Wild Earth Dog Food Review 2024

Wild Earth brings something unique to the table as a vegan dog food. Although some consider it a controversial choice considering the canine’s ancestral roots, it still offers high-quality, high-protein nutrition. Wild Earth argues that since dogs are now omnivores, "they don’t need meat to thrive. In fact, plant-based dogs have been shown to live on average 1.5 years longer than dogs who eat meat.” This kibble was expertly crafted by veterinarians and food scientists, ensuring your best furry friend is nourished from nose to tail.

Although Wild Earth is still a relatively new player in the dog food industry, it’s gaining popularity, and was even featured on Shark Tank! It claims to be America’s most popular plant-based dog food. It’s more cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and ethical than many dog foods on the market. This food is available both in-store, online, and as a subscription service (which Wild Foods often runs specials on!)  

Like any loving pet parent, you likely want to do some more research before feeding them a new food. Let’s dig a little deeper into Wild Earth to understand the brand and what they offer.

Wild Earth has three different dry dog food flavors for your pupper to choose from. One Performance Formula flavor and two Maintenance Formula Flavors. Although this new brand doesn’t offer the widest selection, they are drool-worthy and nutritionally balanced options.

Performance Formula

Veggie Chick’n Kabob: This tasty Performance Formula is packed with everything your little athlete needs to stay in tip-top shape. This includes rich superfood ingredients like blueberries, spinach and pumpkin, muscle-supporting protein, prebiotic fiber, and healthy fats. It uses yeast protein as the main ingredient, which is dense with nutrients and contains all the amino acids dogs need and more protein than any meat product. At Wild Earth, they understand how important it is for dog food to be tasty for their happiness, which is why this recipe has an aroma and flavor similar to chicken. 

Maintenance Formula

Both of Wild Earth’s Maintenance Formula flavors have targeted nutrition that will help keep them regular, and their skin and coat healthy, and soft. Some of their main ingredients include ancient grains, sweet potatoes, and barley. This tasty, plant-based kibble was developed by veterinarians, scientists, and nutritionists, so you can sleep well at night knowing your pup is getting all the nutrients they need to thrive, without all the nasties.

Maintenance flavors:

Golden Rotisserie Flavor: For doggos that prefer the taste of our feathered friends, the Golden Rotisserie Flavor will have them liking their bowl clean.

Classic Roast Flavor: The Classic Roast Flavor has a taste and smell your dog won’t believe isn’t beef. The best part is, no animals were harmed when making this recipe.

Superfood Treats with Koji

Wild Earth's Superfood treats feature an ingredient we've never seen in a pet product, Koji. Koji is a group of molds that grow on starchy grains with a sweet and savory flavor that is prized in Asian cultures and is used to make pantry staples like soy sauce. While the word mold probably conjures up unpleasant images and thoughts of food poisoning, Koji is quite beneficial for gut health and is produced by natural fermentation. 

These treats come in three flavors: Peanut Butter, Strawberry & Beet, and Banana & Cinnamon. These oat flour-based treats have a transparent, limited-ingredient recipe with natural preservatives like Vitamin E and, green tea, and rosemary extracts. They also feature real fruits and veggies and, of course, Koji. 

Probably the most obvious reason why Wag! loves Wild Earth dog food is their eco-friendliness as a plant-based dog food. It’s sustainable, cruelty-free, and produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions than traditional pet food companies. They even use biotechnology and cellular agriculture to lab-grow one of their main protein sources, making it one of the most eco-friendly dog food brands.

Another reason to love Wild Earth is that they use only high-quality, natural ingredients. This means no fillers, artificial flavors or colors, preservatives, or other junk. It’s a great dog food choice for pups that struggle with allergies since there are no meat or dairy products. The recipes are formulated by experts to meet AAFCO standards, so you can be sure your canine is getting their dietary needs met.

Wild Earth is available through a convenient subscription service and is sold online and in stores through paw-pular retailers like Chewy and Petco. They offer free shipping on all shipments and discounts for subscribers. Nourishing your dog doesn’t get more convenient than kibble delivered right to your door!

One thing to consider before switching over to Wild Earth is its limited variety of foods. They have three kibble recipes and no wet foods. This dog food may not work for you if your dog has more specific dietary needs.

Vegan dog food diets are still a source of controversy. Although this dog food has backing from experts and meets nutrient standards, it’s important to do your own research and consult with your veterinarian before introducing a new food to your canine.

At the moment, Wild Earth has no grain-free options so it is not a great option for dogs with common grain sensitivities.

If you're on the fence about vegan dog food, and want to try a more meat-centric brand, check out some of our fave kibble brands. 

"Finally something out there for Bulldogs-Yes, Bulldogs. My Zeus has skin Allergies- we've been using Wild Earth for almost 2 years and the itchy and raw red skin has disappeared. [...] He's 65 pounds and we feed him like this twice a day with treats of course and other things thrown in during the day like bits of bananas. I hope this works for all [of] you out there whose pets suffer from skin or other allergies. Our vets couldn't help us so when I came across this tutorial on Wild Earth I had to try it and now I will never stop buying it. Great Product!"

"I’m writing this review after 3 full years of using this food for my Pug and Shih Tzu. One an older dog and one a younger. Since using this dog food [they're] regular and super healthy with their #2, they have been scratching much less, and they are full and [I] mean full of energy all the time. [I] love this dog food won’t switch off it ever."

Read more reviews on Chewy.

Wild Earth is a relatively new dog food, but it’s already a game changer and one of the leaders in plant-based dog food. The CEO of Wild Earth, Ryan Bethencourt, was a Biotech major who became fed up after studying the problems associated with traditional dog kibble. These problems include unethically sourced ingredients, animal cruelty, and environmental impact to name a few. A study by UCLA states that meat-based pet food accounts for a shocking 64 million tons, or one-third, of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

Bethencourt founded Wild Earth in 2017 and has broken free from the meat-heavy kibble industry. They’ve produced a vet-approved plant-based option made from cruelty-free, sustainably sourced ingredients for healthier pets.

In 2020, Bethencourt walked onto the Shark Tank stage and presented the idea of plant-based dog food as one of the solutions to kibble fillers and preservatives, pet food recalls, pet obesity, and environmental impact. Because of his extensive research, his presentation was a success, and Wild Earth made a deal with Shark Tank billionaire Mark Cuban, who offered $550,000 to invest in the brand.

"The Sharks were understandably tough on me, and questioned the need to create healthier and more sustainable products for our pets, but Mark, the biggest Shark of them all, understood our mission and the massive opportunity best,” said Bethencourt. “Mark and his team's impact has already been huge... since their investment, we've successfully launched our first three products and gone nationwide both online and in retail."

The Wild Earth headquarters are located in Berkeley California, and the dog food is manufactured in the United States, in a facility in the Midwest. They source their ingredients from the United States, Latin American, European and Asian countries (not including China).

Wild Earth is currently a recall-free brand! Because this is a relatively new and small company, this is no surprise. Wild Earth does not use any animal-based ingredients in its recipes, so the risk of recalls is lower than with other traditional dog foods.

Keep in mind that a product recall can happen at any time, so it’s important to stay up to date! To make sure your dog’s food is safe, check the FDA’s pet food recall website.