Inukshuk Information
Inukshuk is a Canadian dog food brand that has grown significantly in the last few years. The brand is owned by Corey Nutrition Company, founded by Lee Corey, and is based in the city of Fredericton in the eastern province of New Brunswick.
Corey Nutrition Company has been in operation for over 40 years and has two other pet food brands that it produces, which are North Paw and ProSeries.
The company initially produced fish feed and was the only fish feed company on the east coast of Canada. But over time, they were pushed out of that industry by competitors and pivoted to dog food.
The Inukshuk brand was initially developed as a specialized dog food to meet the intense nutritional needs of sled dogs in Canada.
Sled dogs require a massive amount of calories to perform and travel great distances in arctic temperatures.
However, Inukshuk has expanded its reach and is now available for many other dogs with high nutritional needs.
Not only are Corey Nutrition Company’s operations based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, but their manufacturing is also done there at a small production facility.
You can watch a video tour of their production facility below.
Inukshuk is widely available in the United States and Canada and can be purchased from many physical locations, but these tend to be smaller independent retailers rather than big chains.
You can use their Trusted Resellers Page to find a retailer near you.
Inukshuk also allows for wholesale purchasers of their foods for breeders, kennels, professional trainers, and more, which allows for significant savings.
If you are looking to purchase Inukshuk online, you can purchase from Chewy in the United States, directly from Inukshuk in Canada, and from several other smaller online pet food stores across both countries.
Inukshuk Product Range
Given its popularity, Inukshuk has a relatively small product range, with just five unique recipes available to customers.
These recipes are all dry dog food and can be split between two categories. Inukshuk has its core three recipes, which are named after their protein and fat quantities. An example is their 26/16 recipe, which has a minimum of 26% protein and 16% fat.
They then have two additional recipes, which are called Marine and are similar to their core recipes but utilize fish-based ingredients instead of Chicken.
At this time, Inukshuk does not produce any cat food recipes, and we could find no indication that they intend to in the near future.
Inukshuk Nutrition
As you might imagine for a dog food brand designed for sledding dogs in the Canadian Arctic, the nutritional profile of their recipes is extremely impressive and significantly above average when compared to most other dry dog foods.
Below is an example of the nutrition provided by one of their dry dog food recipes, and this isn’t even the one with the most impressive nutrition.
As you can see, this recipe’s sum of protein and fat is enormous, at 75% of its calorific content. In particular, the fat content is far above most conventional dry dog foods at 49%.
This high-fat content is critical to working dogs and acts as their energy source to fuel them throughout the day.
However, the drawback of this fat content is that for dogs that aren’t as active, it can cause issues such as weight gain, which is why it’s essential that foods like these are selected for the right dogs.
We recommend you check out our Dog Food Guide for a detailed discussion on canine nutrition, including the importance of animal-based protein and fat.
Inukshuk Ingredients
High-Quality Meat & Fish Ingredients
- Chicken
- Herring
- Salmon
- Whitefish
Inukshuk utilizes a mix of Chicken and fish ingredients in its recipes to provide high-quality animal-based nutrition.
All of these ingredients are high-quality sources and feature as the recipe’s primary ingredients, showing they are present in large quantities.
While the quantities are quite low, there is some organ meat content found in Inukshuk recipes, such as Chicken Liver.
Organ meat ingredients such as these are excellent additions, boosting animal-based protein and fat levels and adding vitamins and minerals not often abundant in traditional meat cuts.
You can learn more about the use of organ meat ingredients in dog food recipes in our article Organ Meat Ingredients In Pet Food.
Other Notable Ingredients
Inukshuk utilizes a range of grain ingredients in its recipes, including examples such as Barley, Corn, Wheat, Brown Rice, and Oats.
Grain ingredients such as these can be controversial, with some dog owners refusing to feed grain-based foods. In particular, many frown upon select grains such as Corn and Wheat.
However, others are strong supporters of their use, such as those who feed brands like Purina Pro Plan and Royal Canin, and believe they are highly nutritious.
Regardless, grain ingredients act as a dense source of carbohydrates, plant-based protein, and fiber, along with several other micronutrients.
You can learn more about Barley in our article Barley In Dog Food.
Several of Inukshuk’s recipes include a notable portion of Chicken Fat as a secondary ingredient. Chicken Fat is commonly found in dog food recipes and is used to boost the overall levels of animal-based fat and improve the taste and flavor of a formula.
Chicken Fat is often used over alternatives for this task thanks to its low cost, high availability, and due to how effective it is at improving palatability.
Read more about Chicken Fat and why it’s used in dog food in our article Chicken Fat In Dog Food.
Small quantities of Canola Oil can be found in Inukshuks recipes, and this vegetable oil is regularly used by dog food producers.
Canola Oil can be included for several reasons. Sometimes, it’s present to help bind the ingredients of the recipe together more consistently, but other times, it’s present to boost fat levels, especially beneficial fats.
You can read more about Canola Oil in our article Canola Oil In Dog Food.
Dried Beet Pulp is an industry favorite ingredient to find in dog food recipes but is one that many consumers won’t be familiar with.
When Sugar Beet is processed to extract its sugar content, a highly fibrous byproduct remains, and this is sold to pet food producers.
They utilize this to add fiber to their recipes, as this dried beet pulp is highly effective at absorbing water.
However, there are sometimes concerns with its use, especially when it is included in high quantities. However, Inukshuk appears only to include it in smaller quantities.
You can learn more about this ingredient in our article Dried Beet Pulp In Dog Food.
Dried Brewers Yeast is an ingredient added to dog food recipes because many believe it can provide health benefits.
The health benefits are thanks to the vitamins and minerals the ingredient contains especially the B vitamins like B3, B6, and B9.
However, it also contains several other beneficial minerals. You can learn more in our article Brewers Yeast In Dog Food.
Kelp is an unusual addition to find a dog food recipe, but it is seeing increasing use among some niche and premium brands like Ziwi Peak and K9 Natural.
Kelp, which can also be thought of as seaweed, is processed before being added to dog food in small quantities.
The purpose of Kelp in dog food is often one of two reasons: some brands can use Kelp as a binding agent to hold the ingredients of kibble together. However, others include it for its health benefits, such as high levels of the mineral iodine.
You can learn more about this interesting ingredient and its use in pet food in our article Kelp In Pet Food.
Inukshuk Animal Testing
At this time, we have no information on whether Inukshuk participates in invasive or laboratory testing of animals.
It would be fantastic if Inukshuk clarified their testing approach on their website to provide existing and potential customers with more information.
Regardless, we are firmly against the use of invasive or laboratory testing for the production of pet food recipes and hope that any brands that continue to do so end this practice as soon as possible.
Inukshuk Recalls
Based on our research (FDA, AVMA, DogFoodAdvisor), we can find no evidence that leads us to believe that Inukshuk dog food recipes have ever undergone a recall, which makes Inukshuk a recall-free dog food brand.
We could also find no evidence that other dog food products made by Corey Nutrition Company had been recalled.
Given that the Corey Nutrition Company has been in operation for over 40 years, this impressive record shows that they take their safety and quality processes seriously.
Despite their growing popularity, we hope they can maintain this recall-free record in the coming years and further improve their safety and quality.
Regardless, we always encourage dog owners to be vigilant of any future recalls of Inukshuk dog food recipes or recipes from any other brand to ensure their dogs remain healthy and safe.
Best of Inukshuk
Marine 25 Review
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While Inukshuk’s Marine recipes may not have quite as impressive nutrition as some of their other recipes from Inukshuk have, it is still more than adequate for an active dog, and they come with the benefit of higher-quality ingredients.
The recipe uses a large portion of Salmon and Herring Meal to provide a minimum of 30% protein and 25% fat, which can fuel an active dog’s activity and growth.
Given the high-fat content, we wouldn’t advise this recipe for dogs that are inactive as it could cause weight gain.
It also contains a minimum of 2% of the Omega 3 Fatty Acids, which is far above most dog food recipes, which would struggle to achieve even 1%.
The fish-based content is joined by a mix of high-quality grain ingredients, including Oats, Barley, and Brown Rice.
These grain ingredients provide a moderate portion of carbohydrates and dietary fiber to round out a balanced nutritional profile.
Lastly, several minor ingredients are present, including Brewer’s Yeast, Kelp Meal, and others, which are present for their vitamin and mineral content or other health benefits.
Inukshuk Featured Articles
To date, Inukshuk has not been featured in any of our articles.
Inukshuk Full Product Range
Dry Dog Food
26/16
30/25
32/32
Marine 16
Marine 25