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Darwin’s Dog Food Reviews

Darwin’s was founded in 2004 by Gary Tashjian. Arrow Reliance Inc. is the parent company doing business as Darwin’s Natural Pet Products. The operation is based in Tukwila, Washington where it operates its own manufacturing plant. Darwin’s provides its pet foods directly to customers through online sales rather than through retail stores. 

IS Darwin's A GOOD DOG FOOD?

Darwin’s appears to be a decent option for raw dog foods. Darwin’s offers 3 lines of dog foods. Natural Selections is made with free-range/pastured meats and organic vegetables. BioLogics is made with conventional meat and Intelligent Design is available by prescription only so it won’t be reviewed here. However, it must be said that this prescription brand of raw dog food has a high ranking compared to  most prescription diets that are lacking in quality ingredients and have safety concerns. 

Darwin’s foods are minimally processed and have low amounts of carbohydrates which is what you want to see in a raw dog food. There are no starches or grains in any of its recipes, which definitely minimizes the carbohydrate load. However, when it comes to fat, the duck and lamb recipes are quite high in fat. High fat diets can cause gut imbalance, especially saturated fats. 

The company claims its foods are made using human quality ingredients that are ethically sourced. It also states that for its premium line called Natural Selections, its meat and poultry are from free-range, cage-free, or pasture-raised animals. But it should be noted that these terms have no official meaning under AAFCO rules. However, the company is clear to point out that its BioLogics line uses conventionally raised meats, poultry and vegetables. 

Natural Selections uses organic produce and this contributes heavily to ingredients of a higher quality. It would be nice to see organic produce introduced to the BioLogics brand as well, as its rank is lower because of pesticides and GMO ingredients that would not be present in organic ingredients. 

Darwin’s includes a vitamin and mineral mix in most of its recipes in these 2 lines but doesn’t list the content of this mix. When vitamins and minerals come from whole food sources, they include the full spectrum of cofactors, which makes them safe and bioavailable. While a couple of added vitamins are acceptable, five or more implies the food is of poor nutritional value. 

In most recipes, the company lists the type of fish used. The company uses wild-caught Alaskan codfish for its cod liver oil. In one instance fish oil is used but the type is unnamed. You want to see beef, salmon or chicken, not animal, fish or poultry. Unnamed protein sources are of much lower quality. 

Darwin’s notes that it doesn’t use pasteurization to control pathogens but uses a lactic acid wash which is a process that doesn’t involve heat. It is applied to the surface of meat so it doesn’t affect nutrients below the surface. Thus the company avoids using HPP (high pressure processing).

Darwin’s has a unique distribution process as it ships directly to customers to control the temperature during transport. That means Darwin’s pet foods are not found in retail stores.

Natural Selections

9
4 color scale
Average Score
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Darwin's Natural Selections Lamb Recipe Raw Dog Food
9
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review

Darwin’s Natural Selections is considered a low risk raw dog food that’s minimally processed and low in carbohydrates. Darwin’s doesn’t use starches or grains in any of these recipes. The company claims its meats are from free-range, cage-free and pasture-raised animals but these are marketing terms that have no legal meaning under AAFCO standards. Darwin’s uses USDA certified organic vegetables so there are no GMOs or high pesticide ingredients in these foods. Even with the organic produce, Darwin’s includes a proprietary mix of vitamins and minerals but it’s unknown exactly how many have been added. Cod liver oil is from wild caught Alaskan codfish. Some of these recipes include unnamed fish oil, which can be much lower quality. Seed oils are also used, which can be high in omega-6 fatty acids, and lead to gut inflammation. Darwin’s doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in their foods.

Darwin's Natural Selections Dog Food Benefits

Darwin's Natural Selections Dog Food Concerns

Biologics

8
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review
Darwin's Biologics Chicken Recipe Raw Dog Food
8
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review

Darwin’s BioLogics is considered a low risk dog food that’s minimally processed and low in carbohydrates. These recipes have a few safety concerns including the use of GMO ingredients and ingredients that are known to contain higher pesticide/herbicide residues. Darwin’s doesn’t use grains or starches in its recipes which is a benefit to ingredient quality. However, squash and sweet potato are used so that might contribute to a slightly higher carbohydrate content. Quality points were lost for including added vitamins and minerals. A proprietary mix of vitamins and minerals was used but a list isn’t provided so it’s unknown as to how many were added. But there are no added amino acids meaning there are sufficient amounts in the ingredients. Cod liver oil from wild caught Alaskan codfish is used. But there’s an oil-related concern with some of these recipes as seed oils like flax seed and sunflower seed are used which can be high in omega-6 fatty acids that can lead to gut inflammation. Darwin’s doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in their foods.

Darwin's BioLogics Dog Food Benefits

Darwin's BioLogics Dog Food Concerns

Darwin's Dog Food Recalls

 

July 2022: Arrow Reliance Inc (Darwin’s) filed for a temporary restraining order against the FDA.

March 2019: Recall initiated by the FDA after products tested positive for salmonella. Potential for salmonella. 

March 2018: Voluntary recall after FDA found that products tested positive for salmonella and/or shiga toxin-producing E. coli. 

February 2018: Voluntary recall after FDA testing resulted in positive results for listeria innocua.  

December 2017: FDA testing resulted in positive results for salmonella and listeria monocytogenes. Products were placed on hold and not distributed.

October 2017: Voluntary recall after products tested positive for listeria monocytogenes.

September 2017: Voluntary recall after products tested positive for salmonella.  

June – October 2016: Voluntary recall after products tested positive for listeria monocytogenes. 

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