What the label, the manufacturer's documentation and the regulatory record actually say about the bison-and-venison recipe. Every fact below was read live on August 10, 2026.
Updated August 2026 · Label, FDA recall window, state licenses and the Chewy listing verified on August 10, 2026
Fact line: Taste of the Wild High Prairie Canine Recipe · $58.99 for the 28 lb bag, $2.11/lb, at Chewy (August 10, 2026) · 4.6/5 across 9,645 Chewy ratings that day · guarantor: Diamond Pet Foods · AAFCO statement: formulated to meet, adult maintenance · recall status: no entry in the FDA window scanned August 10, 2026 (2012 history below).
The marketing leads with bison and venison. The label tells a more ordinary story. The first eight ingredients, in order, from the manufacturer's own page (read August 10, 2026): water buffalo, lamb meal, chicken meal, sweet potatoes, peas, pea flour, chicken fat, egg product. The roasted bison and roasted venison of the branding are NOT among those first eight. That does not make the food bad: water buffalo, lamb meal and chicken meal are legitimate protein sources, and named meals are concentrated protein. But if you are buying it because of the bison on the bag, know that it is a flavor-level inclusion, not the backbone of the recipe. Dogs with chicken sensitivities should note the chicken meal and chicken fat despite the red-meat branding.
| Nutrient | Declared value |
|---|---|
| Crude protein (min) | 32.0% |
| Crude fat (min) | 18.0% |
| Crude fiber (max) | 4.0% |
| Moisture (max) | 10.0% |
| Calories | 3,719 kcal/kg · 422 kcal/cup |
32% protein and 18% fat is genuinely high for a maintenance kibble: this
is a calorie-dense food, and easy keepers can gain weight on it if portions
are not adjusted. The adequacy statement on the same page is the
formulation type: formulated to meet the nutritional levels established
by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for maintenance
· nutrient math,
not an AAFCO feeding trial, and a maintenance (adult) life stage, not a
puppy food. Our dog food guide
explains both distinctions.
Taste of the Wild's own FAQ states it is and has always been a wholly
owned brand of Diamond Pet Foods, a family owned and operated business
(tasteofthewildpetfood.com,
read August 10, 2026). Diamond is headquartered in Meta, Missouri (the
address on its state feed licenses below) and produces in its own US
plants, including the Gaston, South Carolina facility in the recall record
below. Owning the plants is a point in its favor under the WSAVA
transparency criteria.
In 2012, Diamond recalled dry foods produced at its Gaston, South
Carolina plant over Salmonella contamination, across many Diamond-made
brands. CDC's investigation record: A total of 49 individuals (47
individuals in 20 states and two individuals in Canada) infected with the
outbreak strain of Salmonella Infantis were reported
, linked to
dry dog food produced by Diamond Pet Foods at a single production
facility in Gaston, South Carolina
(CDC archive,
final update July 18, 2012; read August 10, 2026). Taste of the Wild's FAQ
confirms its voluntary recall and adds, as the brand's own claim, that
no Taste of the Wild product was contaminated
. Since then: no Taste
of the Wild or Diamond entry appears in the FDA's Recalls & Withdrawals
window we scanned in full on August 10, 2026 (entries back to 2019, the
page's own stamp that day: "Content current as of: 08/03/2026" ·
FDA).
A salmonella outbreak with 49 human illnesses is not a footnote, and we do
not treat it as one.
High Prairie is a legume-heavy grain-free recipe (sweet potatoes, peas, pea flour in the first six ingredients), which places it squarely in the category the FDA examined in its DCM investigation. In the June 27, 2019 status report, Taste of the Wild was the third-most-named brand in owner reports: 53 reports through April 30, 2019. The same report says, verbatim:
To date, the FDA has not established why certain diets may be associated with the development of DCM in some dogs. FDA third status report, June 27, 2019
The investigation page adds that adverse-event numbers do not supply
sufficient data to establish a causal relationship with reported
product(s)
, and its standing status since December 23, 2022 is:
FDA does not intend to release further public updates until there is
meaningful new scientific information to share.
(FDA investigation page,
read August 10, 2026.) The FDA never established causation and never
requested recalls; the question was never formally closed either. If your
dog's breed is predisposed to DCM, ask your veterinarian before choosing
any legume-rich grain-free diet.
No dog food has pre-market approval from the FDA; the per-product regulated document is the label itself (guaranteed analysis, ingredient order, adequacy statement), and states license feed firms on top. Lookups run August 10, 2026: Diamond Pet Foods holds active Texas feed license #105827 (Texas OTSC) and Minnesota commercial feed license #20054280 (Minnesota MDA). Its maker is required to be an FSMA-registered animal food facility; that register is not public, so we cite the obligation, not a lookup. The full four-brand license table is in our dog food hub.
Is there chicken in it? Yes: chicken meal is the third ingredient and chicken fat the seventh (label read August 10, 2026), despite the bison-and-venison branding. Dogs with chicken sensitivities should factor that in.
Is it safe, given the DCM investigation? The FDA documented a potential association for legume-rich diets, never established causality, and stopped public updates in December 2022; the record with the FDA's own words is above. For a predisposed breed or a dog with cardiac history, ask your veterinarian.
Is it AAFCO approved? No food is: AAFCO approves nothing. High Prairie's statement is formulated-to-meet for adult maintenance, read from the manufacturer's page on August 10, 2026.
Is it good value? At $58.99 per 28 lb and 422 kcal/cup (both August 10, 2026), its cost per 1,000 kcal is low for the spec; run the math for your dog's calories per our comparison guide.
Checked August 10, 2026: label, recall window, licenses and price read live that day; page rebuilt to the site standard (first full rewrite since scaffolding).
Sources · all read live on August 10, 2026
Prices and scores move; every one above carries its read date and will be re-read at the next edit of this page.