Heed Foods Information
Heed Foods was founded by Rei and Melanie, who are based in Los Angeles, United States.
Heed Foods is one of a number of new dog food brands that are online only. These brands usually thrive on a subscription model that delivers food directly to consumers’ doors.
Some notable examples in the United States include The Farmer’s Dog, Nom Nom, and Ollie, but this trend is growing with other brands springing up in Canada and the United Kingdom.
However, Heed Foods is somewhat different from these popular brands in that they sell dry dog food and toppers, whereas most of its competitors sell fresh wet dog food.
By selling kibble, they do not need to be as concerned about keeping the food frozen. The only other major brand in this space to do this is Spot & Tango with its Unkibble range.
All of Heed Food’s recipes are produced in small batches within the United States. Heed foods do not outsource their production to a third party like some other small brands.
As we mentioned earlier, Heed Foods can be purchased online from their website and is not available from retail pet food stores like PetSmart or Petco.
Heed Foods Product Range
Heed Foods has a relatively small product range compared to most dog food brands or their competitors.
This product range consists of two dry dog food recipes, three unique toppers, and a dog treat. Heed Foods does not produce grain-free dog food, and both of their dry food recipes are grain-inclusive.
Heed Foods does not produce any age-specific dog food such as those for puppies or senior dogs or any size-specific food for large or small breed dogs.
Heed Foods Nutrition
Heed Foods dry dog food products offer very satisfactory nutrition when compared to most other dog food brands.
These recipes provide significantly above-average proportions of protein and fat and below-average proportions of carbohydrates. This kind of nutritional profile would be well suited to most dogs, especially those that are highly active.
Below is an example of the nutrition provided by a Heed Foods dry dog food recipe.
If you’d like to learn more about canine nutrition, we’d highly recommend checking out our Dog Food Guide.
Heed Foods Ingredients
High-Quality Meat & Fish Ingredients
- Salmon
- Herring
- Whitefish
- Cod
- Chicken
- Turkey
Heed Foods uses a small range of meat and fish ingredients in its recipes, but all of these are considered high-quality additions and can provide much-needed animal-based protein and fat.
Some of these ingredients, like Chicken and Salmon, are industry favorites and are used by many brands. Dog food manufacturers utilize these ingredients so often as they are highly nutritious yet relatively inexpensive.
We have some ingredient-specific articles for Salmon and Whitefish that we would highly recommend you check out if you are interested.
Heed Food’s topper recipes utilize small portions of Chicken Liver. Organ meat ingredients such as liver are positive additions to pet food recipes and can greatly enhance their flavor.
Also, they can boost the levels of select vitamins and minerals that are not present in high levels in traditional meat cuts.
Other Notable Ingredients
Heeds Foods uses a range of grain ingredients in its recipes, including Brown Rice, Quinoa, Barley, and Oat Groats. Grains such as these are controversial additions to pet food recipes, with many pet owners refusing to feed their pets food with grains.
However, there are also strong supporters of grain ingredients, especially among those who feed brands like Purina and Royal Canin. Regardless, these grain ingredients provide a mix of carbohydrates, plant-based protein, and fiber.
If you’d like to learn more about Barley, check out our article Barley In Dog Food.
Heed Foods also uses some less common vegetable ingredients in its recipes, including Carrots and Spinach. While these might not be as common as grains, starches, or legumes, they can still provide a mix of carbohydrates, fiber, and beneficial vitamins and minerals.
The majority of premium pet food includes Flaxseed as a minor ingredient, including Heed Foods. Flaxseed is so popular among manufacturers as it can provide a high level of the Omega 3 Fatty Acids for a plant-based ingredient.
These fatty acids are believed to provide several health benefits to dogs, including an improvement in the condition of skin and fur.
Learn more about Flaxseed and its other benefits in Flaxseed In Dog Food.
Some of Heed’s recipes utilize portions of Chicken Fat which is a regular addition to many other brands’ recipes. Chicken Fat can be used to improve flavor and palatability as well as boost the overall proportion of animal-based fat.
Chicken Fat is often chosen over alternatives as it is low-cost and easy to source. You can learn more about Chicken Fat in our article Chicken Fat In Dog Food.
Heed Foods Animal Testing
At this time, we have no information on what type of animal testing, if any, that Heed Foods participates in.
Many smaller pet food brands avoid disclosing detailed information about their testing and feed trials as they fear backlash from their customer base.
We strongly believe that laboratory and invasive testing of animals is a cruel and outdated practice and one which should be eliminated.
Heed Foods Recalls
Based on our research (FDA, AVMA, DogFoodAdvisor), Heed Foods products have never been recalled, which makes Heed Foods a recall-free brand.
However, given this brand is still relatively young, this lack of recalls is not surprising and should not be celebrated too strongly.
In spite of this, we encourage all pet owners to be careful and vigilant of any future recalls of Heed Foods or any other pet food brand to ensure their dogs remain healthy and safe.
Heed Foods Featured Articles
At this time, Heed Foods has not featured in any of our articles.
Best of Heed Foods
Fresh Salmon and Quinoa Review
Get 40% Off Your First Order
Between Heed’s two dry dog food recipes, the Salmon recipe is our stand-out winner which will not come as surprise to those who regularly read our site.
The recipe’s primary ingredient is a large portion of Salmon which is an excellent addition. Not only can Salmon act as a reliable source of protein and fat, but it also a dense source of the Omega 3 Fatty acids.
Outside of this Salmon, there are further fish ingredients in the form of Herring Meal and Whitefish Meal. This combination of fish ingredients provides a proportion of protein and fat that is at a minimum of 31% and 15%, respectively.
Outside of this fish content, Heed uses a mix of grain ingredients like Brown Rice, Quinoa, Barley, and Oat Groats. This large range of grain ingredients provides dogs with a mix of carbohydrates, fiber, and plant-based protein.
Heed Foods Full Product Range
Dry Dog Food
Fresh Salmon and Quinoa Kibble
Fresh Chicken and Ancient Grains Kibble
Freeze-Dried Toppers
Cod, Apple, Carrot Topper
Turkey, Apple, White Beans Topper
Turkey, Banana, Carrot Topper
Dog Treats
Probiotic Apple Treats