Wild Earth was launched in 2018 to create a vegan food for dogs. It produces 2 lines of 3 vegan dog foods in the US midwest using ingredients sourced from the US, Latin American, European, and Asian countries (not including China).
The company was founded by IndioBio co-founder Ryan Bethencourt who is described as an ethical vegan. Wild Earth is a startup company with a goal of using cellular agriculture to make sustainable, cruelty-free pet food. This is a practice of growing agricultural products directly from cell cultures (also known as cultured meat) instead of using livestock. The company is headquartered in Berkeley, CA and Durham, NC.
For our Wild Earth dog food reviews, we’ll look at the food ingredient quality and safety. Our dog food reviews are based on these criteria.
Wild Earth Complete Protein Dog Food Review
Score: 3/10
Package Ingredients For Wild Earth Complete Protein Dog Food Recipe: Dried yeast, chickpeas, peas, oats, pea protein, potato protein, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), sweet potato, flaxseed meal, sunflower oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, natural flavor, marine microalgae, choline chloride, taurine, dried aspergillus oryzae fermentation product, inulin (from chicory root), potassium chloride, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, fructooligosaccharides, tocopherols (preservative), salt, L-carnitine, vitamin E supplement, blueberries, cranberries, pumpkin, spinach, wheat germ, vitamin A supplement, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12 supplement, pyroxidine hydrocholoride, vitamin D2 supplement, calcium iodate, folic acid, rosemary extract
Using our evaluation criteria, Wild Earth’s Complete Protein line, with one recipe, is considered a high risk dog food. Here are our concerns:
Ingredient Quality
Overall, there are several concerns when it comes to ingredient quality:
High In Carbohydrates: This line has average carbohydrates of 37% as calculated, which is excessive. Dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrate but starch is required for extrusion in dry foods like these. In this case, starches, grains and plant proteins are used to provide plant protein in place of animal protein in this vegan line … but that leads to high carbohydrate levels. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance.
Excessive Added Vitamins and Minerals: This line loses ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.
Sodium Selenite: It’s also worth noting that the line contains sodium selenite as a source of selenium. Dogs need selenium, and it’s usually added in very small amounts. However some research suggests that sodium selenite may be associated with potential toxicity, so selenium yeast is the preferred form of this mineral.
Added Amino Acids: Protein from animals is more complete in amino acids than protein from plants. Foods with lower amounts of animal protein often need to add amino acids to compensate, so 2 or more added amino acids can be a marker of cheap, lower quality ingredients. In this case it’s because the food is vegan, with no animal protein at all.
Contains Seed Oil: Some of these recipes contain canola and sunflower oil, which are highly processed and inflammatory oils. They’re inexpensive alternatives to higher quality animal fats and oils.
Contains Plant Protein: Plant proteins are used in this food as a vegan substitute for quality animal protein. Animal sources are more digestible and contain a wider array of amino acids than plant based protein sources, so the use of only plant proteins causes a loss of ingredient quality points for this line.
Ingredient Safety
Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the issues with Complete Protein Dog Food:
Ultra-Processed: On the ingredient safety side, this line loses significant points for being an ultra-processed dog food. The individual ingredients in dry dog foods are heated several times during processing, which can cause a significant loss of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
High Pesticide/Herbicide Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients: The recipes in this line contain foods in the top 5 ingredients that are known to carry large pesticide/herbicide residues (such as chickpeas, peas and oats). Many crops are spray-dried with Roundup, leaving them with more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.
GMO Foods: This line contains a known GMO ingredient (potato protein). There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, require increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.
Natural Flavor: This line contains natural flavor, which is added to make processed food more palatable. But natural flavor is often MSG, a low quality ingredient with limited safety studies.
Read more Wild Earth dog food reviews here …
Wild Earth Core Formula Dog Food Review
Score: 2/10
Package Ingredients For Wild Earth Golden Rotisserie Flavour Recipe: Barley, brown rice, grain sorghum, dried yeast, potato protein, millet, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), sweet potato, flaxseed, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, natural flavor (source of rotisserie flavor), salt, safflower oil, potassium chloride, choline chloride, turmeric, taurine, L-carnitine, mixed tocopherols (preservative), zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, zinc proteinate, selenium yeast, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, manganese sulfate, rosemary extract, niacin supplement, copper sulfate, manganese proteinate, d-calcium pantothenate, copper proteinate, riboflavin, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride, calcium iodate, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D2 supplement
Using our evaluation criteria, Wild Earth’s Core Formula line, with 2 recipes, is considered a very high risk dog food. Here are our concerns:
Ingredient Quality
Overall, there are several concerns when it comes to ingredient quality:
High In Carbohydrates: This line has excessive average carbohydrates of 46% as calculated. Dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrate but starch is required for extrusion in dry foods like these. In this case, starches, grains and plant proteins are used to provide plant protein in place of animal protein in this vegan line … but that leads to high carbohydrate levels. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance.
Excessive Added Vitamins and Minerals: This line loses ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.
Added Amino Acids: Protein from animals is more complete in amino acids than protein from plants – plus it’s more expensive. Foods with lower amounts of animal protein often need to add amino acids to compensate, so 2 or more added amino acids can be a marker of cheap, lower quality ingredients. In this case it’s because the food is vegan, with no animal protein to provide these nutrients.
Contains Seed Oil: Some of these recipes contain canola and safflower oil, which are highly processed and inflammatory oils. They’re inexpensive alternatives to higher quality animal fats and oils.
Contains Plant Protein: Plant proteins are used in this food as a vegan substitute for quality animal protein. Animal sources are more digestible and contain a wider array of amino acids than plant based protein sources, so the use of only plant proteins causes a loss of ingredient quality points for this line.
Ingredient Safety
Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the issues with Core Formula line:
Ultra-Processed: On the ingredient safety side, this line loses significant points for being an ultra-processed dog food. The individual ingredients in dry dog foods are heated several times during processing, which can cause a significant loss of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
High Pesticide/Herbicide Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients: The recipes in this line contain foods in the top 5 ingredients that are known to carry a large pesticide/herbicide residue (such as barley and sorghum). Crops that are spray-dried with Roundup contain more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.
GMO Foods: The recipes in this line contain a GMO ingredient (potato protein) in the top 5 ingredients. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, require increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.
Rice: The recipes in this line contain brown rice. Arsenic contamination is a significant concern with rice since it naturally absorbs arsenic and the water it’s grown in can be contaminated with arsenic. Arsenic is linked to chronic health issues.
Natural Flavor: Recipes in this line contain natural flavor, which is added to make processed food more palatable. But natural flavor is often MSG, a low quality ingredient with limited safety studies.
Read more Wild Earth dog food reviews here …
IS WILD EARTH A GOOD DOG FOOD?
Wild Earth has 2 lines of vegan dog foods with 3 recipes, which are considered very high risk (Core Formula) and high risk (Complete Protein) dog foods.
These are vegan recipes so they include plant proteins and starches, grains and legumes, which create a very high carbohydrate level to achieve the required nutrients.
Wild Earth Complete Protein is the company’s flagship recipe with carbohydrates of 37%. However, the protein level is 31%, which is slightly higher than other vegan options in the market. The Core Formula line has higher carbohydrates at 46% and lower protein of 23%.
In a 2018 interview, Wild Earth’s founder described the company’s goal to pursue fungi, and specifically shiragiku koji with its 10 essential amino acids, as an alternative protein source. He described this as a better quality protein for dog food that he calls “clean protein.” But there is no indication on the website or their ingredient list that they are at this stage.
In support of alternative dog food, the company quotes from a 2013 study in Nature saying “the genomes of dogs have evolved to not only enable them to digest plant-based starches, but to thrive on foods that include a wide variety of ingredients including fruits, vegetables, herbs, grains, meats, poultry, fish and more, making them true omnivores.”
However, these recipes are vegan, not omnivorous. They have only small amounts of fruits and vegetables, no animal protein at all (being a vegan food), and only processed grains, legumes and starches that dogs in the wild wouldn’t eat. That results in excessive added vitamins, minerals and amino acids to balance these recipes.
Pursuing an alternative type of protein is certainly an interesting prospect. And while doing this, it’s hoped the company would consider using better quality ingredients and increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables to reduce the need for added vitamins and minerals … to perhaps create a truly clean food.
Other Concerns
Here are some other concerns to be aware of when evaluating the safety and quality of dog food:
Glam Ingredients: These recipes also include glam ingredients like fruit and vegetables, but they’re listed after salt, which means they’re included in minimal amounts that don’t provide any nutritional benefit.
Does Not Provide Omega-6:Omega-3 Ratio: It’s also worth noting that Wild Earth does not state the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in their foods. While this is true of most foods, AAFCO allows a very inflammatory limit of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation and disease.
Wild Earth Dog Food Recalls
To date there have been no recalls of Wild Earth dog foods.
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. We’ve 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.
