Is Freshpet Dog Food Good? Ingredients, Pros & Cons Explained

Is Freshpet dog food actually a healthy choice for your dog?

At first glance, it looks appealing—fresh ingredients, refrigerated packaging, and a strong focus on “real food.”

But when you take a closer look at the ingredient quality and nutritional balance, the picture becomes more complex.

I came across Freshpet in a local grocery store and decided to take a closer look at one of their recipes.

In this review, I’ll walk you through the ingredients, the pros and cons, and whether Freshpet Select is truly a good option for dogs—especially from a raw feeding perspective.

Freshpet Select Ingredients

We’re looking at a total of 35 ingredients of the Chunky Beef with Vegetables and Brown Rice kind. First impression – wow, that’s a lot. As in likely too many…

Beef, Chicken, Beef Liver, Eggs

OK, so I loved seeing Beef, Chicken, Beef Liver, & Eggs. Awesome, because that means that we’re actually talking about animal protein as opposed to plant based protein!

And as far as eggs are concerned – they are a great, inexpensive, and complete source of protein.

That’s because they contain all 8 essential amino acids, which are known as the building blocks of protein. They also contain lots of minerals & vitamins like iron, vitamin A, vitamin D, phosphorus, calcium, thiamine, folate, and riboflavin.

I’ve dedicated two blog post to eggs, so if you’re interested in reading more about the nutritional goodness of chicken eggs and duck eggs, please read them.

Unfortunately, there were also several ingredients I didn’t love seeing:

Beef Broth

Hm, ok – not sure why beef broth was added. It has low nutritional value and I certainly would have liked to see the add-on “low sodium”. 

It would have been a different story had Beef BONE Broth been added. That’s super rich in nutrients that support your dog’s joint health.

Peas, Carrots

Peas are a plant based protein source. As such, it doesn’t come with all of the amino acids found in animal protein sources. They also contain lectins, which are carbohydrate-binding proteins. 

That makes them more on the indigestible side of things, contributing to gas, so I didn’t love seeing that ingredient. I don’t have anything against carrots per se, except the way in which they were included in this recipe: whole pieces of carrot as opposed to puréed ones. 

That’s because dogs lack the enzyme necessary to break down plant cell walls, so the only way for them to absorb the nutrients from vegetables and fruits is for us to break those walls down for them, ideally by puréeing them. 

If you watch the YouTube video promoting Freshpet, you’ll notice that Dr. Katy points out that their food contains fresh vegetables that are visible when slicing the roll.

However, that also means that those vegetables have NOT been puréed and that our dogs can’t absorb their nutrients. I suspect that this is done because it looks better.

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Brown Rice, Rice Bran, Soy Flour, Carrageenan, Natural Flavors

I don’t believe in feeding grains because they are of no nutritional value to dogs. They’re also known to cause allergies in many pups. 

My pup Wally is one of those pups: He can have absolutely NO grains whatsoever, or he’ll break out in a rash.

I’ve also learned that the vast majority of soy is genetically modified and contains high levels of the pesticide RoundUp. Read more on soy in Rodney Habib’s article Soy In Pet Foods: The Unwholesome Truth.

Carrageenan has harmful gastrointestinal effects on animals, and what exactly are natural flavors? Many natural flavors contain MSG, or monosodium glutamate, which is a flavor enhancing excitotoxin, causing dopamine production.

Food Additive Carrageenan – Why Is It Used in Freshpet Select?

Do you notice that the Freshpet Select roll keeps its shape, even when sliced, in above picture? That’s because carrageenan is a common food additive used as a thickener in processed foods. Apparently it’s a cheap way of keeping a food thick and from falling apart when it’s sliced.

More On Carrageenan

Carrageenan is extracted from the red seaweed Chondrus Crispus aka Irish moss and has no nutritional value. 

According to a study (click to read study) presented by Joanne K. Tobacman, MD, associate professor in the department of medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago, carrageenan has harmful gastrointestinal effects on animals. It was tested on guinea pigs, rats, monkeys, mice, rabbits and ferrets.

Synthetic Minerals and Vitamins

Potassium Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Choline Chloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Calcium Iodate, Biotin (Vitamin B7 Supplement), Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1 Supplement), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2 Supplement), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride(Vitamin B6 Supplement), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9 Supplement), Niacin (Vitamin B3 Supplement), Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin 12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement

These are a lot of synthetic minerals/vitamins/salts and point towards quite a highly processed food.

That’s despite the company’s claim of cooking it at lower temperature than cooking kibble. 

Did you know? The process of cooking food destroys many of the naturally occurring minerals and vitamins in meats and plants. 

I Fed My Dogs The Freshpet Select Roll I Purchased

In case you were wondering if I did the deed and fed Missy & Buzz the Freshpet Select roll – yes, I did. I paid for it after all and applied the concept “waste not, want not”. 

Now, let me be very clear, I won’t purchase this line of Freshpet food again, but feeding it once won’t kill the pups.

It’s the cumulative exposure to questionable ingredients over months and years that wreaks havoc on our dogs’ immune systems. This can ultimately make them very sick and shorten their lifespans. 

I fed the roll over the course of about 5 days and mixed it in with the raw dog food I currently have in the freezer. TEFCO’s beef green tripe from Raw Canine Foods and pre-made, balanced ground raw dog food from Raw Paws Pet Food – take 15% OFF with code K9Savings.

Update: I no longer suggest feeding green tripe or any other raw dog food from TEFCO.

There’s been a good amount of controversy over their sourcing of animals, so I feel safer staying away from them. You can find high quality green tripe at Raw Paws Pet Food.

Healthier Dog Food Alternatives to Freshpet Select

To be fair, I do have to mention that Freshpet has several other pet food lines, one of which is actually a raw dog food line.

I didn’t find out about the Vital Raw option until I did some research about the brand online. Vital Raw is grain-free and comes in two protein choices (chicken & beef).

The ingredient list is still longer than I’m used to seeing in the raw dog food brands I order and have ordered from, but it’s certainly a vast improvement over the gently cooked Freshpet Select roll I purchased. 

I Recommend the Following Raw Dog Food Brands 

That’s because I’ve purchased from all of them since I made the switch from kibble to raw in 2015 and have been beyond impressed with their food:

By the way, I checked to see if our grocery store carries the Freshpet raw line, but unfortunately it’s not part of their featured products.

From what I’ve read online it would seem like the larger pet retail stores like PetCo and PetSmart are the only stores that sell the Vital Raw. 

Is Freshpet Select Good For Dogs? Final Thoughts!

Ok, so I wasn’t overly impressed with the ingredient list of the Freshpet Select roll given that it contains a lot of synthetic supplements and unnecessary ingredients I don’t want my dogs to be exposed to on a regular basis. 

In my personal opinion, I’d have to say that no, Freshpet Select is not good for dogs.

I personally wouldn’t buy it again.

I also wouldn’t recommend to feed it on a daily basis, especially not to dogs who are prone to allergies and food related sensitivities.

After all, “fresh pet meals” are not raw dog food.

However, let’s not overlook the fact that the healthier pet food movement DOES seem to be growing. 

Finding a freezer filled with refrigerated pet food in a rural grocery store that sells the cheapest, crappiest pet food imagineable is a clear indicator of where the billion dollar pet food industry is headed. 

I can’t wait to see what the pet food market will look like five and ten years from now!

Related Reading

• How to make raw dog food at home
• What does balanced raw dog food consist of?
• Premade raw dog food brands
• 128 alternatives to raw dog food

Barbara Rivers

Barbara Rivers is the founder of K9sOverCoffee and a raw feeding educator with over a decade of hands-on experience.

She has fed raw in the US and Europe since 2015, after her Boxer mix Missy’s cancer diagnosis led her to move away from processed kibble and commit to species-appropriate nutrition.

As a former professional dog walker, she developed deep insight into canine behavior, conditioning, and the essential link between proper exercise and long-term health.

Barbara completed online training with veterinarian Dr. Marion Smart and Labrador breeder Dana Scott and works for one of Germany’s leading raw dog food brands, BARFER’S.

In 2026–2027, she is completing a year-long raw nutrition certification for dogs and cats at THP School, founded by raw feeding pioneer Swanie Simon.

Through her blog and weekly newsletter, she provides clear, experience-based guidance to help dog owners feed raw safely and confidently.