HALO ELEVATE CANNED DOG FOOD Review

Halo‘s wet dog food in the Elevate line fairs a bit better than Elevate dry dog foods. It has 10 recipes that result in a score of 5.9 so these are moderate risk dog foods. This line has an average protein content of 34% and high carbohydrates of 25.6%. 

These are canned foods so they’re highly processed, but not as processed as kibble. Canned foods are heated before and during canning, which will cause significant losses in some active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients.  

Additional safety concerns are for the use of ingredients like kale and spinach that are known to contain higher pesticide/herbicide residues. These are also found in the top 5 ingredients. Potatoes are a known GMO ingredient that appear in several recipes and sometimes in the top 5 ingredients. Natural flavor is also used. This is often animal digest or MSG, which are low quality ingredients with limited safety studies. Rice appears in several recipes and is a safety concern because of arsenic contamination. The water rice is grown in can be contaminated with arsenic which is linked to chronic health issues. 

These foods lose points in ingredient quality for having high carbohydrate content. Dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrates but they’re added to dog foods for energy, texture and taste. Excessive carbohydrate is an indicator of food quality as it can be used to reduce manufacturing cost. Foods that are high in carbohydrate can raise insulin and cause obesity. Some studies also show that dogs fed a high carbohydrate content have changes to their gut bacteria. They state that they don’t include grains, peas, lentils or chickpeas. However they do include sweet potato, potatoes, pumpkin, rice and tapioca in their recipes so they aren’t starch- or carb-free.

These foods include added vitamins and minerals. It’s preferred that vitamins and minerals come from whole food sources that include the full spectrum of cofactors, which makes them safe and bioavailable. While a couple of added vitamins and minerals are acceptable, five or more implies the food is of poor nutritional value. It’s noted that amino acids have not been added meaning the food is getting the sufficient amount from its ingredients.

It’s also worth noting that the line contains sodium selenite as a source of selenium. Dogs need selenium, and it’s usually added in very small amounts. However some research suggests that sodium selenite may be associated with potential toxicity, so selenium yeast is the preferred form of this mineral.

The final quality concern is that sunflower is added to some foods. This is a seed oil that’s highly processed and can be inflammatory. Seed oils, such as safflower, sunflower or flaxseed oil, are rich in omega-6 fatty acids, which can cause systemic and gut inflammation. Studies show that ultra processed foods are linked to a higher rate of all-cause mortality in humans. 

Halo doesn’t provide the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. This is important to know since diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation and disease, and AAFCO allows a very high ratio of 30:1.