Health Extension Dog Food 2022 Review, Rating & Recalls
Health Extension is a holistic pet food brand focused on creating nourishing recipes made with premium, whole food ingredients that pet owners will feel good about feeding to their pets. But is this brand of dog food right for your best friend? In this review, we’ll take a closer look at the Health Extension brand, its recall history, and the nutrition content of its products.
We’ll also cover…
- Is Health Extension dog food made in the United States?
- Have any Health Extension products been recalled?
- Which flavors and formulas get our top ratings?
Which Health Extension Sub-Brand Is Right for You?
Below, you’ll find Health Extension’s 5 most popular sub-brand options, as well as descriptions of what each product has to offer.
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Best Overall  | Health Extension Turkey Stew Grain Free Wet Dog Food
| 10 | Check Price |
Best Value  | Health Extension Grain Free New York Style Canned Wet Dog Food
| 9.7 | Check Price |
Healthy Weight  | Health Extension Little bites Weight Control Dry Dog Food, Natural Food for Overweight Adult Dogs, Lite Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe
| 9.8 | Check Price |
Grain-Free  | Health Extension Dry Dog Food with added Vitamins, Chicken & Turkey Recipe with Whole Vegetable & Berries
| 9.6 | Check Price |
Best for Small Breeds  | Health Extension Grain Free Buffalo & Whitefish Recipe Little Bites, 23.5-Pounds
| 9.5 | Check Price |
Health Extension Dog Food Reviews – Overview
Best Overall
1. Health Extension Grain-Free Adult, Tasty Turkey Stew
Health Extension Tasty Turkey Stew is a grain-free, limited-ingredient wet dog food made with quality protein from real turkey and nutrient-rich sweet potatoes that is perfect as both a meal and a dry dog food topper.
- Premium and flavorful Turkey Stew with fiber-rich sweet potatoes
- Formula enhanced by vitamins and minerals
- Does not contain gluten, corn, soy or artificial preservatives
- Dried egg product serves as a highly-digestible protein source
- Includes chelated minerals to support protein absorption
Best Value
2. Health Extension Grain-Free Adult, New York Style Beef Recipe
Health Extension New York Style Beef combines high-quality beef protein with nutritious fruits and vegetables to create a luxurious meal for your dog.
- High-quality protein from grass-fed beef makes for a delicious meal
- Whole food blend has chickpeas, carrots and flaxseed
- No hormones or antibiotics used
- Packed with beta-carotene from carrots to enable vitamin A production
- Omega-rich flaxseed provides skin and coat support
Best for Weight Management
3. Health Extension Healthy Weight Little Bites, Lite Chicken & Brown Recipe
Health Extension Little Bites Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe dry dog food features a low-fat, bite-sized formula specially designed to meet the nutritional needs of overweight and senior dogs
- Recipe is the same great taste but with 50% less fat
- Made with real meat and packed with antioxidants, vitamins and amino acids
- No corn, wheat and soy ingredients makes this an easily digestible dog food
- Plenty of joint support from added glucosamine and chondroitin
- Dried beet pulp supplies gentle dietary fiber for good digestion
Best Grain-Free
4. Health Extension Grain-Free Adult, Chicken & Turkey Recipe
Health Extension Grain-Free Chicken & Turkey dog food packs quality, cage-free chicken and turkey protein, whole garden vegetables, and natural probiotics into tasty kibble suitable for dogs of all life stages.
- Premium protein from organically raised chicken
- Proprietary blend of apple cider vinegar, probiotics and coconut oil helps with whole body nutrition
- Available in 23.5lb bag
- Real meat protein supports muscle growth and development
- Coconut oil keeps your dog’s coat shiny and healthy
Best for Small Dogs
5. Health Extension Grain-Free Little Bites, Buffalo & Whitefish Recipe
Health Extension Little Bites Buffalo & Whitefish is specially designed for small breed, teacup, toy, and miniature dogs.
- Bite-sized kibble made with delicious whitefish and buffalo
- Prebiotics and probiotics help aid a healthy digestive system
- Wholesome vegetables and berries provide excellent nutrition for your dog
This recipe includes quality protein from free-range buffalo and omega-rich whitefish in a kibble that is perfectly sized for tiny jaws.
- Brown rice provides easily-digestible carbs to meet higher energy needs
- Fortified with calcium to build healthy bones
Who Makes Health Extension Dog Food?
Health Extension is a family-owned company based in New York. All Health Extension dog food, cat food, and dog treats are made in its New York and New Jersey facilities. The brand sources all of its food ingredients from the USA, with the company’s website emphasizing that none of its ingredients come from China.
Has Health Extension Dog Food Been Recalled?
Health Extension has not experienced any product recalls in its history. This serves as a testament to the company’s dedication to safety and quality standards in pet food production. The brand’s website attributes its food safety success to the brand’s quality ingredient selection of USDA-inspected meat and responsibly-sourced, non-GMO produce, as well as to its established food safety programs, which feature over 140 checkpoints.
Is Health Extension a Good Dog Food?
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Health Extension dog food receives our third-highest rating of 4 stars.
Individual Recipe Ratings
The Health Extension product line includes both dry and wet dog food varieties that can be found both in-store and through online retailers like Amazon and Chewy. Below, you’ll find the brand’s currently Amazon listings and their star ratings. We’ve included links to each product so that you can check out prices and package sizes with ease.
- Health Extension Grain-Free Adult, Tasty Turkey Stew (5 stars)
- Health Extension Grain-Free Adult, New York Style Beef Recipe (5 stars)
- Health Extension Healthy Weight Little Bites, Lite Chicken & Brown Recipe (5 stars)
- Health Extension Grain-Free Adult, Chicken & Turkey Recipe (4.5 stars)
- Health Extension Grain-Free Little Bites, Buffalo & Whitefish Recipe (4.5 stars)
- Health Extension Grain-Free Adult, Salmon Recipe (4.5 stars)
- Health Extension Adult, Original Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe (4.5 stars)
- Health Extension Grain-Free Adult, Buffalo & Whitefish Recipe (4.5 stars)
- Health Extension Healthy Weight Adult, Lite Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe (4.5 stars)
- Health Extension Grain-Free Adult, Duck Recipe (4.5 stars)
Recipe Ingredient Analysis
We chose Health Extension Grain-Free Adult, Chicken & Turkey Recipe to serve as the representative product for this brand’s recipe ingredient analysis. The ingredients listed below are organized based on their overall weight in the formula. This weight does include each ingredient’s water content.
The first ingredient in this recipe is organic deboned chicken. Chicken is a quality source of protein to support muscle development. It also contains glucosamine, which helps prevent joint inflammation. However, chicken can contain up to 80% of its weight in moisture, most of which will cook off when making this recipe. Thus, the actual protein contribution of this ingredient may be less than initially expected.
Chicken Meal is the second ingredient on this list. This concentrated powder is high in protein and is produced by rendering and drying chicken. Unlike fresh and raw meat ingredients, meat meals have most of their moisture removed before being added to dog food mixes. As such, meat meals can contain more protein per gram than real meat products, allowing pet food manufacturers to boost the protein content of a formula.
The third listed ingredient is deboned turkey. Deboned turkey is protein-rich to help your dog develop healthy muscles. It also provides key vitamins like riboflavin to assist food-to-energy conversion and essential minerals like phosphorus to support bone health. However, turkey has the same water content issues that we talked about with chicken before.
Turkey Meal is the fourth listed ingredient. Similar to chicken meal, turkey meal is a high-protein powder made in the turkey rendering process. This serves to further increase the protein content of this formula. Next, we have potatoes as the fifth ingredient.
Potatoes are primarily included due to their high carb content, which serves as fuel to energize your dog. However, ingredients that are high in carbs can be detrimental to dogs with weight issues, so this may not be the best inclusion for overweight pups.
Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, are the sixth ingredient in this recipe. These fibrous beans will help your dog feel fuller while also promoting good gut and digestive health. They’re also a great source of plant-based protein to go along with animal protein sources.
The seventh listed ingredient is chicken fat that is preserved with mixed tocopherols. Chicken fat is a by-product skimmed off during the chicken rendering process. It’s used in dog foods to make kibble more flavorful while also adding healthy fats to the overall fat content of recipes. Chicken fat is particularly great because it’s rich in omega-6 fatty acids for healthy skin and coats.
The mixed tocopherols listed with this ingredient are antioxidants that act as natural preservatives. They are used to keep the chicken fat in this recipe from spoiling. Whole sweet potatoes are the eighth ingredient listed for this food. Like plain potatoes, sweet potatoes are high in carbs for energy. They’re also packed with dietary fiber to keep your dog’s digestive tract running smoothly.
Additionally, these root vegetables offer essential B-vitamins for energy conversion, as well as vitamins A and C for visual support and immune health. The ninth ingredient in this formula is pumpkin. Pumpkin is high in easily-digestible dietary fiber to soothe your pet’s gut and encourage digestion.
These vegetables also supply the essential pigment beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A for use in multiple systems. Finally, coconut oil is the tenth ingredient in this mix. Coconut oil is added to enhance coat health and enhance its shine. This oil is preserved with mixed tocopherols to prevent spoilage.
Now that we’ve discussed this product’s first ten ingredients, we’re going to look further down the list at some of the less prevalent ingredients. Despite their lower weight in this recipe, these ingredients can still impact your dog’s health and should be considered when you go to make a purchase.
Less Prevalent Ingredients
This recipe includes whole carrots, which provide another source of beta-carotene to fuel vitamin A production. This dog food also contains dried seaweed meal. Seaweed is rich in iodine, which is used in metabolic functions. It’s also full of omega-3 fatty acids for brain and eye health.
We also find pomegranates and beets further down this list. These are both excellent sources of immune-boosting vitamin C, easily-digestible dietary fiber, and nerve-supporting potassium. Pomegranates and beets also both contain the B-vitamin folate, which is an essential component of metabolic functions and blood cell production.
This formula also uses chicory root extract as a source of inulin. Inulin helps improve gut and digestive health in your dog. Two other notable inclusions are bovine colostrum and organic apple cider vinegar. Both colostrum and apple cider vinegar support digestive and immune health.
Nutrient Summary
Nutrient data used in this summary is calculated based on the product’s dry matter content. The Guaranteed Analysis panel is used in these calculations to compare protein, fat, fiber, and moisture content in pet food products. Due to the nature of this process, it is difficult to compare dry, kibble-based dog food with highly-moist wet dog food. As such, this information should primarily be used when comparing this product with other dry food options.
Health Extension Grain-Free Adult, Chicken & Turkey Recipe has a protein content of 27%. A large portion of this protein is sourced from real chicken and turkey, as well as from chicken meal and turkey meal. Next, we have a fat content of 18%. Chicken fat contributes significantly to the overall amount of fat in this formula.
Finally, this product has an estimated carbohydrate content of 37%, with potatoes and sweet potatoes supplying most of the carbs. This is a fairly average carb percentage that is appropriate for most adult dogs. This product is notable for its inclusion of pumpkin and carrots as dual sources of the essential pigment beta-carotene. Omega-rich chicken fat and seaweed meal also provide additional skin, coat, and vision support. Additionally, fermentation products serve as powerful natural probiotics for gut health and digestive maintenance.
Our Rating of Health Extension Dog Food
As a whole, Health Extension brand dog food products contain an average of 27% protein, 15% fat, and 50% estimated carbs. This suggests a fat-to-protein ratio of roughly 57%. It also indicates an average fat and carb content as well as an above-average protein content compared to other brands.
We consider Health Extension dog food to be a higher-grade pet food brand. This brand offers both wet and dry food options, as well as grain-inclusive and grain-free varieties of each. Health Extension products are gluten-free with no wheat, corn, or soy included.
All of their USDA-inspected meat ingredients are free of antibiotics, steroids, and hormones. Additionally, the brand uses no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives and no fillers in its dog food recipes. Given all this, we rate the Health Extension brand at 4 stars.
What Do Others Say About Health Extension
Health Extension brand dog food products have Amazon star ratings that fall between 3 and 5 stars. Our selected representative product, Health Extension Grain-Free Adult, Chicken & Turkey Recipe dog food, currently has a 4.5-star rating. Fans of these products are pleased to find that even finicky and picky eaters enjoy these recipes and praise the foods’ digestive support. Here is a review from an actual customer:
“Been using these guys for a few years. Never had a problem with diarrhea or a dog not wanting to finish. It’s a bit less expensive than other premium brands so good for us. The vet is always happy and impressed when I mention I use this brand. I have no problems with other premium brands but again these guys are a bit cheaper. I would highly recommend!”
Final Thoughts
Nutritious dog foods made by brands like Healthy Extension are meant to help prevent health conditions and their unpleasant symptoms. What should you do if your dog is currently dealing with unsettling symptoms though? Check out our articles on dogs coughing up white foam and dogs breathing heavily to find out what you can do to relieve these issues.
