Monday, April 10 begins the observation of Passover, an 8-day Spring celebration of the freedom of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. Through certain rituals, modern day Jews have the ability to relive and experience the true freedom their ancestors gained.
From the evening of April 10 through the evening of April 18, in recognition of the unleavened bread that the Israelites ate when they left Egypt, Jews do not eat – or keep in their possession – any chametz, or grains that can become chametz. This includes any food or drink that contains even a trace of wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt or their derivatives.
Because dogs are family members, sharing our homes and mealtimes, joining us in celebrations, and because Jews cannot be in possession of these grains during Passover, we’ve compiled this list of Passover-approved __dog foods that are highly recommended for quality, healthfulness, and taste. Remember, recipes sometimes change. Please check your dog’s food labels carefully before feeding.
There are many other __dog foods that do not contain grains in them. This is the only HEALTHY Kosher For Passover list. We have eliminated companies with a history of recalls or products that include corn – which although permitted in dog food on Passover – is not ideal for your dogs.
The Dogington Post 2017 Kosher For Passover dog Food List
Acana Regionals Grain Free (dry): All grain-free varieties
Addiction (dry): All grain-free varieties
Annamaet (dry): Grain Free varieties
CANIDAE (dry): Grain Free pureSKY, Grain Free pureLAND, Grain Free pureELEMENTS, Grain Free pureSEA, Single Grain Protein Plus
CANIDAE (canned): Grain Free Pure
Canine Caviar (dry or canned): Only grain-free varieties
Castor & Pollux ORGANIX (dry): Grain Free Chicken & Potato, Grain Free Lamb & Peas, Grain Free Salmon & Peas
Castor & Pollux ORGANIX (wet): Grain Free Butcher & Bushel Organic Carved Turkey Dinner with Carrots & Sweet Potatoes, Grain Free Butcher & Bushel Organic Chicken Wing & Thigh Dinner with Sweet Potatoes, Grain Free Butcher & Bushel Organic Chopped Turkey & Chicken Dinner with Chicken Liver & Peas, Grain Free Butcher & Bushel Organic Shredded Chicken Dinner with Potatoes, Grain Free Butcher & Bushel Organic Tender Chicken Dinner with White Potatoes & Apples, Grain Free Organic Chicken & Vegetable, Grain Free Organic Chicken and Potato, Grain Free Organic Turkey & Vegetable, Grain Free Organic Turkey, Carrot & Potato
Earthborn Holistic (dry): Grain Free and Primitive Natural
Earthborn Holistic (dry): Primitive Natural, Coastal Catch, Great Plains Feast, Meadow Feast
Earthborn Holistic (canned): Chip’s Chicken Casserole, Duke’s Din Din, Lily’s Gourmet Buffet, Pepper’s Pot Roast, Toby’s Turkey Dinner
Farmina N & D (dry): all grain-free varieties
Fromm (dry): Grain-Free Salmon Tunalini, Grain Free Game Bird Recipe, Grain Free Surf & Turf
Fromm (canned): Shredded Beef Entrée, Shredded Chicken Entrée, Chicken Pate, Duck & Chicken Pate, Salmon & Chicken Pate
Grandma Lucy’s (dry): Artisan and Pureformance grain-free varieties
Go!: FIT + FREE (dry): Grain Free Puppy, Grain Free Adult, Grain Free Senior
Go! (wet): Grain Free Chicken, Turkey + Duck Canned Dog Food Recipe, Grain Free Freshwater Trout Wet Dog Food Recipe, Salmon + Vegetables Recipe
Halo (dry): Spot’s Stew Dry Dog Grain Free Surf & Turf
Halo (dry): Spot’s Choice Chicken & Chickpea, Spot’s Choice Turkey & Chickpea
Instinct (dry): Chicken Meal Formula, Beef Meal & Lamb Meal Formula, Duck Meal & Turkey Meal Formula, Limited Ingredient Diet Duck Meal Formula, Limited Ingredient Diet Lamb Meal Formula, Limited Ingredient Diet Turkey Meal Formula
Instinct (canned): Chicken Formula, Beef Formula, Lamb Formula, Duck Formula, Limited Ingredient Lamb Formula, Limited Ingredient Duck Formula, Limited Ingredient Turkey Formula
Lotus Dog Food (dry and canned) Grain Free
Merrick Backcountry Grain Free (wet): 96% Real Beef, 96% Real Chicken, Hearty Beef Stew, Hearty Salmon Stew
Merrick Grain Free (wet): 96% Real Chicken, 96% Real Texas Beef, 96% Real Duck, Lil’ Plates Dainty Duck Medley, Lil’ Plates Little Lamb Chop Stew, Lil’ Plates Petite Pot Pie, Lil’ Plates Teensy Turducken, Lil’ Plates Pint-Sized Puppy Plate
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet (dry): Real Duck + Sweet Potato, Real Lamb + Sweet Potato, Real Salmon + Sweet Potato, Real Turkey + Sweet Potato, Real Chicken
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet (wet): Real Duck, Real Lamb, Real Salmon, Real Turkey, Real Chicken Stew
Natural Balance (dry): Alpha Chicken Turkey Meal & Duck, Alpha Lamb, Chicken Meal & Rabbit, Alpha Trout, Salmon Meal & Whitefish, L.I.D. Lamb Meal & Brown Rice, L.I.D. Legume & Duck Meal, L.I.D. Potato & Duck, L.I.D. Potato & Rabbit, L.I.D. Sweet Potato & Bison, L.I.D. Sweet Potato & Chicken, L.I.D. Sweet Potato & Fish, L.I.D. Sweet Potato & Venison
Natural Balance Wild Pursuits (dry or canned): all grain-free varieties
Natural Balance (canned): L.I.D. Bison & Sweet Potato, L.I.D.Chicken & Sweet Potato, L.I.D. Duck & Potato, L.I.D. Fish & Sweet Potato, L.I.D. Lamb & Brown Rice, L.I.D. Rabbit & Brown Rice, L.I.D. Venison & Sweet Potato
Nutri-Source Grain-Free (dry): Chicken & Pea Formula, Lamb Meal Formula
Nutri-Source Grain-Free (canned): All grain-free varieties
Nutrisca Grain & Potato Free (dry): Chicken & Chickpea
Orijen (dry): Puppy, Puppy Large, Adult Dog, 6 Fish Dog, Senior
Party Animal Dog Food (canned)
Pinnacle (dry): Grain-Free varieties
Pure-Vita (dry): Grain-Free varieties
Primal (raw): Beef, Chicken, Duck, Lamb, Pheasant, Rabbit, Turkey & Sardine, Venison
Rachael Ray Nutrish Zero Grain (dry): grain-free varieties
Solid Gold (dry): Sun Dancer Grain and Gluten Free Adult, Barking at the Moon
Stella & Chewy’s (raw): Stella’s Super Beef, Chewy’s Chicken, Duck Duck Goose, Dandy Lamb, Surf & Turf, Phenomenal Pheasant, Absolutely Rabbit, Simply Venison, Tantalizing Turkey
Taste of the Wild (dry): High Prairie Puppy, Pacific Stream Puppy, High Prairie Canine, Pacific Stream Canine, Wetlands Canine, Sierra Mountain Canine
Taste of the Wild (canned): High Prairie Puppy, Pacific Stream Puppy, High Prairie Canine, Pacific Stream Canine, Wetlands Canine, Sierra Mountain Canine
The Real Meat Company (dry): Beef, Chicken, or Lamb
Victor (dry): Grain-free varieties
Wellness Complete Health Grain-Free (dry): Chicken, Lamb, or Whitefish varieties
Wellness Core Grain Free (dry): Original, Reduced Fat, Ocean, Puppy, Wild Game, Small Breed, Large Breed
Wellness Core Hearty Cuts (canned): Beef & Venison, Chicken & Turkey, Whitefish & Salmon, Turkey & Duck
Wellness Core Chunky Centers (canned): Any grain-free variety
Wellness Core 95% Meat (canned): Chicken with Broccoli, Turkey with Spinach, Chicken, Whitefish & Salmon with Sweet Potatoes, Beef with Carrots
Wellness Core Grain-Free (canned): All varieties
Wellness Petite Entrees (canned): Any grain-free variety
Wellness Simple Limited Ingredient Diet (dry or canned): Any grain-free variety
Whole Earth Farms (dry): Grain Free Healthy Puppy, Grain Free Recipe with Chicken & Turkey, Grain Free Recipe with Salmon & Whitefish, Grain Free Recipe with Turkey & Duck, Grain Free Small Breed Recipe with Salmon & Whitefish, Grain Free Recipe Healthy Weight, Grain Free Recipe Small Breed (Chicken)
Wild Calling! (dry): Western Plains Stampede
Wysong (dry): Starch-Free varieties
Zignature (dry or canned): All limited ingredient grain-free formulas.
Please note that only Evanger’s Dog and Cat Food Company offers products under Rabbinic Supervision. However, due to recent recalls involving the presence of the euthanasia drug Pentobarbital and horse DNA, we do not recommend Evanger’s products to our readers.
There are other Passover-friendly dog foods available in addition to this list. Look for grain-free options or those with rice as the only grain. While corn is an acceptable grain to feed during Passover, it is proven to be an unhealthy ingredient for dogs and should be avoided. The Passover-approved dog foods on this list would all make excellent choices for feeding your dog year round, too.
Questions & Answers About Feeding Your Dog During Passover:
Still not sure if your dog’s food is acceptable during Passover? Star-K provided answers to commonly asked questions.
Q. Are “grain-free” pet foods acceptable?
A. There has been a proliferation of “grain-free” dog and cat foods on the market. While we still recommend checking the ingredient panel on those foods, they are a good place to start your search for an appropriate food.
Q. Is it necessary to buy a new food bowl for your pet for Pesach?
A. No. However, the bowl used year-round should be thoroughly cleaned before Pesach.
Q. If I am going away for Pesach, what should I do with my fish?
A. Vacation blocks often have chometz. One can purchase a block without chometz or use an automatic fish feeder and fill it with non-chometz food.
Q. During a Pesach visit to the zoo, may one purchase the animal feed?
A. No. This feed is often chometz and should not be purchased or fed to the animals during Pesach.
Q. Must pet food with chometz be put away and sold before Pesach?
A. Yes.
Q. Can kitniyos, such as rice and beans, be fed to animals on Pesach?
A. Yes.
Q. What are some common chometz ingredients in pet food?
A. Wheat (cracked, flour, germ, gluten, ground, groats, middlings, starch), barley (cracked, flour), oats (flour, groats, hulled), pasta, rye, and brewer’s dried yeast. Any questionable ingredient should be reviewed by a competent rabbinic authority.
Q. What are some common ingredients which may be kitniyos but are permitted in pet food?
A. Beans, buckwheat, brewer’s rice, corn, grain sorghum (milo), millet, peanuts, peas, rice, sesame, soybeans, soy flour, and sunflower.
Q. Is pet food “with gravy” permitted?
A. Most often gravy contains chometz. Read the ingredient panel carefully.
Q. Are the vitamins or minerals in pet food chometz?
A. They may be chometz, but are batel (nullified) due to the small amount added.
We wish all of our Jewish friends a Happy (and Kosher) Passover.
