A list of some dog foods that are hormone and antibiotic free, organic, etc.

[ZoeyPuppy]

I have compiled a list of some dog foods. I have tried to be accurate, however, I may have made a mistake or the ingredients could be changed so please check on the manufacturer's website. Please add your pet's food to this list or your experiences with any of these foods. The foods that meet 4 or more of the requirements are colored dark red and bold.

LEGEND

Hormone-Free - %
Antibiotic-Free - #
Human Grade - @
Cage-Free and/or Free-Range - *
Organic Ingredients - &


Definition of Organic -
“Organic” is a term regulated by the USDA and National Organic Program (NOP) of which strictly prohibits the use of most synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, sewage sludge fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, growth hormones, irradiation, antibiotics, and artificial ingredients.

Dry

ACANA - @#%
Artemis - @#%
Back To Basics - @#%
Blue Buffalo - @
By Nature Organics - &
California Natural - &#%
Canidae - @#%
Canine Caviar - @#%
Carna4 - #
Castor and Pollux Organix – (Over 70 percent organic) &*
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul - %#
Dog Lovers Gold - %#@*
Dogswell - %#*
Eagle Pack - %#@
Flint River Ranch - %@
Golden Eagle Holistic Health - %#@
Green Earth Pet Food - &*%#
Holistic Blend - @#%
Innova - &%#
Natural Balance - *%!$#
Natural Planet Organics - &
Newmans Own - %#@
Orijen - %#@
Party Animal - &%#
Performatrin Ultra - %#@
Go! by Petcurean - @
Timberwolf Organics - %#&
VeRUS - %#@*


Dehydrated

NRG Dog Food - *@
Real Meat - *
ZiwiPeak - %#@*

Mixes
The Honest Kitchen - @
Know Better Dog Foods – Depends on formula

Raw Food
Nature's Variety - %#
Primal Pet Food - %#@*
Stella and Chewys - %#
Lucky Dog Cuisine - %#@
Paw Naturaw - &*@#%


Supplements, Treats, Etc.
Kona's Chips - This company has lots of good dog products that are all made in the USA.

Fruitables


DogAware.com: Supplements for Dogs
Go to this link for information on supplements for dogs.

DogAware.com: Dog Treat Recipes

Go here for treat recipes.


Made in USA

Dogswell
Black Gold Black Gold Premium Professional Dog Food
Flint River Ranch
Kona's Chips

[tokipoki]

Thanks!

[sganow]

I have a hard time believing anything made by Diamond should be in this list.

[mimimomo]

Thanks for taking your time to make this list!

Just wanted to add:
Some Dogswell treats are made in China.
Honest Kitchen has a free range chicken formula, Thrive. I believe all their proteins are antibiotic & hormone free & they use all organic ingredients.
Canine Caviar is GMO free.

[ZoeyPuppy]

Originally Posted by mimimomo

Thanks for taking your time to make this list!

Just wanted to add:
Some Dogswell treats are made in China.
Honest Kitchen has a free range chicken formula, Thrive & I believe all their proteins are antibiotic & hormone free & all organic.
Canine Caviar is GMO free.

Thank you so much! I had NO idea that some of the Dogswell were made in China. I wish I could go back and edit the list.

When I listed Honest Kitchen as being organic, that means that it does not have GMO ingredients, no added growth hormones, antibiotics, artificial ingredients, most pesticides, and more so I didn't put that it was hormone and anibiotic free (although I did do that with the other ones so I suppose I should have put it there as well). This goes for the Canine Caviar as well. I really appreciate your input!

[mimimomo]

This is from Dogswell: Quality Assurance
Why are the jerky treats made in China?
China is a country where dark meat is more popular due to its inherent fat and flavor. DOGSWELL believes it is less wasteful to obtain our white meat in China where it is abundant, rather than sourcing it domestically, where white meat is less available and held at a premium. Not only do we care about your pet's health by sourcing only the healthiest meat available, we also practice sustainability by reducing as much waste as possible.

[Verbena]

Originally Posted by mimimomo

This is from Dogswell: Quality Assurance
Why are the jerky treats made in China?
China is a country where dark meat is more popular due to its inherent fat and flavor. DOGSWELL believes it is less wasteful to obtain our white meat in China where it is abundant, rather than sourcing it domestically, where white meat is less available and held at a premium. Not only do we care about your pet's health by sourcing only the healthiest meat available, we also practice sustainability by reducing as much waste as possible.

Sad *shakes head*. I would rather spend more money on treats then have a ill or even dead dog.

[Buster Brown]

Originally Posted by mimimomo

This is from Dogswell: Quality Assurance
Why are the jerky treats made in China?
China is a country where dark meat is more popular due to its inherent fat and flavor. DOGSWELL believes it is less wasteful to obtain our white meat in China where it is abundant, rather than sourcing it domestically, where white meat is less available and held at a premium. Not only do we care about your pet's health by sourcing only the healthiest meat available, we also practice sustainability by reducing as much waste as possible.

Translation: Why waste good white meat just because it's tainted since we get it so cheap

Thank you Zoey Puppy for the great research on the good food.

[jencar98]

Originally Posted by mimimomo

This is from Dogswell: Quality Assurance
Why are the jerky treats made in China?
China is a country where dark meat is more popular due to its inherent fat and flavor. DOGSWELL believes it is less wasteful to obtain our white meat in China where it is abundant, rather than sourcing it domestically, where white meat is less available and held at a premium. Not only do we care about your pet's health by sourcing only the healthiest meat available, we also practice sustainability by reducing as much waste as possible.

Do they think we are stupid and will believe it, just because they printed it?I wasn't aware China is known for it's meat production, in fact, I understood, we (USA) supplied much of their meat.
Polluting our Backyard to Feed China | Maria's Farm Country Kitchen

[richards6402]

Does anyone know how Fromm would come out on this list of foods?

[Britster]

Originally Posted by richards6402

Does anyone know how Fromm would come out on this list of foods?

Well Fromm is not organic. They are GMO free, I remember reading a post from a staff member on their Facebook page that it is.

[richards6402]

Originally Posted by Britster

Well Fromm is not organic. They are GMO free, I remember reading a post from a staff member on their Facebook page that it is.

Britster, Do you know if Fromm is Human Grade?

[jennmac415]

I might be wrong but I believe they Orijen is also cage free, range free....

[Britster]

Originally Posted by richards6402

Britster, Do you know if Fromm is Human Grade?

Human Grade isn't a regulated term, so it really means nothing.... however Fromm ingredients are marketed as being 'human grade' meats.

[Nancy1999]

While the term "organic means something when defining human foods, it doesn't have the same definition when referring to dog foods.
Taken from Bark magazine:
Natural, Human Grade, Organic Dog Food: Really? | The Bark

For human foods, “organic” has a precise meaning defined by the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP). To be certified as organic, plant ingredients in pet foods must be grown without pesticides, artificial fertilizers, genetic modification, irradiation or sewage sludge. Animal ingredients must come from animals raised on organic feed, given access to the outdoors, and not treated with antibiotics or hormones. Producers must be inspected to make sure they adhere to these standards.


In 2002, the NOP did not include pet foods in the organic rules because it could not figure out how to do so. In 2005, it appointed a pet food task force to handle the figuring. A year later, this group quite sensibly recommended that organic standards for humans be applied to pet foods. But, the NOP cautioned, “these requirements will present challenges for pet food manufacturers, especially sourcing non-genetically engineered ingredients.” No kidding. More than 90 percent of soybeans and half the corn grown in United States now come from genetically modified varieties.

Because the NOP has not yet adopted the task force recommendations, organic pet foods are in regulatory limbo, leaving AAFCO with the unenviable task of explaining how to label “organic” pet foods. AAFCO says that (1) under NOP rules, pet foods may not display the USDA organic seal or claim that they were produced according to organic standards. But (2), NOP also says labeling terms such as “100% organic,” “organic” or “made with organic ingredients” on pet foods may be truthful and do not imply organic production or certification. Therefore (3), AAFCO recommends that labeling rules for human foods apply to pet foods.

What to make of this? We think the statements imply that nobody is going to make a fuss about organic claims on pet foods, even when some, most or even all of their ingredients are not really organic.

Mind you, following the rules for organic labeling is complicated (see chart). Even so, you can go into a pet food store and easily find products that violate these standards. Our favorite: companies calling themselves organic when their foods do not contain a single organic ingredient. They get away with this because the USDA, unlike the FDA, doesn’t regulate company names.

At the moment, “organic” means something for human food; it does not mean much for pet food. We worry that the USDA doesn’t think pet foods are important enough to care what is said on their labels. This may be a good situation for unscrupulous marketers, but we do not think it is good for pet food companies, buyers of pet foods or the organic industry itself. If products are labeled organic, they should follow the rules for organic certification—all of them. If they do not, the organic standards won’t mean much.

Organic foods command higher prices because people believe in the integrity of the standards. If the standards are not met, why pay more? If the USDA allows weaker standards for pet foods, we wonder whether it will continue to defend strong organic standards for human foods. Without strong standards, organics are just about marketing, not production methods. We think everyone—pet food makers, the USDA, AAFCO and the readers of Bark—should demand nothing less than the highest possible standards for natural, human-grade and organic claims on dog foods.