Human-Grade Dog Food: The Only Option For My German Pointer

Whether he’s sprinting after cattle on an east Texas ranch or hunting down rubber ducks in the bathtub, it’s no secret that my pup Rusty needs a lot of calories to keep his energy levels up!

For a while, I fed him conventional dog food from the grocery store; and while this was just fine, I wanted to find a way to give him a bit more energy to power him through the day and ensure his nutrition is perfectly balanced. I started thinking about my own dietary needs and how I could upgrade Rusty’s diet just like I overhauled my own.

Over the last decade, we’ve all wised up. Consumers have swapped cheeseburgers for fresh veggies and started making smarter dietary decisions based on the undeniable impact that food has on our health.

So I thought, why aren’t we doing the same for our dogs?

We love our dogs, so of course we want to provide them with the best of everything. That includes meeting their mealtime needs with healthy, human-grade dog food options—like Ollie.

Sure, dogs can survive on traditional dry or canned dog food - just like we could technically survive on eating French fries every day... But, dogs experience vast health benefits when they eat fresh, human-grade dog food. Now, the question for concerned pet parents becomes: “which human-grade dog food brand is best for my pup?” The answer is Ollie.

Rusty and I recently made the switch from traditional dog food to Ollie’s fresh, high-quality, and human-grade dog food. Here’s what I discovered.

Are Dogs That Eat Human-Grade Dog Food Healthier?

In making the switch to human-grade dog food for Rusty, I knew I had some research to do.

First, I wanted to break down what “human-grade” actually meant. According to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), human-grade dog foods are those in which “every ingredient and the resulting products are stored, handled, processed, and transported in a manner that is consistent and compliant with regulations… for human edible foods.”

That just means that the food has to be processed and treated just like human foods. Plainly, the ingredients that go into human-grade dog foods have to be just as edible for humans as they are for dogs.

For instance, Ollie’s human-grade dog foods contain real ingredients that are easily identifiable. You can see how much meat and fresh produce are used. There aren’t hidden ingredients.

These fresh foods can help improve digestion and enhance muscle tone. They can also help lead to a better skin and coat since they have high levels of essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and other nutrients. Plus, they can even help your pup maintain a healthy body weight.

While it’s not wrong to feed your dog food that’s non-human-grade, I just wanted to make my pup one better. He works hard — and he’s my best friend. He deserves the very best, so I decided to make the switch to Ollie once and for good!

What to Look for in Human-Grade Dog Food

You are what you eat — and that’s true for dogs, too. A dog’s health, longevity, and happiness start with their food, so it makes sense that using the best ingredients and cooking techniques will lead to the very best nutrition for your furry best friend.

You can always make your own dog food at home by combining your pup’s favorite ingredients, but it can be hard to meet his nutritional needs if you’re not sure exactly which ingredients to include for optimal health. Plus, that’s super time-consuming.

Look for human-grade dog food that checks off all these boxes instead. These were my four main criteria that led me to Ollie when I started looking for human-grade dog food for Rusty:

1. High-Quality Ingredients List

When you’re looking for great dog food, you want to take a close look at the ingredients list.

There are certain “superfoods” that are just as healthy for dogs as they are for us. I looked for foods that I knew my dog would love and that would be good for him — foods like beef, chicken, blueberries, carrots, spinach, and kale. All of which are offered in Ollie’s dog food recipes.

There’s nothing wrong with choosing dog food that has a long shelf life. But based on my own experience in the kitchen, I know that the healthiest foods are those that have to be refrigerated and that don’t necessarily last forever. The freshness of dog food was also a top priority for me in my search. Ollie uses special airtight packaging to seal trays so they’re fresh, without using any preservatives or chemicals. After I put it in the refrigerator, it’s good to serve Rusty for up to 4 days, opened or unopened.

2. Minimal Processing

When food is processed for a long period of time, it can lose much of its nutritional benefit. That’s true for all kinds of food, even human food. Look for a human-grade dog food that includes whole foods that are cooked gently to preserve their nutrients.

When Ollie was getting their start, they worked with a veterinary nutritionist who helped them formulate their balanced and complete, human-grade recipes (which all abide by the AAFCO standards). I love how they carefully source their ingredients (more on this below!), cook everything at low temperatures in small batches at their facility in New Jersey, and pack them by hand!

3. No Artificial Flavors or Fillers

It’s not uncommon to find dog foods with artificial flavors and fillers like corn, soy, and wheat. Health-conscious people like me try to keep these out of our diets — so I try to keep them out of my dog’s food, too.

Ollie's human-grade chicken, beef, turkey, and lamb are sourced to high-quality standards or come from USDA facilities, so I know Rusty is always getting the best. Their premium lamb comes from human-grade farms in the US and Australia. And their produce, seeds, and oils are carefully sourced without fillers, artificial flavoring, by-products, or preservatives. They also work with all of their suppliers directly so they know and trust where their ingredients are coming from.

4. Could You Eat It?

Though I’ve included this last on my list of criteria, it’s probably the most important factor. When I was trying to decide on a dog food, I asked myself, “would I eat this food?” If it contained a lot of preservatives or animal byproducts, it didn't make the final cut. No, of course I’m not taste testing Rusty’s food, that would be… well, an interesting approach to say the least. While I didn’t try Ollie myself, it makes me feel good knowing that I could.

If you find yourself salivating as you dole out portions for your pup, you’re not crazy. That’s just a good sign that this dog food is a great one!

Choose Ollie For a Meal They’ll Love

Once I discovered the benefits of human-grade dog food, I knew I had to make the switch. All that was left was to find the perfect brand. I wanted to give my pup something to look forward to at each and every mealtime that fit the criteria listed above — so I chose Ollie. They’ve got plenty of tantalizing recipes to choose from, which allows me to keep Rusty on his toe beans at mealtime.

Ollie has carefully crafted recipes that include fresh, easy-to-identify ingredients that you’d probably love to eat yourself — things like chicken, turkey, lamb, and beef. They even have flavor-packed herbs and add-ins like rosemary and chia seeds!

You’ll be able to give your dog a whole food diet that will keep their tail wagging for as long as possible.

If you’re like me, you want to do the best by your doggo — so consider making the switch to human-grade dog food like Ollie’s today!