No Artificial Preservatives

We ban artificial preservatives that have been linked to harmful health effects.

BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole) and BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene) have both been linked to cancer and are hard for dogs to digest, potentially aggravating food allergies and intolerances. Propyl Gallate (also listed as Gallic Acid or Propyl Ester) can mimic the negative effects of estrogen, and is linked to cancer, liver, kidney, breathing and skin issues. Propylene Glycol is disruptive to healthy digestion and has been shown to cause nervous system damage, intestinal lesions/blockage, and cancer. Ethoxyquin has been linked to kidney and liver damage, hyperthyroidism, reproductive issues, cancer, blindness, and immune deficiency syndrome.

TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone) has been linked to stomach cancer and can damage cellular DNA. Sodium Metabisulphite can trigger severe allergic reactions in dogs. Exposure can also cause nervous system damage and issues with circulation. Sodium Nitrite is potentially highly carcinogenic. Carrageenan carries real risk when it’s the degraded form (poligeenan), which has been linked to intestinal inflammation and cancer in studies — and since that distinction isn’t something you can verify from a label, we skip carrageenan altogether rather than ask you to take the chance.

No Artificial Flavors & Colors

We ban flavor additive substances that are not made from real foods: fruit, vegetables, spices, plants, eggs, meats, fish or dairy. They can cause food sensitivities and allergies.

This includes animal digest as a flavor enhancer, which results from a chemical breakdown of un-named leftover animal parts, that can include rancid or diseased parts.

We also skip onion and garlic (including onion/garlic powder and extract, common flavor boosters in jerky-style treats). On their own, small amounts aren’t necessarily dangerous — toxicity is dose-dependent — but the safety margin is narrow, the effect is cumulative (repeated small doses build up faster than a dog’s red blood cells can regenerate), and powdered or concentrated forms pack a much bigger dose than the fresh vegetable. Since that math changes with a dog’s size and how often a treat gets fed, we’d rather leave it out than ask you to calculate a “safe” amount.

We ban added sugars like corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, and cane sugar. They add no nutritional value and contribute to obesity, diabetes risk, and dental problems in dogs.

Dogs can’t process artificial sweeteners. Xylitol and other sugar alcohols can cause vomiting, lethargy and loss of coordination. Sorbitol is a synthetic sweetener that is linked to arthritis and is known to cause a range of digestion issues including vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramping, and bloody stools.

We ban artificial color dyes like caramel coloring, red #40, blue #2, and yellow #5. They do not add any nutritional value and can also trigger a range of health issues in dogs like hyperactivity, allergic reactions, organ damage, and cancer.

No Byproducts, Generic Meats & Fats

Animal Byproduct means everything that is left of an animal carcass once the meat and bones have been removed. Essentially, slaughterhouse scraps. Some manufacturers create animal by-products by cooking animal carcasses at such a high heat that it melts the material. This can include diseased, rotten, and euthanized animal flesh but can also be hooves, beaks, feathers, and other waste from meat processing. These products are not healthy for your dog as they are hard to digest and can come from dangerous sources.

Some dog foods or treats will list “meat meal” as an ingredient in their food. When manufacturers include this nondescript language on an ingredient list, it often is a mixture of several types of meats, which can include dead livestock or zoo animals. (Yes, you read that right.)

While good animal fats can be healthy for dogs, the FDA regulations for generic animal fat in dog food & treats allow the fat to be chemically preserved and sourced from “dead, non-slaughtered, diseased, or euthanized animals.” Generic or unspecified tallow carries the same risk — it can be chemically preserved and sourced from rancid restaurant grease rather than a traceable, quality cut. Tallow from a named, responsibly sourced animal is a different story, which is why we’re specific about where ours comes from rather than banning the ingredient outright.

No Chemically Processed Chews

Many popular chews — think low-quality rawhide, and some collagen sticks or bully sticks from unverified sources — go through a chemical bath to clean, preserve, and whiten the hide before it ever reaches your dog’s mouth. We steer clear of chews made this way.

Formaldehyde is sometimes used to preserve hide-based chews and extend shelf life. It’s a known irritant with cancer risk tied to repeated exposure, and it has no business in something your dog gnaws on for an hour. Chromium salts, used in some hide-tanning processes, carry similar long-term toxicity concerns. Lab testing on rawhide-style products has also turned up trace arsenic residue — not an intentional ingredient, but a byproduct of how the hide was processed.

To clean and whiten hides, some manufacturers use sodium sulfide, industrial bleach, which can leave chemical residue baked into the finished chew. Others rely on quaternary ammonium compounds as an antimicrobial rinse — a substance that isn’t even approved for rawhide production in the U.S., and one that triggered an FDA safety recall after dogs experienced gastric irritation and vomiting. We also skip chews treated with titanium dioxide, an additive used purely to make a chew look whiter with zero nutritional upside.

If a chew’s hide was cleaned, preserved, or brightened with a chemical process rather than a natural one, we don't carry it.

No Synthetic Vitamin Shortcuts

Vitamin K matters for healthy blood clotting, but how a brand sources it matters too. Some pet food and treat makers reach for Menadione (also listed as Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite, or the vague “Vitamin K Supplement”) because it’s a cheap, synthetic shortcut to hit a nutrient requirement on paper.

Here’s the problem: menadione is only officially approved by the FDA for use in poultry feed — not for dog or cat food. The industry has used it in pet products for decades anyway, under a quiet, unenforced arrangement rather than an actual safety approval. It’s also been flagged in lab studies for potential liver toxicity and oxidative damage to cell membranes, and it’s been pulled from over-the-counter human vitamin products in the U.S. due to safety concerns. If it’s not considered safe enough for people to buy off a shelf, we’re not comfortable feeding it to your dog every day either.

We’d rather a brand use a properly sourced, food-safe form of Vitamin K (or skip the shortcut altogether) than lean on a loophole ingredient just because no one’s enforcing the rule.