The Science Behind Holistic Puppy Food What Makes It Exceptional

Holistic Select Dog Food Review (Dry)

Holistic Select Dog Food Review (Dry)

By Mike Sagman

Updated: March 22, 2024

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Which Holistic Select Recipes Get Our Best Ratings?

Holistic Select Dog Food receives the Advisors second-highest tier rating of 4.5 stars.

The Holistic Select product line includes the 5 dry dog foods listed below.

Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Holistic Select Adult Health Anchovy, Sardine and Salmon Meals was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.

Holistic Select Adult Health Anchovy, Sardine and Salmon Meals

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Brown rice, oatmeal, rice, anchovy meal, sardine meal, salmon meal (source of glucosamine), canola oil, oats, flaxseed, dried plain beet pulp, pumpkin, salmon oil, cranberries, apples, brewers dried yeast, potassium chloride, papayas, choline chloride, taurine, blueberries, pomegranates, vitamin E supplement, inulin, dried kelp, mixed tocopherols added to preserve freshness, niacin, zinc proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, iron proteinate, vitamin A supplement, Yucca schidigera extract, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), ground cinnamon, ground fennel, ground peppermint, sodium selenite, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, manganese sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, d-calcium pantothenate, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, dried Lactobacillus delbrueckii fermentation product, dried Streptococcus thermophilus fermentation product, calcium iodate, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, dried Bacillus licheniformis fermentation product, dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation product, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation product, dried Trichoderma reesei fermentation product, dried Rhizopus oryzae fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, rosemary extract, green tea extract, spearmint extract

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.5%

Red denotes any controversial items

Ingredient Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is brown rice, a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) can be fairly easy to digest. However, aside from its natural energy content, rice is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The second ingredient is oatmeal, a whole-grain product made from coarsely ground oats. Oatmeal is naturally rich in B-vitamins, dietary fiber and can be (depending upon its level of purity) gluten-free.

The third ingredient is rice. Is this whole grain rice, brown rice or white rice? Since the word rice doesnt tell us much, its impossible to judge the quality of this item.

The next three ingredients include anchovy meal, sardine meal and salmon meal. Because they are considered meat concentrates, the fish meals contain almost 300% more protein than fresh fish itself.

Fish meal is typically obtained from the clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings of commercial fish operations.¹

The seventh ingredient is canola oil. Unfortunately, canola can be a controversial item. Thats because it can sometimes (but not always) be derived from genetically modified rapeseed.

Yet others cite the fact that canola oil can be a significant source of essential omega-3 fatty acids.

In any case, plant-based oils like canola are less biologically available to a dog than fish oil as a source of quality omega-3 fats.

The eighth ingredient includes oats. Oats are rich in B-vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

The ninth ingredient is flaxseed, one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided theyve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.

However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But realistically, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Holistic Select product.

With 6 notable exceptions

First, we find beet pulp. Beet pulp is a controversial ingredient, a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing.

Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding intestinal health and blood sugar benefits.

We only call your attention here to the controversy and believe the inclusion of beet pulp in reasonable amounts in most dog foods is entirely acceptable.

Next, brewers yeast can be a controversial item. Although its a by-product of the beer making process, this ingredient is rich in minerals and other healthy nutrients.

Fans believe yeast repels fleas and supports the immune system.

Critics argue yeast ingredients can be linked to allergies. This may be true, but (like all allergies) only if your particular dog is allergic to the yeast itself.

In addition, a vocal minority insists yeast can increase the risk of developing the life-threatening condition known as bloat. However, this is a claim weve not been able to scientifically verify.

In any case, unless your dog is specifically allergic to it, yeast can still be considered a nutritious additive.

Whats more noteworthy here is that brewers yeast contains about 48% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

In addition, we note the use of taurine, an important amino acid associated with the healthy function of heart muscle. Although taurine is not typically considered essential in canines, some dogs have been shown to be deficient in this critical nutrient.

Next, we note the inclusion of dried fermentation products in this product. Fermentation products are typically added as probiotics to aid with digestion.

This recipe also contains sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.

And lastly, this food includes chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Holistic Select looks like an above-average dry dog food.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 28%, a fat level of 14% and estimated carbohydrates of about 50%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 27% and a mean fat level of 16%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 49% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 57%.

Which means this Holistic Select product line contains

Above-average protein. Near-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.

Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the flaxseed and brewers yeast, this looks like the profile of a dry product containing a notable amount of meat.

Our Rating of Holistic Select Dry Dog Food

Holistic Select is a grain-inclusive dry dog food using a notable amount of named meat meals as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4.5 stars.

Highly recommended.

Those looking for a wet food from the same company may wish to visit our review of Holistic Select canned dog food.

Holistic Select Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Holistic Select through April.

No recalls noted.

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.

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More Holistic Select Brand Reviews

The following Holistic Select dog food reviews are also posted on this website:

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A Final Word

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The Science Behind Holistic Nutrition

Prepared by: Jenn Camirand, R.H.N.

What, in this age of pervasive internet authority, where a quick Google search can and often does undermine deductive reasoning, experience, and well sought-after facts, is the true meaning of Holistic Nutrition?

Holistic is a term conceived in the early 20^thCentury to describe inclusivity or holism. It is concerned with the notion that reality is an interconnected whole and focuses on the total entity and interdependence of the diverse parts of a totality.

Nutrition itself is not a new science. The word as we know it today finds its roots in Latin and the translation from the original ntrre, meaning TO NOURISH. It has become widely known that several ancient cultures practiced the use of food as medicine as far back as 3000 BCE in the region of the fertile Nile. As Geoffrey Cannon puts it, in his 2005 article in the Journal of Public Health Nutrition, Emperor Huang Ti around 2500 BCE, and of the Indian Ayurvedic tradition, also stress the importance of specified dietary patterns, foods and drinks, and plants with medicinal qualities, to prevent and treat disease and also as ways to a spiritually, morally, emotionally and mentally enlightened life. (Sep;8(6a): 701-705)

Now, as Holistic Nutrition Practitioners we would never purport that our practice would either raise ones moral standards, or pretend to be the purveyors of enlightenment, but we most certainly, bound by a very clear code of ethics and well-defined scope of practice, consider both the ancient wisdom brought forward into a modern world, burdened by an ever-increasing tsunami of chronic illness, and partner it with the methods of modern research.

Holistic Nutrition is simply NOT just about whole food it is about what makes US whole. To be clear, it most certainly is not about throwing the superfood of the day at a complex health problem, along with the promise to wash it away; not just because, like other educated healthcare modalities we make no promises, but because such a claim makes no logical sense, to anyone.

Holistic Nutrition is about how we look at the whole person. Looking at health through a holistic lens is not like looking through a telescope, with its singular viewfinder allowing for the magnification of a faraway object, its field of view, narrow, and its depth of field, flat. A better analogy is looking through a set of binoculars. Although still able to see things from a distance, and to focus on a singular chosen object, the two viewfinders allow for a coming together of perspective in three dimensions, bringing into focus surrounding objects that may, from time to time, have had, or continue to have, an effect on the object under examination.

Holistic Nutrition most certainly is not a straightforward case of once ill, and now, well. There is a great chasm between the two, a distance that spans over time, short for some, decades for others, that is created in impactful increments of seconds, minutes, days, months and even years. This distance, over time, indicates that there is the potential for this process to move as though travelling a continuum and at various points along this spectrum we find ourselves moving either toward or away from wellness. Health and illness do not happen in a straight line, nor is the journey ever the same for two individuals.

Given that Holistic Nutrition looks at the whole person and is NOT solely interested in food, food as the medium through which the body can, and does, if it is in a state of homeostasis, obtain usable isolated nutrients, we are also interested in the How, When, Where, Why and with Whom, of each individual we see. It is here that we find OUR science. Not simply hard science but a weaving of hard science and social science. This blending of the two allows us to celebrate research outcomes that promote longevity, connectedness, culture, both ancient and new, the good and the bad of each, and of course we do look at food, whole food.

In evidence of this blend, CSNN imparts upon its students a curriculum balanced in both hard and social sciences. The first is represented through courses in Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Chemistry and Bio-Chemistry, demonstrating how nutrients are utilized in bodily processes, pathways and protection. The social sciences, defined by the study of people, individually and in groups, their customs and relationships, are respectively studied in courses focused on Prevention, Life-stages, Ecology, and Symptomatology. Symptomatology, with its primary focus on the individuals reporting and identification of health-concerns, symptoms and overall wellbeing, is in itself a perfect blend of both the hard and social science.

Our investment in sourcing quality research by reputable people whom we have judged based on their credentials and links to reputable institutions, provides us with answers in a variety of different ways. As Holistic Nutrition Practitioners we ensure that the research we employ, developed from original questions or hypotheses, has been tested and replicated by others. This need for confirmation is satisfied by individual experimental studies or review papers, a rigorous and systematic method, assimilating a collection of research literature on a particular topic. Systematic reviews are well placed within the research hierarchy and allow for sound, firm, qualified decisions.

In keeping with other healthcare professions, Holistic Nutrition Practitioners, when sourcing out valid research, will be looking for both quantitative and qualitative research. The first identified by its rich representation of data presented in numerical fashion, the latter focused on an in-depth understanding of the reasons for and meaning of the results. A well-written Systematic Review should provide a practitioner with both. These trustworthy and credible, action-based studies, carried out and evaluated under practical circumstances must be transferrable to the relevant context, specifically the individuals primary or accumulated health concerns.

You see, we consider Holistic Nutrition to be a well-constructed framework. A framework that results in client-centred, individualized, evidence-based practices, and leads to informed and well-educated choices, for YOU, and your current challenges.

From where we stand, the definition of Holistic Nutrition lies in the partnership established between client and practitioner. It is about bringing the WHOLE person into focus, past and present, internal and external.

A member of faculty with the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition (CSNN) since 2012, Jenn holds a Bachelors Degree from the University of Waterloo, received her Nutritional training at CSNN, graduating class valedictorian in 2007, was awarded a Certificate with Honours from the Academy of Culinary Nutrition in January of 2015, and is a Member of the Institute for Functional Medicine. Most recently, she has been awarded designation as a Nutritional Therapist within the United Kingdom.

Jenn stands firm in the belief that we are more than just the sum of our parts, and that our current state of health and nutritional status is the manifestation of all of our experiences, not just the foods we eat. When we are able to truly focus on our own health through education, and an understanding of who we are, great change can take place. This belief, along with a passion for Physiology and Epigenetics, Functional Medicine, and Anthropology, are all brought forth to the classroom, her nutritional practice, her writing, and research.