Pure Harmony Dog Food Review 2023: Is It A Healthy Choice?

Have you heard about Pure Harmony? It’s a pet food brand that prides itself in preparing wholesome recipes using real ingredients and a meat-first formulation.

When you check out the brand’s product line, you’ll find pure food that won’t make you feel guilty feeding your pet. What you won’t find are artificial preservatives or flavors.

This Pure Harmony Dog Food review will delve into the products lineup more deeply to help you make an informed decision if it’s the right dog food choice to give your pet. 

About The Brand

Pure Harmony is a small pet food brand owned by Topco LLC, the largest American retail group purchasing organization. The company was established in 1944 by a group of food retailers, but it only recently started operating in the pet food industry.

Topco produces Pure Harmony dog food products in the US, but there is no information available where it sources its products or where the manufacture takes place. 

Given the brand’s small size and its relatively new addition to the pet food market, there is little information about it to research and review.

Pure Harmony products are also often found in independent retail stores rather than on large pet food stores like Chewy.com or Petco so it can be difficult to get customer feedback. 

The products can sometimes be found on Amazon, but the site only stocks a few items and the products are often unavailable. 

Pure Harmony Dog Food Review

Pure Harmony offers a complete lineup of foods that include dry food, wet food, and treats. Many of the foods the company manufactures are grain-free but the brand also crafts grain inclusive diets. There are also specialized recipes meant for specific age groups.

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1. Pure Harmony Beef and Brown Rice Recipe
2. Pure Harmony Salmon, Pea & Chickpea Recipe
3. Pure Harmony Chicken & Sweet Potato Puppy Recipe
4. Pure Harmony Lamb Flavored With Rosemary Recipe
5. Pure Harmony Beef with Carrots & Sun Dried Tomatoes in Gravy Recipe
6. Pure Harmony Chicken, Ocean Fish & Vegetable Stew Recipe

1. Pure Harmony Beef and Brown Rice Recipe

First 5 Ingredients: Deboned Beef, Ground Barley, Ground Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Chicken Meal

Guaranteed Analysis:

The brand’s Beef and Brown Rice recipe uses only premium beef as its main ingredient for a good protein profile of 22%. But it’s not a single animal protein food. There is also dried egg product and fish meal present to elevate the protein content even more.

The grains that accompany the dry dog food provide the carbohydrates your pup needs for quick blasts of energy that’s enough for rambunctious play.

And because there are three sources of fats in this food (chicken fat, fish oil, and coconut oil), it’s also rich in omega fatty acids to promote a healthy skin and shiny coat in your dog.

Our take on the food:

This Pure Harmony dry dog food recipe is a good one to feed adult dogs on a daily basis, especially if your pup needs to maintain his weight or lose some pounds.

Though the pet food is not marked as for weight loss, the calorie count is low enough to help your chubby pup with his diet. Happily, even with the low-calorie count, there are enough proteins and carbs to make sure your pet has enough energy throughout the day.

The protein can be a little higher. In fact, we’d like to see more, but we’re happy enough with the ingredients and the formulation.

2. Pure Harmony Salmon, Pea & Chickpea Recipe

First 5 Ingredients: Salmon, Menhaden Fish Meal, Peas, Chickpeas, Salmon Meal

Guaranteed Analysis:

This Pure Harmony dog food recipe uses a combination of salmon and menhaden fish meal, plus a bit of dried egg product, to bring the protein level of this food to a high 30%.

The AAFCO’s minimum protein content on a dry matter basis for adult maintenance is only 18%. This goes way beyond the minimum.

Since this food is grain-free, the peas and chickpeas provide the carbohydrate content instead of grains. But there’s no risk of the legumes here overwhelming the proteins. Just look at the guaranteed analysis and the list of the first five ingredients. 

Our take on the food:

This is a great meal to give dogs partial to fish. The protein level is excellent—enough even for highly active dogs to thrive on—because of the high meat content. Plus, there’s a significant level of omega fatty acids to promote healthy fur and skin.

We also like the guaranteed levels of vitamins A and E because these help in the optimal function of the skin (vitamin A) and provide defense against oxidative damage (vitamin E). The calorie count is also not too high although the fat level can stand to be a little less.

3. Pure Harmony Chicken & Sweet Potato Puppy Recipe

First 5 Ingredients: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal (Source of Glucosamine and Chondroitin), Tapioca Starch, Sweet Potatoes, Turkey Meal

Guaranteed Analysis:

This dry puppy food contains all the proper nutrition to ensure that your little one grows up healthy and in proper condition. The protein content at 27% is considered high since 22% is the minimum according to the AAFCO dog food nutrient profile for puppies.

There are three premium sources of animal protein here to make sure your pup gets all the energy boost he needs to keep active at play. The calorie content  of the puppy food is also just right because growing doggy bodies need all the help they can get. 

Instead of grains, this recipe relies on sweet potatoes and starch to provide the necessary carbohydrate content. 

Our take on the food:

We’re quite happy that this puppy food contains a good amount of guaranteed levels of nutrition that your dog needs for growing up. It is chock full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. The inclusion of live microorganisms is also worth pointing out because these help your dog absorb all the nutrients in the pet food better.

We’re also pleased to see that the recipe contains chondroitin and glucosamine too. Puppies, especially the large breeds, need those two supplements because a quickly developing body can put a lot of stress on the joints.

4. Pure Harmony Lamb Flavored With Rosemary Recipe

First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Lamb Broth, Lamb, Chicken Liver, Dried Egg Product

Guaranteed Analysis:

Grain-Free Lamb is a nutritious wet dog food recipe that is formulated to meet the AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles for growth and maintenance (except for the growing needs of large breed dogs). 

The recipe is a mixture of fresh chicken and lamb and not much else (no vegetables or fruits) for a meaty dish. The fat content is slightly high for canned food but this is because of the presence of chicken liver which is high in fat. The calories are also at significant levels, which may be something worth noting if you have already have chunky dogs. 

Our take on the food:

We like the high meat content in the Grain-Free Lamb recipe. Most of the nutrition here is provided by the meats in the food instead of relying on the usual vegetable or fruit for minerals or vitamins. (Chicken liver is a great source of nutrients.)

While we would have marked this as a recommended pet food, the presence of carrageenan has us doing otherwise. There is absolutely no reason for carrageenan to be present in dog food when there are so many healthier alternatives to this thickening and emulsifying ingredient. Sadly, we have to give this recipe for dogs a hard pass.

5. Pure Harmony Beef with Carrots & Sun Dried Tomatoes in Gravy Recipe

First 5 Ingredients: Beef, Beef Broth, Water Sufficient for Processing, Beef Liver, Carrots

Guaranteed Analysis:

This Pure Harmony beef recipe offers carefully blended whole nutrition for the growth and maintenance of dogs, including large breed ones. 

This recipe comes in a convenient bowl form for easy serving. Unlike the Grain Free lamb recipe above, this formulation relies on vegetables like sun-dried tomatoes and spinach for a helping of naturally-sourced nutrition.

Our take on the food:

This is a more balanced recipe for dogs because of its good protein but low fat content. The calories are also quite low, which means the food can help chubby dogs maintain their weight (or lose some). We laud the inclusion of antioxidant-rich vegetables and fruits too (because dogs are omnivores).

While there is much to like about this recipe, the inclusion of carrageenan erases all points we have given the food. It is an ingredient that is highly controversial, even within the scientific community. 

Some scientists have presented evidence that carrageenan can be highly toxic to the digestive tract. Although other scientists have also tried to refute the evidence as misleading, we’ll lean towards the safer course, which is to stay away from the food.

6. Pure Harmony Chicken, Ocean Fish & Vegetable Stew Recipe

First 5 Ingredients: Fish Broth, Chicken, Chicken Broth, Ocean Fish, Dried Egg Product

Guaranteed Analysis:

The Pure Harmony Grain-Free Chicken, Ocean Fish & Vegetable Stew Recipe are crafted to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO for maintenance. It is made with real chicken and ocean fish for a really meaty treat.

It is a really balanced meal with protein, fat, and fiber all at average levels. The calories are nicely low so it should be fine to feed as a daily meal even if your dog is not that active or is a little bit on the heavy side. 

Our take on the food:

This is an excellent diet to feed your pet. It is full of all the nutrition your adult dog needs but without the extra calories that he doesn’t. We’ve checked the label and we didn’t see any problematic ingredients. 

Everything looks good, the ingredients look premium, and there is nothing in the recipe that shouldn’t be there.

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Pure Harmony’s Recipes

Here are the complete dog food recipes offered by the Pure Harmony brand:

Dry 

• Beef & Brown Rice
• Chicken, Barley & Pea
• Grain-Free Salmon, Pea & Chickpea
• Grain-free Lamb, Pea & Chickpea
• Grain-Free Duck, Sweet Potato & Venison
• Oven-Baked Grain-Free Turkey, Sweet Potato & Cranberry
• Grain-Free Chicken & Sweet Potato Puppy
• Grain-Free Chicken & Sweet Potato Senior

Canned

• Grain-Free Chicken, Ocean Fish & Vegetable Stew
• Grain-Free Chicken & Vegetable Cuts in Gravy
• Grain-Free Turkey & Sweet Potato Stew in Gravy
• Grain-Free Chicken, Salmon & Vegetable Stew Puppy
• Grain-Free Turkey & Chicken
• Grain-Free Lamb Flavored with Rosemary
• Grain-Free Chicken
• Grain-Free Beef & Vegetable Cuts in Gravy
• Grain-Free Beef With Carrots & Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Gravy
• Grain-Free Chicken with Sweet Potatoes Cuts in Gravy
• Grain-Free Lamb

Dog Treats

• Lamb & Blueberry Wafers
• Chicken & Cranberry Wafers
• Grain-Free Chicken, Chickpea & Blueberry Biscuits
• Grain-Free Peanut Butter Flavor Biscuits
• Beef Recipe Jerky Bites
• Duck Recipe Jerky Bites
• Chicken Recipe Jerky Strips
• Turkey & Sweet Potato Recipe Jerky Strips

Recall History?

Pure Harmony has been involved in one recall in 2019, but it was not connected to a food safety issue. Pure Harmony Chicken, Barley and Pea Dog Food in 14lb. bags were removed from Save Mart/S-Mart, Lucky, Lucky California, and Food Maxx store shelves due to an off odor. 

Conclusion: Is Pure Harmony Good For Your Dogs?

Yes. At least the dry dog foods are. And a few of the wet food recipes.

We find Pure Harmony an excellent dog food brand because the first ingredient is always meat (unless it is canned food, in which case the first might be a broth) and the brand only uses premium products (never cheap fillers).

Although there are select vegetables in the food, the recipes never rely on plant based protein. It is always focused on providing dogs with plenty of meat for a rich-tasting and healthy diet. And what the vegetables and fruits can’t provide in terms of nutrition, the inclusion of supplemental minerals and vitamins will.

The grains that the brand uses for its grain inclusive recipes are some of the preferred ones by consumers. These are no cheap substitutes, and you won’t find corn, artificial flavors, or common allergy-causing ingredients like soy or wheat. 

While the grain-free recipes use legumes in the formulations, these don’t overwhelm the food. Meat is still the main focus, and the peas only act as a distant support. Looking at the ingredient list, there is no danger of DCM with these recipes. 

You also won’t find animal byproduct meals, wheat, soy, or artificial flavors and colors in the foods that Pure Harmony Pet Food makes. 

However, we have to note that many recipes from the Pure Harmony wet food product line for dogs contain carrageenan, which is a highly controversial ingredient and one we do not expect in a quality dog food diet. If not for the presence of carrageenan, we’d have given the whole brand a big two thumbs up.