BIXBI appears to be located in Boulder, CO. (There is only a PO Box listed on the website). It was founded as a supplement company. Pet foods appear to be a recent addition. The company claims their ingredients are sourced in the USA. It’s doubtful the vitamins and minerals are made in the US. Most come from China and India.
It’s not clear whether BIXBI manufactures its own food. It could be made by a contract manufacturer. For our BIXBI dog food review, we’ll look at the food ingredient quality and safety of each line of food. Our dog food reviews are based on these criteria.
IS BIXBI A GOOD DOG FOOD?
BIXBI has a wide range of foods. The Rawbble freeze-dried is the highest scoring line. It’s a decent choice. The Liberty canned line is moderate risk by our criteria. The remaining dry foods are high risk by our criteria. The Rawbble line scored higher than the lower cost Liberty dry dog foods.
The BIXBI dry dog foods are all somewhat similar. Fresh meat is the number one ingredient. The list has more than one known high pesticide/herbicide foods. These are in the top 5 ingredients. This greatly reduces the ingredient safety scores. On the ingredient quality side, the dry foods contain several added amino acids. This can indicate poor quality or incomplete protein sources. That applies to peas or lentils. There are numerous added vitamins and minerals. This also indicates lower quality ingredients.
The safest choice would be the Rawbble Freeze-Dried. There are plenty of freeze-dried foods. They don’t rely on added vitamins and minerals. And they have whole-food sources of nutrition. The canned line is somewhat high in carbohydrate. It’s low in protein. This compares to better canned competitors.
BIXBI doesn’t state the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in their recipes. This is true of most companies. It’s a concern because AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation.
BIXBI LIBERTY GRAIN FREE
Score: 3.8/10
Ingredient List For Fresh Fish Recipe: Trout, red lentils, whole yellow peas, egg, natural fish flavor, sunflower oil, dicalcium phosphate, salt, tricalcium phosphate, L-Threonine, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, vitamin A supplement, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid), choline chloride, minerals (zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, calcium iodate), potassium chloride, taurine, mixed tocopherols (a preservative), rosemary extract, dandelion greens, calcium phosphate, L-Carnitine, L-Tryptophan
BIXBI’s Liberty Grain-Free dry dog food is a high risk food. This is determined by our criteria. There are 8 recipes. They average 27% protein. There are 33% carbohydrates as calculated on a dry matter basis. This is excessively high. The ingredient quality score of these foods is fairly low. This is due to high carbohydrate content. There are excessive added vitamins, minerals and amino acids. This reflects lower quality proteins and ingredients. Ingredient safety also scores low. There are known high herbicide crops in the top 5 ingredients. They include oats, sorghum, lentils and/or peas. It is notable that there are no known GMO ingredients in these foods.
Grain-Free Benefits
- No GMO ingredients
Grain-Free Concerns
- Ultra processed
- High pesticide/herbicide foods in top 5 ingredients
- Multiple added amino acids
- Higher carbohydrate content
- Excessive added vitamins
- Excessive added minerals
- Natural flavors
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
BIXBI LIBERTY ANCIENT GRAINS
Score: 3.7/10
Ingredient List For Rancher’s Red Recipe: Deboned beef, oats, egg, sorghum, natural beef flavor, deboned lamb, deboned goat, dicalcium phosphate, tricalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, calcium phosphate, L-Threonine, salmon oil, sunflower oil, salt, choline chloride, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, vitamin A supplement, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement), minerals (zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, calcium iodate), mixed tocopherols (a preservative), rosemary extract, taurine, dandelion greens, DL-Methionine, L-Tryptophan, L-Carnitine.
Liberty Ancient Grains is BIXBI’s lowest scoring line. It’s considered a high risk food by our criteria. There are 2 recipes. They average 25% protein. There are 35% carbohydrates as calculated. This is excessively high, even for a kibble. There is more protein than many foods in this category. There are added amino acids. This means the protein quality is potentially questionable. There are excessive added vitamins and minerals. Ingredient safety scores low. There are known high herbicide foods. They are in the top 5 ingredients. There is natural flavor. Liberty Ancient Grains doesn’t seem to have GMO ingredients.
Ancient Grains Benefits
- No GMO ingredients
Ancient Grains Concerns
- Ultra processed
- High pesticide/herbicide foods in top 5 ingredients
- Multiple added amino acids
- Higher carbohydrate content
- Excessive added vitamins
- Excessive added minerals
- Natural flavors
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
BIXBI LIBERTY CANNED
Score: 6.1/10
Ingredient List For Game Bird Feast Recipe: Turkey, turkey broth, chicken, peas, duck, turkey liver, agar agar, carrots, natural flavor, dicalcium phosphate, sweet potatoes, salt, spinach, potassium chloride, choline chloride, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, ethylenediamine dihydriodide, vitamin E supplement, vitamin A supplement, niacin supplement, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12 supplement, pyroxidine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid.
Liberty Canned is a high risk dog food by our criteria. There are 5 recipes. They average 40% protein. There are 15% carbohydrates as calculated on a dry matter basis. This is for comparison with dry foods. These are reasonable levels for a canned dog food at this price point. It’s disappointing to see so many added vitamins and minerals. Ingredient safety scores as high to moderate risk. This is due to known high herbicide foods. They make a frequent appearance in the top 5 ingredients. Natural flavor is also present. Liberty canned dog food does not appear to use GMO ingredients.
Canned Benefits
- Higher in protein
- No GMO ingredients
Canned Concerns
- Moderately processed
- High pesticide/herbicide foods in top 5 ingredients
- Excessive added vitamins
- Excessive added minerals
- Natural flavors
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
BIXBI RAWBBLE
Score: 4.3/10
Ingredient List For Pork Recipe: Deboned pork, whole yellow peas, egg, whole red lentils, pork fat, natural pork flavor, calcium phosphate, coconut flour, calcium carbonate, tricalcium phosphate, salt, pumpkin, choline chloride, salmon oil, dandelion greens, raspberries, taurine, l-carnitine, minerals (zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, calcium iodate), vitamins (vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, vitamin A supplement, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement) mixed tocopherols (a preservative), rosemary extract.
BIXBI’s Rawbble is marketed as a higher quality line. However, it still scores as a high risk dog food. This is like their other dry foods. The 5 recipes average 28% protein. There are average carbohydrates of 30% as calculated. There is more protein and less carbohydrate than their other foods. This is an average amount for a dry food at this price point. This is similar to other BIXBI dry foods. There are added amino acids, vitamins and minerals. This can indicate lower ingredient quality. There are fewer added amino acids. This could indicate more meat protein. Ingredient safety scores as high to moderate risk. This is due to known high herbicide foods. They make a frequent appearance in the top 5 ingredients. Rawbble does not appear to use GMO ingredients. Glam ingredients are listed below salt. This means they’re present in negligible amounts. Perhaps this is to justify the heftier price tag of this food.
Rawbble Benefits
- No GMO ingredients
Rawbble Concerns
- Ultra-processed
- Known high herbicide foods in top 5 ingredients
- Added amino acids
- Excessive added vitamins
- Excessive added minerals
- Natural flavors
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
- Glam ingredients
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
BIXBI RAWBBLE FREEZE-DRIED
Score: 10/10
Ingredient List For Lamb Recipe: Lamb, lamb liver, lamb kidney, lamb bone, pumpkin, salmon oil, coconut oil, selenium yeast, vitamin E supplement, manganese proteinate, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, d-calcium pantothenate, mixed tocopherols (a preservative), rosemary extract.
BIXBI’s Rawbble Freeze-Dried is BIXBI’s highest scoring line. It’s considered a low risk dog food by our criteria. There are 7 recipes. They average 50% protein. This is a surprisingly high amount of protein, given BIXBI’s other food lineups. Carbohydrates are negligible, which is desirable. It’s worth noting that there are more than a couple of added vitamins and minerals. But it’s not enough to reduce the ingredient quality score. For the price, it’s possible to find freeze-dried foods that use whole food nutrition. It would be a better alternative than BIXBI that relies on synthetics. It’s worth noting that some of the recipes contain coconut oil. It’s been shown to cause gut inflammation in some studies.
Rawbble Freeze-Dried Benefits
- No GMO ingredients
- Low in carbohydrate
- High in protein
Rawbble Freeze-Dried Concerns
- Some added vitamins and minerals
- Contains coconut oil
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
BIXBI DOG FOOD RECALLS
02/27/2013 – BIXBI dog treats were recalled with a round of other treats distributed by Kasel Associated Industries for Salmonella contamination. After products were tested positive, quite a few products were voluntarily recalled after the FDA inspected Kasel’s manufacturing facility in September 2012 and found most of the product samples tested positive for Salmonella contamination. The investigators also noticed live insects and evidence of rodent activity in the manufacturing facility. The FDA inspected the plant again in February 2013 and slapped Kasel with a “Prehearing Order to Cease Distribution and Give Notice” letter, which is required by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) prior to a mandatory recall.
Evaluation Criteria
These dog foods were evaluated and scored based on two criteria:
Are the Ingredients High Quality?
Here are some common low quality ingredients or markers we look for:
- Is there excessive carbohydrate content, which can cause gut imbalances?
- Does the food contain unnamed proteins, which are low quality?
- Does the food use cellulose (wood pulp) as a source of fiber instead of real food?
- Are there excessive vitamins and minerals added in place of real food nutrition?
- Are there excessive added amino acids or plant proteins instead of expensive meat protein?
- Does the food contain inflammatory processed seed oils?
How Safe Are the Ingredients?
Many ingredients come from unhealthy, inflammatory sources or are full of pesticides so we look for:
- How processed is the food?
- Does the food contain known genetically modified foods?
- Does the food contain ingredients known to be high in pesticides?
- Does the food contain natural flavor, which are often MSG or animal digest?
- Does the food contain rice, which is high in arsenic?
We evaluate each food by these criteria. We assign a score using the average of ingredient quality and safety. This is NOT a paid list and there are no affiliate links. Dogs Naturally partnered with DogFoodReviews.com to develop unbiased, objective criteria for dog owners. This will help them choose the best dog food on the market. You can view the full Evaluation Criteria at DogFoodReviews.com. Criteria at DogFoodReviews.com.
