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Big Dog Natural Dog Food Reviews

Big Dog Natural is a small, family-owned independent dog food company. The company has limited information available. The company lists Carl Van Bael as the president. He’s shown in early Facebook posts preparing food and feeding his dogs these products. It shows the installation of equipment at a manufacturing facility in 2019. It’s assumed they make Big Dog Natural dog food inhouse. There are also posts from earlier in the 2010s so the company appears to be about 20 years old. 

Big Dog Natural produces dehydrated and fermented dog food. The company appears to operate in Lakewood, New Jersey.

IS BIG DOG NATURAL A GOOD DOG FOOD?

Big Dog Natural has 2 lines of air dried dog foods made as grain-free and with whole grains. Both are moderate risk dog foods by our criteria. 

The grain-free line has 6 recipes. It scores slightly better. It has an average protein of 33% and an average of 31% carbohydrates. The line with whole grains has very low average protein at 23%. It has twice the carbs at 48%, which is very high and unusual for an air dried dog food. 

Both lines have high pesticide ingredients and inflammatory seed oil. They also have higher levels of fat. Ideally, raw diets will have nearly twice as much protein as fat. Fat is a valuable nutrient. But, it lacks vitamins and minerals. High fat diets can harm the gut flora.

Big Dog Natural uses a 48-hour air drying and fermentation process. It also preserves its food at low temperatures. The company doesn’t use added vitamins and minerals. This shows that its products have enough high-quality whole food ingredients. These ingredients can provide essential nutrients without synthetic additives. 

The company notes that its ingredients are non-GMO, sourced locally and made in the US. Organic ingredients would avoid high pesticide ingredients and GMOs. They also use their own naturally fermented vegetables.

The company website states they use free-range turkey and chicken. They also use grass-fed and finished beef and tripe from the US. They use lamb from Australia and wild-caught salmon. However, they don’t offer any certifications on the website or packaging. These could include Global Animal Partnerships (GAP) or Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). 

Big Dog Natural appears to produce its dog food in its own facility in Lakewood, New Jersey.

It’s also worth noting that Big Dog Natural doesn’t state the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in their foods. While this is true of most foods, it’s unfortunate since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory limit of 30:1. They note that the salmon used is wild caught. Wild caught fish is more nutritious and has a better fatty acid profile.

Below, we list the average score of each of the Big Dog Natural lines. Click on any line to view the individual foods and scores.

Big Dog Natural Grain-Free

6.7
4 color scale
Average Score
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Big Dog Natural Grain Free CHICKEN SUPREME Dog Food
6.7
4 color scale
Average Score
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Big Dog Natural Grain Free dog food is a moderate risk dog food by our criteria. There are 6 recipes that average 33% protein and 31% carbohydrate as calculated. These foods rank low in ingredient quality. They have high carbs, inflammatory oils, and high fat in 1 recipe. On the ingredient safety side, these foods are moderately processed. They have high pesticide foods listed in their top 5 ingredients.

Big Dog Natural Grain Free Benefits

Big Dog Natural Grain Free Concerns

Big Dog Natural Whole- Grain Formula

6
4 color scale
Average Score
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Big Dog Natural Supreme Whole Grain BEEF BARLEY Dof Food
6
4 color scale
Average Score
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Big Dog Natural Whole Grain dog food is a moderate risk dog food by our criteria. There are 5 recipes that average 23% protein and 48% carbohydrate as calculated. These foods rank low in ingredient quality. They have excessively high carbohydrates. There are inflammatory seed oils and high fat in 1 recipe. On the ingredient safety side, these foods are moderately processed. They have high pesticide foods listed in their top 5 ingredients.

Big Dog Natural Whole- Grain Benefits

Big Dog Natural Whole- Grain Concerns

BIG DOG NATURAL DOG FOOD RECALLS

Big Dog Natural has not had any recalls or voluntary withdrawals.

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