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The 6 Best Dog Food Options for Your Pup and the Planet

These are the best dog food options for your furry friends. They're just as good for your pets as they are for the planet.

Written by
Brenna Marshall
Published

There's no debate that our furry besties aren't just pets, but family members, too. In fact, it's safe to say many dogs are just as spoiled as humans, from the cozy beds they sleep in to the tasty food they eat.

The pet industry has changed for the better in recent years. It's easier and quicker than ever before to find sustainable, healthy, human-grade food to keep them snuggling with us for as long as possible. And in the era of right-to-your-door services, we can get the best of the best without ever leaving our homes thanks to convenient subscription services. No parking lots, long lines, or lugging heavy bags required.

Of course, our pet's health is first in mind—but what about the health of the planet? If all the pets in the United States established their own country, they would rank fifth in global meat consumption. With that high meat consumption comes deforestation, methane emissions, and overfishing. In return, we're losing populations of sea animals and contributing to global warming by way of greenhouse gasses.

It's time to check in with the kind of food we're feeding our dogs. Are these companies actively fighting to reduce the effect dogs, production, transportation, and packaging have on the environment? Don't stress: We've compiled a list for you of some of the best dog food for conscious consumers and their pups.

The Best Dog Food for Conscious Consumers

A Pup Above uses human-grade, "ugly produce" and 100% recycled packaging. It sources locally and uses renewable energy in its fulfillment center to keep its carbon footprint small. The brand also donates 1% of its annual revenue to The White Buffalo Land Trust, which is actively working to create regenerative farming.

It carries fresh food for dogs in an array of flavors and sizes so you can find something your pet will love. Prices range from $40 to $78. Even better, you can choose to subscribe and save for up to 25% savings on each order.

Wild Earth makes its pet food with clean, plant-based protein like chickpeas, nutritional yeast, and peas. In taking meat out of the picture, the brand is able to make its food with 95% less water and emit 96% less CO2 than meat-based kibble.

The brand says that "the over-reliance on meat in kibble is responsible for 25-30% of the environmental impact of meat consumption in the United States." Relying on sources other than meat can greatly reduce your furry friend's "pawprint."

Wild Earth is a kibble pet food. Bags range from $29-$70. Sign up and score 50% off your first bag, plus get 10% off all future subscription orders.

The Farmer's Dog is one of the more well-known fresh pet food subscriptions out there. While there isn't much info about the sustainability of the food itself, it has gone above and beyond as far as its packaging goes.

The food is shipped in recyclable boxes and packed with recyclable and dissolvable materials. Once you're done taking the cardboard box and the plastic lining to the recycling can, you can dissolve the insulation under running water, as it's simply made from corn starch.

The packaging of the food in itself can also be recycled once rinsed. There's also a reusable storage container provided in every box, which is made of biodegradable and recyclable materials (Bonus: It's free from BPA and toxins.)

Prices range pretty significantly depending on the size of your dog, but expect to pay in the realm of $4-$9 per day. Sign up and get 60% off your first order.

Open Farm prides itself in ethical sources and has a detailed step-by-step guide to how it will reduce its carbon footprint 42% by the year 2030.

The company is actively measuring, reducing, and offsetting its emissions. It has also created a free and easy way to keep its packaging out of landfills by partnering with TerraCycle. This transparency and responsibility is a step in the right direction—especially since the food is meat-based.

If you have a pet that likes to mix it up, this may be a good option as they have dry, wet, freeze-dried raw, and gently-cooked food with seven different protein options. Sign up with code SUNSOUT20 to get 20% off your first order, and 5% off each auto-ship order in the future.

5. Karma

For those of you who aren't totally on board with your dog going vegan, Karma may be the option for you. The company carries plant-first dry food that also includes chicken or whitefish as a secondary protein.

The food is manufactured on a site committed to zero waste to landfill, which means 100% of the waste produced is diverted from landfills to alternate disposal sources. Karma also partners with TerraCycle to offer consumers a way to better recycle its packaging.

Pricing ranges from $20 to $38, and while there's no official subscription model through its website, you can save using the Autoship option through Chewy.

Petaluma is self-acclaimed as "radically sustainable." The plant-based kibble doesn't participate in the meat industry at all, and therefore requires less land and water, as well as produces less greenhouse gas emissions.

The company also offsets 100% of its greenhouse gas emissions and donates 1% of all revenue to non-profits fighting climate change and food insecurity.

The baked dog food prices start at $35, but you can subscribe with coupon code EARTH to get 25% off your first order and 20% off all future subscription orders.

Honorable Mention: Chippin Treats

While Chippin doesn't offer pet food right now, it does have a wide variety of treats and toppers made with both our pets and the planet in mind.

The brand uses planet-friendly proteins like its wild-caught silver carp dog food, cricket food toppers, and vegan treats. In addition, all products come packaged in 29% post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials.