Whole Earth Farms Grain-Free Chicken | Dog Food Review

Nutrition

This 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

Dry Matter

Min. Protein 29.55%

Min. Fat 14.77%

Min. Carbs 47.73%

Max. Fiber 5.11%

Max. Ash 7.95%

Max. Moisture 0.00%

Food Label

Min. Protein: 26.0%

Min Fat: 13.0%

Min Carbs: N/A

Max Fiber: 4.5%

Max Ash: N/A

Max. Moisture: 11.0%

Calories

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.

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FDA Alert

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 More

96.5%

WATCHDOG
SCORE

Ingredients

96%

Total Ingredients

Controversial Ingredients

Chicken 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.

Chicken Meal
Meat meals are the result of cooking. Water is removed from meats to create a protein-rich meal powder. Meat meals contain about four times the protein meats do, so generally, they're a good source of nutrients. Chicken meal is generally a healthy dog food ingredient.

Dried Potatoes
Potatoes provide carbohydrates (mostly starch) and are a rich source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that there is a potential link between potatoes and canine heart disease. It is still too early to draw conclusions so we cannot yet say if potatoes are a generally high-quality dog food ingredient or should be avoided.

Peas
Peas are a good source of carbs, fiber and protein. Peas are starchy but high in vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron, and zinc. We consider this a healthy dog food ingredient. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that there is a potential link between peas and canine heart disease. It is still too early to draw conclusions so we cannot yet say if peas are a generally high-quality dog food ingredient or should be avoided.
Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols)
Chicken fat is the fat left over after cooking chicken parts. It's a high-quality dog food ingredient that provides nutrients such as fat and Omega-6 fatty acids. Mixed-Tocopherols are a natural preservative made from Vitamin E that helps keep food fresh. We consider it a high-quality dog food preservative.
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a root vegetable that are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, beta-carotene and other vitamins. They are a high-quality dog food ingredient.

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‍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.

Recalls

100%

Brand Recalls

Whole Earth Farms has a below average number of recalls.

Transparency

95%

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.

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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?‍‍‍