SquarePet Dog Food Review 2024: Recalls, Pros & Cons

Review Summary

Family-owned and operated in Austin, Texas, SquarePet is a relatively small pet food business. Started by the Atkins family drawing on their experience in the pet food industry and veterinary medicine, SquarePet pet food is designed to support the health of dogs and cats of all ages.

The veterinary formulas are designed to be easy to digest, boost the health of aging joints, and are low fat. All the recipes are made in the U.S.A. from natural ingredients.

This review contains everything that you need to know about the company, the owners, and the dogs that love this food the best. While it’s not one of the biggest contenders in the dog food market, it’s steadily becoming one of the favorites.

At a Glance: The Best SquarePet Dog Food Recipes

SquarePet Dog Food Reviewed

Backed by years of experience working for Ralston-Purina, Peter Atkins joined forces with his wife and sons to create nutritional dog food that’s high in meat content but low in carbohydrates. SquarePet also benefits from Atkins’s son’s experience as a qualified veterinarian.

The company is built on the family’s love for animals and desire to feed them the highest quality food that they can.

Who Makes SquarePet and Where Is It Produced?

Owned and operated by the Atkins family, SquarePet is a slowly growing pet food company that specializes in dog and cat food. It’s based in Austin, Texas, and all the formulas are made in the U.S.A. in facilities owned by SquarePet Nutrition. The recipes rely on ingredients that are high quality and natural and avoid artificial additives.

Which Type of Dog Is SquarePet Best Suited For?

SquarePet has four main product lines of several recipes each that suit a wide range of dogs, especially canines with food sensitivities. The brand offers grain-inclusive or grain-free diets with no legumes or limited ingredients with hydrolyzed protein.

Out of the four available product lines, the VFS formula has the most recipes to choose from. Each recipe is carefully tailored to meet the nutritional requirements of dogs. In particular, the recipes focus on dogs with sensitive skin and stomachs or that need an extra boost for their joint health. The veterinary formulas also don’t require a prescription like many other brands do.

Overall, SquarePet relies on natural ingredients without artificial additives and is suitable for dogs of all ages.

Which Type of Dog Might Do Better With a Different Brand?

While SquarePet does offer several recipes for supporting health issues, there aren’t any diets that are specialized for individual breeds. The lack of prescription, while it can be a positive, also doesn’t assure you that the veterinary recipe that you choose is suitable for your dog’s specific health needs.

Some owners have found that the kibble is too small for large dog breeds. Dogs with missing teeth or that have difficulty chewing might find the kibble too hard to eat and might prefer a softer, canned food option instead, like Purina ONE SmartBlend Tender Cuts in Gravy.

There are also no age-specific formulas. While older dogs do benefit from the joint-health and low-fat veterinary formulas, there aren’t any puppy recipes for growing dogs. Puppies might do better with a dedicated formula like the ORIJEN Amazing Grains Puppy Food.

Discussion of the Primary Ingredients (Good and Bad)

Due to it only being in business since 2018, SquarePet only has a few recipes. The main ingredients vary depending on the formula that you choose, but the ingredients are high quality and chosen for their nutritional value. All the recipes are also formulated by veterinarians, not just the specific veterinarian-formulated product line.

High Meat and Low Carbohydrates

In the recipes that do contain meat ingredients, the formulas are designed to be high in protein derived from the meat content. SquarePet also has a dedicated high-meat, low-fat product line that mimics raw diets in kibble form, so your dog can benefit from the nutrients without the downside of a short shelf-life.

Legume Free

These days, there’s a great deal of controversy surrounding legumes in dog food. The link with dilated cardiomyopathy that’s still being investigated by the FDA makes the inclusion of legumes as a source of carbohydrates worrying to many dog owners. SquarePet, however, keeps the level of included carbohydrates low in its recipes and doesn’t use legumes at all.

Potential Allergens

SquarePet does have limited ingredients, hydrolyzed protein diets, and grain-free options, but some recipes do contain potential allergens. Chicken is found in a few of the recipes, which can be a problem for some dogs with sensitivities. That said, it is clearly labeled when it is included in a recipe and isn’t hidden in the ingredient list.

Vegetarian Recipes

One of the most interesting formulas that SquarePet offers is the Square Egg range. These recipes are formulated to supply dogs with all the nutrition that they need minus the meat content. For dogs with food sensitivities to certain meats, the vegetarian formula may enable you to give your dog tasty food without losing out on nutrition, though you should check with your vet first to make sure this food will be suitable for your dog.

The Square Egg recipes rely on eggs and whey, along with superfoods like cranberries, kale, and blueberries, to provide a balanced, wholesome diet.

A Quick Look at SquarePet Dog Food

Recall History

Founded in January 2018, SquarePet isn’t one of the oldest pet food brands, but it’s still got several years under its belt. So far, it has held itself to a high-quality health-and-safety standard. The attention to detail and love of animals from the owners is shown through its impeccable history that’s free from recalls. As this brand becomes more popular, we hope that the attention to detail continues.

The 3 Best SquarePet Dog Food Recipes

There are various recipes formulated by SquarePet, and each has its pros and cons.

1. SquarePet VFS Skin & Digestive Support Dry Food

Formulated by veterinarians to support dogs with sensitivities to food, the SquarePet VFS Skin & Digestive Support dog food uses hydrolyzed protein to create a recipe that’s gentle on sensitive stomachs. Unlike many other hydrolyzed protein diets, it doesn’t require a prescription from a veterinarian.

Along with the limited ingredients, it contains omega oils for skin and coat health and antioxidants to support your dog’s immune system.

Despite being tailored to help with skin and digestive health, this recipe doesn’t include probiotics to aid your dog’s digestion. The kibble is also too small for large breeds to eat comfortably.

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2. SquarePet VFS Digestive Support Low Fat Formula Dry Food

SquarePet VFS Digestive Support Low Fat Formula has fish content to avoid common meat protein allergies and to remain low in fat for dogs that struggle to digest fatty foods. It contains fiber, probiotics, and prebiotics to ensure that it’s gentle on your dog’s digestive system. The fish content also provides natural omega oils to promote skin, coat, and joint health.

Some owners have mentioned that the kibble in this formula is a little hard, and older dogs or canines with missing teeth may struggle to chew it properly.

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3. SquarePet VFS PowerHound Red Meat High Protein Dry Dog Food

SquarePet’s VFS PowerHound Red Meat formula is a high-protein recipe in which 91% of the protein content comes from animal sources, namely beef and pork. This dog food is designed for adult dogs and puppies that require more protein and fewer carbohydrates in their diet. In fact, it contains only one primary carbohydrate: potatoes.

It is also made without grains, peas, legumes, and lentils, so you can give your dog a grain-free diet without worrying about the FDA investigation into peas and legumes in dog food being associated with canine dilated cardiomyopathy as well. However, note that it’s best to consult with a veterinarian about feeding your dog a grain-free, low-carb diet, because grains can actually be beneficial for many dogs.

And like other SquarePet formulas, this food is pricey and only comes in one bag size, so you’ll be buying it frequently if you have a large breed dog.

What Other Users Are Saying

Conclusion

Despite being a relatively new pet food company, SquarePet is one of our favorite food brands for dogs. Family-owned and operated in Texas, the brand uses natural ingredients and veterinarian-formulated recipes to keep dogs healthy. Its most popular product line is the VFS dog food line, which uses a careful selection of ingredients to help dogs with sensitive stomachs and joint issues.

We gave SquarePet a rating of 4.5 stars due to its lack of recall history and the quality of the ingredients and the final product. Hopefully, this guide answered your questions about SquarePet dog food!