I’ve been feeding my dog, Meeko, Purina Pro Plan his whole life. Normally, I would purchase a giant bag from Petco and in a few months when the food ran out that big ole bag would be tossed in the trash. As my shadow in all that I do, Meeko is trying to reduce his carbon paw print alongside me. One of the first steps in doing so was looking into lower waste options for his food. I found several dog food brands with free recycling for their packaging on Terracycle. I decided to look into each one of them and to pick a brand to switch to.
Once I started to research each company, I found that switching to one of these companies would provide benefits beyond just saving the bag from the trash. These companies not only care enough to offer a recycling program for their packaging but also care a lot about the sustainability and ethics of their food production process. Below is my comparison of the companies providing free recycling services through Terracycle.
While all of these options are more expensive than Purina Pro Plan, I am okay with paying a higher price for one of these food brands. Not only will purchasing from one of these companies allow me to feel more secure in knowing that the ingredients going into Meeko’s food are being obtained in an ethical and sustainable way but I will also feel much better supporting a brand that is considerate of their packaging’s life cycle. I definitely appreciate these company’s commitment to the environment by providing this kind of recycling program for consumers.
Another major factor for me was the number of recalls the company has had. Dog foods can be recalled for a number of reasons. Some of the most common causes include contamination with mold, bacteria (like Salmonella) or a toxic substance (like aflatoxin). While it is possible that a good company could recall a product, I think recalls can be a helpful indicator for how the company is run. Companies with strict oversight and safety procedures should be able to prevent recalls from occurring or at least minimize the number of recalls experienced.
Keeping price and the number of recalls in mind, I then weighed the pros and cons of each company. It really felt like I was trying to pick the best of the best here. All of the above dog foods seemed like far superior choices to Purina Pro Plan. Needing to pick one though, I did my best to narrow the list down. As you can see from the chart above, I really couldn’t find any cons for Earthborn or Open Farm which made them my top 2 companies to purchase from. Both seem like great companies and offer wide product lines. Whether you believe in feeding your dog grains or not (perhaps a discussion for another time) you should be able to find something for your dog to enjoy from either company.
I decided to try Earthborn’s Unrefined food first but I actually plan to start doing rotational feedings. This means when we run out of the current food we have we will give a different food a try. Rotational feeding is supposed to help keep things interesting for your dog as well as help them build a healthy digestive and immune system. Next time I’ll try one of Open Farm’s food. I also plan to purchase some packets from Portland Pet for the ease they’ll provide when we’re on the road. We have a few beach trips planned this summer.
So far, Meeko is absolutely loving his new food from Earthborn. Every time I open the bag he comes running. It’s been really great to see him enjoy eating because I had pegged him as a dog that didn’t care much about food. With the Purina Pro Plan food, I could put food in his bowl and he wouldn’t eat it for hours. Turns out he was just really tired of that food. If you’re thinking about changing your dog’s food it is recommended to do so slowly to allow their tummy’s to adjust.
Add in the new food in 25% increments. The amount of time you spend in each phase will depend on how much of the old food you have left.
What do you feed your dog? Do you do rotational feeding for your pup?
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