Rating: 
Earthborn Holistic Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.
The Earthborn Holistic product line includes four dry dog foods… three meeting AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance and one for growth (Puppy Vantage).
- Earthborn Holistic Adult Vantage
- Earthborn Holistic Puppy Vantage
- Earthborn Holistic Ocean Fusion
- Earthborn Holistic Small Breed
Earthborn Holistic Small Breed was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Earthborn Holistic Small Breed
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken meal, whitefish meal, oatmeal, ground barley, ground brown rice, rye flour, potatoes, sweet potatoes, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E), canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E), tomato pomace, ground flaxseed, apples, blueberries, carrots, peas, spinach, garlic, yucca schidigera extract, taurine, l-lysine, dl-methionine, glucosamine hydrochloride, chondroitin sulfate, beta-carotene, calcium carbonate, zinc oxide, magnesium proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, niacin, d-calcium pantothenic acid, vitamin a supplement, l-carnitine, vitamin B12 supplement, ascorbic acid, ferrous sulfate, biotin, riboflavin (vitamin B2), thiamine hydrochloride (vitamin B1), calcium iodate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, manganese proteinate, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, dried Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation products
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 6.7%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The second ingredient lists whitefish meal… another high-protein meat concentrate. Whitefish is a freshwater species native to the northern United States and Canada.
Thankfully, unlike most fish meals, this particular item appears to be ethoxyquin-free.1
The third ingredient is oatmeal… a whole-grain product made from coarsely ground oats. Oatmeal is naturally rich in B-vitamins, fiber and is also (unlike many other grains) gluten-free.
The fourth ingredient is barley. Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. Unlike grains with a higher glycemic index (like rice), barley can help support stable blood sugar levels in dogs.
The fifth item is brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient… a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
The sixth ingredient is rye. Rye is a cereal grain nutritionally similar to barley.
The seventh ingredient lists potatoes. Assuming they’re whole, potatoes are a good source of digestible carbohydrates and other healthy nutrients.
The eighth ingredient mentions sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are another good source of complex carbohydrates in a dog food. They are rich in fiber, beta carotene and other healthy nutrients.
The ninth item includes chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken… a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid… an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Though it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is a quality ingredient.
The tenth ingredient is canola oil. Most applaud canola for its favorable omega-3 content… while a vocal minority condemn it as an unhealthy fat.
Current thinking (ours included) finds the negative stories about canola oil more the stuff of urban legend than actual science.2
The next ingredient is Tomato pomace is a controversial ingredient… a by-product left after processing tomatoes into juice, soup and ketchup.
Many praise tomato pomace for its high fiber and nutrient content… while others scorn it as an inexpensive pet food filler.
Just the same, there’s probably not enough tomato pomace here to make much of a difference.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.
With three notable exceptions…
First, garlic can be a controversial item. Although the majority of experts favor the ingredient for its numerous health benefits, garlic (in rare cases) has been linked to Heinz body anemia in dogs.3
Most of the literature we surveyed offered no conclusive evidence against the use of garlic… especially in small amounts (as it is here).
Next, the manufacturer appears to have applied friendly bacteria to the surface of the kibble after cooking. These special probiotics are used to enhance a dog’s digestive and immune functions.
And lastly, this food also contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.
Earthborn Holistic Dog Food
The Bottom Line
For the most part, Eartborn Holistic Dog Food contains the kind of ingredients you’d expect to find in a quality kibble.
But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 31%, a fat level of 19% and estimated carbohydrates of about 42%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 28% and a mean fat level of 17%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 47% for the overall product line.
Average protein. Average fat. And average carbohydrates when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Earthborn Holistic Dog Food is a grain-based dry kibble using a moderate amount of chicken or whitefish meals as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand four stars.
Highly recommended.
Those looking for a grain-free kibble from the same line may wish to visit our review of Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural dog food.
A Final Word
This review is designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food. However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in specific health benefits for your pet.
For a better understanding of how we analyzed this product, please be sure to read our article, “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews”
Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult a veterinarian for help.
Have an opinion about this dog food… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.
Notes and Updates
04/18/2010 Original review
11/18/2010 Review updated
- Per Cindy Montgomery, Earthborn Holistic Pet Food, email dated 4/19/2010 ↩
- Mikkelson, B and DP, Oil of Ole, Urban Legends Reference Pages (2005) ↩
- Yamato et al, Heinz Body hemolytic anemia with eccentrocytosis from ingestion of Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum) and garlic (Allium sativum) in a dog, Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 41:68-73 (2005) ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.