What's actually in Crave?
We analyzed Crave Grain-Free High Protein Adult Dry Dog Food with Chicken, the brand's flagship recipe from Mars Petcare. The first five ingredients are chicken, chicken meal, split peas, lentils, and pork meal.
Three named animal proteins in the top five is a real strength — fresh chicken (whole meat palatability), chicken meal (protein density), and pork meal (a second animal source). Between them at positions three and four are split peas and lentils — two concentrated plant proteins and carbs. Chicken fat preserved with mixed tocopherols handles the lipid load at position six. Pea starch appears at position seven (a third pea-derived ingredient). Beet pulp, flaxseed, and natural flavor close out the top-ten. Further down the list you get dehydrated alfalfa meal, mixed tocopherols as a secondary preservative, and a full chelated mineral premix. Shop on Amazon →
The good stuff
The protein strategy is Crave's selling point and it genuinely holds up on the label. Chicken, chicken meal, and pork meal in three of the top five slots means meat is doing real work — not just headlining the marketing. The guaranteed 34% minimum crude protein is in the high-protein tier, comparable to Blue Buffalo Wilderness and roughly matching Nulo.
Mars Petcare's supply chain is the largest in the pet-food industry, with more QA infrastructure than smaller brands. While big-corporate ownership isn't automatically better than independent manufacturing, it does translate to more consistent batch-to-batch quality control and faster recall response if issues arise.
Preservation is clean: mixed tocopherols on the chicken fat, mixed tocopherols listed separately as a preservative further down, citric acid, and rosemary extract. No BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin. The mineral premix uses a combination of sulfates and oxides with some chelation (manganese sulfate appears alongside manganous oxide) — middle-of-the-road but not cheaply done. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C), DL-methionine for amino-acid balance, and a full B-complex round out the nutritional profile.
The not-so-good stuff
The legume load is Crave's weakest point. Split peas at three, lentils at four, pea starch at seven — three legume-derived ingredients in the top ten, totaling a significant portion of the formula. This is the exact ingredient stacking pattern that prompted the FDA to open its investigation into diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy. There's no guaranteed taurine in the ingredient list (unlike Nutrish PEAK, which adds it defensively). If heart health is a priority for you — especially with breeds at elevated DCM risk like Great Danes, Dobermans, and Golden Retrievers — that's a meaningful omission.
No whole fruits or vegetables. The phytonutrient layer that makes Acana or Orijen distinctive — blueberries, cranberries, whole pumpkin, kelp — isn't here. Dehydrated alfalfa meal is the closest thing, and that's a commodity filler more than a functional inclusion.
No probiotics. For a "high-protein" premium formula in 2026, skipping the live-culture layer is a miss. Digestive support is a standard feature at this price tier.
How it compares
Crave's B (78/100) lands it alongside Blue Buffalo (B/78), Taste of the Wild (B/78), and Nutro (B/77). Within the grain-free high-protein sub-tier, its clearest peer is Blue Buffalo Wilderness (B/75).
Crave beats Wilderness on raw protein density (three named meats to two) but loses on whole-food inclusions (Wilderness's LifeSource Bits supply antioxidants Crave doesn't). The step up to Wellness CORE (A/90) or Orijen (A/90) costs meaningfully more and delivers less legume reliance.
Read the full head-to-head: Crave vs Blue Buffalo Wilderness. For more grain-free picks see our best grain-free dog food guide.
The bottom line
Crave Grain-Free High Protein Chicken earns a B grade (78/100) from KibbleIQ. Three named animal proteins deliver on the 34%-protein promise, preservation is clean, and Mars Petcare's QA infrastructure is a backbone strength. The three-way legume load in the top ten without guaranteed taurine is the single biggest reason it sits at 78 rather than low 80s. For an active dog in a non-DCM-risk breed, Crave is a solid pick; for heart-risk breeds or owners who've been tracking the FDA's grain-free investigation, a lower-legume or taurine-supplemented formula is worth the extra consideration. Shop on Amazon →