Muenster Pet Free Range Elk Recipe Freeze-Dried Bites

Dry Freeze Dried complete

Free Range Elk Recipe Freeze-Dried Bites
Good
our rating

Is Muenster Pet Free Range Elk Recipe Freeze-Dried Bites a good dog food?

We score it 70/100 (Good). This reflects the ingredient quality, composition and label transparency of the recipe as declared on the label.

How we score

Why this score?

The overall score is 70 out of 100. Ingredients without printed percentages weighed the score down by -10.6 points. The overall quality of the ingredient list added +6.8 points, the processing format added +6.6 points, and being labelled nutritionally complete added a further +2.3 points.

Only part of the analytical constituents are declared, so the nutritional picture is incomplete.

100% of this recipe has no printed percentage. Estimated shares are model estimates, not label facts.

The Recipe score measures how attractive and transparent the declared ingredient list is. It is not, by itself, proof that the food is nutritionally appropriate for long-term feeding. The Nutritional and Evidence scores measure what we can verify towards that stronger claim.

Why you might choose it

  • Scores 70, in the top quarter of dry foods we track.
  • Doesn't list grain ingredients.
  • Declares energy content, which most labels omit.

Why you might not

  • Meat makes up an estimated 3% of the dry matter (9% as fed); carbohydrates dominate.
  • 100% of the recipe mass has no printed percentage, so the exact split cannot be verified.

View the source page

Estimated composition

supplement70.2%
meat8.7%
veg8.4%
additive6.2%
oil4.2%
unknown2.4%

Typical analysis (as fed)

Protein
34%
Fat
30%
Fibre
2%
Moisture
7%

Energy: 509 kcal/100g

Additives & feeding info

Nutritional additives

Iron Sulfate; Zinc Sulfate; Vitamin E Supplement; Niacin; Copper Sulfate; Sodium Selenite; Manganous Oxide; D-Calcium Pantothenate; Riboflavin Supplement; Thiamine Mononitrate; Vitamin A Supplement; Pyridoxine Hydrochloride; Vitamin B12 Supplement; Calcium Iodate; Vitamin D3 Supplement; Folic Acid; Biotin

Technological additives

Tocopherols (preservative)

Feeding guide

Feed as is or reconstitute with ½ cup warm water per ½ cup of food. Slowly transition to Freeze-Dried over 7 days. For Adults: Up to 10 lbs – up to 1 cup/day; 10-20 lbs – 1-2 cups; 20-40 lbs – 2-3¼ cups; 40-60 lbs – 3¼-4½ cups; 60-80 lbs – 4½-5½ cups; 80-100 lbs – 5½-6 cups; Over 100 lbs – 6 + ½ cup per additional 25 lbs. Reproduction: Provide increasing amounts of food the latter half of gestation; amount may be twice normal intake; feed to consumption during lactation. Growth: Introduce around the 5th week and provide as much as puppies will consume from weaning till full grown. Always provide clean fresh water.

Who is this food for?

Suits

  • Labelled by the manufacturer for all lifestages
  • Grain-free: no grain ingredients listed
  • Doesn't list chicken, beef, turkey, lamb, pork, duck as ingredients

Consider something else if:

  • Your dog avoids fish: the label lists salmon oil
  • Your dog avoids venison: the label lists moose
  • You want a single-protein recipe: this one lists more than one animal protein

These points are derived from declared ingredients and analysis, not a substitute for veterinary advice. If your dog has a diagnosed condition, food choice is a medical nutrition decision: speak to your vet. Use the homepage filter to find foods that fit your dog.

Ingredients (30)

#As declaredMatchedCategoryTierDeclared %Est. %
1ElkMoosemeatgood-4.4
2VenisonVenisonmeatgood-4.3
3PumpkinPumpkinveggood-4.2
4Salmon OilSalmon Oiloilgood-4.2
5FlaxseedLinseedveggood-4.1
6Potassium ChloridePotassium Chloridesupplementmedium-4.0
7Choline ChlorideCholinesupplementgood-4.0
8SaltSaltadditivemedium-3.9
9Iron SulfateIron sulfatesupplementgood-3.8
10Zinc SulfateZinc sulfatesupplementmedium-3.7
11Vitamin E SupplementVitamin Esupplementgood-3.7
12NiacinNiacinsupplementgood-3.6
13Copper SulfateCopper sulphatesupplementgood-3.5
14Sodium SeleniteSodium selenitesupplementpoor-3.4
15Manganous OxideManganese (II) Oxidesupplementgood-3.4
16D-Calcium PantothenateCalcium pantothenatesupplementgood-3.3
17Riboflavin SupplementRiboflavinsupplementgood-3.2
18Thiamine MononitrateThiamine mononitratesupplementgood-3.2
19Vitamin A SupplementVitamin Asupplementgood-3.1
20Pyridoxine HydrochloridePyridoxine hydrochloridesupplementgood-3.0
21Vitamin B12 SupplementVitamin B12supplementgood-2.9
22Calcium IodateCalcium iodatesupplementmedium-2.9
23Vitamin D3 SupplementVitamin D3 supplementsupplementgood-2.8
24Folic AcidFolic acidsupplementgood-2.7
25BiotinBiotinsupplementgood-2.6
26Dried Lactobacillus AcidophilusDried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Productsupplementgood-2.6
27Dried Lactobacillus CaseiLactobacillus caseisupplementgood-2.5
28Dried Bifido Bacterium Thermophilumunmatched---2.4
29Dried Enterococcus FaeciumEnterococcus Faeciumsupplementgood-2.3
30Tocopherols (preservative)Tocopherolsadditivegood-2.3

Brand

Trust and provenance

Recall history
No recalls recorded in our database
Label data last checked
2026-09-13
Scored with
Model v3 (methodology)
Product page
muensterpet.com

Recall history is presentation-only and never affects the score. Dates are when we recorded the data, not when the manufacturer last changed the recipe.

Spotted a mistake in this listing? Report it here and we'll take a look.

Recipe: how the 1-100 score is calculated

Scored with model v3 on 2026-09-26. Each component is the feature value for this product multiplied by the model's published coefficient.

ComponentInputCoefficientContribution
Base score-30.909+30.91
Average ingredient quality0.79.191+6.78
Oil share of dry matter5.0%-0.092-0.46
Vegetable share of dry matter5.3%-0.005-0.03
Additive share of dry matter6.7%0.163+1.10
Supplement share of dry matter78.5%-0.012-0.96
Unrecognised share of dry matter1.5%-0.027-0.04
Recipe graded poor3.4%-0.065-0.22
Number of poor ingredients1-0.876-0.88
Largest single poor ingredient3.4%0.060+0.21
Undeclared quantities100.0%-0.106-10.56
Complete dietyes2.294+2.29
Low meat (under 10% of dry matter)yes-3.158-3.16
Additive penalty-7.460.222-1.66
Processing multiplier1.1133.786+37.50
Processing: Dry Freeze Driedyes6.629+6.63
Show all 40 components
ComponentInputCoefficientContribution
Base score-30.909+30.91
Average ingredient quality0.79.191+6.78
Meat share of dry matter0.0%0.096+0.00
Carb share of dry matter0.0%-0.115+0.00
Oil share of dry matter5.0%-0.092-0.46
Vegetable share of dry matter5.3%-0.005-0.03
Additive share of dry matter6.7%0.163+1.10
Supplement share of dry matter78.5%-0.012-0.96
Other share of dry matter0.0%-0.375+0.00
Unrecognised share of dry matter1.5%-0.027-0.04
Recipe graded poor3.4%-0.065-0.22
Poor-quality meat in recipe0.0%-0.179+0.00
Number of poor ingredients1-0.876-0.88
Largest single poor ingredient3.4%0.060+0.21
Undeclared quantities100.0%-0.106-10.56
Prints ingredient percentagesno0.000+0.00
Complete dietyes2.294+2.29
Frozen or chilled freshno0.000+0.00
High meat (30%+ of dry matter)no0.707+0.00
Low meat (under 10% of dry matter)yes-3.158-3.16
High carb and low meatno-1.180+0.00
Meat share × printed percentages0.00.000+0.00
Meat share × fresh0.00.000+0.00
Fresh × high meat0.011.084+0.00
Additive penalty-7.460.222-1.66
Processing multiplier1.1133.786+37.50
Processing: Rawno-0.054+0.00
Processing: Fresh Chilledno-2.354+0.00
Processing: Fresh Frozenno-2.354+0.00
Processing: Fresh Refrigeratedno0.000+0.00
Processing: Fresh Shelfno-0.672+0.00
Processing: Dry Freeze Driedyes6.629+6.63
Processing: Dry Air Driedno6.331+0.00
Processing: Dry Cold Pressedno-6.713+0.00
Processing: Dry Bakedno-6.713+0.00
Processing: Dry Extrudedno-6.713+0.00
Processing: Dry Semi Moistno-6.174+0.00
Processing: Dry Mueslino-10.146+0.00
Processing: Wet Pateno-0.672+0.00
Processing: Wet Chunksno-0.672+0.00
Processing-type offset
+0.06
Additives declared on label
+2 transparency bonus
Subtotal
69.5
Final score
70/100

Contributions are rounded to two decimals, so they may not sum exactly to the subtotal. The full coefficient table is published on the methodology page.

Nutritional: declared analysis vs reference ranges

How the declared analysis compares with FEDIAF reference ranges for adult dogs. The label prints as-fed values; we convert to a dry-matter basis before scoring, and the bands are dry-matter ranges. Scores rise to 100 at the band midpoint: the reference is adequacy, not maximisation. Nutrients with a published upper limit taper again above it; fat is policed through calorie density rather than a direct penalty.

Guaranteed-analysis FEDIAF score: crude minimums and maximums are bounds, not typical values; moisture (a maximum) uses the processing median where available; experimental US score.

NutrientAs fed (label)Dry matter (scored)Score
Protein3436.2 (band 18 to 40%)100
Fat3031.9 (band 5.5 to 20%)100
Fibre22.1 (band 0.5 to 5%)91.7
Energy (kcal/100g)509541.550

Scored over 4 declared nutrients (combined weight 60); undeclared nutrients do not affect the score. Moisture was not declared and was estimated at 6% from the food type.

Portion-control flag: 509 kcal/100g as fed with fat at 31.9% dry matter, above the reference band. High-energy foods need smaller portions.

Low confidence: partial analysis or moisture estimated from the food type.

This measures agreement with published reference ranges, not suitability for an individual dog. For medical conditions, follow veterinary guidance.

Transparency: what the label discloses

How much the manufacturer discloses, measured against the FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice and Regulation 767/2009. Mandatory items dominate the weighting.

ItemPoints
✓ Ingredient list on the label (mandatory)10/10
✗ Printed percentages on the label (voluntary) - not on file0/20
✗ Analytical constituents declared (mandatory) - not on file0/15
✓ Additives declared (mandatory)10/10
✓ Energy value declared (voluntary)5/5
✓ Complete/complementary designation (mandatory)5/5
✓ Feeding guidance given (mandatory)10/10
✓ Manufacturer identity and address (mandatory)5/10
✓ Country of manufacture stated (voluntary)10/10
✗ Batch and date labelling (mandatory) - not on file0/5

Capped at 60: mandatory items missing (Analytical constituents declared, Batch and date labelling).

Safety: recall history

Recall and safety-notice history, time-decayed. This dimension is shown alongside the score and never feeds the headline number.

No recalls recorded in our database.

Evidence: what the brand claims, and what supports it

The claims made on the pack and product page, checked against the declared label. We record claims as stated; "consistent" means our stored label data supports the claim, "contradicted" means it conflicts with it. Functional claims are recorded but never scored.

100/100 · moderate — 2 checkable claims: 2 consistent, 0 contradicted.

Consistent with the label

  • "Freeze-Dried Complete & Balanced Food and Treats for Dogs, All Life Stages" — supported by the declared complete and balanced data.
  • "formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages including growth of large size dogs (70 lb. or more as an adult)" — supported by the declared complete and balanced data.

3 further claims on file that we cannot check against the label.

Moderate: every checkable claim is consistent with the declared label.

ClaimTypeCheckSubstantiation
packed full of Canadian-raised Elk & organic minerals (on page)provenancenot checkableManufacturer assertion
reducing the carbohydrate load on their digestive system (on page)Functionalnot checkableManufacturer assertion
full of bioavailable nutrients and vitamins that are derived from organ meats & organic amino acids (on page)Functionalnot checkableManufacturer assertion
Freeze-Dried Complete & Balanced Food and Treats for Dogs, All Life Stages (on pack)ContentconsistentManufacturer assertion
formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages including growth of large size dogs (70 lb. or more as an adult) (on pack)ContentconsistentManufacturer assertion

The full scoring method is published. See the methodology for exactly how the headline score and each dimension are calculated.

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