Next Level dog food hit the market hard in 2023 and seemed to gain traction around the same time as the massive and unprecedented Victor recall. Amid concerns over Victor’s recall due to salmonella contamination, numerous pet owners have sought a trustworthy alternative to replace their former choice.
Next Level pet food is reportedly owned and manufactured by the people who originally started Victor Pet Food, which explains why those who have traditionally loved Victor’s brand are drawn to it.
All About Next Level Dog Food
I look beyond marketing terms, popularity, and influencer content when evaluating pet food companies. Pet owners must evaluate where their pet’s food is manufactured, who formulated it, and how it may or may not be the safest and most nutritious choice. Read on to learn more about this emerging brand.
Who Owns Next Level?
Scott Glover and Antoine Albin are the brains behind the Next Level dog food brand, which operates under U.S. Pet Food LLC. Interestingly, they were previously behind the successful venture of Victor Pet Food until they sold the brand to Mid-America.
With their non-compete agreement now expired, Glover and Albin wasted no time launching Next Level. This new brand has likely been in the works for years, leading to this moment.
Who Formulates Next Level Pet Food?
Many Next Level dog food formulas are similar to those Victor offers, right down to the ingredient lists. While there are minor differences, Next Level is seriously twinning with Victor.
Next Level claims their foods, including their proprietary VX Advantage™, were formulated by working “closely with an expert nutrition team.“
Allow me to translate this for you. Next Level does NOT have a qualified nutritionist on staff. They have an unclear relationship with consultants whose credentials, experience, and ongoing affiliation with Next Level are unknown.
Because so many of the formulas mirror what we see from Victor, their former brand, it’s possible that they tweaked existing recipes and had a consultant sign off on them.
Further, there is no sign that these new recipes have been tested or proven long-term or in basic AFFCO feeding trials.
What is VX Advantage™?
VX Advantage™ is a “proprietary vitamins, nutrients, and prebioticsblend.” The company leverages this for marketing purposes. However, the truth is that all companies use a propriety blend of vitamins, minerals, and supplements for joint and gut support.
There is nothing special or unusual about this, and no clinical data to support that their particular mix, which they’ve given a fancy name, is superior.
Where is Next Level Pet Food Made?
Next Level makes its food in an owned facility in Texas.
This sets them a step ahead of the thousands of other pet food brands whose foods are manufactured and distributed by large contract facilities.
When a pet food company owns its facilities, it puts it in full control of its quality and manufacturing practices. This is very positive for companies fully dedicated to creating safe, nutritious, and clean products.
For companies willing to cut corners, it’s not. (See: Victor Salmonella Recall 2023) . Because Next Level is still very new to the market, we don’t know what their company culture is and how clean their plants are. It will take time for them to prove themselves.
The factory has no certifications (as of this publication) for safety and food sanitation, and without a much-established history, we have no idea how good their testing protocols are. That doesn’t mean they have a dirty plant, but there is little proof yet that they have a clean one.
Has Next Level Ever Had a Recall?
As of the time of this writing in early 2024, Next Level pet food has never had a recall.
However, it is a very new company and hasn’t had time to make a mistake.
While they appear to be taking the correct steps, comparing them to brands feeding millions of dogs (for decades) is unfair.
For perspective, people have often applauded Victor for never having had a recall. That seemed positive until we all learned they had been selling bacteria-contaminated food for nearly a year (if not longer)—their history of “no-recalls” ended in one of the most unprecedented recalls in pet food history.
To put this more simply, pet owners would be smart to look at companies’ overall manufacturing and formulation practices before choosing them simply because they’d not yet had a recall.
Is Next Level Pet Food Like Victor Pet Food?
Many pet owners claim Next Level pet food is similar to the “old” Victor formulas before Victor was purchased and reformulated.
The brands are very similar, and while some dogs who do well on Victor may do okay on Next Level, there are slight differences in the formulas, ingredients, and mineral levels.
Next Level does appear to be a step and repeat of Victor, with eerily similar marketing, ingredients, and formulas.
It’s unclear why the people behind the Next Level brand feel that the market desperately needs a repeat of Victor dog food.
In some ways, their motivation to attempt a repeat of Victor before they sold it feels vindictive and frustrating. It is as if something failed the first time they tried, so they are going at it again with an eerily similar product.
As a pet owner, I’m not convinced I care to be in the middle of that.
Does Next Level Pet Food Cause DCM?
Researchers continue to prove that there is a link between unbalanced nutrition and N-DCM, a deadly form of heart disease that is often reversed with diet change.
The problem is that the exact mechanism behind this phenomenon concerning certain pet food formulations is unknown. It largely correlates with foods with peas or legumes in the first five ingredients and with companies that do not have a qualified nutritionist on staff.
Unfortunately, Next Level checks both of those questionable boxes.
If you are at all concerned about nutritional DCM (read more about that HERE), I recommend choosing a WSAVA-compliant food and joining these two groups on Facebook:
Next Level utilizes some traditional ingredients such as chicken meal and brown rice.
Peas are utilized heavily in many of their formulas, a potential risk factor for nDCM heart disease. If whole peas or several forms of peas are seen in the top 5-10 ingredients, that can be a red flag.
Brown rice is used in many Next Level formulas; it’s worth noting that brown rice is likely to contain higher arsenic levels than white rice or brewer rice. We have to trust that the company is handling this ingredient appropriately and regularly testing for the presence of arsenic in the food.
Like Victor, Next Level uses blood meal to boost protein content. Blood meal is a controversial and non-traditional ingredient in dog food; it’s most commonly used in pig food and fertilizer.
Next Level uses grain sorghum instead of corn. It’s a very similar product to corn, with a similar nutritional profile, but not nearly as much research behind it. Some companies will use sorghum to avoid the negative marketing associated with corn.
“Science is in the Bag” Next Level Tagline
Next Level uses “Science is in the Bag” as a common phrase in their marketing, including as a tagline on each bag itself.
I have many thoughts, but unfortunately, “science” is the new buzzword in pet food marketing.
Any company that uses even the tiniest bit of published clinical research to choose an ingredient can claim to be relying on “science” in their formulations.
This is exactly what Next Level is doing.
When a company tells me that its brand is backed by science, I want to see at least some of the following:
Qualified nutritionists on staff (Ph.D. and/or A.C.V.N. Veterinary Nutritionists
Verifiable, legitimate Feeding trials
Published clinical peer-reviewed research, both in-house and 3rd party, especially related to novel ingredients and formulations sold by the company
A dedication to the advancement of animal health and veterinary science
Next Level doesn’t do any of those things on the list I’ve seen yet.
Their claims of being “Science-Based” are a disingenuous and egregious use of “Science” for marketing purposes. That is misleading and unfair to consumers.
Is Next Level Good Dog Food?
I don’t think it’s bad dog food.
Like thousands of other brands, I think it will keep dogs alive. Many dogs will do fine, or even great, on it.
Next Level does cut corners in the nutritionist, research, and feeding trials department, which gives me pause, especially because they are a new company with no established history.
The pets eating Next Level food right now are the guinea pigs.
It will take time for a brand like this to gain my trust, especially in a market with thousands of others to choose from. More established companies have decades of research and science behind their food, which makes it hard to justify giving my hard-earned money to a startup.
Unfortunately, at the moment, we only have a handful of anecdotal reports from pet owners that they are happy with this food. That’s not enough for me to endorse it as a brand.
As a giant-breed dog owner, I am excited to see they’ve developed a product line for giant-breed dogs of all ages. Royal Canin is the only other company to have done this.
I would love to see a company dedicated to giant breed dogs, but they need legitimate science in their back pocket when doing this.
I hope Next Level steps up its game and brings some feeding trials, food-safety certifications, and on-staff, qualified nutritionists to the bar. Until then, I’ll keep them on my radar but won’t be adding them to any recommended brand lists.
As with all pet food content I write, I aim to provide transparency and useful information. This Honest Kitchen dog food review is going to cover everything from where the food is manufactured to whether or not it is nutritionally sound for your pet.
I’m tired of pet food reviews that simply regurgitate and endorse the company’s marketing. You won’t find that here.
Years ago, I fed Honest Kitchen food to my little dog.
I distinctly remember preparing a bowl of it for my dog while my family was visiting, and they all kept saying that it looked like dog puke.
They weren’t kidding. It’s true.
Honest Kitchen invests heavily in marketing its brand, but whether its claims are supported by evidence justifying the extra expense remains to be seen.
The Honest Kitchen sells dehydrated pet food (that must be prepared before serving), wet food, and “clusters” (their take on kibble). This is not a typical pet food brand, and that’s part of the appeal.
Let’s dig in!
Honest Kitchen Marketing Claims
The Honest Kitchen pet food company makes the following claims in its marketing:
Human-Grade Ingredients
Wholesome and Natural
Balanced Nutrition
Convenient Preparation
Transparency
Limited Ingredient Options
Palatability
High-Quality Standards
These things are of course, very appealing to pet parents looking for a high-quality diet! Many companies make these same claims, so is Honest Kitchen different?
What is Human Grade Dog Food?
The Honest Kitchen claims to produce only “Human-grade” food and says that they are the only food brand authorized by the FDA to make that claim on their products. What they mean is that the FDA inspected their facilities and provided a letter of “no-objection” to Honest Kitchen using that term in their marketing.
It’s not that the FDA has a designated term that requires companies to adhere to it, it’s that they had no reason to object to the term when Honest Kitchen asked them to verify.
None of this is a bad thing! It shows a dedication to quality ingredient sourcing and manufacturing practices (which, can be possible in pet foods that aren’t labeled “human grade” as well).
The concept behind “human grade” dog food is that it will have been manufactured using the same strict attention to cleanliness, pathogen management, and quality as human food.
Boutique pet food companies, such as the Honest Kitchen, leverage this belief to their advantage by claiming that their food meets the supposedly higher “human-grade” standards.
However, food scientists know better than this.
The truth? In many ways pet foods have much stricter regulations on them than human foods, especially when it comes to raw meat!
Why is this? Because human food is meant to be cooked at home, which kills pathogens. Pet food must be safe straight out of the bag.
Additionally, humans handle pet food in their homes; it cannot contain pathogens and toxins that may be harmful to people.
I do not doubt that the Honest Kitchen has good quality control and sources high-quality ingredients. Where pet owners need to tread cautiously is in misleading marketing such as “human grade” that is meant to position food as superior.
Many pet food companies selling “pet grade” foods adhere to insanely high standards, and they have to (because the regulations, believe it or not, demand it).
A lot of the meat, grains, and supplements seen in more traditional pet foods are coming from suppliers who produce those same ingredients for human consumption.
In theory and according to some standards, the moment it’s shipped for use in pet food, it’s no longer “human grade”, even if it’s identical to the product shipped to a facility making food for humans. Based on that logic, Honest Kitchen is not actually “human grade”, unless you plan to pour yourself a bowl and eat it for dinner.
There are also major environmental and ethical considerations when it comes to using super high-quality anything for pets. Pets don’t need “top quality” anything in their diet. In nature, they will eat entrails, bones, bugs, and organs. In our homes, they will eat trash and poop.
When the human meat industry processes chickens, there are nutritious bones, organs, and tissues left behind. Many pet food companies use these ingredients instead of allowing them to go to waste, however, the Honest Kitchen would not because it goes against their beliefs about quality.
Food for thought!
Does Honest Kitchen Meet WSAVA Recommendations?
WSAVA’s recommendations for pet food focus on factors such as nutritional research, quality control, and manufacturing standards, which are essential considerations for any pet food brand claiming to offer balanced and high-quality nutrition.
I’ve dug into some very common WSAVA guidelines below to determine if Honest Kitchen adheres to them.
Who Formulates Honest Kitchen Dog Food?
The first place I look is the Pet Nutrition Alliance Manufacturer’s Report, which asks pet food companies to answer a few simple questions regarding their nutritionist and where the food is manufactured.
As of 2023, The Honest Kitchen had not responded to those inquiries. Based on my experience, when a company chooses not to publish such answers for the Pet Nutrition Alliance, it suggests that they may not adhere to the highest standards.
So of course, I had to go digging.
The Honest Kitchen states that they “work with a team of renowned veterinarians, including an ACVN-accredited veterinary nutritionist, to create each and every recipe“.
This means that they use unnamed consultants with variable credentials in their formulations, and none of them are on staff or employed by the company. Having an ACVN veterinary nutritionist involved in the formulation process is incredibly valuable, but without a direct relationship, it’s difficult to ascertain the extent of their contribution.
Where is Honest Kitchen Dog Food Made?
Most Honest Kitchen food is made in an unnamed “human-grade” facility that also manufactures soup, cereal, and milkshake powders.
In 2021 they opened a manufacturing plant for their “clusters” pet food (which is similar to kibble). I was unable to verify how much of their manufacturing is done at this plant.
I do believe that in general, the Honest Kitchen does meet high standards for ingredient sourcing, manufacturing practices, and overall management of pathogens and toxins.
Does Honest Kitchen Do Feeding Trials?
The Honest Kitchen brand has not completed traditional AAFCO feeding trials, instead indicating that they have “exceeded them” with a series of at-home trials.
At-home trials can be complicated, as pets in the home environment cannot be adequately monitored for accidental or intentional ingestion of other foods, treats, and supplements. Additionally, because each dog lives in a very different environment, it’s hard to objectively compare them.
In-home trials are helpful and can provide useful information, and it’s a far cry ahead of companies that do nothing at all. However, I’m not convinced that at-home feeding trials are all that superior.
The Honest Kitchen claims that their 6-month feeding trial of 24 dogs indicated positive results for each dog. However, they only tested three recipes among several in their product line.
The Honest Kitchen claims to be ethically and morally opposed to traditional feeding trials done in a laboratory environment. This take implies that dogs that participate in “traditional” tests are abused and live horrible lives locked in cages.
This is simply not true. It’s a complete myth and I have serious complaints about pet food companies that spread such misinformation.
Many people who work in pet food testing facilities will tell you that the dogs there receive tons of playtime, attention, enrichment, and care. They are groomed, loved, and trained. Those dogs receive regular veterinary care and are not subjected to torture or abuse as many would imply.
Is Honest Kitchen Endorsed by Veterinarians?
Kind of.
What I mean by this is that the only endorsements or collaborations I can find are with “holistic” veterinarians, and a review is hardly considered an endorsement.
Holistic and integrative veterinarians can be helpful in some situations, however, they are unfortunately known for denying published research and utilizing “natural” treatments and solutions with questionable efficacy and safety.
I’d like to see evidence-based veterinarians endorse or recommend Honest Kitchen as well, however, they don’t (at least not publicly or online). I’m always cautious when the only veterinarians that will recommend or endorse a food are “holistic”.
So while we cannot determine if this food is nutritionally sound, we can take a look at what’s in it. Their grain-free formulas ARE heavy in peas and potatoes, which may increase the risk of nutritional DCM (more on this below).
There is nothing wrong with any of these ingredients, and I do not doubt that they have all been purchased from quality suppliers. Beef, oats, and barley are traditional and well-researched pet food ingredients.
As a pet parent, I would not hesitate to purchase and use this food as a nutritious topper or to stuff puzzles such as the West Paw TOPPL!
Like the dehydrated beef recipe, this appears to be another food with several traditional, highly researched ingredients such as chicken, barley, and oats.
However, there’s a concern regarding the chicken content in this food. Although it is listed as the first ingredient, it doesn’t specify whether it was dehydrated or processed into a meal beforehand. This can suggest that its position as the primary ingredient may be due to water weight, not nutrient density in the finished food.
Honest Kitchen clusters are “cold pressed”. This means that individual ingredients are cooked before being pressed into shapes at low temperatures (around 100 degrees Fahrenheit). It’s not actually ‘cold’ nor is it raw.
What is the Carb Level in Honest Kitchen Pet Food?
I must admit, I was thoroughly impressed by the level of detail and comprehensiveness provided by Honest Kitchen. In contrast to many companies that make you hunt for such details or even refuse to provide them altogether, Honest Kitchen’s transparency is refreshing.
I used their tool to pull random samples of food and here is what I found.
Every sample was 42-50% carbs, which is in line with most dry kibble foods.
The Honest Kitchen contains average carb levels.
There is nothing wrong with carbs in pet foods and I appreciate that they embrace healthy grains such as barley and oats which provide amino acids and energy.
What is the Copper Level in Honest Kitchen Pet Food?
All of them fell right in range with the averages we see from science-backed companies such as Purina, Royal Canin, and Eukanuba.
In recent years, researchers have raised concerns about excess copper content in pet foods contributing to a rise in copper storage and liver diseases. The FEDAIF (European) recommends capping copper at 28 mg/kg. Many foods in the U.S. well exceed that level, especially from “holistic” and boutique-type pet food companies.
However, this value appears to be well controlled in Honest Kitchen, running in the neighborhood of 10 – 22 mg/kg of copper on average.
If you are concerned about copper levels in your pet’s food, verify that information with the company before feeding it.
Does Honest Kitchen Cause DCM?
This is where things get a little dicey.
Unfortunately, The Honest Kitchen has been seen in veterinary-confirmed cases of nutritional DCM (which can often be reversed with diet change).
The challenge with nutritional heart disease lies in its multifaceted nature, and fortunately, it’s relatively rare. It DOES happen, however, and it is 100% preventable.
Researchers know that N-DCM is seen as a problem with boutique pet food brands that do not have a qualified nutritionist on staff, in particular, if they use a lot of peas and legumes in their formulations.
Whether we want to admit it or not, Honest Kitchen shares those risk factors.
While the Honest Kitchen has exceptional feel-good marketing and wholesome ingredients, those things may not outweigh the risks of nutritional deficiencies.
These deficiencies can be a problem no matter how ‘healthy’ and ‘high quality’ a food appears to be.
Talk to your veterinarian about diet, especially if you have a breed prone to heart disease in the first place.
Can Honest Kitchen Dog Food Be Fed to Puppies?
As with all pet foods, it’s important to verify the AAFCO statement on the bag.
The statement should say something along the lines of this: “this formula meets the nutritional levels established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) for growth and development.”
Large and giant breed puppies require food where the AAFCO statement further indicates that the formula meets the nutritional levels established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) for growth and development, including the growth of large breed puppies, 70+ lbs as adults.
This is because large-breed puppy foods have well-controlled calcium and energy levels.
No matter what Honest Kitchen food you choose, look for that statement.
The Honest Kitchen is a premium food that comes at a premium price point.
As with most similar foods, the added expense is more than what would truly make our pets healthy and thriving. Good marketing tells us that “high-quality human-grade food” is what we should buy when the truth is that many very affordable foods produce the same (or better) results.
I’m not convinced that pet parents should be shamed into spending big money on food like this under the guise that it would always result in a healthier, more robust pet.
However, if you have a pet that does well on expensive “human-grade” pet food, and you can afford it, there is nothing wrong with that.
I would use the clusters as training treats and the dehydrated food for stuffing enrichment toys. Honest Kitchen dehydrated food would make a great topper that is pretty close to fresh foods, while still being balanced and safe to feed.
Would I buy it? YES! Absolutely.
Would I feed it as my pet’s exclusive diet? No. I’d like to see the Honest Kitchen better adhere to WSAVA guidelines, and put to rest some of their more egregious marketing tactics.
Today, we’ll be providing a comprehensive Gentle Giants dog food review, offering fresh insights to help you make an informed decision when choosing food for your Great Dane or other giant breed dog. We are experts in large and giant breed dogs, and share science-backed information!
This review is part of our ongoing series on dry dog food.
Here are some things I will cover in our Gentle Giants review:
Where Gentle Giants dog food is manufactured
If Gentle Giants food will make your dog live longer
The carbohydrate content of Gentle Giants dog food
Whether or not Gentle Giants can be fed to puppies
Our opinion on the quality of this pet food brand
Science and research behind dog nutrition
Gentle Giant Dog Food Ingredient Analysis
Here is a list of the ingredients in Gentle Giants’ chicken dog food formula. While they have other formulas, they are all comparable. For this review, chicken and rice will be used as an example.
Author’s Note: It’s important to note that we are not Veterinary Nutritionists, so our assessment is limited to a cursory examination, and we cannot provide a definitive judgment on commercial dog food recipes or the specific ingredients in this formula.
The addition of fruits and vegetablesin Gentle Giants is a marketing gimmick; the amounts of each of these would be so low that they essentially amount to fairy dust. Each one is listed after salt in the ingredients, which means they make up less than 1% of the final formula.
Green Lipped Mussel has some promising indications for joint health, but as with fruits and vegetables in this formula, there is very little of this product in the final food. It is unlikely to have any benefit at all.
According to Gentle Giants, this food is classified as a “natural formula” designed to offer balanced nutrition for dogs of all ages and sizes.
Carb Content of Gentle Giants Dog Food
It does appear to be high in starchy ingredients such as barley, brown rice, oatmeal, and peas, especially compared to many other dog foods and dry food recipes.
Brown rice is an excellent example of a typical healthy grain in Gentle Giant Dog food. Brown Rice may contain higher levels of arsenic than white rice, so brown rice must be included thoughtfully and only from companies that do a lot of product lab testing during and after production. It is unclear what their testing processes are.
This puts Gentle Giants dog food at a much higher carb content than Purina One Large Breed Chicken and Rice, which lands at 44% carbs, and higher than Purina Dog Chow Chicken which lands at 51% carbs.
This means that the Gentle Giants formula has LESS meat than other more established and known pet food brands.
It is priced at $44 U.S.D. for 30 pounds.
Author’s note: Purina Puppy/Dog Chow is $28 for 40 lbs. It’s a less expensive food by far, yet, has a lower carbohydrate content than Gentle Giants.
Dog Chow also has an insane amount of research (including lifetime feeding trials) behind the formulation. If you would not feed Purina Dog Chow to your pet, you should begin to recognize how Gentle Giants is unquestionably the lower quality option between the two.
Where is Gentle Giants Dog Food Manufactured
As of this update (2024), it is believed that Gentle Giants Pet foods are manufactured by Consumers Supply Distribution in Sioux City, Iowa. It is made in the U.S.A.
While marketing would like to lead consumers to believe otherwise, Gentle Giant pet food is a classic example of a mass-manufactured brand coming from a co-packing factory that is responsible for hundreds of other labels, formulas, and products.
Because it is unclear where Gentle Giants Dog food is made, I did a deep dive for this blog post!
Gentle Giants has a video on their website showing how their food is manufactured.
It starts with sweeping views of a factory, where a computer-generated version of their logo appears on the signage and distribution trucks. This would be believable to the untrained eye, but once you realize what is happening, it is clear that they are attempting to white-label the factory.
The video takes us inside the facility where this dog food is made, and we can see employees wearing “Consumers Supply” polo shirts.
Gentle Giants do NOT manufacture their food; they contract it out. While this is an acceptable albeit sub-standard practice (it’s better to choose pet foods coming from owned manufacturing facilities with strict quality control and dedication to the safety and bioavailability of the final product), it’s so much worse that they attempt to lie about it!
Consumers Supply manufactures and distributes several products that service the pet, wildlife, and livestock industries including food, minerals, salts, bird seed, and even rope and twine. They are commissioned by companies to make and distribute products and have no affiliation otherwise with the mission or branding of the product being sold.
Is Gentle Giants dog food made in China?
No, it is made in the U.S. However, most, if not all dog food companies (even ‘natural’ ones) source vitamins and minerals from other countries (including China).
Many people believe that their dog has grain allergies, however, this condition is exceedingly rare. Grains provide important nutrients and energy that dogs need to thrive.
Unfortunately, many grain-free dry dog foods have been associated with a preventable and deadly form of heart disease. We do not recommend feeding grain-free dry diets to dogs.
Is Gentle Giants dog food holistic?
The term ‘holistic’ is a marketing term that is not regulated. It’s made up!
Anybody can claim that the food they make and sell is “holistic”. It’s a catchy term that encourages well-meaning pet parents to make a purchase.
Holistic should imply that a food is formulated to treat the “whole body”.
Any good science-backed food would thus, actually be holistic. Comprehensive veterinary care including prevention is thus, holistic.
Gentle Giants dog food does claim to be “holistic”. Take that with a grain of salt. It doesn’t mean anything.
Gentle Giants is an “All Life Stages” food, meaning that it’s formulated for puppies and adults.
All Life Stages foods are essentially puppy foods. This can be okay in some cases, but in others, it’s simply a way for companies to minimize the need for different formulations, bags, and feeding trials.
When evaluating whether a food is appropriate for a large or giant breed puppy, it is critical to assess the calcium and phosphorus levels.
An appropriate food for a big puppy will have 1.2% or less calcium, a CA/PH ratio of as close to 1:1 as possible, and 3.5g or less calcium per 1000 kCal. It will also have the AAFCO large breed growth statement.
Ideally, the food will have also undergone feeding trials, extensive lab testing, and research, proving the availability of other important bone-growth nutrients such as Vitamin D, zinc, and phosphorus. From what we can tell, Gentle Giant’s food has not been subjected to rigorous and thorough testing.
Gentle Giants Chicken and Rice does have the AAFCO Large Breed Growth statement, indicating that the calcium level is expected to be 1.8% or less.
However, it is impossible to find calcium and phosphorus levels for this food. Without this information published and easy to find, we cannot verify that the food is 1.2% or less (the value recommended for giant breed puppies in particular). Additionally, we can not calculate how much calcium is in 1000 kCal of Gentle Giants puppy food.
As above, the food is co-packed in a massive manufacturing facility that makes many other brands and labels. This facility is probably responsible for the nutritional formulation as well, yet there is no indication of the qualifications of the individuals overseeing this process.
Tread cautiously when choosing to feed this food to a large or giant breed dog under the age of 2.
Incorrect nutritional values in puppyhood can increase the risk of dysplasia, bone damage, painful growth disorders, and even osteosarcoma bone cancer or wobblers disease!
Behind the Gentle Giants Food Brand
Our Gentle Giants dog food review would be incomplete without some information about what goes on behind the brand.
Not only does this food come with bold, in-your-face marketing geared toward pet owners with gentle giants, but it also has some interesting stories behind it. Read on, friends.
The Gentle Giants Rescue
Burt Ward (the owner of this brand) has been rescuing dogs with his wife in California for decades.
This unusual rescue makes wild claims about the longevity of the dogs (20+ years in some cases) living on their “all-natural dog food“, and says they have rescued over 14,000 pets.
Meanwhile, as of this writing, they have no animals available for adoption.
Many of the ‘available’ breeds they offer via this rescue are unusual and rare, including Staghounds, Xolo, “woodles”, and Saluki. They have had many, many litters of puppies, too.
Many people, including us, believe that this ‘rescue’ operation is nothing more than a glorified puppy mill.
They claim that 30-40 dogs live with them in “peace and harmony” on their property and that all are seniors exceeding their normal lifespan because of their “world-classfood and training program”.
There are many verifiable reports of neglect, poor living conditions, and uncontrolled dogs breeding at will in the unsupervised ‘Gentle Giants’ pack.
People seem to associate ‘celebrity’ with ‘trustworthy’.
Burt Ward played Robin in the 1960s Batman TV series.
That doesn’t make him a nutrition expert, last we checked…
Is Gentle Giants Dog Food Good?
We don’t stand behind any dry dog food that doesn’t stand with science. It’s that simple. The people behind Gentle Giants dog food do not participate in research, studies, or food trials.
The only “proof” they have of the efficacy and safety of their food is the claims made that their pack of “rescue” dogs are all over the age of 10.
A cursory glance at dog food reviews of this product indicates that some people have had no trouble feeding this food and swear by it while others experienced blood in the urine, inflammation, loose stools, and itching.
Has Gentle Giants Food Ever Been Recalled?
As of this writing, it appears that Gentle Giants food has never been recalled.
We see this as a red flag. Why?
A company that will recall its food is a company that wants to control the quality and the consistency, even if the problem that led to the recall is minor.
When a company has never issued a recall, voluntary or otherwise, you can pretty much bet that they are casually overlooking some things so that they can continue to say ‘no recalls’ in their marketing.
Boutique Dog Foods vs. Science
Boutique ‘feel good’ dog foods, including Gentle Giants, rely on careful marketing to sell the brand.
They tend to use buzzwords such as “human grade”, “all-natural”, “no recalls”, “super-premium”, or “holistic”. This can lead consumers to feel that they are purchasing something healthier for their pet (even if no actual health benefits have been proven by any legitimate science).
Even the word “farm-raised chicken” is meant to evoke a certain feeling or emotion about the food. All chickens are raised on farms!
Common ’boutique’ companies that you may have heard of or seen include Fromm, Orijen, 4Health, Halo, Solid Gold, Nulo, Nutro, Zignature, The Farmer’s Dog, Muenster, and Life’s Abundance.
What’s interesting about boutique dog food is that, despite the health claims they make, there is very little science going into the food itself.
Many people are shocked to learn that very few (if any) boutique food companies have a legitimate nutritionist formulating their foods. In many cases, the person making the recipe is even less qualified than a veterinarian.
For example, Fromm (who relies on the ‘ family-owned’ mantra to sell food) is formulated by a chemical engineer.
Victor Foods are formulated by somebody with a master in science and an online certificate in dairy cattle nutrition.
Diamond brand foods (including Taste of the Wild, Costco/Kirkland, Diamond, and Nutra Nuggets) are formulated by a computer and packaged in different bags to appeal to different markets.
Boutique brands also don’t participate in nutrition research and science. In many cases, the pet foods they make are only “formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by AAFCO”, on paper.
This sounds great, but all that means is that on paper they’ve added enough nutrients to satisfy a minimum legal guideline. It doesn’t mean that they’ve tested and proven the formulation itself.
So when a brand is telling you they are “super-premium” and “holistic”, ask yourself if you are being sold to, or if that food has legitimate science backing its claims of being “healthier”.
Want to see how YOUR current dog food stacks up? Visit the Pet Nutrition Alliance and look your brand up.
Each food company was asked to provide information about just a few key things, including who formulates their food.
You’ll notice that many boutique dog food brands refused to share the requested information because it is damning to their brand.
We smell something fishy here, folks, and it’s not the fish meal in your bag of kibble.
The Great Grain-Free Debate
So what is inherently wrong with a “super-premium”, “natural” dog food from a boutique company, anyways? Let’s talk for a moment about the great grain-free pet food debate.
Many otherwise ‘healthy’ shiny dogs ‘with good poop’ who randomly die while playing or after going for a walk have been diagnosed with, or even passed from DCM, and the owners never knew something was wrong.
No official pre-death diagnosis means that very little data is collected on the dogs who die this way. The devastated owners move on with their lives, assuming that their dog had a genetic problem. Veterinarians around the country are seeing it happen over and over again.
While genetics do play a role in primary DCM, secondary DCM is believed to be caused by unbalanced nutrition. These dogs are essentially starved for certain amino acids and micro-nutrients: the heart enlarges and eventually gives out.
This brings us back to the fact that a sound majority of boutique dog food brands do not employ a board-certified veterinary nutritionist to formulate their food. This includes Gentle Giants.
As a Great Dane owner, you could not PAY me to feed Gentle Giants dog food.
Nutritional levels established by AAFCO
AAFCO is a non-profit agency that works in tandem with government regulatory agencies. Regulatory agencies moderate and enforce nutrition and food safety, and AAFCO was established to help with definitions and requirements.
The AAFCO label on every dog food bag is there to help you establish if the formula is correct for your dog.
All of this canine nutrition information can be frustrating and alarming to Great Dane owners who want to choose the best foods for their giant dogs!
We recommend picking a highly-researched, truly science-backed brand that employs highly qualified professionals (Veterinary Nutritionists) to formulate their food.
Find out if the formulations from those brands are substantiated in actual food tests, or if they just look correct on paper.
Ask if the brand has made any contributions to widely accepted canine nutrition science (the very science that has also now made it possible to feed Great Danes puppy food instead of adult food, YAY!).
Contrary to what small boutique brands want you to believe, the blueberries and spinach they have added in minuscule amounts to make you ‘feel good’ are doing nothing but lining their pockets.
If you want your dog to have blueberries, toss a few whole ones into their food, instead! Serving a balanced meal is important, however, so no matter what, make sure that toppers make up less than 10% of your dog’s overall dry dog food diet.
We recommend Large Breed Purina Pro Plan (puppy or adult, salmon recipe) or Royal Canin Giant Breed foods as the gold standard in healthy, highly researched dog foods for your gentle giant. However, Eukanuba and Iams have solid choices for you as well, at all price points!
Picky dogs hate their food after a short time. If you have a picky gentle giant, we recommend sticking with the same food, avoiding bribery, and making food FUN by offering it in puzzles or for training.
Senior dogs may eat less, too. Don’t mistake this natural behavior for ‘pickiness’.
The Dog Food Advisor Blog
Many people turn to the Dog Food Advisor blog for information about choosing pet food. It’s one of the top blogs to show up on a Google search when looking for dog food reviews!
The Dog Food Advisor rates the Gentle Giants brand as 4/5 stars and considers it an ‘above average dry product’ with a ‘moderate amount of meat’.
Here is the thing about the Dog Food Advisor. That blog was created by a human dentist with absolutely no credentials at all in veterinary nutrition. The rating system is made up.
Of course, we aren’t veterinary nutritionists either. But unlike the Dog Food Advisor, we aren’t making up a ratings system. Our evaluation of food is based purely on nutrition science and company manufacturing practices and ethics.
We align ourselves with veterinarians and veterinary nutritionists, for a reason. Our recommendations may not “look pretty” and “feel good” like the ones on the Dog Food Advisor, but we can confidently state that our information is based on science, NOT what results in more clicks and traffic.
That said, the Dog Food Advisor does rate Pro Plan as a top pick on its ‘recommended foods list’, and states that it is one of the only brands highly tested and formulated by a team of veterinary nutritionists. They are correct about that.
Our Rating of Gentle Giants Dog Food
This is one food we think you should skip.
No science.
Wild and questionable marketing claims about longevity (“Your dog can live longer!”).
Affiliated with a sketchy ‘giant breed rescue’ (very likely a puppy mill, but at the least nothing more than a wild pack of dogs that are fed out of trash cans and left to their own devices).
Unclear calcium/phosphorus levels.
Co-packed in a random factory.
Higher carb content than “low quality” Purina Dog Chow.
