Dog Food Brands to Avoid in 2025: What Every Pet Owner Should Know

Choosing the right dog food is crucial for your pet’s health, but with so many options on the market, it’s just as important to know which dog food brands to avoid in 2025. Some brands use low-quality ingredients, fillers, and artificial additives that can harm your dog’s well-being. This guide highlights the dog food brands you should steer clear of this year, based on recent reports, ingredient analysis, and expert recommendations.

Why Avoid Certain Dog Food Brands?

Not all dog foods are created equal. Brands to avoid often share these red flags:

• Use of cheap fillers like corn, soy, and wheat as main ingredients
  
• Inclusion of unidentified meat by-products or animal digest
  
• Artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives (such as BHA)
  
• Reports of contamination, recalls, or health issues linked to their products127
  

Top Dog Food Brands to Avoid in 2025

Brand Name	Main Concerns	Notable Issues/Recalls
Alpo	Corn, soy, bone meal, artificial colors, below-average protein, vitamin K variant	FDA warnings, recalls, health reports
Beneful	Corn, soy, animal digest, sugar, salt, propylene glycol, BHA, artificial colors	Linked to kidney failure, recall 2016
Cesar	Meat by-products, bone meal, corn, wheat, BHA, high sodium, artificial colors	Reports of foreign debris, recalls
Gravy Train	Corn, soybean meal, meat by-products, animal digest, BHA, artificial colors	Vitamin D toxicity, pentobarbital recall
Kibbles ‘n Bits	Corn, wheat, bone meal, animal digest, corn syrup, artificial colors, BHA	Vitamin D toxicity, pentobarbital recall
Ol’ Roy	Corn, soy, wheat middlings, meat by-products, artificial color	Linked to kidney/liver issues, recall
Pedigree	Corn, wheat, soy, chicken by-products, bone meal, artificial color	Recalls 2012-2014, vitamin D excess25
Purina Dog Chow	Corn, by-products, bone meal, soybeans, salt, artificial colors	Vitamin D toxicity, recent recalls
MyDog	Flavourings, preservatives, meat by-products, cereal proteins	Lack of transparency, low-quality meat
OPTIMUM™	Sorghum, corn, chicken digest, hidden ingredients	Misleading advertising, low meat content
Chum	Cereal, cereal by-products, flavoring, preservatives	Filler-heavy, minimal real meat
Baxters & Apollo	Preservatives, flavorings, by-products, harmful chemicals	Linked to stomach ulcers, poor nutrition

You May Also Read- Household Items Harmful to Pets

Key Ingredients to Watch Out In Dog Food Brands to Avoid

When checking dog food labels, avoid products listing these as main ingredients:

• Corn, wheat, and soy (used as cheap fillers)
  
• Unidentified “meat by-products” or “animal digest”
  
• Artificial colors (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2)
  
• Artificial preservatives (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin)
  
• Excess salt or sugar127
  

Recent Health and Safety Concerns

• Vitamin D Toxicity: Some brands, including Pedigree and Purina, have been found with dangerously high vitamin D levels, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and kidney failure in dogs25.
  
• Contamination: Recalls for contamination with substances like pentobarbital (a euthanasia drug) and foreign debris have affected brands such as Gravy Train, Kibbles ‘n Bits, and Ol’ Roy2.
  
• Low-Quality Protein: Many brands use plant-based proteins and by-products instead of real meat, leading to poor nutrition and potential allergies127.
  

How to Choose Safer Alternatives

• Look for brands that list real meat (chicken, lamb, fish) as the first ingredient.
  
• Avoid foods with long lists of artificial additives and fillers.
  
• Check for AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) nutritional adequacy statements.
  
• Consult your veterinarian for recommendations tailored to your dog’s health needs15.
  

Final Thoughts

Feeding your dog a healthy, balanced diet starts with avoiding brands that cut corners with cheap fillers, artificial additives, and questionable by-products. Always read ingredient labels carefully and stay informed about recent recalls and health reports. By steering clear of the dog food brands listed above, you can help ensure your pet’s long-term health and happiness27.