Is Whole Hearted Good Dog Food

Which Types Of Dogs Is Wholehearted Dog Food Best Suited For

With over 50 selections of dry and wet dog food, WholeHearted has a viable option for all breed sizes and maturity levels. You can choose from formulas adapted for small breeds or large breeds, as well as puppy food and recipes geared for senior dogs. WholeHearted also offers specialized options for high protein, digestive health, skin and coat care, and weight control.

With a variety of flavors and meat sources from lamb, duck, beef, chicken, and salmon, theres a good chance that dogs who are picky eaters will find a recipe that they like.

Most of the selections are grain free, with no added corn or wheat. If your dog suffers from grain allergies with symptoms of skin irritation or intestinal distress, WholeHearted dog food is a solid choice.

• Related Read: Best Grain-Free Dog Foods 2020 Reviews & Top Picks

Wholehearted Pet Food Ingredients Vs Whole Earth Farms Pet Food Ingredients

WholeHearted and Whole Earth Farms both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:

Pea Protein

Pea protein is produced by removing the starchy parts of peas. Pea protein is considered controversial because it provides a substantial plant based protein boost. This boost is undesirable because plant based protein is typically lower in biological value when compared to meat based proteins.

Caramel Color

Caramel color is a concentrated form of caramel, a natural food colorant. Caramel color has been linked to cancer in laboratory animals. Since our pets do not care about food color, caramel color is an unnecessary addition with possible health risks.

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by WholeHearted.

Beet Pulp

Beet pulp is the by-product which remains once sugar has been extracted from sugar beets. The primary contribution of beet pulp is dietary fiber.

We’d also like to note that beet pulp is fairly controversial in pet food. Proponents claim that beet pulp can promote intestinal health and regulate blood sugar. However, opponents claim that beet pulp is an inexpensive filler.

Canola Oil

Iron Oxide

Iron oxide is an FDA approved natural food coloring agent. It’s commonly found in rusting metal and provides a reddish-brown color.

Tomato Pomace

Powdered Cellulose

Powdered cellulose is produced from minuscule pieces of wood pulp and plant fibers. Other than its fiber content, powdered cellulose lacks any nutritional contribution.

Is Wholehearted Made In The Usa

When it comes to WholeHearteds ingredients, PetCo provides limited information about their sources. The pack simply mentions that the ingredients are globally-sourced.

Its good, though, that the brand made it a point to name the types of meat they use on their WholeHearted recipes instead of just saying generic names like meat meal and animal by-products. With this, you know that this product line is made of quality meats, oils, and fats.

Apart from the protein sources, youll probably find unfamiliar ingredients. Here are a few found in some of WholeHearteds recipes. Weve also included their benefits and drawbacks as a bonus.

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Twin Pet Dry Dog Food

Twin Pet dog food is a plant-based dry dog food utilizing a limited amount of unnamed and unidentified meat as its primary source of animal protein.

Twin Pet contains cheap ingredients of poor quality that do not provide the necessary nutrition to dogs.

Like the dog food brands we already discussed, the first ingredient is corn, so you already know how we feel about that.

The second ingredient is wheat middlings, also known as wheat mill run. It is a cheap by-product that remains after cereal grain processing.

Unfortunately, the disparities in nutrient content in the wheat middlings can be a critical concern in determining their aptness for being used in any dog food or even livestock feeds.

In actuality, wheat middlings is just the milling dust as well as floor sweepings. It is an ingredient that is typically associated with low-quality pet foods.

The third ingredient is the meat and bone meal, a rendered product from the mammal tissues. It has lower digestibility in comparison with the other meat meals.

Other unhealthy, non-nutritional ingredients in this dog food include unspecified animal fat and salt. The quantity of salt is also unknown, making it difficult to determine the nutritional value of this ingredient.

Altogether this product is one of the worst dog food brands.

Who Makes Wholehearted Dog Food And Where Is It Produced

Petco, the creator and manufacturer of WholeHearted dog food, has been in business for more than 50 years. This company has more than 1,470 locations across the U.S., Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Its success seems to stem from its company vision of Healthier Pets. Happier People. Better World.

In 2016, Petco announced the launching of its own dog food brand, WholeHearted. It established its mission to provide its customers with a product thats made with premium ingredients without the high price tag of its competitors.

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Shih Tzu Puppy Feeding Chart

6 Week Old Shiz Tzu Six-week old Shih Tzus are heartwarming and can fit in the palm of your hand, but this does not mean they are ready to go home with you. Baby Shih Tzus still need to be fed by their canine mama because she provides wholesome nutrition during this important developmental stage.

In addition, early time spent with littermates is crucial because it helps your Shih Tzu get socialized and become comfortable interacting with other dogs and humans. This will ensure he grows to be the affectionate and playful pup he is meant to be.

10 Week Old Shih Tzu During the tenth week of your Shih Tzus life, he will already be enjoying the comfort of his new home with you, becoming acquainted with the new environment, and with your family.

At this stage, you should be providing the same food as the breeder. This means a puppy diet should be provided so that he is getting the balanced nutrition his body needs. If you transition your Shih Tzu to a different type of food, make that change slowly.

So long as you start your little one off with the same type of food originally provided by the breeder, you can make future changes with care, incorporating a little bit of the new food along with the old food until your pup is fully transitioned.

Puppies need extra time to get used to a new diet. If changes are made too hurriedly, your Shih Tzu puppy will probably experience gastrointestinal discomfort, something that can be avoided with proper attention and care.

What Are The Primary Ingredients In Wholehearted Cat Food

Overall, the ingredients used in WholeHearted Cat foods seem to be of high quality, with mostly animal-based protein sources. Most of the formulas use chicken, fish, or beef as the first listed ingredient and contain no animal by-products.

All of WholeHearteds foods are free from artificial colors and dyes, which are unnecessary and potentially harmful ingredients for your cat. These dyes are often used to make the food look more appealing to the consumer to help the product sell better, and chances are high that if the company needs to dye their food, the included ingredients cant be that great to begin with.

A handful of pet food manufacturers use anonymous meat ingredients in their pet food. These are defined as animal-based ingredients that come from an anonymous source and are highly controversial, as they can come from almost any source with no means of tracing. These types of meats are usually inexpensive and fairly low in nutrition. Weve found that WholeHearted uses anonymous fish meats in three different products.

While all of WholeHearteds cat food recipes are grain-free, they do include other filler ingredients, including powdered cellulose and pea protein. Powdered cellulose is derived from particles of wood pulp and plant fibers and is nutritionally empty apart from its fiber content. Produced from removing the starchy parts of peas, pea protein is lower in nutritional value than its meat counterparts.

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Best Adult Wet Dog Food

Wet food is particularly appealing to dogs. Pet parents often like it for this reason, and it may be a good option for picky eaters who turn their nose up to kibble. Wet food also has a long shelf life when unopened.

We selected wet foods that meet the same AAFCO complete and balanced standards that apply to dry food. However, wet food generally contains more protein and fat and fewer carbohydrates, so be sure to talk to your veterinarian before switching your dog to a wet diet, especially if they have trouble digesting a lot of protein or fat.

Although the same standards apply to dry and wet food, it can be hard to compare their labels. Dry kibble has very little moisture, while canned food contains a lot of water. To read a wet food label, you need to look at the percentages of protein, fat, and fiber on a “dry matter basis.” Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University offers instructions so you can calculate them yourself. You can also call the food manufacturer or ask your veterinarian for help. For the foods we recommend, we contacted the manufacturer.

When shopping, be on the lookout for wet dog food that is 100% meat. More protein might seem like a good thing, but these foods are for supplemental feeding only. “Dogs have evolved from wolves to become obligate omnivores,” says Dodds. This means that they need more than just meat in their diet. Small amounts of meat-only wet foods can make tasty meal toppers for your dog’s complete and balanced dry food.

How Much Does Wholehearted Cat Food Cost

WholeHearted is in the same price bracket as American Journey, Simply Nourish, and some Fancy Feast recipes. Their dry food costs roughly $0.28 to $0.36 per day for a 10-lb cat, while WholeHearted wet food would cost about $1.52 per day for the same cat.

If you fall in love with WholeHearted food and want to save on your online shopping, consider Petcos WholeHearted food membership. The membership costs $29 per year and earns you 25% off all online purchases of WholeHearted food.

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Wegmans Bruiser Kibble Variety Mix

This brand of dry dog food has ingredients that have been considered dangerous for dogs to eat, including BHA, xantham gum, BHT, corn gluten, and food coloring.

Wegmans Bruiser Kibble Variety Mix demonstrates the motto that you typically get what you pay for.

It is affordable dog food, but if youre looking to give your dog stable nourishment, you should look for an alternative option.

Petco Launches Wholehearted Dog Food Line

Petco said it launched WholeHearted, an exclusive private brand of natural dog food featuring thoughtfully crafted recipes with quality ingredients and healthy nutrients. The San Diego-based retailer said its nutrition and product innovation experts developed the affordable product line, which is available in both wet and dry options, in-house. The line is said to feature wholesome ingredients perfect for dogs of all breeds and life stages.

“We know our customers are looking for a high-quality food with natural ingredients for their dogs, and by creating our own line we’re able to offer just that, at a great price point,” said Rebecca Frechette, senior vice president, merchandising for Petco. “WholeHearted features life-changing stories from real Petco customers on every bag, celebrating the special bond they share with their pets and the important role high-quality nutrition plays in their daily lives together.”

Both wet and dry WholeHearted recipes are grain-free and contain no corn, wheat or soy. They include antioxidants for immunity, as well as omega-3 fatty acids for a healthy skin and coat. The brand’s formulas also feature essential vitamins and minerals for balanced nutrition, Petco said. The dry formulas include real protein as the first ingredient and canine probiotics to support healthy digestion.

The complete line of WholeHearted dog food is available now at all Petco and Unleashed by Petco locations, as well as online at Petco.com/WholeHearted.

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Best Overall: Royal Canin

Think of it as pet food fit for kings and queensRoyal Canin offers foods for all sorts of dogs: purebreds, young, old, large, and small. Plus, you can choose from wet and dry food options with this brand.

The companys values are inspiring: Not only do they focus on making food thats healthy for pets, but they are also intent on reducing their environmental impact. The company got its start in France in the 1960s, and has gone on to be an international brand, with food sold around the world. Royal Canin is available for sale at local pet foods stories and vet offices, as well as many popular online retailers.

Canidae All Life Stages

About: Canidae is a highly reputable dog food brand, vet-formulated to provide nutrition to your pooch without using corn, wheat, soy, or by-product meat in their food.

Canidaes All Life Stages line is a great grain-inclusive dry food with a mix of chicken, turkey, lamb and fish meals animal proteins.

Best Mix of Proteins

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True Acre Foods Chicken & Vegetable Recipe

This chicken and veggie formulation by True Acre is prepared with chicken to provide a good amount of protein, offering your pup a tasty treat that helps him grow and maintain his lean muscle mass. Farm vegetables like peas and carrots are added to this recipe to deliver minerals and vitamins that are required for your pups best health.

Antioxidants are also included with this tasty recipe to keep free radicals from creating damage inside your pups body. This formula encourages your Shih Tzus immune system health, keeping doggy colds at bay throughout the year.

True Acre does not forget how important gastric health is and they include natural fibers in their recipe that promote healthy digestion. Omega fatty acids are included to keep your Shih Tzus long coat glossy and his skin in good physical shape. Like any quality dog food on the market, this recipe does not include artificial ingredients and fillers.

All of True Acre’s dog foods are made with ingredients sourced from trusted farms, and without grains, wheat, corn or artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Whilst peas are listed as one of the ingredients, it will be difficult to escape this ingredient within this price bracket.

Best For Large Dogs: Purina

Courtesy of Chewy

Of course, Purina is a big-name brand with plenty of options for pets of all sizes. But they particularly excel at providing options for large-breed dogs, like Newfoundlands and Great Danes. From when theyre puppies through to adulthood, large dogs have different nutritional needs than smaller ones.

In the Purina Pro line, Purina offers several options for large dogsthere are choices for large and giant dogs, and options geared toward puppy, adult, and senior large dogs. And, there are both wet and dry choices. While some owners save it as a special treat meal, its also affordable enough for every day.

Purina has been making pet food for more than 90 years and calls out two big priorities: creating innovative new products and promoting sustainability.

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Our Rating Of Wholehearted Grain Free Dog Food

WholeHearted Grain Free is a dry dog food using a moderate amount of named meat meals as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.

Highly recommended.

However, its unfortunate the company chose to include so much plant-based protein in its recipe. Otherwise, we would have been compelled to award this product a higher rating.

Wholehearted All Breed Chicken And Brown Rice Recipe Dry Puppy Food

This dry puppy food is a well-balanced meal thats suitable for all breeds of puppies. Although WholeHearted does not offer a grain-inclusive formula specialized for large breed and small breed size puppies, which would be advantageous, this puppy food has most of the nutrients that your growing puppy needs.

WholeHearted does have a grain-free puppy food option. However, unless your puppy suffers from grain-related allergic reactions, this chicken and brown rice recipe is our preferred choice for your puppy. It doesnt contain ingredients that may contribute to heart disease.

This puppy food has kibble thats adapted in size and texture for your puppys jaws and teeth. It incorporates real chicken as its primary protein source, DHA for improved cognitive development, probiotics to ease digestion, and omega-3 fatty acids for skin and coat health.

• Does not specify breed size

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Blackwood 1000 Dog Food

Blackwood 1000 dog food has an ingredients list thats full of items that deliver no health benefits to dogs and can even be harmful to their health.

It also contains a lot of ingredients that are comprised of GMOs. Since many studies suggest that GMOs are not safe for human consumption, its certainly not a good idea to fill your dog with such foods daily.

Overall Best Dog Foods For Shih Tzus

Overall Best Dog Food for Shih Tzus Ollie dog food is a delicious option that is comprised of human-grade ingredients. It is a unique dog food option that offers a tasty meal your Shih Tzu will enjoy. It is made with whole, fresh ingredients that are processed minimally as a way to retain as many nutrients as possible.

Ollie also makes sure that their meals do not include any artificial ingredients or unnecessary fillers.

Ollie delivers their fresh food directly to your front door, making it super easy for you to give your pup quality nutrition on a regular basis. Although they make their meals with human-grade ingredients, they are packed with nutrition that is made specially for dogs.

Ollie does a fantastic job of providing appetizing, wholesome nutrition to your Shih Tzu without any common allergens. When ingredients are wholesome, they are already packed with flavor and do not require any additives, like artificial flavors.

Most Popular Food for Shih Tzus This dry dog food by Taste of the Wild includes tasty buffalo and bison ingredients that deliver great protein content for your Shih Tzu, an important aspect of your dogs diet that offers lot of energy and helps with the preservation of lean muscle mass for optimal weight control.

Pros:

Cons:

• This is not an organic product
• This product may include genetically modified ingredients

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