Dr. Pol Dog Food Review 2024

Many animal-lovers will be familiar with Dr Jan Pol, most likely through The Incredible Dr. Pol, the reality show he’s fronted on Nat Geo Wild since 2011 on which he treats a range of different creatures at his veterinary practice in rural Michigan.

As if that wasn’t enough to keep him busy, Dr. Pol also launched his own collection of food for dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits, horses and goats at the end of 2019.

Here at Wag! we’ve taken a look at his collection of dog food and we like what we see. Real meat or fish is always the first-listed ingredient, followed by vegetables or grains. You can see Dr Pol’s veterinary expertise shine through in the choice to enrich the recipes with pre- and probiotics to help with digestion, as well as the addition of glucosamine and chondroitin for improved joint function.

Our Dr. Pol Dog Food reviews come to the conclusion that these are top-quality recipes full of all the vital nutrients your dog needs to flourish.

As we mentioned, Dr. Pol makes food for a wide range of animals and this includes six dry dog food recipes and three types of dog treats.

Incredi-Pol Favorites

This trio of grain-inclusive dry dog food recipes have meat as the leading ingredient, whether that’s beef, lamb and chicken. Additional protein comes from a named meat meal — Wag! doesn’t consider these as good a source of protein as meat and organs, but they are at least better than meat derivatives or byproducts.

Brown rice, pearled barley and oatmeal feature in all three recipes as healthy and fibrous carbohydrates, while there are a wealth of nutrients and minerals to be spotted lower down on the ingredient list — everything from L-Carnitine for healthy hearts to Taurine to keep eyes and the central nervous system running smoothly.

Incredi-Pol Flavors

• Beef and Brown Rice Recipe
• Lamb and Brown Rice Recipe
• Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe

Dr. Pol Healthy Balance/High Energy

Two of the remaining three dry dog foods are for canines with niche dietary requirements. The Healthy Balance Chicken Recipe only has eight key ingredients and poultry as the sole source of protein, which might be able to help pets with sensitive stomachs.

The Dr Pol Salmon Dog Food is also part of the Healthy Balance collection and this goes even further in whittling the number of key ingredients down to just six. It’s also grain-free, which offers an option for dogs that find it difficult to digest grains.

Dr. Pol Healthy Balance Flavors

• Chicken Recipe
• Grain-Free Salmon Recipe

Dr. Pol High Energy

Finally, there’s Dr. Pol High Energy dog food. This follows a similar approach to the Healthy Balance recipes in that there are limited ingredients and a single source of protein (chicken). However, the crude protein levels are considerably higher (a minimum of 30%), as is the calorie density at 445 per cup.

This makes it an ideal option for dogs that need a little more sustenance — this includes puppies and more athletic breeds.

Dr. Pol High Energy Flavors

• Chicken Recipe

The first-listed ingredients is always real meat or fish

All six of the Dr. Pol dog food recipes feature real meat or fish as the first-listed ingredient. Why is this important? Well, not only are they great sources of protein — as evidenced by the impressive crude protein levels on the back of the packaging — but they’re full of vital nutrients and minerals, such as Omega fatty acids and Taurine.

The recipes have been formulated by a vet — and it shows

Dr. Pol has racked up more than five decades as a veterinarian, so it’s fair to say that he knows what animals need to eat in order to be healthy. All of his dog food recipes are supplemented with pre-and probiotics to assist with digestion, as well as glucosamine and chondroitin for healthy joints. There are good amounts of Omega fatty acids for coat and skin health, too.

The recipes are good value when bought in bulk

With a celebrity’s name attached, you could be forgiven for fearing the worst when it comes to price. However, we’re happy to say that Dr. Pol dog food isn’t too expensive when bought in bulk — not the cheapest by any means, but certainly reasonable.

At the time of writing, we could find the Incredi-Pol Favorites going for as low as $1.62/lb and the more specialist Healthy Balance products at just over $2/lb. Wag! believes this to be good value when the high quality of the ingredients is taken into consideration.

The brand has had no recalls

The collection features no wet recipes at all

There are plenty of reasons why it could be preferable to serve wet dog food to pets — perhaps their teeth can’t deal with hard kibble or they need the extra moisture in their diet. 

If your dog requires wet dog food, there are no options in the Dr. Pol dog food range unfortunately.

The entire range is pretty small

Although there are a few different formulations within the Dr. Pol dog food collection, there are still only six products, which might pose problems for some parents. Say a dog with sensitivities turns their nose up at the only grain-free option? What happens if your athletic dog has a poultry allergy and can’t eat the High Energy mix?

The products can occasionally be difficult to find

At the time of writing, the only website to stock the whole Dr. Pol dog food range was WalMart. Other sites only stocked a few products. It’s only a minor problem, but could prove annoying for parents wanting to buy specific Dr. Pol dog food products with their regular shopping orders.

“We bought it because we love Dr. Pol and his country ways. I have a picky mixed-breed senior dog <12 lbs and she loves it. I have a mid-age dachshund (20lbs.) and she loves it. I also have a 9 mos. old [Great Pyrenees] and he loves it! So I'd say that covers everyone. My dogs even think it's a training treat. No one's getting too fat either! It's the best!”

“I switched my [9-month-old] GSD to this food. His previous food he was on since being picked up from his breeder had corn and other fillers in it. Since the switch[,] not only is his stool smaller, but less frequent! We will plan alternating the chicken and salmon proteins for variety. The size is also perfect for hand feeding/training!”

“Our poor 8 year old Dachshund, Smokey, breath was so bad [that] when he would bark his breath would stink up the whole room. He is so sweet but we couldn't stand him being near us unless he was very [quiet]. He loves people but no one would like to hold him. Doctors said it was his teeth (I said it was coming from his stomach). After a week eating Dr. Pol's dry dog food, Smokey has a whole new life. Bad breath is gone! He could not be happier being a cuddled lap dog, as he has [always] deserved. Thank you Dr. Pol.”

Read more Dr Pol dog food reviews at Chewy.

Dr. Pol dog food only hit the shelves at the end of 2019, but the brand has been five decades in the making. The man that lends his name to the products graduated from the Utrecht University Veterinary program in 1970 and moved to the United States a year later to live with his wife, who he had met while studying abroad.

After ten years of working with other vets, he decided to open his own practice in rural Michigan. This clinic is still open to this day, something anybody who has watched the reality TV show The Incredible Dr. Pol will know only too well.

This program began in 2011 on Nat Geo Wild and follows Dr. Pol as he treats the farm animals and pets of his local area. There have been a grand total of 23 seasons so far and even though Dr. Pol himself is now in his 80s, he’s showing no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

As well as his TV show, Dr. Pol has also written a memoir and released a podcast. The venture into branded animal food was based upon a decision to channel his vast veterinary expertise into creating healthy feed for dogs, cats, horses, goats, chickens and rabbits.

There has been no Dr. Pol Dog Food recall.

Product images sourced from Chewy. Copyright Docson LLC | Dr. Pol.