Rating: 
Whole Earth Farms Dog Food (dry) receives the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.
Currently, the Whole Earth Farms Dog Food product line includes three dry kibbles… one for puppies, one for adults and one 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
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken meal, turkey meal, oat meal, pearled barley, ground rice, ground millet, ground barley, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E), duck, buffalo, white fish, natural chicken liver flavor, salmon oil (a natural source of omega-3, docosahexaenoic acid DHA), organic alfalfa sun-cured ground, yeast culture, tomato pomace dried, dried egg, organic sunflower seed ground, salt, calcium phosphate, potassium chloride, choline chloride, lysine, blueberry dried, cranberry dried, yucca schidigera extract,inulin (from chicory root), rosemary, sage, thyme, cinnamon, marigold dried, zinc amino acid complex, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus casei, iron amino acid complex, vitamin E supplement, manganese amino acid complex, vitamin A supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, copper amino acid complex, D-calcium pantothenate, vitamin D3, niacin, lecithin, riboflavin, supplement, biotin, ethylenediamine dihydriodide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, cobalt amino acid complex, folic acid, thiamine mononitrate, sodium selenite
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.5%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first two items in this product are chicken and turkey meals. Both “meals” are considered meat concentrates and contains nearly 300% more protein than even fresh poultry.
The next four ingredients are relatively decent cereal grains…
- Oatmeal
- Barley
- Rice
- Millet
These are starchy carbohydrates supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients.
The seventh 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 next three items are all quality sources of animal protein…
- Duck
- Buffalo
- Whitefish
Unfortunately, items located this far down the list are not likely to have much of an effect on the overall nutrient content of this 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 bash it as a cheap filler laden with the pesticides found on the skin of the tomato before processing.
Just the same, because of its position on the list, there’s probably not enough tomato pomace here to make much of a difference.
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.
The company also appears to have added back some of the live bacteria lost during the cooking process. These special probiotics are used to enhance a dog’s digestive and immune functions.
Whole Earth Farms “Dry”… 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 this list of ingredients… or to read the brand’s nutrient profile.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 27%, a fat level of 14% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 52%.
Moderate protein. Moderate fat. Moderate carbs (for a kibble). By themselves, the nutrient gauges suggest this Whole Earth Farms product to be only an average dry dog food.
But the quality of the listed ingredients plus the lack of any critical Red Flag items prompt a higher rating.
Bottom line?
Whole Earth Farms dry dog food is mainly a grain-based product using two named poultry meals as its primary meat ingredients… thus earning the brand a commendable four stars.
This is welcome news… particularly when you consider its “value” pricing.
Highly 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.
Have an opinion about this dog food brand… or maybe the review itself?
Please feel free to share your comments below.
- American Association of Feed Control Officials ↩
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I use Whole Earth Farms for my puppy-with excellent results -good poops-soft fur that shines-nice clean eyes and ears.I would defininetly recommend this product.
Love this food & the price is extremely good!
This food is a great product for a great price. Believe me when I say I have the pickiest OES on the planet. I put a little raw dehydrated sprinkled thru this and he gobbles it up. He would eat NOTHING else before. I have tried it all. I have also researched it all and this is a high quality dog food.
I tried this food on my 7 year old great pryenees. she was good for almost 2 weeks and then started with major dirrihea, once I changed her food she was back to normal. I have noticed alot of the so called better dog foods, not only are expensive but also give major dirrihea. Personally a dog food that gives major dirrihea, is not a good dog food.
Not all dog foods do well with all dogs, it’s just finding a decent dog food that your dog does well on. I have been researching dog food for over 20 years, and have tried top of the line like solid gold to blue seal. A dog food is only as good as your dog does on it.
I bought this to feed to our new Cane Corso puppy that will be here in 12 days, I will see how she does with this food as I like the ingredient list and the protein content is low enough for a giant breed. Here in Canada the food is still quite expensive.
Our minature dachshund has severe allergies to weeds, grasses, dust, etc… He is constantly itchy. A lot of foods give him major tummy issues as well. After getting gastritis yet again from a dog food, we are going to try this food. I was very skeptical of it at first, but am glad to see it is highly rated on here. Our dog groomer highly reccommended it for us. I just hope this one works for our little guy.
I’ve been using the Adult and puppy formula for about 3 months now and find the quality to be truly amazing!!!! I have 3 adult rescue dogs and a puppy. With so many mouths to feed, I needed to find a good dog food, at an economical price. Thus far all my dogs have shiny coats and look amazing!!! They love the taste and if it works for all of them and keeps them healthy and looking great, that’s all I need.