barley

What it is

Barley is a grain contributing digestible carbohydrate and beta-glucan soluble fiber, like oats. Labels say barley, whole barley, or ground barley; pearled barley is the same grain with the outer layers polished off.

Why it's in pet food

Its starch digests comparatively slowly, which formulators use for steadier energy release, and the soluble fiber does modest good in the gut. It reads as a deliberate choice on a label rather than a cost decision.

How Bowlmark scores it

Scores are deterministic math over the printed label — the rules below apply to every product identically, and nothing estimates or fills in a blank.

Barley carries no deduction — it is not among the cheap-grain first-ingredient terms (corn, wheat, soy), and it is not a watched splitting base. The engine treats it as a neutral carbohydrate; the term lists are versioned, advisor-tuned config.

Read the full methodology

Foods that list barley

Ranked by score where scores exist. Placement here is never sold.

• Meadow Farms Chicken & Oatmeal Puppy93
• Open Farm Large Breed RawMix with Ancient Grains93
• Copperfield Cats Indoor Hairball Care Chicken & Brown Rice92
• Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Adult Dry Dog Food - Chicken & Brown Rice91
• North Fjord Wild Coast Salmon & Herring Adult91
• Meadow Farms Chicken & Brown Rice Adult90
• Canidae All Life Stages Real Chicken & Ancient Grains Recipe88
• Canidae All Life Stages Real Lamb & Ancient Grains Recipe88

Sources

• WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee — Selecting a pet food

Related ingredients

• amaranth
• barley flour
• brewers rice
• brown rice
• whole wheat
• wild rice

Further reading

• Grain-free, legumes and the DCM question
• How to read a pet food label