small Breed Grain-Free Atlantic Salmon Dry Dog FoodJinxJinx Small Breed Grain-Free Atlantic Salmon Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 8 on the labelCanidae Pure Grain-Free Senior Real Chicken, Sweet Potato & Garbanzo Bean Recipe Dry Dog FoodCanidaeCanidae Pure Grain-Free Senior Real Chicken, Sweet Potato & Garbanzo Bean Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 8 on the labelCanidae All Life Stages Grain Free Real Chicken & Potato Recipe​ Dry Dog FoodCanidaeCanidae All Life Stages Grain Free Real Chicken & Potato Recipe​ Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 11 on the labelCanidae All Life Stages Real Salmon & Ancient Grains Recipe​ Dry Dog FoodCanidaeCanidae All Life Stages Real Salmon & Ancient Grains Recipe​ Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 12 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Grass-Fed Beef & Ancient Grains Recipe Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Grass-Fed Beef & Ancient Grains Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 17 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Cage-Free Chicken & Ancient Grains Recipe Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Cage-Free Chicken & Ancient Grains Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 17 on the label
Show 3 more
Canidae Pure Grain-Free Real Chicken, Lentil & Pea Recipe Dry Dog FoodCanidaeCanidae Pure Grain-Free Real Chicken, Lentil & Pea Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 9 on the labelCanidae Pure Grain-Free Real Lamb & Pea Recipe Dry Dog FoodCanidaeCanidae Pure Grain-Free Real Lamb & Pea Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 10 on the labelCanidae Pure Grain-Free Real Bison, Lentil & Carrot Recipe Dry Dog FoodCanidaeCanidae Pure Grain-Free Real Bison, Lentil & Carrot Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 10 on the label

On labels as

Other names for this

Manufacturers do not all use the same wording. These all mean the same thing.

Suncured Alfalfa Meal

Sources

What we read

Checked October 1, 2026.

  1. 1 Grain free diets for utility dogs during training work: Evaluation of the nutrient digestibility and faecal characteristics Animal Nutrition, 2019 // Journal
  2. 2 Alfalfa hay Feedipedia (INRAE, CIRAD, AFZ, FAO), 2012 // Database
  3. 3 Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) Feedipedia (INRAE, CIRAD, AFZ, FAO), 2013 // Database
  4. 4 Official Common or Usual Names and Definitions of Feed Ingredients AAFCO, 2025 // Regulator
  5. 5 Rain Impacts on Hay University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, 2018 // University
  6. 6 Genetically Modified Alfalfa Production in the United States U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, 2017 // Government
  7. 7 Sun-cured Alfalfa Meal in Dog Food Maev, n.d. // Industry
  8. 8 Alfalfa Bernie's University, n.d. // Industry
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. Back to the wiki

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