Everything You Need To Know About American Journey Dog Food
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There is an overwhelming selection when it comes to choosing the right food for your canine friend. With such a vast array of brands, all claiming to be the best, making a decision can be frustrating. American Journey dog food is one of the best on the market.
We all want to keep our pets healthy, active, and safe throughout their lives. Our dogs rely on us! The most important decision you will face is deciding which kind of food is best for your best friend.
American Journey offers everything that your dog needs, from its beneficial ingredients to the top quality that you can trust. The brand focuses on providing high nutritious and energy-boosting food for dogs to fuel their everyday activities.
Still not convinced? After all, American Journey isn't the only dog food in town. Who makes it anyway?
Who Makes American Journey Dog Food?
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Before you choose any brand of dog food, it's good to know where the brand comes from.
Although there is limited information on who manufacturers American Journey products, all ingredients of the brand are entirely natural and sourced from within the United States and Canada.
American Journey doesn't have a designated website. It was initially exclusively distributed by Chewy.com, one of the most popular and reliable pet product sites today.
Even though PetSmart acquired Chewy in May 2017, the company continues to operate mainly as an independent subsidiary. The company is known for its 24-hour excellent customer service and sells only the highest quality products for your pets.
American Journey hasn’t changed anything about its recipe since it was purchased. It continues to provide all the essential natural ingredients that your dog needs.
At this time, PetSmart is the only local retail store that carries the American Journey brand. However, if it’s not available there, both PetSmart and Chewy can have your dog food conveniently delivered to your doorstep.
Choosing What's Right For Your Dog
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Feeding your dog the right natural ingredients is essential to improve your dog's immune system. It will also keep their digestive system in good health, and keep their coat shiny and sleek.
A named animal protein should be at the top of the ingredients list when looking for the best dog food. Protein can come from a variety of sources such as chicken, beef, salmon, duck, and many more.
Fats and oils are also necessary when it comes to your dog's health. The highest quality dog food will offer omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These fatty acids and oils provide additional natural flavor, energy, and help your dog keep a shiny, healthy coat.
While meats and fats may make up the majority of their diet, dogs are not strictly carnivores. Your canine friend requires nutrients from other sources such as grains and fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables.
These non-meat ingredients are a valuable source of essential fiber, vitamins, and minerals that every dog needs. They also contain beneficial enzymes and antioxidants.
Grains are often used in dog food to provide carbohydrates which is a good source of energy for active dogs. However, it is common for dogs to be allergic to sugars in many grains. Some brands, including American Journey dog food, offer many grain-free blends as a safe and natural alternative.
Natural preservatives are also essential to help your dog's food stay fresh and prevent it from spoiling. However, you'll want to stay away from products that use artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Your dog doesn't care what color their food is, and these un-natural additives can be harmful and cause problems.
The Key Features Of American Journey Dog Food
American Journey dog food is a "complete and balanced" brand, which is more than just a catchy advertisement slogan. Strictly enforced by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), all products of the brand meet the required nutrient amounts to keep your dog healthy.
Image source: Chewy
American Journey Uses Natural Ingredients
The brand contains all-natural meats, providing dogs with a considerable quantity of abundant protein without any harmful by-products. Some of these meats include beef, chicken, duck, venison, lamb, salmon, and turkey. All of which are healthy and good for your dog.
Besides omitting the use of by-products in its food, American Journey also avoids using artificial flavors, colors, and additives. Instead, tocopherols are a common source of vitamin E and used as a natural preservative, keeping food fresh and long-lasting.
Several of the brand's blends contain natural fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, carrots, and sweet potatoes. It might also surprise you to learn that the sweet potatoes are a good source of dietary starch and fiber.
American Journey dog food sometimes also includes whole peas and barley which are extremely rich in additional natural fibers. Peas also provide a considerable amount of extra protein while the barley is another healthy carbohydrate.
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Other ingredients of interest include alfalfa and flaxseed, which are two dietary supplements that are commonly used in dog food. These added greens can provide additional excellent health benefits and nutrients including the Omega fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals.
Although most of American Journey products are grain-free, some blends offer brown rice for pet owners who prefer to have grain included. Brown rice is a good alternative because it is gluten-free, rich in fiber, and easy for your dog to digest.
A Wide Selection Of Dry And Canned Foods
American Journey dry food comes in a wide range of over 19 different blends, all including the best natural ingredients. Each recipe is blended for all stages of your dog's life except for the special puppy blends.
Whole meats provide your dog with high protein, along with fruits and vegetables for all the necessary vitamins and minerals.
The brand's kibble contains no corn, wheat, or soy, and makes use of whole peas which boost the protein percentage. As stated above, the brand does include two different kinds of grain-free diets with a line of foods made with rice.
American Journey products are moderately priced compared to other premium dog foods. You can expect to find their dry recipes anywhere from an affordable $ to $ depending on the size of the bag.
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American Journey dog food also presents a variety of over 10 different blends of canned wet food for your dog. The canned mixes share many of the positive traits of their dry counterparts.
Wet food recipes are straightforward and contain the same essential ingredients, like whole meats, fruits, and vegetables. The meats provide the bulk of the protein and fat while the fruits and vegetables offer several valuable vitamins and minerals.
Wet formulas may also include potatoes, whole peas, and sometimes grains for those who want grains in their dog's diet.
Canned wet food is undoubtedly more expensive than dry kibble. However, American Journey offers it at an affordable average price range between $16 to $20.
Availability And Where To Buy American Journey Products
As stated earlier, the only real drawback of choosing American Journey dog food is its availability or lack thereof. The brand continues to remain exclusive to Chewy and PetSmart. So if you want to get the food locally, you must visit a PetSmart pet supply store.
However, Chewy offers some considerable discounts online which can make American Journey dog food extremely affordable. These discounts can also combine with other discounts such as free delivery and recurring monthly shipping options.
For this reason, American Journey is popular among owners who want the best for their dog, while on a budget.
It is clearly reflected in the 4.7 and above out of 5-star ratings the brand has on nearly all its products at Chewy and PetSmart across both wet and dry varieties.
Image source: pixabay.com
How American Journey Dog Food Compares To Other Brands
If you’re against Chewy's merger with PetSmart and prefer an independent brand, there are still great alternatives out there.
Brands such as BlUE Buffalo, Merrick, and Taste of the Wild all use natural ingredients and make reasonable substitutes. However, there are some slight differences you might notice.
To accurately compare the alternative brands to American Journey, let’s have a look below:
BLUE Buffalo wilderness dog food
[amazon box=”B00YFZ7BDA”]
BLUE Buffalo is a well-known premium brand of dog food Inspired and named after the founder’s Airedale terrier Blue. The brand has an excellent reputation, making it one of the best alternative natural food brands.
BLUE Buffalo offers more variety than American Journey and is available at most retail and online pet supply stores.
Both premium brands seem to have similar, if not the same, natural protein levels. Even though they use the same natural ingredients, some of them may be controversial.
Ingredients such as pea protein and tomato pomace are present in both brands. They also both have canola oil but American Journey dog food uses a mixture of tocopherols, preserving its natural qualities.
With all that said, it's time to look at the recall history. Compared to American Journey's clean record, BLUE Buffalo has been recalled nine times for different reasons. However, the company hasn’t had any issues in the last couple of years.
If we consider this, then American Journey dog food would seem safer than BLUE Buffalo.
When it comes to the price, BLUE Buffalo is also a little more expensive than American Journey. You can expect to pay an average price range of $ to $ for dry blends. However, the price varies on the amount and size of the bag.
This higher price difference is also true for the brand’s canned [amazon link=”B00ZDJ7TIY” title=”wet food”], which is around $ to $. In all, BLUE Buffalo is an excellent but slightly more expensive alternative to American Journey dog food. The love for the brand is apparent with its rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars on [amazon link=”B00YFZ7BDA” title=”Amazon”] for the dry food and 4.5 out of 5 stars for the canned choice.
Merrick grain-free dog food
[amazon box=”B00C3CB61K”]
The Merrick grain-free product line offers a variety of dog food blends around the same amount as American Journey.
Both Merrick and American Journey are close when it comes to the ingredients they use. The brands use high-quality whole meats, fruits, and vegetables.
American Journey dry contains relatively higher amounts of fiber than Merrick, while Merrick offers a reasonably small increase in fats. Although this difference is minor, it's still notable. For wet dog food, both provide roughly the same amount of fiber with American Journey offering higher fats.
Looking at the history of the brand, Merrick has been recalled six different times, five of those for salmonella. The last case of salmonella happened in 2011, and the company had only one additional recall in 2018.
Once again, American Journey dog food appears safer, but it's hard not to with no recall history to compare.
With pricing, Merrick is much higher than American Journey as well. Expect to pay an average of $ to $ for the dry food blends. Keep in mind that the actual price that you'll pay depends on the amount.
The same goes for Merrick canned [amazon link=”B00JFT6JK2″ title=”wet food”] which is available between $ to $.
If the cost hasn’t turned you away, Merrick is a well-respected brand and a healthy choice for your dog. It is very similar to American Journey and offers the same nutritional benefits. So it’s no surprise that this great brand of dog food was awarded a rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars on [amazon link=”B00C3CB61K” title=”Amazon”] for dry and 3.9 out of 5 stars for the wet variety.
Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain dog food
[amazon box=”B00C3CB61K”]
When looking for an independent dog food brand, Taste of the Wild is an excellent alternative. A family-owned brand, their nutritionists produce each formula to fulfill all your dog's nutritional needs.
Many pet owners like the philosophy behind the brand's use of only natural ingredients that dogs would eat in the wild.
All Taste of the Wild formulas are rich in nutrition with whole meats, fruits, and vegetables. Similar to other brands on the list, the brand uses only natural ingredients and stays away from harmful additives.
The brand has been available for several years and has only experienced one recall. Although any recall is not ideal, this is a fairly good record.
The availability of the brand is similar to American Journey and is limited at most local stores. Although most pet supply stores do not carry the brand, you can find it at Petco and many online sites.
Taste of the Wild dry formula comes out slightly higher priced with an average between $ to $. However, expect the price to vary depending on the amount and size of the bag.
When it comes to the brand’s [amazon link=”B003IRIEEG” title=”wet food”], you should expect to pay anywhere from $ to $. Again, making Taste of the Wild higher than American Journey. With that said, Taste of the Wild is an excellent alternative, and it shows with its impressive 4.3 out of 5-star rating on [amazon link=”B00C3CB61K” title=”Amazon”] for dry and 4.0 out of 5 stars for the wet.
Final Thoughts on American Journey Dog Food
When compared to other premium dog food, American journey is a pretty decent brand with an above-average demand. This dog food is popular for a reason!
American Journey dog food provides all the essentials your dog needs at an affordable price.
Image source: Pexels
As if that wasn't enough,
To this date, the brand has a clean record of no recall incidents of their products. This fact says a lot about the quality and care the brand takes to ensure the safety of your beloved pet.
Remember, all breeds are different, and their requirements vary from one another. When considering whether or not American Journey dog food is right for your dog, there are only two things that really matter:
Does your dog like it and Is the food nutritious?
What do you and your canine friend think of American Journey dog food? Please let us know in the comments below!
