Dr. Tim’s Pets LLC was founded in 2004. The company founder is a veterinarian. He’s also an accomplished musher. Dr. Tim opened a veterinary hospital 20 years ago. He’s serves as a volunteer veterinarian for races across North America and Europe.
The website states it is a family owned business. It notes that Dr. Tim is well-known. But it’s unclear who the family is.
Dr. Tim’s produces dry and wet food for dogs and cats. They produce supplements, toppers, biscuits and freeze-dried treats.
The website states its ingredients are sourced in the US. They make these dog foods in Kansas at Alphia Foods. This appears to be a third party co-packer.
For our Dr. Tim’s 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. TIM’S A GOOD DOG FOOD?
Dr. Tim’s produces a line of dry dog food. The company offers 11 recipes. They are high risk by our criteria.
For a dry dog food, Dr. Tim’s has higher average protein than most. It averages 30%. Average carbohydrates are 26%. This is high for dry dog food, but lower than many brands.
The company founder has a history of working with sporting and athletic dogs. Recipes address activity levels. They range from sedentary and moderately active to high energy. Other recipes address high protein, digestion, mobility and weight control. They have grain-free, low ash and low carbohydrate foods. There are recipes for puppies and senior dogs.
Most recipes have probiotics. It’s not clear whether they’re added before or after cooking. Heat kills beneficial bacteria. It’s notable that a healthy dog needs about 5 billion CFUs a day to support gut health. (Colony forming units are the measurement of probiotics.) A dog with health issues needs 10 to 20 billion CFUs or more. Dr. Tim’s guarantees 80 million CFUs per pound. Additional supplementation is needed.
These dog foods don’t use corn, wheat or soy. They are common allergens. Avoiding them minimizes food sensitivities. These recipes are still high in carbohydrates. They aren’t as high as other brands. Dogs have no nutritional need for carbohydrates. Starch is needed for extrusion in dry foods. Excessive carbohydrate is an indicator of food quality. It can reduce manufacturing costs. High carb diets can raise insulin and cause obesity. They can impact gut bacteria and health.
All of these recipes have added vitamins and minerals from a premix. They have some amino acids. It’s preferred nutrients come from whole food sources. They include the full spectrum of cofactors. This makes them safe and bioavailable. A couple of added vitamins are acceptable. Five or more implies the food is of poor nutritional value. The website describes the value of these added nutrients. They also include amino acids and antioxidants. It doesn’t explain why the ingredients lack nutrients.
These recipes contain sodium selenite as a source of selenium. Dogs need selenium, and it’s usually added in very small amounts. Research suggests that sodium selenite is associated with potential toxicity. Selenium yeast is the preferred form of this mineral.
The website provides information about the ingredients. It describes the function rather than actual sourcing. They describe “quality” ingredients to explain their higher price. However, there are no certifications about using organic, non-GMO and humanely-treated animals.
There aren’t artificial colors. However they do use dried plain beet pulp and cellulose as fiber. These are low quality fibers. Cellulose is an insoluble fiber made from wood pulp. It’s the least expensive and least functional form of fiber. It’s very poorly fermented. Beet pulp is a waste product of the food manufacturing industry. Some recipes have dried vegetables which should provide fiber. There is also unnamed animal protein. This is a less expensive source of meat. You want to see beef, salmon or chicken, not animal, fish or poultry.
The score for ingredient safety is low due to ultra processing. This involves several stages of heating. This destroys nutrients. There are high pesticide and GMO ingredients. They’re in the top 5 ingredients so they have a higher concentration. Crops sprayed with Roundup contain more glyphosate than others. This is true even for GMO crops. Glyphosate is an antibiotic. It can kill beneficial gut bacteria. It’s linked to cancer and other diseases. There are few safety studies on GMO and Roundup Ready crops. They are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils. Crops require increased pesticide use. This affects bees and can lead to die-off.
Some recipes have natural flavor. Natural flavor is often either MSG or animal digest. Both are low quality ingredients. There are limited safety studies. Rice in recipes has potential arsenic contamination. This is from being grown in contaminated water. There are links to chronic health issues.
Many of the fish products used are from wild sources. This is good as they have higher nutrient levels than farmed fish. They also have a better fatty acid balance.
The following don’t cost points but should be noted. Some recipes contain coconut oil. Coconut oil has been shown to cause undesirable changes in the gut lining. There is ingredient splitting in several recipes. That’s the practice of splitting ingredients into subcategories. This makes them appear lower on the list. This can also move more desirable protein ingredients higher.
Dr. Tim’s provides the minimum omega-6:omega-3 ratio but this can vary widely. It’s important to know accurate ratios. This is because AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation.
Fresh is Best Freeze Dried
Score: 4.2/10
Ingredient List For Momentum Recipe: Chicken meal, brown rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed natural tocopherols, a source of vitamin E), ocean herring meal, dried plain beet pulp (sugar removed), dried egg product, ground whole flaxseed meal, dried chicken liver meal, menhaden fish oil (preserved with mixed natural tocopherols, a source of vitamin E), dried porcine plasma, potassium chloride, salt, lecithin (sunflower derived), dried Bacillus coagulans fermentation product, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, kelp meal, dried chicory root (source of inulin), yucca schidigera extract, psyllium seed husk, choline chloride, taurine, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, zinc proteinate, beta carotene, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, inositol, niacin supplement, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, zinc oxide, biotin, thiamine mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), copper sulfate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), copper proteinate, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement (source of vitamin B2), d-calcium pantothenate, potassium iodide (source of iodine), manganous oxide, selenium, calcium iodate, vitamin B12 supplement, sodium selenite, vitamin D3 supplement, L-carnitine, folic acid.
Dr. Tim’s Benefits
Probiotics
Dr. Tim’s Concerns
High in carbohydrates
Excessive added vitamins & minerals
Added amino acids
Unnamed protein
Cellulose
Ultra processed
High pesticide/herbicide foods in top 5 ingredients
GMOs in top 5 ingredients
Contains rice
Natural flavor
Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
Coconut oil
Ingredient splitting
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
DR. TIM’S DOG FOOD RECALLS
To date, Dr. Tim’s 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.
