Finding the "perfect" dog food is always a top priority for dog owners. You want to keep your canine companion happy and healthy while giving them something that will tickle the tastebuds!
But walk through any pet store, and you'll quickly see that discovering a product that checks off all the boxes is no easy feat!
Commercial dog food has come a long way since the cheap kibble of decades past. Dogs are part of the family, and owners like you want nothing but the best. Fortunately, the industry keeps up with those health-focused demands, paving the way for brands like Open Farm.
Open Farm is a relative newcomer in the dog food industry. But in less than a decade, it's already created a great reputation for its premium formulas and top-notch ingredients. So, is Open Farm worth the hype?
In this Open Farm Dog food review, we'll go over the brand's offerings. You'll learn more about its various products and what makes Open Farm unique to decide if it's the right brand for your furry friend.
About the Open Farm Brand
Open Farm hasn't been around as long as other established brands. As a result, it's a lesser-known name in the industry. Open Farm opened its doors in 2014, intending to create natural and nutritious foods for humans' best friends.
Like many other dog food companies, Open Farm had humble beginnings. The brand started its journey in response to the many cheap dog food products on the market offering nothing but cheap fillers and questionable ingredients.
Open Farm sought to flip the script and prioritize your pet's health.
The company itself calls Toronto, Canada its home. However, the various dog food products are all manufactured in Minnesota in the United States. The manufacturing facility, Barrett Petfood Innovations, sits on a 2,000-acre farm.
Not only does it produce Open Farm's dog food products, but it also grows some of the ingredients that go into the food on-site.
Open Farm Dog Food Products
Open Farm only offered a handful of dog food products in its early years. But today, you'll find a range of recipes for both cats and dogs.
The dog food line has expanded in recent years, resulting in plenty of great options for your pup. Here's a quick breakdown of what Open Farm currently offers in its dog food lineup.
Dry Dog Food
A high-quality dry kibble is the backbone of any healthy canine diet. With Open Farm, you have plenty of options. The brand offers two distinct collections: Grain-free recipes and Ancient Grain recipes.
The grain-free formulas are nutrient-dense, offering a great choice for dogs with digestive troubles or sensitive stomachs. You'll find a few different flavors. One of the most popular is the Homestead Turkey and Chicken formula.
It boasts an impressive 30 percent guaranteed analysis of protein. The protein comes from humanely raised turkey and chicken. They're at the top of the ingredients list.
The recipe also has several non-GMO vegetables and superfoods, such as pumpkin, tomatoes, apples, cranberries, flaxseed, salmon oil and more.
For the Ancient Grains collection, you're getting formulas with premium carbohydrate sources. For example, the Harvest Chicken & Ancient Grains kibble has quinoa and pumpkin.
However, it lacks corn, wheat, soy, legumes, peas or potatoes. With the most popular Harvest Chicken formula, your pup gets 26 percent protein, 4.5 percent fiber, and a great boost of Omega Fatty Acids.
In the past, Open Farm lacked options that catered to pups who needed specialty diets. However, that has changed in recent years. While Open Farms has a long way to go to rival bigger brands, you can now get formulas for puppies, senior dogs and small breeds.
There are also recipes with novel protein sources like venison and pasture-raised lambs for dogs with allergies.
Open Farm also offers an innovative Kind Earth collection that features creative formulas you don't often see from other brands. For example, the Kind Earth insects recipe uses dried fly larvae for protein!
Meanwhile, the Kind Earth plant recipe uses oats, fava beans and whole-grain barley.
Wet Dog Food
If your dog needs wet food, Open Farm has you covered. The wet food line includes six stew flavors conveniently packaged in single-serving cardboard boxes.
Some flavor options include grass-fed beef, chicken and wild-caught salmon. The wet food works great on its own or mixed with kibble for a flavor boost. The stews contain all human-made ingredients and are certified humane.
Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Freeze-dried dog foods are all the rage these days! Unlike traditional kibble, freeze-dried foods don't undergo intense cooking. As a result, they retain all the nutrients and enzymes of raw meat.
Experts say freeze-dried foods are closer to what canines eat in the wild. But, you get the convenience and shelf stableness of dry kibble.
Open Farm has a fantastic collection of freeze-dried foods that are minimally processed and super tasty for your pup!
The formulas mimic the dried kibble collection, including flavors like Harvest Chicken, Farmer's Table Pork, and Surf & Turf.
Let's look at the Homestead Turkey recipe to better understand the nutritional value you can expect. It has a crude protein analysis of 42 percent! In addition to turkey and turkey organs, the recipe includes organic carrots, cranberries and blueberries.
Unique Formulas
The cool thing about Open Farm dog food is that you're not limited to dry, wet or freeze-dried food. The brand recently introduced a few unique collections that you can consider introducing into your pup's diet.
The first is RawMix. RawMix dog foods include nutrient-dense kibble coated in a tasty bone broth. It also has morsels of freeze-dried raw meat, giving your dog the best of both worlds. Like the other lines, Open Farm offers RawMix food in many recipes and flavors.
The Open Prarie formula has chicken, turkey, ocean fish, barley, pumpkin, apples, cranberries and more. The recipe has a protein analysis of 31 percent.
Open Farm also offers gently cooked foods if you want to pamper your dog. These recipes contain wholesome ingredients that go through a slow-cooking process. It's like a home-cooked meal without the extra work of whipping up your dog's food daily.
The gently cooked food comes in preportioned packs for simplicity and includes all the same great ingredients as the other formulas.
Treats and Supplements
If the food isn't enough, Open Farm has treats and supplements.
The treat collection includes jerky, training bites and dehydrated meat morsels. Open Farm also offers bone broth as a topper and supplements to address immune strength, joint pain, digestive issues and more.
Open Farm Dog Food: What's the Quality Like?
Let's talk quality.
One thing that separates Open Farm from other high-quality brands is its dedication to pet health and the environment. The ingredients in the dog food and treats all come from high-quality sources.
Proteins contain no growth hormones or antibiotics. They come from animals that are pasture-raised and grass-fed.
Open Farm only gets meat from farms that uphold humane farming practices, and they're all Animal Welfare certified. You can feel good about the food you provide.
None of the formulas contain animal byproducts or unnecessary fillers, either. Everything in the ingredients list is wholesome and healthy.
For plant-based ingredients, Open Farm uses non-GMO fruits and vegetables. Many recipes utilize superfoods and wholesome grains that benefit your dog's health.
Of course, Open Farm also follows standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials. In fact, most formulas exceed those standards. So, you can rest easy that your dog is getting a balanced diet with everything it needs to stay healthy.
Open Farm Dog Food Advantages
There's a lot to love about Open Farm dog foods. In addition to offering high-quality products with premium, ethically sourced ingredients, your dog has tons to gain.
You don't need to be a canine nutritionist to understand the ingredient list. Open Farm is very transparent, and you can get a good idea of the quality you're getting when you look at the nutritional label. But that's not all.
The Open Farm website has a unique feature allowing you to trace individual bags' ingredients!
All you have to do is provide the lot code printed on the bag. The tool helps you learn more about what's in the recipe and see where Open Farm sourced the ingredients.
It's a game-changing tool that takes dog food transparency to a new level. You don't see that with other brands, and it's a great way to get peace of mind that you're feeding your dog the best of the best.
If you're wondering about recalls, you'll be happy to know that Open Farm has no history of recalls. Even the most premium brands have had a recall at some point.
Open Farm is still relatively young, but the fact that it's gone almost a decade without issues says a lot about its dedication to quality and transparency.
Possible Disadvantages
One of the biggest disadvantages of Open Farm dog foods is its price. But that's the tradeoff with high-quality ingredients and top-notch formulas.
Open Farm dog foods aren't the most expensive on the market, but the products do cost more than your average kibble. The more premium formulas, such as those in the RawMix collection, can have pretty high price tags!
In the past, another big complaint was that Open Farm didn't cater to dogs with specialty needs. That's changed in recent years.
The brand has a long way to go, but you can now find recipes for different life stages and a handful of dietary needs. There's room to grow, and we expect Open Farm's product line to expand even more in the future.
The Final Verdict
All in all, Open Farm is one of the more exciting brands on the market today. While many companies tout a dedication to quality and health, Open Farm puts its money where its mouth is!
The unique traceability tool is impressive, and the recipes contain true top-quality ingredients that benefit your dog's health.
While Open Farm isn't as well-known as other names in the dog food industry, it's well worth considering. Check out the collection and give Open Farm a try!
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