Dr Joseph Mercola founded Mercola.com in 1997. The website promotes natural health. The company offers health, home and pet products. The company states that a manufacturer, whom they do not name, makes the dog foods in the US.
For our Dr Mercola 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 DR MERCOLA A GOOD DOG FOOD?
Dr Mercola produces a line of dehydrated dog food with 2 recipes. They average 40% protein and 10% carbohydrates as calculated. With a score of 9/10, these foods are low risk by our criteria.
The Beef recipe loses a point because it has more fat than protein. Ideally, you want to see more protein than fat. Fat is a valuable macronutrient. It’s relatively devoid of vitamins and minerals. High fat diets can lead to unwanted changes in the gut flora.
These recipes use organic produce. They are non-GMO and have a lower pesticide risk. This leads to better ingredient quality and safety.
Dehydrated foods use some heat in processing. That costs a loss of points. Heat can cause a loss of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. There is a minimal number of added minerals (less than 3), which doesn’t cost points. They add Vitamin E as a preservative. This recipe has fruits and vegetables to provide nutrients.
The only other concern is the use of safflower oil, which is an inflammatory seed oil. Seed oils are highly processed and are high in omega-6 fatty acids. They can cause systemic and gut inflammation. Studies link ultra processed foods to all-cause mortality in humans.
These recipes use organic, humanely raised, and sustainably farmed ingredients. They include chicken and beef, organ meats and bones. They also have organic vegetables and fruits. Some of these are unsubstantiated marketing terms. They aren’t supported with certifications. They have no legal meaning under pet food regulatory standards.
This doesn’t cost points but the Chicken recipe has coconut oil. It can harm gut health.
Dr Mercola 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.
Dr. Mercola Dehydrated Food
Score: 9.3/10
Ingredient List For Chicken Recipe: Organic ground chicken (includes bone), organic chicken heart, organic chicken liver, organic chicken eggs, organic green beans, organic red peppers, organic sweet potatoes, organic cranberries, organic flaxseed, orgänic apple cider vinegar, organic coconut oil, sea salt, organic kelp, inulin (chicory), zinc amino acid chelate, vitamin E supplement, copper amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3).
Dr. Mercola Benefits
- High protein
- Organic ingredients
- Low carbohydrates
- No added vitamins
- No added amino acids
Dr. Mercola Concerns
- Moderate processing
- Minimal added minerals
- Seed oil in 1 recipe
- Contains coconut oil
- 1 recipe higher in fat
- Doesn’t state omega-6:omega-3 ratio
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
DR MERCOLA DOG FOOD RECALLS
To date, Dr Mercola has not had any recalls or voluntary withdrawals.
Evaluation Criteria
We evaluate and score dog foods 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?
Each food is objectively evaluated by these criteria and a score is assigned using the average of ingredient quality and safety. This is NOT a paid list and there are no affiliate links. Dogs Naturally has partnered with DogFoodReviews.com to make sure dog owners have unbiased, objective criteria to help them choose the best dog food on the market. You can view the full Evaluation Criteria at DogFoodReviews.com.
