Dr. Josie’s Favorite Pet Foods for 2023
Pet parents, clients or acquaintances, are always asking me for dog and cat food recommendations. I finally put together my own list after hours and hours of research. It is not an easy task and I just chose my top few in all the categories, from dry kibble to raw.
Being that it is a billion-dollar industry, pet food is highly politicized these days, all the way down to fake news campaigns, fear-mongering, and all the rest. Yes, even dog food is not immune.
The biggest fake news campaign that hopefully is coming to an end, is the blog post written by a Dr. Lisa Freeman, declaring that grain-free kibble sold in “boutique pet stores” was the cause behind dilated cardiomyopathy in our canine friends. Veterinary clinics across the country were posting warning signs on their front doors. Veterinary cardiologists were designing their own foods WITH grains.
And like so many other health concerns these days, where exactly was the scientific evidence? It was nowhere to be found.
As of December 23, 2022, the FDA has added a quiet note to the top of their original press release from 2018 indicating that, “based on the reports of DCM cases received, “they do not supply sufficient data to establish a causal relationship with reported product(s).” In other words, the FDA does not believe grain-free pet foods are/were the cause of DCM in dogs. The FDA also stated they do not intend to release any further notices about the issue “until there is meaningful new scientific information to share.”
See the full story and links to the FDA statement at Truth About Pet Food, Susan Thixton’s informative investigative site regarding all things dog and cat food.
But the fallout from this campaign has literally had thousands of dog parents switching back to dry kibble that is loaded with grains, and not just any grains, grains such as soy (99% GMO), corn (GMO), and corn by-products including corn gluten and corn meal, and wheat gluten, all loaded with glyphosate residues.
What does this mean for the dogs eating it? Inflammation runs rampant through their bodies, their gut microbiome being disrupted leading to allergies and immune system dysregulation, decreased neurotransmitters like serotonin leading to decreased responsiveness to training, anxiety, and aggression, among a multitude of other health problems.
Species Appropriate Whole Food diets
Outside of the dog food aisle of the local grocery store there is a movement taking place of feeding a species-appropriate whole food diet to pets. This includes mostly raw meat diets, with bone and organs added, some advocating vegetable matter, others not. It also includes gently cooked foods.
If I wanted my patients on an unprocessed diet of whole foods, I used to have to pass out recipes and teach them how to cook. In the past 10 or so years a large number of small pet food companies have popped up, making numerous commercial options available.
Here are a few things I look at when evaluating commercial pet foods:
• sourcing
• quality of ingredients
• formulation
• use of synthetic or food-sourced vitamins and minerals
•organic, non GMO status
•sustainability
Choosing a pet food can be an overwhelming task. I put this list together to try to make it easier. I may have missed some foods, but these are my top choices. With the cost of veterinary care rising, spending extra money on good food is the best form of health insurance I can think of. I think all of us would rather spend money preventing disease and having healthy pets.
Remember, the most expensive is not always the best. My top choice, which you should be able to guess by the long write-up, is actually less money to feed than some of the others that are more heavily processed. And you would be surprised as to how inexpensive some of the better, well-sourced foods are compared to ones with low-quality ingredients that can actually promote inflammation and disease.
Let me know what you think. I know there are many others out there but these are my favorites.
Hi Josie: Great information, but I can not get the list of your recommended foods. The app takes me to my drop box and said the link does not exist. I am not sure it is an issue with my device
Hello Josie!
Thank you for your wonderful articles! I am a veterinary student in Germany, and your substack is very interesting for me.
There is a question I have had for some years now: Some time ago I read "Give your dog a bone" by Ian Billinghurst and in the book he strongly advocates for dogs to be fed raw chicken bones (among other). Do you know the book and what is your opinion about it and particularly the raw chicken bones?
Kind regards!