Under the spotlight in today's article is 4health dog food, a product owned by Tractor Supply Company, which just happens to have been founded all the way back in 1938.
Now you might be asking yourself "Hey, what does Tractor in the name have anything to do with dog food?". Well, Tractor Supply Company started out in the tractor parts industry!
Since then, they have dramatically grown out the industries they operate in, where they now operate in spaces such as agriculture, home improvement and as of 2010, the pet food industry.
The Tractor Supply Company tries to emphasize as much as possible in their advertisements that 4 Health Dog Food is one of the more affordable premium pet foods available out in the market (with food choices available for your dog as well as for your cat, in both dry food options as well as wet food options). While you're receiving the same value you would when you pay top dollar for other, more expensive pet food brands.
Tractor Supply Company claims that you'll be paying 20% less when you go with their dog food than if you were to go with other, competing dog food brands, and they use this claim as a cornerstone in their marketing and branding.
However, just how true is that in practical terms? How much more value will you be getting out of this dog food that's having you pay less than if you were to go with a different dog food manufacturer and brand altogether and pay a bit more?
This is what we're going to be discussing in this article today. Take a look at our 4health dog food reviews, recalls, and insight.
Only Available In Store
Since 4Health Dog Food is only available in store, this may not be feasible for you if you were looking for something you can grab online for a fraction of the time.
If that's what you were looking for, here are what we think are the 5 best alternative dog food brands you can go with that are available on Amazon, since 4Health dog food is not.
Top 5 4health Dog Food Alternatives You Can Buy Online (Updated For 2023)
Top Pick: Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food, High Prairie Canine Formula
Pick #2: Wellness CORE Natural Grain Free Dry Dog Food
Pick #3: Blue Buffalo Wilderness Grain Free Dry Dog
Pick #4: Orijen Adult Dog Food
Pick #5: Diamond Naturals Dry Food For Adult Dogs
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*Note: The links in the table above, as well as several links in the remainder of the article below, will take you to over to Amazon.com or Chewy.com where you can find out more information about the products, such as current prices and customer reviews.
Who Makes 4Health Dog Food?
4Health dog food is a private label brand owned by the Tractor Supply Company and manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods, Inc.
TSC, with headquarters in Brentwood, Tennessee, is a family owned business that operates in the pet food industry, with manufacturing plants located and operating in the following states:
- Meta, Missouri
- Lathrop, California
- Gaston, South Carolina
Diamond Pet Foods was founded in the year 1970, and is headquartered in Meta, Missouri.
A Quick Look At 4Health Dog Food
Considering that 4 Health Dog Food is a private label brand for Tractor Supply Company and it's not sold by online retailers the way other competitor dog food brands are, it can be a bit difficult for you to gather enough information about 4Health dog food to make an informed buying decision.
However, we've done our best to scour Tractor Supply Company's official website as well as many other sources to help you make the best informed buying decision you can when it comes to 4Health and let you know everything you have to know about it.
Here are the products 4Health Dog Food has available as of this writing:
Dry Dog Foods:
- Grain Free Whitefish & Potato Formula For Adult Dogs
- Grain Free Beef & Potato Formula For Adult Dogs
- Grain Free Turkey & Potato Formula For Adult Dogs
- Salmon & Potato Formula For Adult Dogs
- Large Breed Formula For Adult Dogs
- Chicken & Rice Formula For Adult Dogs
- Puppy Formula
- Lamb & Rice Formula For Adult Dogs
- Mature Adult Formula
- Performance Formula
- Small Bites Formula For Adult Dogs
- Healthy Weight Formula For Adult Dogs
- 4health Grain Free Pork & Potato Dog Food
- 4health Grain Free Duck & Potato Dog Food
- 4health Healthy Weight Dog Food
- 4health Grain Free Turkey & Potato Dog Food
- 4health Grain Free Whitefish
Canned Dog Foods:
- Beef & Vegetable Stew
- Salmon & Potato
- Chicken & Vegetable Stew
- Chicken & Rice Formula
- Lamb & Rice Formula
- Turkey & Sweet Potato Stew
On their website, Tractor Supply Company’s state that their 4Health brand meets all the criteria that other premium dog food brands have checked: having fresh meat as the first ingredient on the list, providing the optimal macro-nutrient mix of protein, fat and carbohydrates for different dogs in different life stages (29%, 17% and 46% respectively), not having any artificial additives or preservatives and being free from useless filler such as wheat, soy and corn.
Also, one of the things 4Health takes pride in most is their grain-free dog food varieties, as they believe that grain free diets resemble the closest diet any dog should be eating, as that's how they were born to eat in the wild.
Tractor Supply Company state on their section about 4Health grain free dog food on their website that canines don't have the necessary enzymes to properly digest grains, which ultimately leads to a whole host of digestive problems and allergies in those that eat these grains.
Tractor Supply Company state that if you stick to a grain-free diet with your dog, you'll notice the health benefits they will start to enjoy in no time, as well as save up on costs due to the fact that your dog won't be needing to eat as much food as when they were eating options that contained useless grains.
However, Tractor Supply Company warn that when transitioning your dog to eating 4health grain free dog food, you should do so slowly and gradually.
This is because if your pup transitions from eating a dog food that contains grains to eating a grain-free diet all of a sudden, then their digestive systems won't be able to properly cope with the sudden change, and problems such as loose stool and/or diarrhea will start to pop up.
However, many pet owners out there believe that the manufacturer of 4Health dog food, Diamond Pet Foods, doesn't exactly have the best of reputations when it comes to manufacturing dog food.
Many people claim that the ingredients they import from other countries are of lower quality than the industry standard set by other premium brands out there.
Watch this video to learn more about grain free food compared to regular dog food to know which is the best option for your canine!
4health Chicken and Rice Adult Dry Dog Food Review
In this section, we'll be talking about the Four Health dog food: Chicken and Rice Adult formula option in particular.
First off, let's start by going over the list of ingredients this dog food has to offer.
Ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, millet, brewers rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), dried plain beet pulp, natural chicken flavor, flaxseed, fish meal, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, glucosamine hydrochloride, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, Yucca schidigera extract, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, chondroitin sulfate, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid
Given that the #1 ingredient on the list of this food is chicken, this is both a good and a "not-so-good" thing.
It's good because chicken is one of the best sources of protein you can find in dog food products, and it's not-so-good because raw chicken is made up of around 80% water and loses most of its weight after cooking because the water will be long gone by then.
However, this is made up for by the fact that the #2 ingredient on the list is chicken meal, given the fact that chicken meal contains about 300% more protein than fresh, raw chicken that occupies the #1 spot on the ingredients list.
This food also contains some decent sources of essential fatty acids, such as chicken fat (an excellent source of Omega-6 essential fatty acids because of its high concentration of linoleic acid) and flaxseed (an excellent source of Omega-3 essential fatty acids).
Some controversial ingredients are involved, such as:
- Barley, seeing as it's a grain that arguably barely benefits canines from a nutritional standpoint.
- Brewers rice, which is also a grain known to cause some allergies in certain animals and offers little nutritional value to dogs as well
- Beet pulp, which always stirs some controversy when it's included in pet food because of its widespread reputation as being nothing but useless filler. However, beet pulp isn't included in large amounts in this dog food, and if included in small amounts we believe it can actually be a bit beneficial to your furry friend.
4health Food Recalls
If you're reading this section for the first time, please note that we're always actively monitoring for any potential future recalls that 4 Health dog food might go through, in which case we will definitely come back and edit this section as soon as that happens.
For now, here's a list of the recalls 4Health has encountered ever since it first hit the market.
2012
Back in 2012, Diamond Pet Foods recalled all 4Health dry pet food brands that were manufactured in its facility in Gaston, South Carolina due to the possibility of salmonella contamination.
2013
In 2013, the 4health All Life Stages Cat Formula (5 lbs and 18 lbs bags with the product dode #NGF0802) were recalled due to the discovery that these cat foods had way lower levels of thiamine than required in cat food.
Where Can I Buy 4Health Puppy Food And Dog Food?
Seeing as 4Health dog food is a private label brand for Tractor Supply Company, the only way you can get your hands on a bag for your pup is from one of their own stores.
Since being next door to a Tractor Supply retail store isn't exactly a reality for everyone out there, and not everyone prefers to shop from the manufacturer's website as over their favorite retailer's online website, we know this answer isn't suitable for everyone.
And even if it were so, not everyone likes to shop from local retail stores. Especially when it comes to dog food, buying from places like Amazon.com is much more favorable for a lot of people out there.
If that doesn't fit your profile, then you're more than able to visit TSC's website and order one of 4Health dog foods over there, or visit one of their local stores and get your hands on a bag from there. Take a look at this store locator from their website for some help.
However, if you'd prefer to do your business from somewhere like Amazon.com (we always like to get all our pet food from there), then you're much better off going with an option like Taste Of The Wild.
Again, take a look at our top 5 choices for the best alternative dog food brands you can go with if you would prefer doing business on Amazon rather than having to buy 4Health Dog Food in one of their exclusive stores.
Conclusion
All in all, we'd say that 4Health dog food is a good choice to go with, although not the best option you could go with in our opinion.
However, for some of you reading this and no matter what we say about 4Health dog food, you'll stick to your beliefs that it's a low-quality dog food because you can't get yourself to trust Diamond Pet Foods given their not-so-healthy reputation.
Im surprised you did not include in your article the history of Diamond Pet Foods.
i think including their past history with pet food should have been included so the consumer
can have the complete picture of this company. Diamond is the company making and processing
the food.
im feeding my dog 4health salmon oceanfish and potato dry dog food and she is real sick she might not get better
please leave a follow up on your dogs outcome and if you or your vet feels that this food is to blame. I am just another pet owner that feeds 4health to his best friend. Hoping your dog gets to feeling better..
Ours have been real sick on it too.
My dogs are on 4Health grain free. They are healthy but extremely gassy.
We tried the lamb and rice formula for our chocolate lab and the gas was horrible. All of the time and would clear the room. I felt bad because he looked so sad. He is 5 and ate his food very quickly. We switched to the whitefish and potato adult formula and he has normal gas. His coat and skin are awesome and overall very healthy. He acts like a puppy again and his skin allergies are gone!!! Bottom line. It’s a great brand but try one that works best for your furry friend.
Mine are extremely gassy
We started our 16 month old Great Pyrenees on 4Health Turkey for large breed dogs after he started showing signs of a grain allergy…itchy scaly skin, some loss of hair and a gradual weight loss. Oh, and lets not forget the loose stools. After lots of research and finding out what was readily available in our area, I decided to go with 4Health and I’m glad I did.
Oliver was put on 4Health on 1/04/17 and as of today, 1/23/17 I can honestly say that all of the issues he was having have cleared up. Oliver’s skin is a soft pink again and there is absolutely no flaking what-so-ever…his coat is in good condition, he’s actually put on some weight and his stools are now firm. I’m so glad that he is no longer in discomfort from all of the itchiness and scratching that led to some very irritated and raw skin.
Like I said above, I’m glad I found 4Health for Oliver…now he’s one happy pup and at our recent vet appointment, our vet says he’s healthy and looks great.
At one time in their furry lives all my girls (3) were fed a low end dog food. I was so utterly ignorant of the differences in quality between brands. I discovered my error when I began researching why my beautiful little Yorkie/Pom mix was exhibiting signs of what might be a grain allergy. I found to my dismay that they really didn’t like the food. They preferred one of the low end brands instead.
After switching back and forth and trying some other brands I came back to 4health, which I guess they just had to get used to because they seem to like it fine now.
There is a site that gives a grade from 1-5 for not only each brand of dog food, but also different products within that brand. Some of 4health’s products score as low as 3 I believe or at least 3.5 while others score a perfect 5. I tend to go with the latter.
Contrary to what this article states, I find 4health to be substantially lower in cost than “Taste of the Wild” with many of the products going at .99 a can. Not bad for a premium dog food.
My Service Dog ( British Lab ) has been on 4 Health salmon & Potato her whole life — Healthy and shine like a new dime
My dog is on 4health dog food for wt loss
She is very constipated. What do you suggest
Try some puree pumpkin. Works great for my pit bull. Just mix with her food.
From a quick internet search, I found that Taste of the Wild is also made by Diamond Pet Foods.
Mix a can of puree pumpkin in her food. Works great for my pit bull. You could start with a small amount. My vet recommend this.
I know this is an old post, but I wanted to let people know that you should only add a tablespoon of canned pumpkin (make sure it’s not pie filling) to your dogs food…not an entire can.
Too much pumpkin can be toxic to dogs because if its high vitamin A content! As Kathie suggested, keep the amount small. I prefer to use sweet potatoes. The dogs love it and it’s safe and healthy, as long as it’s not raw.
YES ! USE A TEASPOON OF CANNED PUMPKIN (not pie filling) MIXED W/FOOD 3 X’S A DAY! MY GOLDEN DOODLE & MIN POODLE LOVES IT! I BUY A CASE ON LINE -(NUMMY TUM-TUM), 100% ORGANIC -NO ADDITIVES PUMPKIN PET FOOD SUPPLEMENT FOR DOGS AND CATS (FREE SHIPPING) AND FREEZE ONE 15OZ CAN IN FOUR DIFFERENT ZIP LOCK BAGS. WORKS GREAT!!
And from a not so quick research I found some of the Grain Free brown bags are made by Ainsworth- Duck, Beef and Whitefish I think.
Let me set the record straight. I’ve had both my dogs, which are beagle mixes & highly susceptible to allergies, on 4health Healthy Weight dry dog food for way over 7 yrs. now. I’ve had no problem with either allergies or constipation issues what so ever. Furthermore, if you compare 4Health to Brands like Science Diet, Ukanuba , Purina & others, 4Health Brands the ingredients meet or exceed the nutritional & quality standards of these foods, at a discount of at least 20-30%.
1 Quick points, then I’ll get off my soap box, if you research most of the pet food companies have had recalls at 1 time or another, maybe I’ve I’m the exception but have had Great results with 4Health Brand.
Yes. You are correct. 2 things I want to add. I am feeding my 11 week old 4health chicken and rice grain free dry, and adding 4 health can. I took her to the vet and asked if she knew anything about 4 health. She said that a lot of her patients are fed 4health and do well on it. Also. It’s amazing that when I go into tractor supply to buy the food. Someone else is there buying it as well. It has to be very popular with anyone with a TS in their area.
You can purchase 4health from TS website and either have it delivered to your house, minimum of $50 for free shipping, or to the store for pickup, free shipping. Their online and store reps are very pleasant and go to great lengths to make sure you are satisfied. I feed a mixture of grain free dry and canned, my dogs and cat are doing amazing on 4health. I am very pleased!
We have a chocolate lab that used to scratch and chew himself BALD in some places around the base of his tail, until we tried 4Health for Sensitive Skin! It hasn’t cured his itching entirely, but his condition was SEVERE. It has now improved TREMENDOUSLY!!!
His scratching and chewing has decreased a LOT, he is able to sleep peacefully again, and about 90% of his fur has grown back, thanks to this product, and we will never feed him anything else again!
I have been feeding 4 health weight management to 2 of my 3 dogs. One of my dogs is diabetic and he gets different food that I make just for him. Today my other 2 are sick, throwing up all night and diarrhea. My big girl gets the 4 health dry and canned weight management where as the other little dog just gets the canned weight management. So I’m concluding it’s the canned that has caused it because they are both sick and the diabetic dog that gets homemade food is not. I’m not sure what to do now, I’ve been using this weight management food since it came out. It’s the newer weight management in the white bag/label. Everyone is going to get home cooked food today with some pumpkin added to see if that calm things down but I’m thinking I should call the company to let them know this has happened. I’m not sure if there is someone else I should report this to.
I am very big on researching the 5 star dog foods, the recalls and the in between – My Shepard has very bad allergies, before that I always bought grain free – Blue Buffalo, Merrick and Diamond were all my previous brands – then the recall notices started coming – 1 by 1 I had to move on – I had my Shepard, Black Mouth Cur on Acana Beef, Pork and Lamb – I was very happy – When we got our Yorkie I needed something they could all eat as the Yorkie and Cur were stealing each others food – I went to Orijen Chicken, Turkey and Fish – My Shepard broke out in sores all over her body – I went to 4Health only because my husband loves their stores and they are new near us. He convinced me to go and talk to one of the girls and I said o.k. and went with the beef and potato – I was big on fruits and veggies – this is just beef, potato, vitamins, minerals omegas, peas, probiotics – So far so good for my Shepard – I still after 3 vets, 4 1/2 years know if she has food, environmental or staph infections. Thousands and Thousands of Dollars and no answers – I pray that because this is limited ingredients in a way it may help her – The other 2 don’t have any problems at all. Please if anyone has anything to add please let me know Thanks
4heath sensitive skin. My vet said hydronized salmon is best for alergies
Get her thyroid levels checked. All of the symptoms you describe sound like she has low thyroid. Skin problems you think are allergies, persistent ear infections, sometimes a musty odor, weight fluctuations…all indicate low thyroid. We feed 4Health grain free, large breed, Turkey and our Two Newfoundlands thrive on it. One of our Newfies had all the symptoms You described and we had his thyroid checked and he was low. His food had nothing to do with it. Now he is on thyroid medication and each and every problem he had is gone. Just a suggestion.
Try some probiotic 1x a day. You can purchase thru your vet.
Have been feeding 4 Health Grain Free Turkey and Potato for years with multiple dogs. In November I started a new bag and found red n green kibble that wasn’t in there before. I called the TSC customer service line and some sarcastic lady said this variety was manufactured by Ainsworth Pet Nutrition. Suggested I speak with them so they could “spread some sunshine and rainbows” about my situation. Called number given, only went to voicemail. In meantime, bought another bag same variety, this kibble is completely different in appearance and smell. Now both my dogs have diarrhea. About to give up on this brand and look for something they can tolerate and not switch products from bag to bag. I have no doubt it’s from this food, it’s all they get.
I purchased your 4 Health dog food. Grain free. Within 4-5 days all my dogs had diarrhea. Diarrhea to the point I had to take all 4 dogs to the vet. I am going to try and return the dog food because of this. Not only was the dog food somewhat expensive, the vet bill was over $250.00. so, you see I am the loser here with this food.
When one of my dogs was diagnosed with canine diabetes, I did extensive research on dog foods and learned a great deal. In addition to listening to the recommendations from my Vet, I had to make a decision which dog food was best for all my dogs needs. Buying one brand for my Scotty with diabetes and another brand for my other three dogs ( Great Pyrenees, German Shepard, Cocker Spaniel and trusty JRT just wasn’t working for me. I was putting down & picking up the expensive diabetic brand and putting down the regular brand for five dogs several times a day and/or separating them them to eat. Difficult it was since I fill each dogs bowl early morning before I go to work. Dunkin, the Scotty with diabetes didn’t like any of the very expensive diabetic brands. My research led me to find a dog food all of my dogs can eat that is suitable for each dogs individual needs. Yes, I feed 4 Health to my dogs. They are happy & healthy and so am I knowing that this brand rates 4-5 stars depending on variety from the unbiased opinions of “The Dog Food Advisory.” Nutrition is key importance to my animals. I have horses, cats, dogs, guinea pigs and bunnies. I don’t feed any low quality ingredient foods. I have senior horses ages 23 & 26, senior cats that I’ve bottle fed ages 15-20, pet rabbits & guinea pigs that live well beyond the expected life range. My dogs are my closest companions. My JRT just passed at age 17.
In conclusion, 4 Health is a great choice for all dogs nutritional needs. They do provide free shipping on online purchases. I’m fortunate to live close to a store. They have put brands I purchase monthly in stock at my request so I don’t have to special order. The employees care about what is important to me. They know my truck and how I like the monthly animal feed haul loaded. I used to purchase from independently owned stores, but their prices, selection and customer service lacked my expectations.
Don’t take my word, check out all the dog food brands and variety on The Dog Food Advisory website and read what’s in the food your dogs eat.
Be blessed with best friends in 2018.
I have had my 5 dogs varying sizes and breeds on 4health for 5 years with no issues. For the last month they have all had on and off bouts of diahrrea and don’t want to eat the food. I did notice the last few bags of the dry weight management food has a different smell. I have just switched them to Earthborn Hollistic brand. Let’s see what happens.
I have four females, three different breeds, and they all love 4 Health’s grain free line. Delilah, our E Bulldog has little gas, and her coat is beautiful. I recommend it to my breeder friends when they compliment her, but again, they were skeptical. I don’t believe it’s necessarily for all dogs, but luckily w we’ve not had any issues. Best of luck. It’s so hard to find a quality dogfood without paying out the yin yang. I did it before I went with 4 Health and still didn’t get the results I do now. Smh.
I switched my dogs to 4health and they love it. No problems at all but they do have more energy.
I found a website been reading the reviews! Consumeraffairs.com I can not believe this stuff is still on the shelves… here is bits of what I’ve read:
Original review: Sept. 30, 2019
We recently switched our three dogs to 4Health dog food. They all began vomiting within a week. Two of them recovered but one did not. He continued vomiting white foam that eventually turned to pure blood. Shortly after that he began diarrhea that was pure liquid blood like a water faucet.
* Sept. 8, 2019
After reading everyone’s review, I am dumbfounded. My dog Gracie was switched to 4H and within a week I noticed she was vomiting constantly and pooping diarrhea at night and in the house. She couldn’t hold it. She was a 14 year old miniature schnauzer, and she refused to eat anymore. I took her to the vet and long story short she was in kidney failure. We tried desperately to save her, I spent thousands on hospitalization and iv treatments to get her back. She ended up passing away after a two week battle to live. I am so brokenhearted right now, if I had only read these reviews first! It’s the exact same as others are describing. I was feeding her the canned 4Health dog food in the grain free variety. This deserves a class action suit. My poor baby Gracie, gone from me because she was too old to fight through whatever poison is in this food!
* review: July 13, 2019
We switched to 4health after an employee at TS suggested we try it because it was made by Diamond. Our dogs were on Diamond Naturals before and this is suppose to be the same food. After good night through part of a bag all 3 dogs have started panting and one started having bloody stools. Then we started finding vomit. After a couple of days all 3 don’t want to eat.
And on and on and on!!!
Jamie,
I checked out the reviews and saw the ones you mentioned. I wish there would have been more responses/reviews (more than just the 21 reviews) but definitely shows there are folks having significant issues with 4Health food. I’ll have to do some more research into this & check any other recent recalls and update the article accordingly. Thanks for sharing! Just curious have you tried 4Health personally? or just saw the reviews?