Let’s face the fact: many dog foods on the market today are made with low-quality ingredients or contain fillers like GMO corn, wheat, and soy that do more harm than good.
Solution? Organic Dog Food!
Finding the right filler-free dog food for your pet means knowing the quality of ingredients, reading reviews, and knowing the do’s and do n’ts of choosing organic dog food.
Keep reading to learn what constitutes healthy organic food for dogs and which ingredients you must avoid!
Table of Contents
- What is Organic Dog Food?
- Ingredients To Avoid In Pet Food
- Important Points To Consider
- Reviews: Best Organic Dog Food
- Honest Kitchen® Human Grade Dehydrated Organic Grain Dog Food
- Organix® Organix Grain Free Organic Dry Dog Food
- Taste of the Wild® High Protein Real Meat Dry Dog Food
- Rachael Ray Nutrish® Real Chicken & Veggies Recipe Dry Dog Food
- Blue Buffalo® Basics Limited Ingredient Diet Natural Senior Dry Dog Food
- Tender & True Pet Nutrition® Premium Chicken & Liver Dog Food
- Dr. Harvey's® Canine Health Miracle Dog Food
- Evanger's Dog & Cat Food® Organic Beef Dinner Dog Food
- Newman's Own® Organics Chicken Dinner For Dogs
- Organix® Castor & Pollux Butcher & Bushel Dog Food
- Index Table:Top Rated Organic Dog Food
What is Organic Dog Food?
To be labeled organic, dog food must be free of all synthetic flavors, preservatives, and colors.
Additionally, the meat used to make pet food must be free of antibiotics and growth hormones.
The ingredients must not be genetically engineered or altered and must be farmed pesticide- and insecticide-free.
A label that reads ‘100% organic’ indicates that dog food is made with all organic ingredients. On the other hand, if it says ‘Organic,’ it only has about 95% organic ingredients.
Ingredients To Avoid In Pet Food
Here are a few ingredients to avoid in dog food that’ll help you help your pup live a healthier life.
- Meat By-Products: These are the cheap fillers (majorly animal carcass remnants) that only contribute to bulk up the protein content of your dog.
- BHA/BHT: These preserve fats in human and pet foods. BHT has been directly linked with cancer for both dogs and humans.
- Corn Syrup and Corn: These low-quality fillers can cause indigestion, obesity, and allergies in dogs.
- Animal fat: Rendered animal fat can be moldy and rotten because it is usually derived from unidentified animals.
- Monosodium glutamate: This flavor enhancer is a potent allergen.
- Soy: A common allergen, soy can be difficult for pets to digest, causing bloat and gas.
- Sodium Tripolyphosphate (STPP): It is an active ingredient in many detergents used mainly to soften water. And in pet food, STPP works as a preservative. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized STPP as an insecticide, fungicide, and rodenticide.
Important Points To Consider
Here’s what to consider when evaluating natural or organic dog food brands. After these, you may visit organic mosquito repellent for yourself as well. It is important to take care of ourselves while taking care of others.
- Organic vs. natural: Know these differences: ‘Natural Dog Food’ generally means the meat was produced naturally, without flavors, sweeteners, or preservatives. But it doesn’t apply to the way the meat was produced. ‘Organic Dog Food’ refers to how the meat was produced, meaning fed with an organic diet and better living conditions.
- Strong> Grain-free vs. gluten-free/strong>: Gluten-free isn’t the same as grain-free. Some grains do not contain gluten, so you can get gluten-free dog food that still contains grains.
- Organic ingredients vs. all-organic: “USDA Organic” on the label means the contents are at least 95% organic. The label ‘Made with Organic Ingredients’ means that at least 70% of the ingredients meet USDA organic standards.
- Recognizable ingredients: Ideally, you should be able to read and recognize the ingredients on the label.
- Regulations and certifications: It is equally important to know the names of agencies that regulate and enforce dog food quality.
Reviews: Best Organic Dog Food
1
Score: 99.1
- Feeding organic food to your dog is one of the best ways to ensure his health and happiness. So why not start with Honest Kitchen organic grain dog food?
- This one comes in three different delicious recipes, including cage-free turkey, free-range chicken, and ranch-raised beef.
- Made of all-natural ingredients, just water will be needed as this organic dog food comes in dehydrated form.
- The item is also available in 4 different package sizes to help you find the right fit for your pet’s needs.
- It contains only human-grade ingredients, with zero fillers and flavors.
2
Organix® Organix Grain Free Organic Dry Dog Food
- Parents of small-breed puppies know that their pups have special nutritional requirements. Enter Castor & Pollux Organix small breed dry dog food.
- The food’s main ingredient is organic, free-range chicken. It is rich in proteins and low in calories, making it ideal for any small-breed dog.
- Organic food also contains Probiotics And prebiotics to support healthy digestion. Other ingredients are organic flaxseed, blueberries, and coconut oil.
- Nutritious and grain-free, this organic dog food contains no added growth hormones, antibiotics, chemical pesticides, or synthetic fertilizers.
3
Taste of the Wild® High Protein Real Meat Dry Dog Food
- We like that the Taste of the Wild dry dog food is made with all-natural ingredients, including roasted bison as the key ingredient, fruits, and vegetables, and added vitamins and minerals.
- The roasted bison and roasted venison formula provides a grain-free diet for healthy digestion and balanced nutrition for all dog breeds.
- Enriched with PROPRIETARY PROBIOTICS, ANTIOXIDANTS, and OMEGA FATTY ACID, the food is the right choice for a healthy gut and luscious skin & and coat.
- Made in the USA with only premium ingredients, this natural dog food is free of corn, wheat, soy, or artificial flavors and preservatives.
- Though it’s a little pricier than the other dog food picks on this list, considering the amount of ‘good for your pet’ ingredients, it’s well worth the dollars.
4
Rachael Ray Nutrish® Real Chicken & Veggies Recipe Dry Dog Food
- The Rachael Ray Nutrish Real Chicken & Veggies Dog Food is a delicious recipe based on chicken, peas, carrots, and brown rice. It also includes prebiotics, vitamins, and minerals to support a healthy diet.
- All chickens are U.S.-farmed and raised in healthy conditions, and the meat is free of poultry by-product meals, preservatives, or added chemicals.
- The label has a detailed food chart with the necessary amounts of food depending on your dog’s breed, age, and weight.
- Additionally, it has helpful information about transitioning from old dog food to new food without your pet’s complaints.
5
Blue Buffalo® Basics Limited Ingredient Diet Natural Senior Dry Dog Food
- Senior dogs require less food and nutrients than pups. The turkey and potato recipe from The BLUE Basics dog food line is specifically formulated for senior dogs.
- This natural dog food contains well-balanced vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals to ensure that your dog maintains a balanced diet daily.
- What we like about this one is that it features superior quality deboned turkey as the single-animal protein source. The turkey meat is perfect for your senior dog as it is light and easier to digest than chicken or beef.
- It also contains easily digestible carb sources and pumpkins for quick and healthy digestion. Of course, there are no corn, wheat, soy, dairy products, eggs, chicken, or beef.
- The organic dog food is available in two sizes—4 pounds and 24 pounds—to suit your budget and your dog’s specific needs.
6
Tender & True Pet Nutrition® Premium Chicken & Liver Dog Food
- This is a USDA Organic Certified chicken, prepared especially for dogs.
- The main ingredient in this dog food is cage-free organic chicken.
- It is a Grain-free recipe and contains no corn, wheat, or soy.
- This is a balanced formula for all life stages.
7
Dr. Harvey's® Canine Health Miracle Dog Food
- Canine Health is a base mix used to create balanced, homemade meals for dogs effortlessly. It is known to improve dogs’ kidney health.
- This human-grade dog food is packed with real food, including nine dehydrated vegetables, crushed eggshells, and six organic grains.
- It is made without any preservatives, dyes, chemicals, and fillers.
- Homemade dog food is made easy; preparing canine health only takes minutes. Rehydrate with hot water and add your raw meat. Top off with Dr. Harvey Fish Oil for Dogs and Dr. Harvey Kidney Health Supplement for a complete meal.
- This nutrient-dense, whole-food-based dog food has been shown to improve your dog’s digestion, increase energy, give a shinier coat, less itchy skin, and less smelly stools.
8
Evanger's Dog & Cat Food® Organic Beef Dinner Dog Food
- Evanger’s organic Beef Dinner is formulated to meet the nutritional levels for all life stages.
- Puppies, pregnant, and nursing dogs May require 2-3 times the above amount.
- You can reduce amounts for less active or older dogs.
9
Newman's Own® Organics Chicken Dinner For Dogs
- This healthy dog food is grain free, wheat-free and corn-free.
- It is Certified Organic By Oregon Tilth and made in the USA.
- It is also free of added Antibiotics or chemical additives.
- This dog food is suitable for dogs of all life stages.
10
Organix® Castor & Pollux Butcher & Bushel Dog Food
- It is made using large, satisfying cuts of real organic free-range chicken and potatoes.
- This dog food is free of any chemical pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, artificial preservatives, added growth hormones or antibiotics
