Dr Bob Goldstein and his wife Susan are the founders of Earth Animal. It began greater than 40 years ago. The family-run company relies in Connecticut.
Dr Goldstein has been an integrative veterinarian since 1979. The Goldsteins pursued natural healing for his or her dog’s dysplasia and arthritis. That led to the primary of several natural health food stores for pets. They eventually introduced a product line. This was followed by Wisdom Dog Food.
The company invested in an authorized organic manufacturing plant in 2018. This state-of-the-art facility is in Maryland. This made it possible to expand their products.
Earth Animal products are all made inhouse. Dog foods are air dried. The company provides an ingredient sourcing map on its website. It marks where ingredients, vitamins and minerals originate. They conduct testing, digestibility and palatability reports. These are also posted on the web site.
The company is Plastic Neutral, recovering as much plastic waste because it produces. In 2022, it partnered with rePurpose Global to scale back plastic waste. Earth Animal donates 1% of its annual sales to sustainability projects. By 2025, it’s going to switch to refillable, compostable, and recyclable packaging. The company is committed to recycle and upcycle all plastic pet food & treats bags within the pet industry, not only their very own. Earth Animal can also be a Certified B Corporation, meeting high social and environmental standards.
IS EARTH ANIMAL A GOOD DOG FOOD?
Earth Animal’s pet food is moderate risk by our criteria. Foods are air dried. There are 5 recipes. They have average protein of 25%. They have average carbs of 31% carbs. This is higher than expected for the sort of food.
The company avoids corn, wheat, soy, and legumes. They use oats, quinoa, carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin. These are high-carb ingredients.
Earth Animal explores alternative proteins to scale back the impact on animal agriculture. They collaborate with a plant-based ingredients company to develop dog products and treats.
It’s notable that we evaluate all dog foods equally. They follow the identical criteria. This includes specialized ones like vegan and ketogenic diets. These diets is perhaps high in carbs, plant proteins, or fats. However, this doesn’t change their scores. We acknowledge the corporate’s goals or commitments. Scores are objective.
It’s unclear if Earth Animal is intentionally using lower protein levels now. They could also be using higher amounts of grains, like quinoa. It’s alternative. Quinoa is high in amino acids, protein and fiber. It’s often organic and non-GMO, with low pesticide risks. It has 9 of the ten essential amino acids dogs need.
Added vitamins and minerals within the food raise concerns. These recipes contain many naturally occurring nutrients. The food is moderately processed and air dried. This retains enzymes, vitamins, amino acids, and phytonutrients well. The use of dried ingredients and sprouted grains boosts nutrients. Additionally, it has organic vegatables and fruits.
Coconut glycerin within the food is taken into account sugar. It loses points. It’s used for mixing, sweetening or moistening. However, sugar can result in gut issues, obesity, and insulin spikes.
The vegan recipe “From The Seed” has no animal protein. It includes potato and lentil protein. It’s good to see there are not any added amino acids. That means they arrive from the ingredients. However, it has the identical list of added vitamins and minerals.
Some ingredients could also be glam ingredients. They are sometimes expensive or desirable ingredients. They’re added to appeal to consumers. They are in small amounts and lack dietary value. Using them in a dried state may increase dietary value.
Earth Animal states meat proteins are grass-fed and pastured. Poultry is GAP certified. This focuses on animal welfare. The exact level of certification is unclear. Earth Animal also signed the Better Chicken Commitment. This ensures humane treatment of chickens.
It’s good to see that their fish is wild-caught. It is more nutritious and has a healthy fatty acid balance. The omega-6:omega-3 ratio shouldn’t be mentioned. This is a typical issue within the industry. AAFCO allows an inflammatory ratio of 30:1. Diets high in omega-6 fats could cause inflammation.
Earth Animal Air Dried
Score: 6.6/10
Package Ingredients for From The Sea Recipe: Catfish, Clam, Dried Sardine, Quinoa, Coconut Glycerin, Flaxseed, Oats, Dicalcium Phosphate, Ground Miscanthus Grass, Dried Sweet Potato, Dried Carrots, Potassium Chloride, Dried Pumpkin, Calcium Carbonate, Fenugreek, Dried Cranberries, Sea Salt, Choline Chloride, Sprouted Oats, Sprouted Flaxseed, Sprouted Quinoa, Oregano Extract, Cherry Extract, Marine Microalgae Oil, Mixed Tocopherols (a preservative), Dried Kelp, Dried Apple, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Biotin, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Rosemary Extract
Benefits
Made in house
No added amino acids
No GMOs
Moderately processed
Concerns
High in carbohydrates
Added vitamins and minerals
Plant protein – in 1 recipe
Sugar
High pesticide/herbicide crop
Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
Glam ingredients
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
EARTH ANIMAL DOG FOOD RECALLS
Earth Animal has had no pet food recalls.
Evaluation Criteria
For our Earth Animal pet food review, we’ll take a look at the food ingredient quality and safety of every line of food. Our pet food reviews are based on these criteria.
We evaluate and rating dog foods based on two criteria:
Are the Ingredients High Quality?
Here are some common low quality ingredients or markers we search for:
- Is there excessive carbohydrate content, which could cause gut imbalances?
- Does the food contain unnamed proteins, that are low quality?
- Does the food use cellulose (wood pulp) as a source of fiber as a substitute of real food?
- Are there excessive vitamins and minerals added instead of real food nutrition?
- Are there excessive added amino acids or plant proteins as a substitute of pricey meat protein?
- Does the food contain inflammatory processed seed oils?
How Safe Are the Ingredients?
Many ingredients come from unhealthy, inflammatory sources or are filled with pesticides so we search for:
- How processed is the food?
- Does the food contain known genetically modified foods?
- Does the food contain ingredients known to be high in pesticides?
- Does the food contain natural flavor, which are sometimes MSG or animal digest?
- Does the food contain rice, which is high in arsenic?
Each food is objectively evaluated by these criteria and a rating is assigned using the typical of ingredient quality and safety.
This is NOT a paid list and there are not any affiliate links. We’ve partnered with DogFoodReviews.com to ensure dog owners have unbiased, objective criteria to assist them select the very best pet food available on the market. You can view the complete Evaluation Criteria at DogFoodReviews.com.