HALO HOLISTIC DRY DOG FOOD Review

Halo’s Holistic dry dog food is its premium brand with a score of 3.6 making it a high risk dog food. The average protein for the 5 recipes in this line is 24.6% but carbohydrates come in considerably higher at 39%. There is a vegan recipe with carbohydrates at 44.5% which is understandable as starches and grains are needed for protein. 

It’s stated that this line of 5 recipes uses whole animal proteins. It contrasts with its sister line of Elevate products that include animal meals. On the Holistic side of the website, it describes meals as a “combination of non human edible remnants from slaughterhouses and fish processing factories.” Minimal processing is said to maintain nutrients in these dry dog foods, but there is no further information about the process. This is kibble so it’s ultra processed like other kibbles and lowers the safety score. Extruded foods are heated four separate times during production, which causes major losses in active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients.  

Holistic dry foods uses non-GMO vegetables and fruits. That doesn’t mean they are pesticide free so points are lost for using foods known to contain higher pesticide/herbicide residues like oats, barley and peas that are in the top 5 ingredients. Soy is a known GMO that is included in some of the recipes. GMO crops are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. Another safety concern is the use of natural flavor. This is often animal digest or MSG that are low quality ingredients with limited safety studies.  

OrigiNative Sourcing is used to describe the company’s animal sourcing but it’s a term it seems to have trademarked so it’s not a third party certified program. The company states it works with animals raised naturally and without the use of antibiotics. The term “naturally” has no official meaning under AAFCO rules. And it should be noted that since 2017, all meat, poultry and dairy foods sold in the US are free of antibiotics, as required by federal law. And the FDA prohibits the use of hormones in all pork and poultry products. The website says they source from farmers feeding GMO feed but there is no certification or named suppliers for confirmation. The Global Animal Partnership (GAP) Level 2 certification they have doesn’t address that.

It’s good to see that the fish and fish oil in Halo’s Holistic line are identified by name plus they are third-party certified through the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). This means they are wild-caught or from a sustainable fishery. Wild caught fish are more nutritious and have a healthier fatty acid balance than farmed fish. That said, Halo doesn’t provide the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. They’re not the only one not providing this, but it’s important to know since diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation and disease. 

All of these recipes have added vitamins and minerals which further reduces the score of ingredient quality. Five or more added minerals indicate a lower quality food that’s lacking naturally occurring minerals from whole food sources. Amino acids are added to 2 recipes, including the vegan recipe which is to be expected when animal proteins are not used. Seed oils are also used. In this case it’s canola oil which is also a GMO. Seed oils, such as safflower, sunflower or flaxseed oil are rich in omega-6 fatty acids, which can cause systemic and gut inflammation. 

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.

A positive is that Halo has added probiotics to these recipes but it’s not noted whether they guarantee the colony forming units (CFU).

Finally, glam ingredients are used in 2 of these recipes. This is when expensive or desirable ingredients are added to appeal to consumers but may be in miniscule amounts. If these foods are below salt or other low concentration ingredients, they contribute little or no nutritional value for your dog. In this case dried cranberry, blueberry, apple pomace and carrots are listed after the salt divide.