Rating: 
Whole Earth Farms Dog Food (canned) earns the Advisor’s highest rating of five stars.
Currently, the Whole Earth Farms Dog Food brand includes three canned products… one for puppies, one for adults and and for seniors… each meeting the AAFCO1 guidelines “for all life stages”.
- Whole Earth Farms Puppy Formula
- Whole Earth Farms Adult Formula
- Whole Earth Farms Senior Formula
Whole Earth Farms Adult Formula was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Whole Earth Farms Adult Formula
Canned Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken, chicken broth, chicken liver, duck, buffalo, whitefish, fresh carrots, fresh sweet potato, peas, salmon meal (a natural source of omega-3 dha-docosahexaenoic acid), organic alfalfa suncured ground, dried egg, organic sunflower seed ground, dried tomato pomace, canola oil, cassia gum, carrageenan, guargum, salt, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, dried bluberry, dried cranberry, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, poultry seasoning (thyme, sage, rosemary), yucca schidigera extract, marigold pot, cinnamon, lecithin, zinc amino acid complex, mixed tocopherols, iron amino acid complex, vitamin E supplement, manganese amino acid complex, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin A acetate, copper amino acid complex, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin D3 supplement, niacin, riboflavin supplement, biotin, ethylenediamine dihydriodide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, thiamine mononitrate, sodium selenite
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 6.8%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient included in this dog food is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.2
Like most meats, chicken is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life. This is a quality ingredient.
The second ingredient is chicken broth. Broths are nutritionally worthless. But because they add moisture to a dog food they are a common finding in many canned products.
The third ingredient is chicken liver. This is an organ meat from a named species. So long as it’s not over-weighted in a dog food, chicken liver is a beneficial component.
The next three items are all excellent sources of animal protein…
- Duck
- Buffalo
- Whitefish
The subsequent three ingredients go on to list a series of nutrient-rich and fiber-filled vegetables…
- Carrots
- Sweet potatoes
- Peas
The tenth item is listed as salmon meal. Salmon meal is considered a meat concentrate containing nearly 300% more protein than even fresh salmon.
Unfortunately, items located this far down the list will not likely have much of an effect on the overall nutrient content of this dog food.
Tomato pomace is a controversial ingredient… a by-product left over after the processing of tomatoes into juice, soup and ketchup.
Many praise tomato pomace for its high fiber and nutrient content… while others rebuke it as a low quality filler laden with the pesticides found on the skin of the tomato before processing.
In any case, there’s probably not enough tomato pomace here to make much of a difference.
By the way, this dog food also contains 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.3
This dog food also contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to amino acids. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are generally found in better dog foods.
Whole Earth Farms Dog Food… the Bottom Line
Whole Earth Farms represents Merrick Pet Care’s “value” line of dog food. But you’d never know it to look at the list of ingredients… or to read the brand’s nutrient profile.
The dashboard reports a dry matter protein reading of 41%, a fat level of 27% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 24%.
High protein. Moderate fat. And low carbohydrates. Not exactly the kind of numbers you’d expect to see in a lower-priced product.
Bottom line?
Whole Earth Farms canned dog food is essentially a meat-based product using a variety of quality animal sources as its primary supply of protein… thus earning the brand an enviable five stars.
A nice surprise… especially when you consider its affordable pricing.
Enthusiastically recommended.
Some Final Thoughts
Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult your veterinarian for help.
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- American Association of Feed Control Officials ↩
- American Association of Feed Control Officials ↩
- Mikkelson, B and DP, Oil of Ole, Urban Legends Reference Pages (2005), retrieved 12/05/2009 ↩
