Get a Taste of These Three Dry Dog ‘Foodie’ Trends

FOODIE CULTURE CHANGED the way humans talk about food — making specialty diets common language. These days, blueberry muffins proclaim their gluten-free status and restaurants boast “Meatless Mondays.” This new mode of expression translates to dry dog food selections, too, with pet food aisles filling up with prix fixe delights like bison roasted with sweet potatoes and ancestral canine diets. This year, order up one or more of these dog foodie trends.

PRICE SCALE: $ $0 to $2 per lb / $$ $2.1 to $3 per lb / $$$ $3.1 to $4 per lb / $$$$ $4.1 + per lb

Meatless Mondays

Pet owners sometimes feed a vegetarian diet as a base for a fresh meat source, or in response to a dog’s dietary sensitivities. Like brunch spots and greasy spoons, every bespoke line of pet food carries at least some vegetarian options. And corn won’t cut it for these fine diners either: peas, sweet potatoes and chickpeas shine here, offering easily digestible proteins for dogs with elimination issues. 

Nature’s Balance Vegetarian Dry Dog Food Formula 
Nature’s Balance 

Selling Point: A complete nutritional alternative to a meat-based diet. 

Best for: Owners who love their animals … and the earth.

naturalbalanceinc.com, (800) 829-4493 

Vegan Cat and Dog Food 
Wysong 

Selling Point: High levels of protein and fat, plus a comprehensive spectrum of micronutrients, prebiotics, probiotics, enzymes, omega-3s, antioxidants. 

Best for:  Vegan and nutrient-conscious dog and cat owners. 

wysong.net, (800) 748-0188 

Vegan Garden Medley 
HALO PETS

Selling Point: Nutrient-rich chickpeas and peas contribute to this protein-packed diet. 

Best for:  Owners seeking healthier menus made up of easily digestible proteins. 

halopets.com, (800) 426-4256

Wilderness Diets Rise

Dogs are built for carnivorous diets, from their teeth and claws to their short digestive systems. Today’s trends have owners buying into wilderness diets, seeking a return to the natural state their dogs’ ancestors once enjoyed. Meaty recipes blend mutton and duck, medleys of game and raw, freeze-dried meat. These protein-packed blends stack meat on meat on meat, creating a variety of grain-free options.  

Nude Food Kibble Red Meat Medley
I and Love and You

Selling Point: A high-protein, grain-free meal made of whole, deboned meat plus real fruits and vegetables.

Best for:  Owners with a taste for indulgences. 

iandloveandyou.com, (855) 459-5683

Backcountry Raw Infused Big Game Recipe
Merrick 

Selling Point: An ancestral canine diet packed with protein, including pieces of raw, freeze-dried meat. 

Best for: Woodsmen seeking protein-rich, grain-free kibble. 

merrickpetcare.com, (800) 664-7387 

Tundra All Stages Dry Dog Food 
Origen

Selling Point: A meat medley that features goat, venison, mutton, bison, Arctic char, rabbit, duck, trout, pilchard and cod. 

Best for: Owners looking to satisfy their pets’ carnivorous instincts. 

orijen.ca, (877) 939-0006

Fish First 

Pescatarians get all the benefits of vegetarians, plus higher protein and beneficial omega 3s. Dogs with sensitive stomachs can indulge in fish-based diets featuring wild-caught salmon and Arctic char. Supplemented with vegetables and fruits, fish diets improve dogs’ nervous systems, vision and bone density, and add antioxidants for a healthy pet lifestyle. 

Pacific Stream Dry Dog Food
Taste of the Wild 

Selling Point: Real smoked salmon adds to a highly digestible, grain-free recipe.

Best for: Picky eaters with an appetite for wild-caught salmon.  

tasteofthewildpetfood.com, (800) 342-4808 

Blue Wilderness Salmon Recipe
Blue Buffalo 

Selling Point: A grain-free protein-rich food packed with salmon, complex carbohydrates and antioxidants.

Best for: The pet parent ready for an evolutionary diet to unleash his dog’s “inner wolf.”  

bluebuffalo.com, (800) 919-2833 

Salmon a la Veg 
Fromm 

Selling Point: Real Wisconsin cheese enhances wild salmon, apples and a cornucopia of broccoli, parsley and fresh produce. 

Best for: Fans of healthy gourmet eating, with a touch of Midwestern goodness.

frommfamily.com, (800) 325-6331

This article originally appeared in the Jan-Feb 2017 edition of PETS+.