I And Love And You Dog Food Review

I And Love And You began in 2012 in Boulder, Colorado where it has its headquarters.

The co-founders are pet store owner Marty Grosjean, Chris Bentley and Steve Ball, and investor Brendan Synnott. The company makes pet food and treats. They also make vitamins, grooming care, and flea- and tick-protection products.

In 2022, the company received Series C investment funding from private equity firm L Catterton. 

Series C funding is a type of venture capital investment. It’s used to raise large sums of money to fund growth and expansion plans. The company appointed Michael Meyer as chief executive officer.

L Catterton has also invested in Ainsworth Pet Nutrition (parent company of Nutrish and now owned by The JM Smucker Company). They also invested in: Canidae, JustFoodForDogs, Wellness Pet Food, Lily’s Kitchen, Inspired Pet Nutrition and Nature’s Variety.

For our I And Love And You 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 I AND LOVE AND YOU A GOOD DOG FOOD?

I and Love and You produces 7 lines of dog food. There are 5 lines of dry dog food. They include Stir & Boom, a freeze dried line. And there are 2 lines of wet dog food.

Irresist-A-Bowls is a cooked dog food that is the company’s highest scoring wet line. It’s a low risk dog food according to our criteria. The Canned line is moderate risk. The Stir & Boom freeze dried line is also moderate risk. The 4 lines of kibble are high risk by our criteria. They include: Lovingly Simple, Nude Super Food, Baked & Saucy and Naked Essentials.

I and Love and You positions itself as a premium pet food in the marketplace to offer raw dog food . Yet it only offers one line of freeze dried food. This is considered raw. There are several concerns regarding ingredient quality and safety. Most recipes have high carbohydrate levels. The exception is the Irresist-A-Bowls recipe. All recipes have added synthetic vitamins, minerals and amino acids. This is similar to middle-of-the-road brands. It’s preferable vitamins and minerals come from whole foods. They are more bioavailable to dogs. 

The company states it doesn’t use rice, corn or wheat and that most products are grain-free. However, that doesn’t mean these are low carbohydrate foods. They have high starch ingredients. They include sweet potatoes, peas, tapioca, lentils and garbanzo beans. Canned foods and Irresist-A-Bowls have lower carbs. Other lines have high carbohydrates that average from 32 to 39%. The freeze dried line has average protein of 29%, and 39% carbohydrates. This is the highest in all 7 lines, which is disappointing to see.

Dogs have no nutritional need for carbohydrates. Starch is required for extrusion in dry foods. Excessive carbohydrate is an indicator of food quality. It can be used to reduce manufacturing cost. Carb-rich foods spike insulin. This can lead to weight gain. Research suggests these diets may also alter canine gut microbiomes. This affects overall health.

The company says its products use non-GMO produce and protein. That’s favorable. However, they may be subject to herbicide and pesticide use as they are not organic. 

The company states that its fish products are both farmed and wild caught. They’re sourced from the US, Canada and Norway but it doesn’t specify which products. Its supplier states its fish are certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Coalition (sic). However, there are no certifications on its packaging.

I and Love and You has added probiotics in its dry foods. It includes different strains. It guarantees the number of CFUs (colony forming units) that determine effectiveness. But this is often in very low amounts. Lovingly Simple has guaranteed CFUs of 10M. Naked Essentials notes a very minimal 1M CFUs. Baked & Saucy Oven Baked states 10M CFB/lb. This is a questionable measurement.

The company sources ingredients globally. The majority of ingredients are farmed and produced in the USA or Canada. Ingredients, vitamins and minerals are also sourced in Australia, Argentina, Thailand, and New Zealand. The vitamins and minerals are blended in the United States by a US company. However, this doesn’t mean they are manufactured in the US. Thailand products are grass fed, sustainably sourced, and pasture raised. But they don’t have certification. This means these are just marketing terms. They have no value when determining the quality of pet food ingredients. 

I and Love and You performs feeding trials. This is how they meet AAFCO nutritional standards. This is to claim complete and balanced pet foods.

Most products are manufactured in the USA. The exception is Irresist-A-Bowls. It’s made in Thailand. It’s not stated whether products are made at a company plant or by a third party manufacturer.

I and Love and You 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. 

I And Love And You Naked Essentials Dog Food Review   

Score: 3.5/10

Ingredient List For Ancient Grain Beef and Lamb Recipe: Beef, beef meal, menhaden fish meal, ground sorghum, oatmeal, millet, natural pork flavor, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), dried egg product, natural flavor, quinoa, lamb, dried tomato pomace, flaxseeds, ground miscanthus grass, dried carrots, salt, potassium chloride, choline chloride, minerals (ferrous sulfate, iron amino acid chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, sodium selenite, copper amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate), dried chicory root, taurine, citric acid (preservative), mixed tocopherols (preservative), dried Bacillus coagulans fermentation product, DL-methionine, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, vitamin A supplement, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid), L-carnitine, rosemary extract..

I And Love And You Naked Essentials dog food is a high risk food by our criteria. There are 5 recipes. They average 30% protein. There are 33% carbohydrates as calculated. These recipes lose several ingredient quality points. They have high carbohydrates, and added vitamins and minerals. There is inflammatory seed oil and unnamed fish oil. Regarding ingredient safety, these foods are ultra processed. Several stages of heating destroy nutrients. They have high pesticide ingredients and natural flavor.   

Naked Essentials Benefits

• Non-GMO
• Probiotics guaranteed (CFU not guaranteed)

Naked Essentials Concerns

• Ultra processed
• Moderately high carbohydrates
• High pesticide/herbicide foods
• Excessive added vitamins and minerals
• Natural flavor
• Contains seed oils
• Unnamed fish oil
• Ingredient splitting
• Not specified whether fish oil is wild-caught or farmed
• Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
• Glam ingredients

View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews

I And Love And You Stir & Boom Freeze-Dried

Score: 7.3/10

Ingredient List For Lamb Recipe: Lamb, yellow split peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, cabbage, dried egg product, flaxseeds, bananas, tricalcium phosphate, dried kelp, spinach, ginger root, zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, ferrous fumarate, copper sulfate, d calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid.

I and Love and You Stir & Boom freeze dried dog food is a moderate risk dog food by our criteria. There are 4 recipes. They average 29% protein. There are 39% carbohydrates as calculated. This is excessively high, especially for a freeze-dried food. These foods have high carbohydrates. They have added minerals. There are a few high pesticide ingredients.

Stir & Boom Freeze-Dried Benefits

• Non-GMO
• Lightly processed

Stir & Boom Freeze-Dried Concerns

• Moderately high carbohydrates
• Excessive added vitamins and minerals
• High pesticide/herbicide foods
• Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio

View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews

I And Love And You Nude Super Food

Score: 3.3/10

Ingredient List For Red Meat Medley Recipe: Beef, beef meal, menhaden fish meal, dried peas, dried chickpeas, pea protein, natural pork flavor, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), bison, tapioca starch, natural flavor, dried lentils, dried sweet potatoes, sunflower oil, flaxseeds, ground miscanthus grass, salt, dried carrots, choline chloride, coconut oil, dried chicory root, dried pumpkin, taurine, potassium chloride, turmeric, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation product, dried Aspergillus niger fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, citric acid (preservative , mixed tocopherols (preservative), vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, iron amino acid chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, sodium selenite, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, copper amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, riboflavin supplement, vitamin A supplement, manganous oxide, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin 03 supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, calcium iodate, folic acid, rosemary extract.

I and Love and You Nude Super Food dog food is a high risk dog food by our criteria. There are 3 recipes. They average 34% protein. There are 32% average carbohydrate as calculated. These recipes have high carbohydrates. There are added vitamins and minerals. They have inflammatory seed oil, plant protein and unnamed fish oil. Regarding ingredient safety, these foods are ultra processed. Several stages of heating destroy nutrients. They have high pesticide ingredients and natural flavor. 

Nude Super Food Benefits

• Probiotics guaranteed
• Non-GMO

Nude Super Food Concerns

• Ultra processed
• Moderately high carbohydrates
• Excessive added vitamins and minerals
• Contains seed oil
• Unnamed fish oil
• High pesticide/herbicide foods
• Ingredient splitting
• Not specified whether fish oil is wild-caught or farmed
• Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
• Glam ingredients
• Contains coconut oil

View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews

I And Love And You Baked & Saucy Oven Baked

Score: 4/10

Ingredient List For Beef & Sweet Potato Recipe: Beef, chicken meal, turkey meal, pea flour, tapioca starch, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), dried sweet potatoes, dried egg product, chicken broth, flaxseeds, dried tomato pomace, dried peas, ground miscanthus grass, natural flavor, salt, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, potassium chloride, monosodium phosphate, fish oil, dried chicory root, L-threonine, taurine, citric acid (preservative), mixed tocopherols (preservative), Vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, iron amino acid chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, sodium selenite, niacin supplement, D-calcium pantothenate, copper amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin A supplement, manganous oxide, thiamine mononitrate, dried Bacillus coagulans fermentation product, Vitamin D3 supplement, Vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, calcium iodate, folic acid, rosemary extract.

I and Love and You Baked & Saucy Oven Baked is a high risk dog food by our criteria. This is a coated kibble. There are 2 recipes. They average 28% protein. There are 35% average carbohydrate as calculated. These recipes have high carbohydrates. They have added vitamins, minerals and amino acids. There is unnamed fish oil and plant protein. These foods are ultra processed. Several stages of heating destroy nutrients. There are high pesticide/herbicide ingredients in the top 5. There’s also natural flavor.

Baked & Saucy Benefits

• Probiotics guaranteed
• Non-GMO

Baked & Saucy Concerns

• Ultra processed
• Moderately high carbohydrates
• Excessive added vitamins and minerals
• Unnamed fish oil
• High pesticide/herbicide foods
• Natural flavor
• Ingredient splitting
• Not specified whether fish oil is wild-caught or farmed
• Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
• Glam ingredients

View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews

I And Love And You Lovingly Simple

Score: 3.5/10

Ingredient List For Lamb & Sweet Potato Recipe: Lamb, lamb meal, dried chickpeas, dried sweet potatoes, dried peas, dried lentils, pea protein, salmon meal, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), flaxseeds, natural flavor, sunflower oil, dried tomato pomace, salt, choline chloride, potassium chloride, taurine, monosodium phosphate, citric acid (preservative), mixed tocopherols (preservative), L threonine, vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, iron amino acid chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, zinc oxide, dried chicory root, vitamin E supplement, copper sulfate, sodium selenite, niacin supplement, D calcium pantothenate, copper amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, dried bacillus coagulans fermentation product, riboflavin supplement, vitamin A supplement, manganous oxide, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, calcium iodate, folic acid, rosemary extract.

I and Love and You Lovingly Simple dog food is a high risk food by our criteria. There is 1 recipe. It has 30% protein and 32% carbohydrate as calculated. This recipe has high carbohydrates. There are added vitamins, minerals and amino acids. It has inflammatory seed oil. On the ingredient safety side, these foods are ultra processed. Heating destroys some nutrients. There are high pesticide ingredients in the top 5. There’s also natural flavor.  

Lovingly Simple Benefits

• Probiotics guaranteed
• Non-GMO

Lovingly Simple Concerns

• Ultra processed
• Moderately high carbohydrates
• Excessive added vitamins and minerals
• Unnamed fish oil
• Contains seed oils
• High pesticide/herbicide foods
• Natural flavor
• Ingredient splitting
• Not specified whether fish oil is wild-caught or farmed
• Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
• Glam ingredients

View The Entire Review on Dog Food Review

I And Love And You Irresist-A-Bowls

Score: 7.5/10

Ingredient List For Chicken & Duck Lightly Cooked Recipe: Chicken, carrots, pumpkin, duck, peas, salt, water sufficient for processing, dried spinach, minerals (zinc oxide, reduced iron, manganese sulfate, copper amino acid complex, potassium iodide), vitamins (vitamin E supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin A supplement, niacin, d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, biotin, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, beta-carotene, folic acid), chicory pulp, potassium chloride, magnesium sulfate, choline chloride.

I and Love and You Irresist-A-Bowls dog food is a low risk dog food by our criteria. There are 2 recipes. They average 43% protein. There are 13% average carbohydrates as calculated on a dry matter basis. These recipes have high carbohydrates. They have added vitamins and minerals. These foods are moderately processed. This destroys some nutrients. There are some high pesticide ingredients. 

Irrest-A-Bowls Benefits

• Non-GMO
• Moderate processing
• Low carbohydrates

Irrest-A-Bowls Concerns

• High pesticide/herbicide foods
• Excessive added vitamins and minerals
• Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
• Glam ingredients

View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews

I And Love And You Grain-Free Wet

Score: 6/10

Ingredient List For Moo Moo Venison Stew Recipe: Beef, beef broth, vegetable broth, beef liver, dried egg whites, carrots, cranberries, venison, dried peas, spinach, sweet potatoes, green beans, guar gum, tricalcium phosophate, sunflower oil, sodium phosphate, salt, calcium carbonate, natural flavor, potassium chloride, salmon oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), pumpkin, choline chloride, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, flaxseed oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), vitamin E supplement, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, thiamine mononitrate, cobalt proteinate, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin a supplement, riboflavin supplement, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, potassium iodide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid.

I and Love and You Irresist-A-Bowls dog food is a low risk dog food by our criteria. There are 2 recipes. I and Love and You Wet Grain-Free Canned dog food is considered a moderate risk dog food. There are 5 recipes. They average 44% protein. There are 23% average carbohydrates as calculated on a dry matter basis. This is higher than expected for a canned dog food. These recipes have high carbohydrates. There are added vitamins and minerals. They have inflammatory sunflower oil. The recipes are highly processed. This destroys some nutrients.  They include high pesticide ingredients and natural flavor.  

Grain-Free Wet Benefits

• Non-GMO

Grain-Free Wet Concerns

• High in carbohydrates
• Excessive added vitamins and minerals
• Seed oil
• Highly processed
• High pesticide/herbicide foods
• Natural flavor
• Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
• Doesn’t specify farmed or wild-caught fish
• Ingredient splitting
• Glam ingredients

View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews

I AND LOVE AND YOU DOG FOOD RECALLS

I and Love and You has had one recall.

07/2015: Voluntary recall of Cow-Boom! beef gullet dog treats due to potential salmonella contamination.

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.