Honest Kitchen Dog Food (Dehydrated)

by Mike Sagman
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Rating: ★★★★☆

The Honest Kitchen Dog Food earns the Advisor’s above-average rating of 4 stars.

Not including the do-it-yourself meatless pre-mix (Preference), the Honest Kitchen product line lists 7 dehydrated raw dog foods, 4 meeting AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance and 3 for all life stages (Thrive, Embark and Love).

  • The Honest Kitchen Force1
  • The Honest Kitchen Keen2
  • The Honest Kitchen Verve3
  • The Honest Kitchen Thrive4
  • The Honest Kitchen Embark5
  • The Honest Kitchen Zeal6 (5 stars)
  • The Honest Kitchen Love7 (5 stars)

Honest Kitchen Thrive was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.

Honest Kitchen Thrive

Raw Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 28% | Fat = 21% | Carbs = 44%

Ingredients: Dehydrated free-range chicken, organic fair-trade quinoa, sweet potatoes, spinach, parsley, organic kelp, rosemary, tricalcium phosphate, choline chloride, zinc amino acid chelate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, potassium iodide, potassium chloride, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 6.8%

Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients

Estimated Nutrient Content
MethodProteinFatCarbs
Guaranteed Analysis26%19%NA
Dry Matter Basis28%21%44%
Calorie Weighted Basis23%41%36%

The first item in this dog food is dehydrated free-range chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.8

Chicken is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The second ingredient is quinoa. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is not a true cereal grain… but is prized for its gluten-free seeds.

Compared to most other grain-type ingredients, it is high in protein (about 12-18%), fiber and other healthy nutrients. This is a quality non-meat component.

The third ingredient is sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are a good source of complex carbohydrates in a dog food. They are naturally rich in fiber, beta carotene and other healthy nutrients.

The next three items include a series of nutrient-rich vegetables…

  • Spinach
  • Parsley
  • Kelp

We note all the products contain 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.

Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Raw Dog Food
The Bottom Line

Before we conclude, it’s worth noting The Honest Kitchen has taken the rather unusual step of applying for (and actually receiving) FDA approval to label its pet foods “human grade“.

The company only uses human-edible components and produces all its products in a human food manufacturing facility.

So, judging by its ingredients alone, the Honest Kitchen appears to be a superior dog food.

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 28%, a fat level of 20% and estimated carbohydrates of about 44%.

Due to its apparently higher meat content, Zeal was upgraded to our 5-star category.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 29% and a mean fat level of 16%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 47% for the overall product line.

Below-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbohydrates when compared to a typical raw dog food.

Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a dehydrated raw food containing a moderate amount of meat.

Bottom line?

The Honest Kitchen is a plant-based raw dehydrated dog food using a moderate amount of assorted and named species as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.

Highly recommended.

For even more raw diet suggestions, be sure to visit the Advisor’s Recommended Raw Dog Foods summary page.

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

04/17/2010 Original review
11/17/2010 Review updated
04/01/2011 Review updated (now compared with other raw dog foods)
05/05/2011 Review updated (edited to show dehydrated chicken)
07/27/2011 Review updated (updated to new percentages)
11/17/2011 Review updated (added Love)
11/17/2011 Last Update

  1. Adult maintenance, gluten-free, grain-free ↩
  2. Adult maintenance, low gluten ↩
  3. Adult maintenance, organic grains ↩
  4. All life stages, gluten-free ↩
  5. All life stages, grain-free ↩
  6. Adult maintenance, grain-free ↩
  7. All life stages, grain-free, gluten-free ↩
  8. Association of American Feed Control Officials ↩
Dog Food Advisor IconThe Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.


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  • Dave M

    Sheila,

    I noticed you said you make the NRG the night before – I use K9 Natural which is similiar. Do you put the water in the night before and then leave out or put it in the fridge. I have often though that the K9 would be more enjoyable for the dogs if I let it soak longer.

  • Sheila

    Hi Misty,
    I used HK for awhile, rotating some of the proteins as well as Zeal as my Norwich was overweight at the time and Zeal was a lower fat. Yes, you will get larger volume of “poops”, but to my understanding this is normal with this type of food as it is digested more quickly and the size of the “poop” helps the anal glands and cleans the colon. I have been assured by both companies that there is no nutritional loss. For my dog the Zeal didn’t work too well for her skin and coat. As I live on the Westcoast
    of Canada I have a similar food that is more cost effective for me. It’s also rated by Mike as #4, called NRG. It’s manufactured near where I live and uses,(although they do not profess to human grade food) they do use ingredients source from local farmers that have animals raised with no hormones or anitbiotics. ( By the way hormones are illegal in Canada in animal feed). Antibiotics can be given to poultry up to 6 weeks old and not just before slaughter. Their ingredients are tested with every batch and when you open the bag you can see and smell the veggies& meat and it smells good. I do it up the evening before so it’s hydrated for the next day or in the a.m. for the p.m. I also have a small dog. Her stools are firm, abeit they are good sized and she does “poop” three times a day. I find it’s not as powdery as HK, although I like both foods equally. If your in the USA, it’s not available everywhere, but does have Veterinarian backup for feeding here, by the few Holistic Vets we have. and was co-produced by a Vet, who teaches nutrition in one of our Vet Colleges in Canada. So…. long and short, the frequent “pooping is normal”. Unfortunately NRG only makes Bison, Salmon (Wild caught ),Beef and Chicken. They use either Olive Oil, Coconut Oil or Cod liver Oil depending on which protein source you choose. I rotate every second bag so my dog gets different proteins and diffeent omega sources. So far my dog has a good coat, good skin and good weight. I use the Maxim (no grain). Their Vitality has naked Oats. Evenutally as I have said before in some posts, I will go to all raw. There is a review on it as well on this site.
    Good luck and don’t worry, I used to alot!
    SZ

  • Misty

    Forgot to mention, we are using Zeal.

  • Misty

    We’ve been using this for 6 months now, and it’s great. We didn’t even have any soft stools during the transition from her other food (Naural balance Bison and sweet potato). However, the biggest problem I have this food is amount of poop it makes my pug produce. They are healthy, formed stools – but she goes about 5-6 times (or more) a day. I did a google search on this and apparently other people have this problem with THK products.

    I was concerned since I’ve read that high quality foods decrease the poop. So I was thinking that this food may not be as high quality as I thought. I emailed THK and they said it was due to the fiber and high water content of the foods.

  • Linda

    Any greyhounds out there on Honest Kitchen? If so, how do they do on it? Thanks, Linda

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Anna… Nursing or pregnant females have critically important nutritional requirements. Some of Honest Kitchen formulas appear to be completely inappropriate for a nursing mom.

    My advice? Be 100% certain you are feeding a food that meets AAFCO nutrient requirements for “growth and maintenance”. And that you feed plenty of it. As much as she wants. Check with an experienced breeder for the specifics. Hope this helps.

  • Anna

    Hi guys, I started my dogs on hk about a month ago. My pug seems to love it , also my pitbull. But my husband seems to disagree with it. Its a little bit pricey but I see them as my kids. So price is not a big deal when it comes to their food. Any ways my husband thinks pedigree can food and red flannel is better than hk and nutri source (dry food). My pitbull also had puppies 3 wks ago. Is this ok food to give her while shes nursing? also will it be goid for the puppies if I start them on this when wean?

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Stephanie… All things equal (which they never truly are), the closer any ingredient is to “fresh”, the nutritionally better it should be for the animal. A quality balanced raw diet is better than a quality cooked raw diet. And both of those are far better than most kibbles. Hope this helps.

  • Stephanie

    Thanks Mike,
    I had another quick question about HK. I recently read somewhere that the meat part of the food, such as the chicken in Thrive is actually cooked and not raw. (Which makes sense when I think about it because the staff at HK claims to eat some of the food themselves to test it.) Would that affect the protein, nutrient absorption, digestion etc, in my dog’s diet?

  • Dawn Leder

    SHIELA…I AM SOOOO JEALOUS OF YOU AND YOUR PETS LOL
    I WANTED TO TYRY THE ACANA LITE & FIT AND ESP THE LAMB & APPLE AND…NEITHER….IS SOLD IN THE USA!! GRRRNOT THAT IM A KIBBLE LOVER IM NOT…..BUT MY SOPHIE GIRL EVEN WITH HER RAW IS A PORKA….AND THE LITE & FIT SEEMED GOOD TO USE FOR A BIT TO TAKE SOME WEIGHT OFF…I USE TO FIT ALL RAW EVERY MEAL WITH MY 3 YR OLD BEAGLE BUT THEN…I ADDED ..ANOTHER BEAGLE…AND WITH THE LAY OFF OF HUBBYS JOB…WELL I JUST CANT HANDLE THE PRICE OF THE RAW..AND BEING DISABLED AND UNABLE TO DRIVE ITS HARD TO GET TO BUTCHERS TO GET MEATS ETC…AND…MY OLDEST…SOPHIE..JUST NEVER EVER LIKED RAW BONES….THE PUP OMG SHES LIKE U JUST TOOK HER OUT OF THE WILD…SHE DEVOURS THE RAW….BUT ANYWAYS…JUST WANTED TO SHARE MY JEALOUSY LOL..BUGS ME TO NO END THAT THE USA DOESN’T SELL THE ACANA CLASSIC LINE….
    HAVE A GREAT ONE :o )

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Stephanie… Generally, the closer to “real” or “fresh” any (human or pet) food is, the better it is. Kibbles are a long way from what any dog (or his ancestors) would naturally eat in the wild.

    Unfortunately, due to the biological uniqueness of each pet, I cannot provide customized product comparisons for each reader. For more help, please check out my reviews and visit our FAQ page. Look for the topic, “Help Me Choose a Dog Food”. Or check back for a possible response from one of our other readers. Wish I could be more help.

  • Stephanie

    I had some questions regarding Honest Kitchen and Raw food in general. I am hoping shortly to be able to switch to a raw diet for my dog, I have been wanting to since I got him but I couldn’t afford it. Thanks to HK’s cheaper priced Keen I may be able to make the switch.
    Before I make the switch I want to make sure, is a 4 star raw food actually better than a 5 star dry diet?
    Also I know there is a lot of concern with a dog’s diet having too much phosphorus, and Keen does balance that with Calcium.
    How do I know what a good ratio for calcium/phosphorus is?

    Thanks!

  • Sheila

    Collen,
    Sorry for my mispellings. SZ, it’s called a “seniors moment or moments”.

  • Sheila

    Colleen,
    as a user of Hk I have bombarded them with questions on all sorts of areas about their foods. Get in touch, either via phone or email with Kat Pennick, she is wonderful at answering things, you can see from my previous emails I worry a lot. I have rotated from Force to Zeal and will go to Embark and Thrive as well. My Norwich has done well so far and most of my fears have been set aside. They will let you know about the heavy metals and what other fish you can add. You can also do cottage cheese, if your dog is tolerant. You could do the Preferance and add your own type of protein.. Kat is also a vegetarian, so I am sure she can ehlp you .
    SZ

  • sandy

    Colleen,

    Zeal is 35% protein which may increase its rating by itself. That’s as much protein as some of the ones in the 5-star list. Thrive used as the example is 28%.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Colleen… Thanks for the suggestions. However, although it is certainly of extreme importance, the environmental impact of each of the 2,500 recipes in my database is beyond the scope of a small operation like The Dog Food Advisor. I would need a whole army of interns (no, make that a whole university) to accomplish such a noble project.

    To answer your questions, the only way to know the concentration of the heavy metals in Zeal is to take it to the lab and analyze it. Or you may wish to contact the company to see if they could answer this question for you.

    Unfortunately, there’s no way I could possibly compute for you the amount of canned fish you’d need to add to Zeal to make it a 5-star food. My only practical answer would be that adding fresh lean meats or fish to this product could only improve it. Don’t be concerned about how much it would take to make it 5 stars. Just know you’d likely be improving your dog’s meal. Wish I could be more help.

  • Colleen

    Hi Mike,
    Thanks for all of this great info. One thing I would love to see covered in the reviews is some indication of environmental impact. This would be a huge project but thought I’d throw it out there (maybe a project for an intern?!?). There is so much energy and water consumed in raising animals for meat but not all meat is equal in this sense. Fish seems to have the least environmental impact but there are overfishing concerns as well as concerns with pollution / heavy metals in the fish. So much to think about! The main reason I like Honest Kitchen Zeal is that fish is the only meat, the fish is line-caught, and they donate some $ to organizations devoted to restoring wild fish and their habitats. Pretty cool. But I’d prefer a 5 star rating and less carbs, in a raw dehydrated form. I am vegetarian and don’t like handling meat, so the dehydrated form is easiest for me. My questions:
    How do I know if the fish in Zeal is low in heavy metals? Would you be concerned with feeding ONLY Zeal or only fish-based diets because of pollution concerns? And, if I wanted to raise the rating of my dogs’ meals to 5 stars, how much canned fish or meat should I add? My go-to canned food is Wellness 95% salmon.
    Thanks again,
    Colleen

  • Gordon

    Take it easy Sheila, and try and relax. I’m sure your dog is doing fine. I would email a company for their answer on what their maximum protein level is and so on for the other nutrients. They are the only ones that can actually tell you that type of information, accurately. Don’t forget though, that their min and max analysis is based on crude, guaranteed or typical analysis, and so it’s not based on the more accurate Dry Matter Basis, which what the percentages would actually be when water/moisture content is removed from the equation.

    This website explains this process under the Dry Matter Basis Article. But again, re the maximum crude percentages, only the actual company of whatever dog food manufacturer can give you those figures, if they’ve only specified their minimum percentages on the label.

  • Sheila

    Gordon, Thanks, I looked up the Earthborn Primitive and I think the fat content would be too much for my girl, she has had a weight issue in the past with too high a caloric food, although if I could get it, she probably would not get very much. I can’t see anyplace where it’s sold here, I also cannot get Artemis. The place where I take my dog for her grooming might have the Earthborn. I use Goat Yogurt myself, and give this to the dog as well, sometimes Kefir. Sounds like your “pups” are very active.
    I also have a question for anyon when the foods list the min. of protein, fat, how does one find out the max? I noticed on the HK Zeal the protein is high, fat low. As I have emailed them soooo many times with different questions, I asked about a Vet on staff, apparently the CEO is a certified nutritionist, they do alot of consulting with holistic Vets around the country and herbalists., so no Vet on staff.
    OH!, this is getting to be too much information overload for me once again, my poor dog!
    Take care, SZ

  • Gordon

    Sheila – I would say re your friend that it is even better that if she could afford to alternate/rotate HK with canned and leave kibble out entirely.

    Re how I currently feed my 2 dogs. BTW, my TT (Tenterfield Terrier) Small breed, has just finished his last Artemis Small Breed Puppy Mix and is on the same diet as my adult JRT (Jack Russell Terrier) now. Of which I feed them both BARF every second breakfast, and a 50:50 mix between Artemis Maximal and Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural kibble brands every alternate breakfast and every dinner and of this, with every 2nd dinner using low fat yoghurt as a topping. In addition, I feed them softly boiled free range eggs once weekly. And they get their daily treat of about 10 grams of 100% natural air-dried beef liver. All is evenly proportioned so not to exceed their caloric intake and they are doing fantastic on this with minimal stool and nice small solid ones at that.

    The only change I would employ is if I could spare more expense on my dogs’ diets and take any kibble out of the equation and feed BARF full time. Otherwise the current feeding regime explained above is working a treat. The other thing I plan to change, is to start making my own kefir in place of low fat supermarket yoghurt, that whilst is rich in probiotics (As I get the quality brands) is still too rich in added sugar

  • Sheila

    Gordon and Shameless Raw Foodie,
    Can you share as to what you feed your dogs? Are they big or small?
    Thks, SZ

  • Sheila

    Mike, Anyone else too-
    I have a friend that is also starting to use HK products. She presently uses some Merrick canned along with her dogs kibble and wanted to know if it’s a good/bad idea to use the canned with the HK and not use kibble at all.
    Thanks, SZ

  • Mary Lou

    Thanks, Mike. I have stopped serving kibble, that’s why I was curious about the pre-mixes. Our little guy eats Stella and Chewy’s frozen and freeze dried, and Nature’s Variety Instinct canned. I didn’t think adding more meat to those products was necessary. The bison is just more variety, and looking for the best way to serve it. Thanks.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Mary Lou… Adding fresh meat as a “topper” to kibble can offer significant improvement to the quality of almost any dry recipe. And even though we don’t actually review them, there are also a number of “pre-mixes” out there (like Sojos) that can be used with your own meat they may be practical, too. Hope this helps.

  • Mary Lou

    Hi ~ has anyone used the Preference and added their own meat? Any thoughts on this, anyone? Is there another product that you add your own meat to that someone can recommend? I found our dog loves bison, but I know giving him a bowl of bison isn’t going to hack it! If someone already wrote about it ~ sorry ~ didn’t want to wade through the comments. Thanks for any input.

  • Gordon

    Yeah who knows Sheila? I mean every dog is also unique in its way. My dad’s stomach is allergic to egg yolks, but he can eat the whites. That allergy did not pass onto me. Go figure?

  • Sheila

    Gordon,
    I think she threw up (a few hours later) the egg as the pieces were eaten basically without chewing, if you know what I mean. What came up was pieces of egg whites and a little yolk. It was soft boiled. She is okay with hard boiled in small pieces. This was just once, so I don’t try to overdo her stomach, she is just a small dog anyhow. Thanks for your reply. SZ
    SZ

  • Gordon

    That was meant to read “lightly boiled soft EGGS….”

  • Gordon

    G’day to you too, mate, lol. Yeah raw eggs, like raw meats are prone to bacterial infections such as salmonella etc. Many advocate feeding raw eggs with the shell included. Whilst I’m all for properly handled raw meats, I prefer to feed my dogs lightly boiled soft before feeding same once a week. But of course your dog may be throwing up raw eggs for other reasons?

  • Sheila

    Gordon,
    Sorry, no it was not me about the BARF, I only wish. Yes I lived in Sydney 35 years ago. Our dog there used to eat chopped kangaroo, rabbit and chicken from a local, small pet store. I am now on Vancouver Island in Victoria, so most things are shipped in and because of POLITICS, so much that’s in the U.S. we can’t get (dog/cat food), unless the companies apply for some sort of paperwork. I can get some local stuff, Mountain Dog, and a few others, depends on what the suppliers to the pet stores are carrying.
    Also, on of our more Holistic Vets (we don’t have many), really is promoting the NRG, Mike rates it as a 4 as well although the protein and fats are higher. They make one with oats, called Vitality and the other Mike has listed. My Vet, although he is conventional, is open minded, however for my girl with her being such a laid back, not to active, he feels she really doesn’t need the extemely high protein. I have been adding some cooked white meat of chicken to her morning meal, this is a dog that throws up eggs that are not well cooked. So as Mike often says, every dog is different and what is working well for one, might not work well for another.
    My last dog , an Aussie Terrier, died two years ago, age 11 from Cushings, she ate raw for 4 yrs. I also have started to transition to the Zeal for rotation.
    G’Day Mate, Have a good one!
    SZ

  • Gordon

    That’s a shame Sheila that your area is restricted when it comes to raw formulas. I think you had told me before under a different thread that you did have access to BARF but it is too expensive? I think that was you. You used to live down under many years ago?

    I concur with Shameless that HK whilst an air-dried product, has improperly balanced meat to carb ratio. A move away from an ancestral model.

  • Sheila

    Mar, Sounds like you have a hefty Norfolk there. I have a 2.5 year old Norwich and she is 13lbs. , should be not more than 12, we are getting there. I feed her Honest Kitchen, but only 2/3 cup per day, I figure out how many calories she needs. One cup of Honest Kitchen Force is 447 calories, alot for a small dog unless yours is off the wall active. If you want less “poop” ( my dog still goes 3 times a day), you might cut back the HK and add 1/4 cup raw or cooked meat. This will increase the protein and reduce the carb intake. I agree that their Force and Keen are higher carbs, but also no grains. I found the a person named Kat Pennick at Honest Kitchen answered all my questions over several months about their food and was most informative regarding the “poop” and nutrtional value issue. She was excellent and very patient with us. There is alot of info on their website.
    I like to rotate foods every so often, and find that this is as close as I can get to raw at the moment. There is another food rated the same called NRG. As I live in Canada I cannot get most of the raw foods listed on the dogfoodadvisor. I can get others here, we have several in Canada, Natures Variety is the only complete one we can get at the moment.
    Good luck, ask questions and the “pooping” is normal, it also helps the anal glands express with more fiber. You also might want to try one meal HK and one meal kibble, HK encourages additional sources of protein. I started out a few months ago using HK as a side like canned and graduated fully recently.
    SZ

  • ShamelessRawFoodie

    mar – Your dog is getting a lot of carbs with Honest Kitchen Keen – over 50% carbs! Generally, more carbs = more poop. Mike has rated this entire HK brand 4*, but I think Keen would come in at 3* because of low protein and high carbs. Keen and Force are the HK varieties with the least protein and highest carbs. The quality of the ingredients, raw dehydrated, seems good, but you’re getting a lot of ‘waste’ with the carbs.
    http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/products/keen/
    “Keen was developed as a penny-conscious recipe . . . ”
    Guaranteed Analysis
    Protein, 21% min
    Fat, 14.5% min

    If you like Honest Kitchen, maybe try one of their other formulas with higher protein and lower carbs. Or, if you want even less waste in the yard, try a 5* raw food. Here are some raw brands that Mike has reviewed:
    http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/raw/5-star/

  • mar

    I have a 24lb Norfolk terrier who has been on the Keen diet for over a month and half. I give him 1 cup total each day plus the water to hydrate. He poops 3-4 times each day. His poops are good, he has great energy, but it just seems like a like of poop for one day. Would appreciate your guidance. Thanks

  • informed

    FYI: This company DOES NOT HAVE a nutritionist on staff. They are business majors. Check with a vet or a nutritionist before ever starting on one of their diets.

  • Marie

    We have a 60 lb LabX (mutt!) and feed The Honest Kitchen Embark/Force and frozen raw with salmon oil as the main diet – it has been close to a year now. THK is convenient as we travel regularly and we use freeze dried raw sometimes if there is no frozen raw available ie overnight trips, etc. We used salmon oil pre THK and raw ie with kibble (Orijen/Acana) and didn’t notice any difference to the dog’s coat. She had a rough wiry coat but no health or dietary issues. Even with THK (without raw) and salmon oil (first 3 months), there was minimal difference to her coat. With the addition of raw, her coat softened within 2 weeks. With THK as the base, we switch the raw protein regularly, sometimes daily, with absolutely no issues – chicken, beef, buffalo, bison, lamb, venison, elk and even alpaca recently. Also, we find she burps alot less on her current diet compared to when she was on kibble. She also occasionally threw up after eating kibble – eats too fast – but has not done that with the current food. We are in Canada but buy THK from the US (minimum $10 price differential per box). We also source freeze dried raw from the US since we cannot get Stella & Chewy in Canada. We do buy the frozen raw locally and switch between brands. Thanks for a great site, Mike. Looking forward to the cat site. For those using kibble because it is the ultimate in convenience and hesitant about raw, we were the same. Now that we are in the routine, we think the health benefits far outweigh the additional 10 minutes to rehydrate (but you can do something else) and 5 seconds to transfer a couple of raw patties from the freezer to the fridge each day.

  • Deborah

    I recently switched my dog Sunny, who has lymphangiectasia, a condition that impairs his ability to digest fats and proteins, to Zeal because it is very low fat and reasonably high in protein. He was not wild about it at first, but three days into his new food, he licked the bowl clean. His vet advised a gradual switch from the California Natural Low Fat Chicken he had been eating. But when the vet saw the incredible improvement in his stool after the first day, he said to simply discontinue the CN. He eliminates more often but without the urgency and the loose stool he had on CN. Coincidentally (or not), he had a major flare when I opened a new bag of CN. Natura swears there has been no change in sourcing, proportions, or ingredients. Hmmmmm.

  • Marie

    I have a dog who had many ear infections as a puppy; he’s five now. When Zeal came out, I bought a box to see if it would work better for him than the Embark but he wasn’t thrilled with it. I was kind of surprised as he eats anything that doesn’t eat him first. Maybe it’s the consistency? It’s sort of sea-weedy, doesn’t rehydrate like the others. I mixed it with Embark to use it up. I have an 11mos old Brittany who I am going to try Thrive and Keen on. So far, she has no issues and it’s kind of strange for me to be able to use any food!

  • Sheila

    Hi Megean,
    It depends on what issues you see with your dog and cats. Are they dry coated, dry skin, flaky, scratching. depends on what you are feeding also. Some people find their pets do really well on Salmon Oil and have shiny coats and clear skin, other people swear by Sardine Oil. Most of my foods for my pets (cats eat part raw that has krill oil), some of their canned has Olive Oil.( I give the Salmon Oil with their evening meal) Some of my dogs food contains flaxseed,or salmon oil, however if it’s processed( it loses something in the processing). My one cat, has dandruff (she is black) all the time no matter what I feed or supplement with and she is 14yrs. old.(but fat). My Norwich’s coat is in really good condition. So I think it’s up to you to find what works best. You might want to talk with a Holistic Vet or Naturopathic one (if you have them) if your pets are having issues., they can better advise you. As in the foods, I like to rotate every once in awhile.
    Take care, SZ

  • Sheila

    Thanks Mike, (Re: HK Analysis)
    That was most helpful, I guess I was not looking at things correctly.
    SZ

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