In working in the veterinary field I've seen how important it is that pets get adequate nutrition to prevent or treat various medical issues. I've seen the negative outcomes of poorer pet food quality. I have a mini schnauzer that before had digestive issues, straining when trying to defecate, bloating, really hard dark stools, licking at the feet. He just wasn't himself and I could see and sense that he was very uncomfortable. I switched him to THK turkey and took him off of dry kibble completely. One thing I like to tell people is that I work for a Veterinarian that specializes in food therapy. So I've learned a considerable amount of things regarding pet food. Please know that although a lot of pet food companies that sell dry kibble (even the expensive brands) claim that their pet food is healthy. Please also know that dry kibble although the ingredients that are supposed to be healthy are very over processed and by the time it gets to the pet the nutrients just aren't what they should be to provide the pet with the adequate nutrition that they should be getting. THK knows this and makes food that is minimally processed and that's why I like them. They put freeze dried 100% real ingredients into their recipes that are very good for pets and their tummies. This food completely changed my dog for the better. I buy 1 10lb box and it literally lasts me 2 and a half months. So I'm giving my dog optimum food while saving money as opposed to the food I was giving him before. I use a lot of THK products including the food, treats, goats milk, and bone broth. My dog loves them all and he's so much better now. Normal stools and no straining. The veterinarian I work for actually sells only THK products at our practice. I'm wanting to try their new dog shampoo bars! I hope this review helps others.
I reluctantly try new dog or cat food for my pets. But lately my Boston Terrier Giggles has been having skin issues and has been ordered to lose weight due to a knee problem. She isn't over weight but the vet wants her lean to give her knees as much rest as possible. This sent me searching for food options. I thought that with this mix yourself product I could add more water and give her more in her belly so she'll feel full. The same principle as drinking a glass of water before a meal.
Luckily Giggles isn't allergic to Chicken so I tried the Chicken flavor, Force, first. It is awesome. Plain and simple. They love this food. My other Boston Terrier, Rabbit, inhales food but with this I have to use a puzzle bowl to slow him down.
The best part is obviously the high quality, pure food ingredients they use. But for me, the best part is the smell. NO MORE STINKY DOG FOOD! Dry, Force smells like a packet of chicken soup or Thanksgiving. The Beef Grain Free, Love, smells like Apple Roasted Prime Rib. No kidding. I decided to get the grain-in Beef recipe for my non sensitive Boston and my older Chihuahua who has no teeth--he was a rescue--and he only eats soft food now.
Mo, the Chihuahua gags on water and throws it up so hydrating this little 4lb dog is a chore. But with Honest Kitchen I can make a soup out of his food and he gets much better hydration without gagging!
Every flavor of the dog food I have tried has been a 100% hit in my home. The Grain In product is even a better value than any canned food I would feed my dogs before--like Blue for example.
Feeding my dogs is a pleasure not a chore now. No more holding my nose or stinking up the frig with a half used can of dog food. Make exactly the amount you need each time. I have on demand hot water but when we went on a trip, a microwave cup of water is warm enough in 45 seconds to mix into the dry. Easy. Images included are of Love, the Grain Free Beef dog food: Image 1: Dry in bowl Image 2: Right after water is added Image 3: Three minutes later. I choose to add a little more water than called for for rehydration. Often you can see whole pieces of vegetable, fruit and other bits.
One last bonus? Less stinky on the business end and less farts. My goodness how amazing. Walking the dog is even better now too!
Thank you Honest Kitchen for making a product I feel good about giving to my family of pets. And just in case someone is thinking it--no, I was not asked or paid for this review. It is from my heart.
My dogs love this, and I can definitely see a difference in their coats. I don't use it as my their only source of nutrition. I buy a high-quality dry food (Earthborn) and I put about a 1/4 cup of this on top of that with a little fish oil. I add a whole, raw egg (no shell) a couple times a week. I also mix it with low-sodium, or homemade chicken stock instead of water. I have two large dogs (a German Shepherd and a Pittie mix) and I feed them twice a day, so I use about a cup a day. Mixing 3 cups of the dehydrated food with 5 cups of stock gives me roughly 3 weeks of food from one box.
I highly recommend checking out any food you give to your pups on Dogfoodadvisor.com. This food has a 5 star rating on their site.
EDITED: After several months of giving my dogs 1/4 cup of this with their kibble every day, my GSD has stopped eating poop and dirt. I have given them all kinds of high-quality foods (including the very $$$ air-dried raw food, frozen raw food, and laboriously homemade food) and she has always eaten poo! I thought it was a habit, but apparently there must have been some kind of nutrient/dietary deficiancy because she has stopped since I started giving her this food! Beyond the other benefits I've noticed: glossier coats, reduction in breath oder, etc., this alone is enough to make me keep feeding it to them.
I admit that feeding Zeal to my 90-pound Rottweiler is a bit of a financial burden. However, last summer about the time she turned 10, I was afraid I was going to lose her to digestive problems of all things. She had been having episodes of vomiting and diarrhea for the previous 2 years, but they always cleared up with treatment. This time they didn't. She spent 2 days in the ER and was still passing blood a week later. My regular vet recommended a home cooked diet, but my girl had been on that when the troubles started, and I'd switched her to commercial food hoping it would be better. The vet then said try HK Zeal, many dogs with digestive problems do well on it because it's so low fat. It's now been over 6 months, and my girl has not had another episode. Maybe she will again, but I am so grateful for this 6 months of grace. She also looks and seems to feel "less old" in ways it's hard to describe. For us the food is worth every penny and way better than the fear and cost of another ER visit.
Feature Product
- GRAIN FREE: This healthy dog food is made with cage free turkey and dehydrated for easier digestibility and to lock in nutrients.
- HIGHER PROTEIN: More calories and less carbs in every batch make it the perfect meal for active puppies and adults of all breeds and sizes.
- HUMAN GRADE: The Honest Kitchen meets the rigorous FDA safety standards to use the label 'human grade', ensuring the highest quality dog food.
- ALL NATURAL: This dog food is made with no by-products, preservatives or GMO ingredients - just add water for a warm and delicious meal.
- MADE IN THE USA: All ingredients are processed in the USA in a human grade food processing facility with nothing from China.
Description
ABOUT EMBARK DEHYDRATED DOG FOOD:
The Honest Kitchen Embark dog food was created for more active canines. Each low-carb batch of Embark is made with good, healthy stuff like cage-free turkey and antioxidant-rich produce. So, it’s the perfect meal for pups, adult dogs and adult dogs about to have pups.
Embark is a dehydrated dog food that is AAFCO complete and balanced for all life stages and breeds. Embark is higher in protein and fat than other Honest Kitchen recipes so it’s perfect for puppies and active adult dogs, especially agility dogs who need a performance dog food. Because Embark is a grain free dog food, it's great for pups who have dog food allergies or sensitivities to grains & gluten or those who need a low carbohydrate dog food.
This dog food is 100% human-grade dog food (an important quality distinction!) and contains no red flag pet food ingredients like corn, soy, rice, beet pulp or wheat. Just add warm water, wait 3 minutes and serve a delicious & healthy meal!
ABOUT THE HONEST KITCHEN:
The Honest Kitchen started in Lucy Postin’s kitchen in 2002 when she started making her dog’s meals from scratch to help combat his ear infections. The physical difference from his new diet was spectacular but her kitchen was a mess.
Lucy then realized that dehydrating whole foods made mealtimes much simpler while maintaining the natural health benefits of the ingredients. From there, The Honest Kitchen was born - and her kitchen stayed much cleaner!
Today, The Honest Kitchen is on a mission to revolutionize the pet food industry through their obsession with product integrity and commitment to help as many pets as possible get on the road to good health through natural, wholesome proper food.
I love this food for my dog, I wish I would have found out about it sooner than I did! I'm raising my current puppy on it (now 7 months) and he looks fantastic. It's a bit pricey but I use half of the recommended amount and add half kibble that I change periodically, which makes it a bit more affordable and also adds some texture to the food.
I have to say that I was a tiny bit stumped when I opened the package and found a powder, I was expecting a chunkier food. The dogs don't really care and lap up the mush just as enthusiastically, but I experimented a bit with the amount of water I'm adding and I have found a method that works really well for me:
I usually mix two days worth in a tupperware and put it in the fridge, it will set to a firmer consistency. That way I don't have to measure and mix and wait at feeding time, I just take one quarter of the premixed "cake" and stir in the kibble and bit more water and done. It gives the food a bit firmer texture and I guess it's nice to have a meal out of the fridge on hot days too, no complaints so far!
Great quality food and great quality people!
Honest Kitchen is one of the highest quality pet food companies out there. We've been feeding our Golden Retriever their grain free recipes (first turkey, now beef) for a few years, and it has made all the difference in his "sensitive digestion" situation! Once we got him off the dry dog food and onto HK for one of his meals each day, he was a new dog. His weight dropped, his energy level soared, and at 9 years of age, his bloodwork is perfect. I also recommended HK to my sister-in-law for her dog, who was always itchy and rashy and had pica (she tried to eat their tile floor!), and it resolved all her problems as well. HK products aren't cheap, but if you have a dog with mysterious or chronic digestive or allergy issues, it may save you on veterinary bills in the long run.
We have an over weight small chihuahua, named Mollie. In 2016 we went to Colorado to visit friends and the place we used to live. She stayed on her food and bottled water and is usually carried as the owls and hawks love little animals even on a leash. Right as we headed home she became ill. She had diarrhea and was vomiting. By the time ever we got her to a vet she had watery bloody stool. The vet gave her some meds and a special canned food to help her. All was well until we changed her food to what we thought was an improvement. After 1 TBS of the new food mixed with her old food she again had the same issues as before. Back to the vet, more meds and this time her loose stools didn't clear up. I talked to a dear friend who also has chihuahuas and one of her chis was having seizures and the other chi had a terrible cough. Our Mollie also had severe gagging because her nose is unusually short nose and can't breathe if she runs even a little. Hence she became a couch potato and overweight. My friend shared her success in finding a food that was healthy for her dogs and the food has all but stopped the seizures in one dog and almost cleared up the cough in the other. She is very happy about the change in her dogs. I immediately ordered a bag for Mollie. Started her on it the day it came. She totally loves this dog food. I ordered the Force in chicken. By the next morning her stool was at last the way it should be. It had been weeks that we had been doing clean up on her after each elimination and changing her puppy pad several times a day and thankfully it has come to an end. As of this writing she is still doing fantastic. She runs around like a puppy and no gagging, her ear cleared up, she has normal stool and no vomiting. I honestly can't believe how amazing this food is and how quickly it helped our little girl. I do acknowledge it is pricey but not as expensive as vet visits, lab work, and many meds which didn't help our Mollie at all. For me it is more like an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I want to thank Honest Kitchen for putting out such a wonderful product. Please never stop.
I have been mixing The Honest Kitchen with fresh raw food 50/50, and that helped me to cut down on the cost of raw feeding while she still eats quality meals, thanks to Honest Kitchen. I feed her 1/2 a cup of Honest Kitchen and that usually lasts me for about 25 days. Now, I just ordered the ThRIVE, and it seems it absorbs better than this one. ( meaning less poopy )
We have been using this food for about a year now. We have a German Shepherd that is severely allergic to most foods and was in poor shape. We had even tried making his food as a last resort for a few months before finding this. This is THE ONLY commercial dog food he is able to eat without vomiting due to his allergies. Since putting him on this, he actually eats, he gained weight (he was very underweight), smells so much better and his coat looks great. We use this along with Dinovite as a supplement for him. If you have any dogs with allergies or health problems, this food is definitely worth trying. Additionally, both of my dogs love the taste of this food. They used to leave their food uneaten and with this, they always finish the bowl.
It is expensive, but you get about 40 lbs of food from a 10lbs box.
