The Best Organic Dog Food

It seems these days we are flooded with commercials and packaging telling us how great so-and-so’s dog food is. But how do we really figure out which is the best organic dog food? The good news is we are finally seeing more companies showing some concern over what we are feeding our dogs. But you are going to really have to look at the dog food to figure out which one is the best for you.

First, let’s go over some definitions:

• ‘Organic’ means the food uses 100% USDA-certified organic ingredients
• ‘Made with organic ingredients’ means the food must use at least 70% USDA-certified organic ingredients
• ‘Natural’ or ‘All Natural’ means it is coming from nature – no chemical flavoring, coloring, or preservatives – but does not really say anything about the nutritional value of any of the ingredients nor whether is it grown organically

So we go in the store or online and find organic dog food. Now most organic dog food companies have gone organic because they really do care about the health of your dog. But, as always, Buyer Beware. There are also unscrupulous companies out there that just want to make a quick buck. By that I mean you can provide organic ingredients, but that doesn’t guarantee they are of any nutritional value to your dog. Organic only applies to how it was grown.

What To Look For In A Good Organic Dog Food

So to find the best organic dog food you must look at 2 things:

1. Find 2 logos on the dog food container: the USDA-organic logo AND a 3rd party certification verifying the food is organic. Without both logos, chances are the product is not organic because not all dog food manufacturers abide by the USDA regulations.
2. Look at the dog food ingredients label. The best organic dog food will not have animal by-products. It will not have too much grain and grain by-products. See my post on how to read ingredients in dog food if you are unsure of what you are looking at. A nutritious, organic dog food will have similar type ingredients to super-premium dog foods – the only difference is whether the ingredients are organic or not.

Why Choose An Organic Dog Food?

Why would you even want to consider an organic dog food? Well, apart from the fact that they are, in general, more nutritious than your garden variety grocery store brand, many dogs are developing more and more dog food allergies and food intolerance. And while some of it may be attributed to the actual food, many dogs are also experiencing problems with dealing with pesticides, herbicides, anti-biotics, and hormones that are used too generously in our food sources today. Providing an organic dog food if your dog is showing any signs of allergies will mean you are creating a healthier dog who can fight off the allergens and possibly even removing the trigger altogether.

Organic Dog Food Comparison

Top Rated Organic Dog Food

Some of the more well-known companies that produce organic dog food include:

• Natura’s Karma
• Castor & Pollux Organix
• Natural Balance Organic Formulas
• Newman’s Own Organic

Let’s take a look at their prices and ingredients. For this exercise,  I am not going to shop around to try to find the best price. Rather I am going to get the prices from one store, disregarding any sales prices and shipping prices (shipping costs vary greatly from web store to web store). I think you can get a better idea this way of how these dog foods compare to each other. I will use a 30 lb. dog in my calculations for feeding amount and assume moderate activity level. I will also use the largest size bag available, as that is usually the cheapest per cup price.

Karma Organic Dog Food
Karmais considered the most organic dog food on the market, being 95% organic. The only ingredients that are not organic are some of the vitamins and minerals added to food to make it balanced – and these vitamins and minerals are not available in organic form. Natura Pet Products, the mother company of Karma, is so dedicated to the environment that their bags are even biodegradable.

7 lbs bag (26 cups total) @$25.99 = $1.00/cup
@ 30lb dog moderate activity: 2 cups/day = $2.00/day

Castor & Pollux Organix Adult Dog Food
While they don’t say how much of their dog food is organic, the majority of their ingredients, not including vitamins/minerals, are certified organic. Their formula also contain no corn, wheat, or soy – ingredients that are common triggers for food allergies. However, the second ingredient listed, chicken meal, is not organic, so dogs with chemical/hormone/antibiotic sensitivities may want to steer clear.

25 lbs bag (50 cups total) @$55.99 = $1.12/cup
@ 30lb dog moderate activity: 1 1/4 cups/day = $1.40/day

Natural Balance Organic Formula Dry Dog Food
Natural Balance started by wanting to provide a dog food without any of the ‘bad stuff’ in it. Natural Balance is a leading premium dog food manufacturer and their organic dog food leads their pack. This food also contains an un-organic chicken meal, but as it’s third ingredient.

25 lbs bag (112 cups total) @$46.99 = $0.42/cup
@ 30lb dog moderate activity: 2 cups/day = $0.84/day

Newman’s Own Organics Adult Dry Dog Food
Newman’s Own Organics is a division of Newman’s Own, and provides organic food for both human and pet consumption. While this is a very good dog food, it is not quite packed as full of organic ingredients as the other brands – their first ingredient is not certified as organic, but most of the other ingredients are. It also contains soy, which is a common allergen trigger in dogs, so you may want to watch your if they are prone to food allergies.

25 lbs bag (X cups total) @$49.99 = $X/cup
@ 30lb dog moderate activity: X cups/day = $X/day’