Pet Tao is a small dog food brand. It was made according to Chinese food energetics. It’s the product of veterinarians Dr Marc Smith and Dr Casey Damron. Both are certified in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) by the Chi Institute.
The company produces two dog food lines. One is freeze-dried raw, and one is canned. The canned foods are designated for supplemental or intermittent feeding. The freeze-dried foods meet AAFCO standards for maintenance. The foods follow Chines energetic formulas. They’re made in warming, cooling, blood building, and neutral/balancing formulas.
The food is sold direct to consumer. It’s available via Pet Tao’s website. The website suggests some therapeutic uses for the foods. This is according to TCVM principles. FDA regulations don’t permit therapeutic claims for pet foods. Claims are permitted in veterinary prescription diets. They’re sold through veterinarians. Then it’s assumed pet owners receive veterinary guidance. Pet Tao doesn’t require a prescription to buy them. Drs Smith and Damron don’t consult with buyers about the appropriate food for their pets. They recommend pet owners consult a TCVM vet. They provide a list of these vets.
For our Pet Tao 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 PET TAO A GOOD DOG FOOD?
It’s worthwhile to formulate foods according to TCVM principles. However, Pet Tao’s foods are moderately high in carbohydrates. This is because they have grains and starchy produce. They’re used to achieve the TCVM energetic balance.
The canned foods include added minerals. This suggests lower quality ingredients. They need fortifying to meet nutritional needs. The freeze-dried foods don’t contain these additives. They’re not heat-processed. That enables ingredients to retain nutrients.
There are some safety concerns with Pet Tao foods. The recipes contain ingredients known to be high in pesticide or herbicide residues. Several of these ingredients are in the top 5 ingredients. Some ingredients are spray-dried with glyphosate before harvest. That makes them especially high in residues.
A GMO crop is also used. Rice is used in one recipe. It raises a concern about arsenic contamination.
Like many other brands, Pet Tao does not report the omega-6:omega-3 ratio of their foods. It’s a concern because AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation.
Pet Tao Canned Dog Food
Score: 6.7/10
Ingredient List For Solution Chill Recipe: Turkey, beef, catfish, carrots, green beans, barley, celery, cucumber, broccoli, eggs, spinach, flax seed, honey, salt, sesame oil, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, vitamin e supplement, manganese methionine, ferrous sulfate, copper lysine, ethylenediamine dihydroiodide (source of iodine), vitamin D supplement.
Pet Tao’s Canned dog food line is moderate risk dog food by our criteria. There are 4 recipes. Average protein is 39%. Average carbohydrates are 23%. Both are calculated on a dry matter basis for comparison with dry foods. This is a high carb level for a canned dog food. This canned line is formulated for supplemental or intermittent feeding only. When it comes to ingredient quality, this line has added minerals. It’s certainly not a typical premix. However, it’s preferred nutrients come from whole food ingredients. This is a canned dog food with some heat processing. That can result in a loss of vitamins and minerals.
There are a few concerns regarding ingredient safety. Some ingredients are known to be high in pesticide or herbicide residues. Some are in the top 5 ingredients. There are also potatoes in a few recipes. They’re a known GMO crop. It’s not stated whether fish ingredients (catfish or sardines) are farmed or wild caught. Wild caught are more nutritious. And they have a better fatty acid profile.
Canned Benefits
- Minimal added vitamins
- Formulated using TCVM principles
Canned Concerns
- Highly processed
- Moderately high in carbohydrates
- Some excessive added minerals
- Contains high pesticide/herbicide and GMO
- Contains seed oils
- Unknown whether fish is wild caught or farmed
- Omega-6:omega-3 ratio not provided
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Pet Tao Freeze-Dried
Score: 7.8/10
Ingredient List For Harmony Recipe: Beef, turkey, pea, rice, beef heart, beef liver, flax, carrots, spinach, egg, celery, pumpkin seeds, iodized salt, mixed tocopherols.
Pet Tao’s Freeze-Dried dog food line is low risk dog food by our criteria. There are 3 recipes. Average protein is 31%. Average carbohydrates are 30% as calculated. This is a very high carbohydrate level for freeze-dried dog food. This is a lightly processed dog food. There are no added vitamins or minerals. There is one concern regarding ingredient safety. Oats and peas are known to be high in pesticide or herbicide residues. They are in the top 5 ingredients. Rice is also used. It can have arsenic contamination. It’s not stated whether fish ingredients (catfish or sardines) are farmed or wild caught. Wild caught are more nutritious. And they have a better fatty acid profile.
Freeze Dried Benefits
- Lightly processed
- No added vitamins or minerals
- Formulated according to TCVM principles
Freeze Dried Concerns
- Moderately high in carbohydrates
- High pesticide ingredients in top 5
- Contains rice
- Omega-6:omega-3 ratio not provided
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
PET TAO DOG FOOD RECALLS
To date, Pet Tao has not had any recalls or voluntary withdrawals.
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?
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.
