Disclosure: When you buy through links on this site, we may earn a commission.
Disclosure: Watchdog Labs is free to use. When you buy through links on this site, we may earn a commission.
Please be aware that Hill’s is voluntarily recalling some canned dog food due to potentially elevated levels of Vitamin D. More information here.
Whole Earth Farms Grain-Free Chicken & Turkey is an exceptional quality dog food at a low price. This product has no controversial ingredients and zero artificial preservatives, colors or flavors. However, it has a high amount of carbs, compared to its protein and fat, but the meat and fat quality in the food is excellent. Whole Earth Farms has a below-average number of dog food recalls and was extremely transparent when answering our questions. Watchdog Labs highly recommends this product.
Read the Full Review BelowLearn what makes a great dog food and get expert advice on how to choose the best food for your dog.
Learn MoreThis dog food review was created by experts who love dogs. Find out more about our team and mission.
About Watchdog LabsThis food has a good amount of protein but is high in carbs, which is lowering the fat content somewhat and making it less nutritionally balanced compared to other dog foods we evaluated. Carbohydrates are cheap so they keep the food’s cost low. They are nutritionally useful to dogs in the right amounts, however, very high amounts of carbs can reduce the much-needed meat-based protein and fat content.
To evaluate dog foods, we first calculate out the moisture. This is called the “dry matter basis” and shows you only the solid ingredients in the food. These estimated “dry matter” numbers are different from the food label, but a better way to understand the real nutritional value of the food. We also calculate the carbs. Find out more
Min. Protein 29.55%
Min. Fat 14.77%
Min. Carbs 47.73%
Max. Fiber 5.11%
Max. Ash 7.95%
Max. Moisture 0.00%
Min. Protein: 26.0%
Min Fat: 13.0%
Min Carbs: N/A
Max Fiber: 4.5%
Max Ash: N/A
Max. Moisture: 11.0%
348 Calories per Cup
This product has a somewhat low amount of calories. It’s important to understand how many calories you are feeding to prevent under or overfeeding. Lower calorie foods like this can be for weight loss or less active dogs who require fewer daily calories. Based on your dog's current weight and activity level you may want to feed more or less than the recommended amount. It's helpful to know that weight loss foods often have fewer than 340 calories per cup, weight maintenance foods typically range from 340-380 calories, and high-activity dog foods are usually over 400 calories.
Grain-Free Dog Foods
This is a grain-free dog food. The FDA is investigating a potential connection between grain-free diets and canine heart disease. There is not enough evidence yet to affect our ratings but we've created an article for you explaining the topic.
Learn MoreChicken Meal, Dried Potatoes, Peas, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Sweet Potatoes, Chicken, Natural Chicken Flavor, Turkey, Yeast Culture, Organic Alfalfa Meal, Salt, Salmon Oil, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Pyroxidine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Thiamin Mononitrate), Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Amino Acid Complex, Sodium Selenite), Dried Blueberries, Choline Chloride, Cinnamon, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Lactobacillus Plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product.
The average dog food we reviewed has 39 total ingredients, with 1 controversial ingredient. This food has 0 controversial ingredients, amazing.
Top 5 Ingredients
Dog food ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. So when looking at dog food label, take a close look at the first 5 ingredients. They make up about 80% of the total weight.
Controversial Ingredients
Whole Earth Farms Grain-Free Chicken & Turkey Recipe does have any controversial ingredients.
Country of Origin
This food is made in the United States. That’s good, because the U.S. has strong quality and food safety laws in place .
Meat & Fat Quality
Chicken Meal, Chicken and Turkey are the main meats in this dog food. They are very transparent in that they clearly show which animal the ingredients come from. The added fat is Chicken Fat and Salmon Oil, also clearly showing their origin.
Artificial Preservatives
Whole Earth Farms Grain-Free Chicken & Turkey Recipe contains no controversial preservatives. It’s good to know that not all artificial preservatives are bad. That’s because they serve an important purpose, which is to prevent food from spoiling. However, we consider 11 artificial preservatives controversial because of their potential link to cancer and other serious health conditions.
Artificial Colors
No artificial colors are used in this food, really great.
Artificial Flavors
Another area this food excels in is the lack of artificial flavors. They’re unnecessary (dogs like many food flavors) and a potential health concern.
Whole Earth Farms has a below average number of recalls.
We love dog food brands that are committed to transparent business practices. If you make quality dog food you should be willing to openly talk about how it’s sourced and produced. That’s why we reached out to pet food companies, asking questions about all their brands and products. Each company had three weeks to reply to our messages.
How Easy Was it to Reach the Company?
Whole Earth Farms responded within 1 day with complete answers. Unfortunately, they have an aggressive disclaimer in their email that prohibits us from sharing the answers they provided.
Does Whole Earth Farms have a veterinary nutritionist on staff? If so, who are they?
The company answered this question in detail but did not allow us to share the answer publicly.
Who formulates your recipes, and what are their credentials?
The company answered this question in detail but did not allow us to share the answer publicly.
Do you test your products using AAFCO feeding trials? Why, or why not?
The company answered this question in detail but did not allow us to share the answer publicly.
What country are your products manufactured?
The company answered this question in detail but did not allow us to share the answer publicly.
Can your manufacturing facilities be visited?
The company answered this question in detail but did not allow us to share the answer publicly.
What quality measures do you use to assure consistency and quality?
The company answered this question in detail but did not allow us to share the answer publicly.
Does Whole Earth Farms own its manufacturing facility? If it is another company, what company is it?
The company answered this question in detail but did not allow us to share the answer publicly.
Do any parts of your product come from China?
The company answered this question in detail but did not allow us to share the answer publicly.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1242073/
https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/proposition-65-list
https://petfood.aafco.org/Nutritional-Labeling
https://petfood.aafco.org/Labeling-Labeling-Requirements
https://petfood.aafco.org/Calorie-Content
https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/ResourcesforYou/ucm047120.htm
http://dels.nas.edu/resources/static-assets/banr/miscellaneous/dog_nutrition_final_fix.pdf
http://www.acvn.org/nutrition-resources/
https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/Products/AnimalFoodFeeds/PetFood/ucm2006475.htm
https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=FDA-2011-N-0922-0489
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/ires/
https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/safety-loophole-for-chemicals-in-food-report.pdf
https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/pubhealth/roc/index-1.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8493816
Linda P Case, MS; Daniel P Carey, DVM; and Diane A Hirakawa, PhD, Canine and Feline Nutrition A Resource for Companion Animal Professionals, Mosby-Year Book, Inc.