Health Extensions dog food is strictly family-owned and made with whole food ingredients only.
Formulated for all life stages, it does not have any wheat, corn, gluten, or soy to avoid triggering any food allergies your puppy may have.
I guess this is what makes it so popular for health-conscious pet parents. But I always leave the last verdict to you guys after I’ve laid down all the facts.
Here’s the review you’ve been waiting for, and these are some recipes we’ll be looking at in detail today:
| Products | Type | Special Feature | Our Rating | AAFCO Nutrient Profile(Life Stage) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Extension Original Dry Dog Food | Dry | Most popular recipe | 4.5 | All Life Stages |
| Health Extension Grain-Free Turkey Entree | Canned | Real Turkey | 4.5 | Adult Maintenance |
| Health Extension Grain-Free Salmon | Dry | Exotic Ingredients | 4.5 | All Life Stages |
At a Glance: Health Extensions Dog Food
Before we get to the review, here are some key details about this brand.
- Family-Owned Business
- Ingredients sourced from all over the US and Canada
- A reputed and established brand
- Uses multiple sources of protein in each recipe
About The Brand Health Extensions Dog Food
- Supports Healthy Organ Function
- Added Vitamins and Minerals
- Great for dogs with sensitive stomachs
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This highly popular dog food has been around since the 60’s when it was called Vets Choice. It saw a rebranding in 2015, and the name was changed to Health Extensions.
The family-owned company has wholesome grain and grain-free varieties in dry and wet food, prepared from naturally raised animals without artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. They are 100 percent GMO ingredient-free to help support healthy skin and coat, strong joints and bones, a balanced digestive system, and a healthy immune system. Many of their ingredients are sourced from the USA but also from Canada.
Who Makes Health Extensions Dog Food in 2023?
Health Extensions is a family-owned business started by Brad Gruber and his family. Health Extensions Pet Care is the full name of the company. For over 60 years, the family has been running this business by making food with healthy are nutrition-filled ingredients for the furry babies.
The company employs 30-40 employees and is headquartered in both New York and New Jersey.
Five-Factor Analysis of Health Extensions Dog Food
In order to get a clear picture of this brand and what it promotes, we need to take a deep dive into each of its aspects: recipes, nutritional value, price, ingredients, and recall history.
1. Recipes | ★★★★
Health Extension dog food has come up with dozens of recipes for dry food, wet food, treats, and toppers and supplements. So they really are going for holistic healthcare. Here are three of the recipes I’ve picked out.
Health Extension Original Dry Dog Food
- Original recipe
- Deboned Chicken
- Prebiotics and Probiotics
This recipe provides a balanced diet packed with vitamins and probiotics to support your dog’s overall health. They include ingredients like coconut oil, green tea, apple cider vinegar, and turmeric to boost the immune system and give your little dog some big benefits. This recipe for small breeds features vitamin B complexes to help maintain their energy at a healthy level.
Big dogs will love this large-breed recipe. It includes supplements like green lip mussels, glucosamine, and chondroitin to support your dogs’ bones and joints, necessitating a reduced-fat diet.
Their healthy weight management recipe is ideal for overweight, neutered, or senior dogs. Additionally, it features omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids to promote skin and heart health.
Health Extension Grain-Free Turkey Entree
- Real Turkey
- Supports Hydration and organ function
- Great for dogs with sensitive stomachs
The dietary fiber is included in both this version and the dry food version. So, a dry food version is available if you or your dog prefer dry instead. This wet food version, in my opinion, is good enough to provide your dog with the essential moisture it needs.
And they also promise that this food will prevent dehydration as well. So, it’s going to help your pup maintain proper urinary tract health.
Health Extension Grain-Free Salmon
- Supports Healthy Organ Function
- Added Vitamins and Minerals
- Great for dogs with sensitive stomachs
- Transparency about ingredients
The best thing about this recipe is that the Salmon is guaranteed to be USDA inspected, so you know it’s high quality. Moreover, there are at least 20 superfoods in this recipe. All kinds of berries and spinach are included. I guess this is one of the fanciest recipes Health Extension has put out yet.
2. Ingredients | ★★★
Let’s go right to the ingredient list because there’s a bunch of good stuff in here:
Meat (Protein Source)
What they focused on here was providing high-quality protein. High-quality protein is essential for strong muscles, and then it is also essential for you to have a healthy heart.
The next is a chicken meal. I don’t have a problem with that. That’s just basically the water taken out of the chicken, and that could be up to 300 percent more protein than just chicken in itself, which has a lot of water.
Lamb meal, we’re being told what the animal product is. It is a meal, but we know it’s lamb. It’s not just like an animal meal or, you know, where they just say fish meal. Again, they’re detailing exactly what they’re providing me with.
There’s a fish meal in here, but it is a Menhaden fish meal, so again, we know the type of fish they’re putting in. So, they are really looking out for your dog’s muscles and your dog’s heart.
Grains
They’ve got flaxseed in here. I’ve said it before; flaxseed is questionable because if it’s ground up and can be digested, it’s great. If it’s not ground up, the digestive capacity is greatly reduced, let’s say it like that.
Ground brown rice, again not a bad thing. That’s going to provide some energy to your dog, and it’s a carbohydrate, but it’s a slow-burning carbohydrate. Then we have oatmeal, a fibrous grain that is full of vitamin B. This is particularly important for pregnant dogs.
Vegetables and Fruits
They like to add nutrients like potatoes and sweet potatoes that are rich in minerals and provide you with excellent dietary fiber. That is important. Then we have blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, which are all natural antioxidants that could really help a dog, especially if it were on a poor diet before.
There’s also spinach, turmeric, and chicory in most recipes. The funny thing, they don’t really push the fact that there are superfoods included in their formulas. I wish they would. I believe it would be great to let people know that there are fruits in there as well.
Controversial Ingredients
There are some unusual things as well, like the dried beet pulp. There’s some debate about that, but again, it helps the animal eat it. It is a form of sugar, but I’m not against this.
Dried brewer’s yeast, there is some controversy there, too, as to how much it will help dogs, but again, I don’t have a problem with it.
We’re getting further down in the list. Here’s where I do have a problem.
They do have the ingredient egg product. Egg product doesn’t mean whole eggs. It means that it literally could be the egg that falls onto the floor on the farms, and it doesn’t mean that it’s bad. It just means you have to trust this brand that it’s not a crap egg product; that it’s an okay egg product.
Additives and Supplements
So, it does have vitamins and minerals in it, and I will share with you what some of those are.
Your vitamins are going to be vitamin E, and there’s manganese. There is a source of vitamin C in there. You’re going to get your vitamin B12 supplement, which is very important. You’re going to get your biotin, and then also you’re going to get your vitamin D.
So, it’s jam-packed with vitamins and minerals. And then there is magnesium sulfate included too.
For now, everything—and by everything, I mean all dog food is usually supplemented with vitamins and minerals. At least the good ones are, but this one isn’t really any different. I liked what they were focusing on here.
I like that they really don’t have any gluten, no corn, no soy, no we know PHA, no added sugars, no artificial flavors, no artificial colors, which a lot of manufacturers put in, which I hate.
3. Nutritional Analysis | ★★★★
This is an average estimate of Health Extensions’ dry dog food and the overall nutritional value their recipes can provide.
| Nutrient | Content (per serving) |
| Protein | 24% |
| Fat | 18% |
| Fiber | 4.4% |
| Moisture | NA |
| Carbohydrates | 30% |
24% protein is easy to get behind and is appropriate for most dogs. It’s safe to say that most dogs will find this sufficient, and I say most only because athletic dogs would need a higher percentage of protein than regular dogs.
18% fat seems like a lot, but in the context of the ingredients that are used for fat content, this is actually great.
Again, 4.4 fiber needs to be seen in the light of ingredients that provide this. Sweet potatoes and vegetables are much better than filler ingredients.
The carbohydrate count is a bit high. This is because dogs actually don’t use carbohydrates as their default source of energy. We can feel at peace knowing that these carbs aren’t coming from wheat or soy.
4. Price | ★★★
This does cost more. It is expensive for 5.5 ounces of food. You will need four dollars in US currency to secure your bag of Health Extension dog food Entree. Depending upon where you buy it, you’re going to need four dollars to get one. If you’re looking for something different for your doggy, this is a good place to begin. A four-pound packet will cost fourteen dollars, available in one, four, fifteen, thirty, and even forty-pound bags. You can buy this formula online or at any retailer near you.
5. Recall History | ★★★★★
I couldn’t find any mention of this dog food ever being recalled, and it’s been in the business for decades. That’s impressive.
How Does Health Extensions Dog Food Compare to the Competition?
Health Extension is mostly about dog food and pet care but hear me out. All dog food brands market themself according to their special features. It’s only fair to judge these brands based on what they have to say about themselves.
Health Extension markets itself as a holistic healthcare brand for pets. It lives up to its name fairly well. It does take into consideration the overall health of your dog and is much healthier than what we typically see in stores.
I do have some reservations about this brand, not in regards to what it does but what it doesn’t do. It doesn’t target specific health issues, which a lot of other brands of the same caliber do.
Don’t get me wrong; it’s good dog food. However, I’m yet to see something new or innovative, but that’s just me.
Should You Buy Health Extensions Dog Food?
Yeah, I definitely recommend it. This comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. So, it’s really just about how much food you’re purchasing, whether or not you’re going to want to take advantage of that 100% satisfaction guarantee. I recommend that you ask your local retailer if you can stop in and pick up the food locally and ask if they will honor the satisfaction guarantee in the store. Definitely find out whether or not they would be willing to take the food back, if you would be able to return or exchange the food just in case, on the chance that the dog has a feeble reaction to the food. It’s a good formulation. I’m going to put it into my good category and would recommend this brand.
Pros
- Use of Superfoods
- Transparency in Ingredients
- Multi-protein recipes
- Quality assured
Cons
- Use of controversial ingredients
- Slightly overpriced
- It doesn’t target specific health issues
Our Rating
FAQ’s
Where are all of Health Extension’s products made?
All products by Health Extension are made in the USA, but their site says that some wet foods come from Canada and Thailand.
Why can’t I find Health Extension in a big store?
According to Health Extension’s official website, they like supporting small family-owned businesses because that’s where they started this company.
What is the shelf life of Health Extension dry dog food?
You can store Health Extension dry dog food products for 18 months after their date of manufacturing.
Before You Go
Health Extension dog food is definitely worth trying, and it has gotten the best reviews all over the internet, and the internet is usually brutal, so you know they’re not lying about it showing great results.
Even if you have some reservations about this dog food, I suggest you try this out once because there’s almost zero chance of a tummy upset, and high-quality filler-free ingredients assure this.
Ankita is a passionate pet lover and head of content at Pet Food Brands. With her extensive knowledge and research, she provides pet owners with top-quality information on dog food and nutrition. Her dedication to improving the lives of dogs makes her a leading voice in the industry.
