Natural pet food advocates strongly recommend that we make our own pet food that is appropriate for the species. That option doesn’t always work for pet parents, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t willing to seek out the best “off the shelf” option for their pets that also works with their lifestyle. Wellness Pet Food is a brand recognized for going the extra mile in making processed pet food a healthy, convenient option for pet parents. They offer a range of wet and dry pet food, along with health-focused treats. Their line also includes specialty diets and grain-free options.
Statistics show today’s pet guardians are hyper-aware of pet health. Pet parents across North America are spending more on their pets and they’re taking more time to learn how to care for them. Pet food is one of the fastest growing divisions of the pet care sector. Packaged Facts reports that Pet food spending in Canada increased by 5.3% in 2012, to over 2 billion in 2013. The American Pet Products Association (APPA) reports 21.57 billion dollars was spent on pet food in 2013, an increase of 4.5% over 2012.
“Both food and veterinary care are strongly influenced by consumers’ growing interest in improved healthcare for their pets,” states Bob Vetere, president and CEO of the American Pet Products Association. “Health and wellness-related themes represent the most powerful trends across all segments of the industry and will continue to do so again this year.”
What to Look for in a Natural Pet Food Brand
Premium Ingredients
It comes as no surprise that the basis of a good natural pet food is the ingredients.
Wellness Veterinarian, Dr. Al Townshend, explains, “Natural diets offer ingredients with some important health benefits such as probiotics, those good bacteria that are essential for a healthy immune system and digestive tract; glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health; omega-3 fatty acids or fish oils for heart and kidney health; and added digestive supplements to enhance digestibility to get the very best benefits from quality proteins and fats.”
While formulating their food with premium ingredients, Wellness enhances their Complete Health Recipes with a significant natural boost. Features include live, active probiotics that are added after the cooking process (just because a food contains probiotics, doesn’t mean they’re still alive after the food is cooked), natural antioxidants from fruits and vegetables, vitamins and minerals (balanced for optimum cellular health and immunity) and Omega 3 & 6.
Equally as important is what a pet food does not contain. Wellness has this covered too, boasting no by-products, no bone meal, no wheat, corn or soy, and no artificial flavors, preservatives or colors.
“I buy Wellness canned food for my dogs”, says Elaine O’Sullivan Phillips of The K9 Walker. “I switched because I like the fact that they have grain free choices and the food is processed in the can they are packed in. No artificial preservatives, colors or flavors.”
Continual Research and Development
Wellness didn’t attempt to make the ultimate pet food and then stop. For example, they’re currently focused on non-GMO ingredients and now offer several GMO-free formulas.
Safety
Wellness promises the most comprehensive quality assurance program in the industry, exceeding FDA requirements. They pay close attention to sanitation and constantly monitor both ingredient quality and nutritional integrity. Every batch of dry food is tested throughout the manufacturing process, from the ingredients to the finished pet food.
Transparency
We believe that no pet company should fear an educated consumer. If they do, they need to make changes to their product. Wellness quite obviously embraces this philosophy, demonstrated by the wealth of information and tools on their website. They even make it easy to compare other pet foods to their products using their Check Your Bag comparison tool.
Availability
Reputable brands don’t hide from consumers. Wellness makes an impressive effort to engage pet parents. You can join their Naturally Well Pet Community for pet information, coupons, contests and event news, or interact with the brand on the Wellness Facebook page. I’ve noticed some brands don’t allow consumers to directly post comments or questions on their Facebook page, but the Wellness wall is open to all.
Every business needs to make money. Pet food companies are often accused of being too focused on profit, but there are different means to that end. Some may increase their bottom line by cutting corners and attempting to mislead consumers. Others have the good business sense to know that nothing is more profitable than giving consumers what they want. Wellness appears to be one of the latter, which is probably why the family-owned business has been around for more than a century.
Have you tried Wellness? Please share your experience in the comments below. If you’d like to try it you can order online, or use the Wellness store locator to find it locally.
Sources:
American Pet Products Association
Packaged Facts
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Last Updated on January 22, 2026 by Digital Manager: Melody McKinnon
I buy it when it’s on sale and I have a coupon and they like it. I don’t pay full price for much so they get what they get. 🙂 More coupons!
I’ve been feeding Welness to my dogs for many years. There was a short time when it couldn’t be found here and the dogs really did suffer for it. I was so happy to find it on the shelves again after nagging my local pet store for months.
I put my dogs and cats on wellness a couple of years ago because I wanted a more natural food. They’ve done great on it so we’ve stuck to it. I only had one question for them so I emailed and they were great PLUS they sent me coupons! It’s the little things!