Canidae sorts its recipes into three lines. All Life Stages has seven kibbles and three wet foods, every one labeled for all life stages, and its kibbles mostly use grains such as rice, barley or oats; one kibble is grain free. PURE is fully grain free, with 11 kibbles and 6 wet foods in adult, puppy and senior recipes. Under The Sun is three grain-free adult kibbles.
Among the kibbles, PURE averages 29.6% protein and 36% estimated starch, as fed, compared with 23.9% and 43.6% for All Life Stages and 25% and 44% for Under The Sun. PURE draws on the widest range of animal proteins, including duck, bison and venison. Under The Sun uses only chicken or lamb. For owners who track legumes, peas or lentils appear in every PURE recipe and every All Life Stages kibble, and Under The Sun lists peas and chickpeas high.
Average kibble, as fed
Canidae PURE is a grain-free line of 11 kibbles and 6 wet foods, and every recipe includes peas or lentils. Its kibbles average 29.6% protein and 499 kcal per cup, above the catalog kibble averages of 26.9% and 395 kcal.
A good fit for: Owners who want every recipe in a line to be grain free; Owners seeking kibble above the 26.9% catalog protein average
Read the PURE reviewAverage kibble, as fed
Canidae All Life Stages is a mostly grain-inclusive line of seven kibbles and three wet foods, every one labeled for all life stages. All of its kibbles contain peas or lentils, and only one kibble skips grain.
A good fit for: Homes feeding puppies and adults one food labeled for all life stages; Owners who want grain-inclusive kibble built on rice, barley or oats
Read the All Life Stages reviewAverage kibble, as fed
Canidae Under The Sun is a grain-free adult kibble line of three recipes, two led by chicken meal and one by lamb meal. All three share 25% protein and 44% estimated starch, with peas and chickpeas high in every ingredient list.
A good fit for: Adult dogs whose owners want a grain-free kibble; Owners rotating chicken and lamb with identical protein and fat
Read the Under The Sun review
Protein is close to the average kibble we review (30.0% on a dry matter basis).
Starch is higher than average, at 39% of the food as fed.
100% of recipes lead with a meat, fish or egg ingredient (89% across the site).
69% of recipes are grain-free.
this range, lowest to highest its average average of all 3,205 foods we review
Starch is our estimate from the guaranteed analysis, since no manufacturer prints it. How we work it out
Share of recipes that list each animal protein as an ingredient, not counting oils, fats or flavorings. Useful if your dog has a food sensitivity.
These are not unsafe. They are listed because readers ask about them.
MOST PROTEIN
Canidae Pure Grain-Free Real Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food
36.7% dry matter
LEAST STARCH
Canidae All Life Stages High Protein, Multi-Protein Recipe Dry Dog Food
30% as fed
FEWEST CALORIES
Canidae Under the Sun Grain-Free Recipe Large Breed Real Chicken Dry Dog Food
330 kcal per cup
Canidae is a US dog and cat food brand owned by Ethos Pet Brands, which also owns Natural Balance. Its dog food lines include All Life Stages, Pure Farm To Bowl and the newer Heartland line. The company says its recipes use regeneratively farmed ingredients and contain no corn, wheat, soy or artificial additives. 1, 2, 3
Canidae runs its own manufacturing plant in Brownwood, Texas, which opened in 2012. Since the 2023 merger, that plant also makes Natural Balance products. The company says its Pure Farm To Bowl recipes are cooked in small batches there. 1, 4
Canidae was founded in 1996. In 2023 Canidae, then majority owned by L Catterton, merged with Natural Balance, then majority owned by Nexus Capital Management, to form Ethos Pet Brands, which launched on August 15, 2023. Canidae relaunched its All Life Stages line in August 2024 with real meat as the first ingredient and a lower price, and reintroduced its Pure Farm To Bowl line in September 2025. 1, 5, 2
In May 2012 Canidae voluntarily recalled four dry dog foods after Diamond Pet Foods reported possible Salmonella contamination at its Gaston, South Carolina plant, where those products were made. Dog Food Advisor lists this as the brand's only recall. 6
Researched from the sources above. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Canidae dry dog and cat food made at Diamond Gaston, SC plant
Canidae promoted its new Heartland dog-food line alongside an anthem by Walker Hayes. The release describes the line’s farm-raised ingredients and American Red Cross partnership. PR Newswire
Canidae launched Heartland, a dry dog-food line with four recipes featuring chicken, salmon, or lamb. The company said 1% of Heartland retail purchases would support the American Red Cross. Pet Food Processing
Trade coverage of Canidae's marketing campaign for the Pure Farm To Bowl line, which features the farmers who supply its ingredients. Feed & Additive Magazine
Canidae launched an integrated campaign showing where the ingredients in its Pure Farm To Bowl dog food come from, including lentils from North Dakota. The release says the line was reintroduced in September 2025. PR Newswire
Ethos Pet Brands showed the new Canidae Pure Farm To Bowl dog food line and All Life Stages High Protein for Active Dogs recipes at SuperZoo in August 2025. Natural Balance newsroom (Ethos Pet Brands)
Canidae expanded its All Life Stages line with High Protein for Active Dogs dry recipes (30% protein, 20% fat) and three Chunky Stew toppers, first shown at Global Pet Expo in March 2025. Natural Balance newsroom (Ethos Pet Brands)
Canidae relaunched All Life Stages with five recipes that list real meat first, at a lower price than before. The food is made at the company's plant in Brownwood, Texas. PR Newswire
Ten everyday foods. Safe, In Moderation or Never. No googling, no second guesses. Then share your score with your friends, however embarrassing it turns out to be.
115 foods in the deck. Grapes are in there. So is cheese.
Ten foods, one at a time. Call each one Safe, In Moderation or Never, then flip the card to see if you had it right. The ones you miss are listed at the end.
Keys: 1 Safe 2 Moderation 3 Never Enter Next
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Now, is your dog's food any good?
Look it up: estimated starch, calories per cup and every ingredient, for 3,207 foods.
