How do you test your products?Updated 6 months ago

We are committed to testing protocols that treat dogs like family members rather than lab equipment. We do not perform any animal testing or contract other companies to test our products on lab-owned animals. We also preferentially source ingredients from suppliers that do not test their products on lab-owned animals.

Our expert-designed formulas are first validated with software to ensure the estimated nutritional profile meets the nutritional standards of the life stage the diet is intended for. We then produce a small batch of the food at the manufacturer and perform complete laboratory analysis to measure the levels of every essential nutrient. After we determine the diet meets our nutritional standards, we created a in-home testing program and distributed food to over 50 beta testers who fed the diet to their companion dogs for at least 30 days and reported back about how their dog liked the taste and how it is impacting their poops.

For tests that are harder to perform with volunteer companion dogs, such as digestibility testing, we partnered with a university laboratory that developed and validated a cutting-edge in vitro technique that accurately models the digestive system of a dog without the need for laboratory animals.

Most pet food companies test their diets using corporate- or laboratory-owned dogs living in shelter-like environments. While many company-owned kennels provide high standards of care, we believe dogs belong in homes and are happy to invest additional time and money to conduct more compassionate testing.