Dr Bob Goldstein and his wife Susan are the founders of Earth Animal. It began more than 40 years ago. The family-run company is based in Connecticut.
Dr Goldstein has been an integrative veterinarian since 1979. The Goldsteins pursued natural healing for their dog’s dysplasia and arthritis. That led to the first 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 a certified 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 website.
The company is Plastic Neutral, recovering as much plastic waste as it produces. In 2022, it partnered with rePurpose Global to reduce plastic waste. Earth Animal donates 1% of its annual sales to sustainability projects. By 2025, it will switch to refillable, compostable, and recyclable packaging. The company is committed to recycle and upcycle all plastic pet food & treats bags in the pet industry, not just their own. Earth Animal is also a Certified B Corporation, meeting high social and environmental standards.
IS EARTH ANIMAL A GOOD DOG FOOD?
Earth Animal’s dog 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 this type 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 reduce 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 same criteria. This includes specialized ones like vegan and ketogenic diets. These diets might be high in carbs, plant proteins, or fats. However, this doesn’t change their scores. We acknowledge the company’s goals or commitments. Scores are objective.
It’s unclear if Earth Animal is intentionally using lower protein levels now. They may be using higher amounts of grains, like quinoa. It’s a good choice. 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 10 essential amino acids dogs need.
Added vitamins and minerals in 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 fruits and vegetables.
Coconut glycerin in the food is considered sugar. It loses points. It’s used for mixing, sweetening or moistening. However, sugar can lead to 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 no added amino acids. That means they come from the ingredients. However, it has the same list of added vitamins and minerals.
Some ingredients may be glam ingredients. They are often expensive or desirable ingredients. They’re added to appeal to consumers. They are in small amounts and lack nutritional value. Using them in a dried state may increase nutritional 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 is not mentioned. This is a common issue in the industry. AAFCO allows an inflammatory ratio of 30:1. Diets high in omega-6 fats can 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 dog food recalls.
Evaluation Criteria
For our Earth Animal dog food review, we’ll look at the food ingredient quality and safety of each line of food. Our dog food reviews are based on these criteria.
We evaluate and score dog foods based on two criteria:
Are the Ingredients High Quality?
Here are some common low quality ingredients or markers we look for:
- Is there excessive carbohydrate content, which can cause gut imbalances?
- Does the food contain unnamed proteins, which are low quality?
- Does the food use cellulose (wood pulp) as a source of fiber instead of real food?
- Are there excessive vitamins and minerals added in place of real food nutrition?
- Are there excessive added amino acids or plant proteins instead of expensive meat protein?
- Does the food contain inflammatory processed seed oils?
How Safe Are the Ingredients?
Many ingredients come from unhealthy, inflammatory sources or are full of pesticides so we look 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 often MSG or animal digest?
- Does the food contain rice, which is high in arsenic?
Each food is objectively evaluated by these criteria and a score is assigned using the average of ingredient quality and safety.
This is NOT a paid list and there are no affiliate links. We’ve partnered with DogFoodReviews.com to make sure dog owners have unbiased, objective criteria to help them choose the best dog food on the market. You can view the full Evaluation Criteria at DogFoodReviews.com.