Dr. Harvey's Dog Food Review 2024

Dr. Harvey's is a pet care company producing natural pet foods, supplements, treats, and grooming products for canines, felines, and birds for 40 years. It's a family-run business, with all its products manufactured at U.S.-based facilities. 

Dr. Harvey believes we should feed our pets a diet consisting of whole foods and high-quality protein, free from artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors. It states that its foods have helped dogs recover from IBS, skin allergies, and cancer. 

But is Dr. Harvey's right for your dog? Scroll down for Wag!'s 2023 Dr. Harvey's dog food review, where we examine different product lines, considerations, recalls, and more!

Dr. Harvey has limited dog food options, with 15 dog food and four treat recipes. Dr. Harvey's dog food recipes are complete and balanced, meeting the nutrient profile guidelines established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) for all life stages, maintenance (adults), and growth (puppies). Dr. Harvey's pre-mixes and treats are not considered complete and balanced and are supplemental.

Let's take a closer look at Dr. Harvey's different product ranges and flavors. 

Dr. Harvey's Complete Meals Dehydrated line

Complete Meals is Dr. Harvey's main dog food range, comprising four dehydrated recipes with grain-free and grain-inclusive options. These recipes contain between 20% and 27% crude protein, considered average for dog food. All recipes list a quality cut of meat as the top ingredient. 

Each recipe includes a blend of ten fruits and vegetables, including green beans, pumpkin, blueberries, and cranberries. Probiotics and prebiotics are added to support the immune system and promote gut health. A lack of protein varieties in these recipes means they aren't ideal for dogs with specific protein allergies. One of the biggest downsides to Complete Meals is they're high in carbs.  

Dr. Harvey's Complete Meals are available in four varieties:

• Whole Grain Beef & Garden Veggies
• Whole Grain Chicken & Garden Veggies
• Grain Free Beef & Garden Veggies
• Grain Free Chicken & Garden Veggies

Dr. Harvey's Dehydrated Specialty Diet line

Dr. Harvey's Specialty Diet recipes are for dogs with specific food allergies and sensitivities or for fur-baby looking to reach their perfect weight. All recipes list a quality cut of meat as the top ingredient. 

Allergy recipes contain 12 or fewer primary ingredients and are grain-free. They're made without common food allergens like beef, eggs, dairy, and wheat. These varieties are minimally processed for easier digestion. Each recipe consists of between 19% and 24% crude protein, which is considered average. 

Healthy Weight recipes don't shy away from fat content, believing that diets consisting of easy to digest whole foods with slightly lower calories are the best way to control weight. Dr. Harvey formulates its Healthy Weight recipes with superfoods like broccoli, carrots, chia seeds, and pumpkin, which aid digestion and boost metabolism. Each recipe contains 20% to 23% crude protein, which is average. 

Dr. Harvey's Dehydrated Specialty Diet recipes are available in six varieties:

• Allergy Lamb Recipe
• Allergy Turkey Recipe
• Allergy Fish Recipe
• Healthy Weight Beef Recipe
• Healthy Weight Chicken Recipe
• Healthy Weight Recipe

Dr. Harvey's Homemade Food Dehydrated Pre-Mixes line

Dr. Harvey sells a unique range of pre-mixes for pet parents who want to customize their canine's meals. They're holistic blends of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and vitamins that provide a basis for your dog's meals — all you need to do is add a meat protein source, oil, and water. 

Each of Dr. Harvey's Pre-Mixes is slightly different, depending on what base you want for your dog's dinner. For example, Raw Vibrance contains a mix of 21 whole foods, including some unusual ingredients like mussels, shiitake mushrooms, and raw goat's milk powder. Meanwhile, Canine Health is a grain-inclusive option with a blend of six grains and nine vegetables, including sweet potatoes, carrots, and celery. 

Dr. Harvey's Pre-Mixes are available in five varieties:

• Canine Health
• Paradigm
• Raw Vibrance
• Veg-To-Bowl
• Veg-To-Bowl Fine Ground

Dr. Harvey's Treats

Dr. Harvey's offers freeze-dried and dehydrated treats for when you want to spoil your canine companion. Its freeze-dried treats consist of only one ingredient: quality animal protein. Two of the three recipes also contain mixed tocopherols, a natural preservative and a source of vitamin E.

Dr. Harvey's also has one dehydrated sweet potato dog treat variety made with only sweet potato. These treats are great for dogs with meat allergies and are great source of fiber and vitamin A. 

Dr. Harvey's Treats come in four varieties:

• Freeze-Dried Chicken Hearts
• Freeze-Dried Wild Alaskan Salmon Bites
• Freeze-Dried Rabbit Bites
• Sweet Potate'r Chews

Here are a few reasons why Wag! highly rates Dr. Harvey's dog food!

Made with human-grade ingredients

Dr. Harvey's pet food products are made with high-quality, whole ingredients. You'll find no meat meals in Dr. Harvey's recipes — only quality muscle meat and organ meat cuts. Dr. Harvey's states it only uses human-grade ingredients in its dog foods. 

A carefully selected blend of produce ensures your pup gets all the nutrients they need. Minimal processing, whole ingredients, and added probiotics ensure Dr. Harvey's dog foods are easy on your pooch's stomach.

Pre-mixes are perfect for homemade meals

Pre-mixes are ideal if you want more control over your fur-baby's diet. If you prefer to feed your dog home-cooked meat or you suspect they have a meat protein allergy, pre-mixes give you the perfect basis for home-cooked meals for your canine companion. Each recipe ensures your dog's nutrient needs are met without you having to add your own vitamin and mineral supplements. 

Excellent speciality diet recipes 

Dr. Harvey's Allergy recipes are a great choice if you need a hypoallergenic dog food for Fido. They're made without six of the most common food allergens for dogs and with limited ingredients, including no grains. Minimal processing and no preservatives ensure easier digestion. 

Dr. Harvey's Healthy Weight foods are unique as they use a mix of superfoods rich in antioxidants, fiber, and anti-inflammatory enzymes to help your pup reach their ideal weight. Focusing on providing a dog with a high-quality diet rather than drastically reducing their fat intake is a great way to manage a dog's weight.

Here are a few things to bear in mind when buying Dr. Harvey's dog food. 

On the pricey side

Dr. Harvey's is pricey compared to other premium dehydrated dog foods. At the time of writing, a five-pound bag of Dr. Harvey's Beef & Garden Veggies Whole-Grain dehydrated dog food costs $84.99. It makes 20 pounds of dog food. 

By comparison, a ten-pound bag of The Honest Kitchen Beef Whole Grain dehydrated dog food costs $89.99 at the time of writing. It makes 40 pounds of dog food. 

Some recipes are high in carbs

Some of Dr. Harvey's are high in carbs. While Dr. Harvey's recipes don't state carb percentages, Dr. Harvey's main line of dog foods contain between 46% and 50% carbohydrates based on their guaranteed analysis. This is more carbs than average for dog food.

"I use the complete meal version for my tiny peanut Daphne, it has cleared her runny eyes and she has no more stains on under her eyes. She loves it and I love it for her. I also feed my big boy pitbull Dr Harvey's paradigm/ lightly cooked meat. Both thrive on it, we love Dr Harvey's!"

"I bought a sample bag and my dogs really enjoyed Dr Harvey's. It's so easy to prepare and I feel confident by adding this to their diet that I am keeping my fur babies healthy. And it [smells] great! Plan to order more!"

Read more reviews on Amazon.

Dr. Harvey's was founded in 1984 by Dr. Harvey Cohen, who started his career as a human medical practitioner in New York City. A nutritionist and animal lover, Dr. Cohen left his job as a practitioner after seeing how poor the quality of dog, cat, and bird food was at the time. 

Believing that "health begins in the kitchen" for pets as well as people, Dr. Harvey sought to create a line of pet foods free from artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors and made with all-natural ingredients. 

Dr. Harvey wasn't deterred by the pet food industry's skepticism about this plan and set out to create all-natural pet foods with human-grade ingredients. Soon after the company's founding, Dr. Harvey's began producing its Canine Health recipes, quickly becoming a hit amongst pet parents. 

In 2015, Dr. Cohen won the Icon Award by Pet Age Magazine. The company's headquarters is in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. It's a family-run business, with Wendy Shankin-Cohen as the current CEO. 

Dr. Harvey Cohen is the proud father of several fur-babies, including a Sphinx cat named Franklin, a Basset Hound named Sasha, and a Doberman Pinscher named Lance.

Dr. Harvey's has had no recalls of note as of the writing of this article.