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If you are a dog owner considering a move away from conventional kibble, you’re not alone: More dog owners are turning to lightly processed, whole-food options that mimic home-cooked meals. These wholesome choices may provide more digestibility, better access to the food’s nutrient profile, and related health benefits.
Pet parents seeking minimally processed, whole-food alternatives to kibble might want to take a look at The Honest Kitchen dog food.
The Honest Kitchen is a pioneer in human-grade pet food—offering dehydrated food, dry food, wet food, treats and toppers made with real ingredients. This review will take a close look at their dehydrated dog food line, as well as other options like their Whole Food Clusters and Meal Toppers.
Product Overview
The Honest Kitchen’s product lineup includes three primary options: dehydrated dog food, Whole Food Clusters dog food, and meal toppers for dogs.
The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Dog Food
Their dehydrated dog food is made with whole meats, fruits, and vegetables that have been gently dehydrated and blended to maximize taste and nutrition. Their recipes don’t contain any fillers like corn, wheat or soy. There are options for grain-free, grain-inclusive, and limited ingredients–perfect for dogs with sensitivities or allergies.
They also have a Base Mix line of dehydrated food that allows pet parents to add their own protein to create a complete meal. The Honest Kitchen dehydrated dog food is a great choice for pet parents who want to feed the same human grade nutrition as fresh food but want shelf-stable convenience.
The Honest Kitchen Whole Food Clusters
Whole Food Clusters are a less processed dry food alternative to kibble. These recipes are cold pressed, roasted and gently dehydrated with real meats and produce. Plus, they’re free from meat meals, artificial flavors or preservatives, and fillers like corn, wheat and soy. For pet parents who want to stick with the convenience and affordability of kibble, the Whole Food Clusters provide a healthy upgrade to conventional kibble.
The Honest Kitchen Meal Toppers for Dogs
Finally, if you have a picky eater, a senior dog, or if you simply want to spoil your pup, The Honest Kitchen’s human grade dog food toppers add protein, flavor and health benefits for your dog. With a variety of options – including a best selling Pumpkin Pour Over that helps support digestion – these can be paired with what you’re already feeding or to top Whole Food Clusters.
Key Benefits and Ingredients
When you step into your local pet store or shop online, it’s daunting how many pet food options exist. What makes The Honest Kitchen stand out in a saturated market?
They are a human grade pet food brand – meaning their ingredients are sourced from the human food supply chain and their foods are produced in a human food facility with exceptional quality and safety standards.
They are made in the USA, and source their ingredients from suppliers they know and trust from the USA and around the world. They use 100% non-gmo ingredients and opt for real, whole foods you recognize like cage free chicken, quinoa, broccoli, kale and more. There are no mystery “meals”, meatby-products, and all the recipes are minimally processed.
Dehydrated food retains more nutrients than traditional extrusion-based kibble, making the nutrient profiles of the individual ingredients more available to your dog. Without corn, wheat, soy, preservatives, or artificial flavors, The Honest Kitchen is also a clean-label product for your dog.
How to Use It Safely
If you don’t have experience with these alternatives to kibble, here’s how to use each product type properly and safely.
Dehydrated Food
Determine the portion size for your dog’s age, health, and energy requirements. Scoop out the appropriate amount of dehydrated food based on the instructions on the box. Mix with warm water. Stir, then let it sit for 3 minutes to rehydrate before serving.
Because it has such a long shelf life, The Honest Kitchen dehydrated food is great for travel or emergencies. And, you can use it alone or rotated with fresh food or kibble.
Whole Food Clusters
If you’re looking for convenience but are unwilling to sacrifice ingredient quality, the Whole Food Clusters are for you. Simply serve like traditional dry dog food. It can be mixed with the dehydrated food or the toppers, too.
Toppers
Pour over existing meals to boost protein, flavor, or variety. These toppers are great for picky eaters, senior dogs, or dogs needing extra encouragement to eat.
Transition Tips
Whether you’re trying out the dehydrated food or the clusters, introduce the new foods gradually, only adding a small amount to your current food at first, then slowly shifting the ratio to favor the new food over five to seven days. This helps prevent GI upset, which some dogs can experience when changing a diet. Always ensure your dog has access to fresh water, especially with dry or dehydrated diets.
Pros and Cons
When making a change to a new food, take the time to weigh out the pros and cons. For a switch to The Honest Kitchen, especially the dehydrated food, there are many considerations.
Pros
- Human-grade ingredients with high transparency
- Easy-to-store and travel-friendly, especially dehydrated meals
- Versatile options that can be used as standalone meals, mix-ins, or emergency food
- Excellent for dogs with food sensitivities or allergies, or older dogs or dogs with teeth or jaw problems
- Great customer reviews and vet-approved options
Cons
- More expensive than standard kibble
- Dehydrated food prep takes a few extra minutes
- Texture or temperature may take time for some dogs to adjust to
- Subscription isn’t required, but single orders don’t receive a 5% discount
My Review and Feedback
My dogs, Penny and Stola, tried two dehydrated recipes from The Honest Kitchen.
Everything came well-packaged, and the boxes arrived intact. We dug into the Whole Grain Beef Recipe first. Because we feed a rotational diet, changing their food often, we don’t need to do as long of a transition because their stomachs are already accustomed to variety. I mixed the beef in a separate bowl and then stirred it into the food they’re currently eating.
To be fair, Penny is a hound / pit bull mix who will eat anything in a bowl set down in front of her, and this was no exception. The texture and temperature didn’t slow her down, and she slurped up the bowl right away.
Stola is a rambunctious, high-energy pit bull puppy. The majority of her meals are served to her in a food puzzle toy or frozen into a stuffable toy. I quickly realized how simple the dehydrated recipe made it to fill her food puzzle toys and to stuff and freeze in her stuffable toys. Stola is pickier than Penny and hesitated at first to dig into her puzzle, though once she got going, she gobbled it all up.
Compared to other premium dog foods we rotate in, this was a nice addition. I love how long it lasts and how portable it is. We plan to pack a box of the chicken recipe on our next camping trip.
Penny and Stola will continue eating The Honest Kitchen as part of their rotation because of the convenience of the packaging and long shelf life, and how easily it can be rehydrated and stuffed into toys and puzzles to keep my busy puppy happy.
Final Verdict: Is It Worth It?
The Honest Kitchen’s human-grade, minimally processed products provide a nutritious, safe, and convenient alternative to conventional dog food. For pet parents who are looking for a healthy, whole-foods alternative to traditionally processed kibble, The Honest Kitchen offers a number of solutions worth a try. Plus, the dehydrated recipes are perfect for anyone with dogs who have food sensitivities, digestion issues, or picky appetites, or senior dogs who need something softer to chew.
The Honest Kitchen is best for owners seeking clean-label, whole-food nutrition without going fully homemade who are willing to spend a little more than on a bag of conventional kibble. The Honest Kitchen delivers on its promise of human-grade pet food—with dehydrated meals for health-focused feeders, clusters for convenience, and toppers for picky pups. No matter what you and your dog are looking for, The Honest Kitchen checks a lot of boxes.
Feature Image via Pexels from Pixabay; Other Images via Author
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