Heavy Metals in Dog Food: What You Need to Know

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Dogs don’t get to choose what they eat, so it’s up to us to make sure that good things go into their bowls every day. That’s why it’s vital to understand where their food comes from, and what’s in it.

Even the most curious and diligent dog owners might be surprised to learn that heavy metals can be in dog food. Before panicking, however, it’s important to understand that heavy metals can safely appear in small amounts in both human and dog food. 

The concern is whether a dog’s food contains more heavy metals than experts deem safe. If your dog eats The Farmer’s Dog fresh food, we have great news: Every one of our recipes undergoes regular third-party heavy metal testing to ensure they meet strict safety standards. Any trace amounts of metals detected are present only in small, often naturally occurring quantities and consistently below the pet food standards.

Here are details on how heavy metals are regulated in the US—and how routine heavy metal testing helps keep fresh food from The Farmer’s Dog safe for your dog to eat day in and day out. 

How can heavy metals end up in dog food?  

Heavy metals—elements like lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium—occur naturally. But industrial farming and manufacturing processes can result in higher, and potentially dangerous, levels in dog food. Because of this, substandard ingredients and processing can increase their presence in meals served to dogs. These are among the many reasons why The Farmer’s Dog holds our ingredients and processing practices to such high standards.

How can heavy metals harm my dog? 

Heavy metals can impact a dog’s health with prolonged exposure thanks to a process called “bioaccumulation.” This occurs when elements are absorbed faster than they can be eliminated, building up in the body. Bioaccumulation of heavy metals can occur if a dog consumes more than recommended consistently over time. 

Dogs tend to eat the same thing day after day, which means that if their food has higher-than-recommended levels of heavy metals they may be especially vulnerable to bioaccumulation. If you’re concerned about the possibility of your dog experiencing chronic exposure to heavy metals, talk with their veterinarian. 

Are heavy metals in pet food regulated? 

Pet food regulation in the United States is a patchwork of federal and state oversight. While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets safety and some labeling standards, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) provides the nutritional blueprints and more robust labeling models used by individual states. The USDA plays a small role as well, but no federal agency requires pre-market approval or safety testing for finished products. This makes the system largely reactive. For instance, there is currently no federal requirement that pet food companies test their products for heavy metals before they are sold—but The Farmer’s Dog does test for them. Every step of our sourcing, cooking, packaging, and storage processes meets the same standards required for human food.

FDA oversight

In the US, the FDA is tasked with overseeing pet food safety thanks to 1938’s Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and various amendments made to it over the years. This gives the FDA authority to inspect pet food manufacturers and ingredient suppliers (outside of those suppliers regulated by the USDA), issue warnings, and launch recalls—but the agency does not test or require approval of pet food before it goes to market. While FDA regulations often require facilities to have safety plans, federal action—like a recall—remains largely reactive, often taking place only after a problem has surfaced.

AAFCO guidelines 

AAFCO is an independent organization that develops guidelines for the quality and safety of pet food. It is not a government entity, but states often implement its recommendations into law.

Among these recommendations are guidelines for tolerable heavy metal levels, which can be less stringent than those the FDA applies to certain human foods—despite pets being smaller and consuming the same recipes every day. Because The Farmer’s Dog meets the same quality and safety standards as food for humans, our heavy metal levels are typically at or below both AAFCO standards and the FDA’s benchmarks for human consumption.

Does The Farmer’s Dog test for heavy metals in its dog food? 

All ready-to-eat fresh foods from The Farmer’s Dog are formulated by on-staff, board-certified nutritionists to be complete and balanced, and support dogs’ overall health. We’ve put multiple recipes through AAFCO feeding trials, and partnered with the Cornell University School of Veterinary Medicine on a long-term feeding study.

Beyond that, our food is always made to human-grade standards. Very few pet foods clear this bar.

“Human-grade” is an AAFCO-defined standard. Human-grade dog food is made to the same rigorous safety and quality standards, and according to the same regulations, that apply to human food.

Although it is not required, all of our recipes undergo regular third-party testing to ensure they meet strict safety standards. Heavy metals detected are typically present only in small, often naturally occurring amounts.

At The Farmer’s Dog, we aim to give dog owners peace of mind. We think that dog food should be real food—and that, at the very minimum, what goes in a dog’s bowl should be safe to eat day after day.

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