Updated for 2021
I have been 100% cruelty-free for the last three years, and if you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know I recently adopted a puppy! Mila is the first dog I have ever owned by myself, which was definitely a life adjustment for me. But, now that I’ve had her for a few months, I have started to research about cruelty-free products for pets. They have to exist, just like for us, right? Fortunately, they do! This guide will share all of the 100% cruelty-free brands your pet can enjoy!
Pet products have been a controversial topic in the past when it comes to animal testing. Since our pets use it, you would think pet products need to be tested on animals to be marked safe for animals. However, just because animal testing and pet products both involve animals, it does not need to be tested on animals. The truth is… nothing HAS to be tested on animals, not even pet products.
When pet products are tested on animals, it is similar to cosmetic testing – with laboratory animals. The laboratory animals are treated poorly and confined in small cages. They are forced to ingest food, and chemicals are also forcefully rubbed on them and ingested.
In this post, I dive deeper into what cruelty-free pet product options there are for food, pet care, and more. I also note which brands to avoid.
Food
The AAFCO highly regulates pet food and requires a nutritional assessment as well as the food being fed to live animals, which is commonly called a feeding trial. During a traditional feeding trial, the laboratory animals get sick, thrown around, and some end up dead. However, there is a such thing as humane feeding trials that are much safer for the animals and don’t involve any cruelty. Some companies choose not to conduct their feeding trials on laboratory animals and they provide cruelty-free pet food options.
To comply with AAFCO regulations, these alternative trials must adhere to the following rules:
- The trial must be conducted on at least 8 healthy adult dogs (at least 1 year old)
- The dogs must only eat the trial food, and their daily food consumption must be recorded
- The dogs’ weight must be tracked weekly, and they must undergo blood tests throughout the trial
- The trial must run for a minimum 26 weeks
Since these trials are not performed on laboratory animals, they do not involve animal testing. The pets don’t undergo any strenuous lifestyle changes with this type of testing, so alternative trials are humane and cruelty-free. Some companies’ employees will also volunteer their own pets for feeding trials, much like how some cruelty-free cosmetic companies get human volunteers to test product.
Cruelty-Free Pet Food and Treat Options
Below is a list of pet food brands that do not use laboratory animals for feeding trials. These companies are cruelty-free. I have also noted which brands are vegan. Please note – unlike dogs, cats cannot survive on a vegan diet. Cats require taurine, which is only found in meat products. If you feed your cat a vegan diet, they may need a taurine supplement to maintain their health.
- Almo Nature
- Artemis Pet Food
- Azmira Holistic Animal Care
- Bravo Raw Diet
- Burns
- CaniSource
- Dingonatura
- Dr. Harvey’s
- Fish4Dogs
- Flint River Ranch (Vegan)
- Halo, Purely For Pets (Vegan)
- Happy Dog Food
- Newman’s Own Organics
- Nutri-Vet
- Oma’s Pride
- Pet Chef Express
- Pet Guard
- Primal Pet Food
- Sojourner Farms
- Solid Gold
- Supreme Source Pet Food
- The Honest Kitchen
- Timberwolf Organics
- V-Dog (Vegan) – use code FREETHEBUNNIES for a discount on your order! This is what I get for Mila. The Blueberry Treats are her favorite!
- Weruva
- Wild Earth (Vegan)
- Wysong Professional Diets
- Yarrah
Pet food companies that are not cruelty-free
The following pet food brands conduct feeding trials on laboratory animals are not considered cruelty-free.
- Big Heart Pet – Natures Recipe, Meow Mix, 9 Lives, Natural Balance, Kibbles & Bits
- Blue Buffalo
- Colgate – Hills Science Diet, Hills Prescription Diet, Hills Ideal Balance
- Mars – Nutro, Pedigree, Iams, Whiskas, Royal Canin, Eukanuba, Sheba, Evo, & California Natural
- Nestle – Bakers Complete, Merrick, Castor & Pollux, Zuke’s and all Purina foods (Alpo, Beneful, Chef Makers, Dog Chow, Fancy Feast, Felix, Friskies, Gourmet, Purina One, & Purina ProPlan)
HYGIENE and cleaning products
Much like for humans, pet hygiene and cleaning products undergo animal testing as well. Some companies choose to test on laboratory animals, and they are not cruelty-free because of it. Below is a list of brands that offer bath, dental, flea/tick and cleaning products that choose 100% cruelty-free testing methods.
- 4-Legger
- ECOS (Earth Friendly)
- Earthbath
- Natural Promise
- Oxyfresh Worldwide
- Sofies Secret
- Tropiclean
- Vet’s Best
I personally have been using ECOS for all things cleaning. They are super affordable and work just as well as some name brands! This water additive from Tropiclean keeps Mila’s breath super fresh too. I just splash a few ounces into her water bowl every time I fill it up, and her breath never smells! I can’t wait to test out some others to transition her lifestyle to 100% cruelty-free too!
Clothing, Leashes, Collars, Bones and Toys
Clothing and toys don’t require testing of any kind, but it’s good to make ethical choices when it comes to these products. I found this leash and collar set that are completely made out of recycled water bottles! Also, if your pet destroys it, much like Mila has already done to her leash haha, they will recycle it for you and send out a new one with a lifetime guarantee. I always make sure her toys are made in the USA too.
I don’t feed her any bones, except for naturally shed antlers that are from the USA. Any meat chews she gets is also strictly USA-based. I haven’t quite experimented or researched the pros and cons of a dog being vegan, but this is something I am definitely going to look into next. I just want to make sure I’m doing what’s best for Mila before I go changing up her diet. A super easy way for me to support small and USA-based businesses is to visit my local pet stores (not chains like Petco and Petsmart). They have some really cool, ethical things for sale and supporting small businesses is always important!
I hope you found this guide helpful! Thank you for choosing cruelty-free for your furry friend. If you use any of these products, let me know in the comments below!
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XO, Stephanie
Hi. Would you know if tender and true cat food is cruelty free? Thanks!
I can’t believe how much cruelty is out there it truly breaks my heart, I try to go animal cruelty free but it’s so hard. It’s everywhere and the govt helps it along. How do you fight that. We need to get out and do rallies or try to raise awareness to how bad it is. For example did you know all medicines are tested on animals too. What about the dairy cows how they suffer. How would you like it as a parent to have a child every year knowing it’s going to be taken away from you and destroyed. EVERY YEAR!!! Animal testing is beyond belief how can people work in that job. Heart breaking is an understatement.
Do you know if Only Natural Pet does not participate in inhumane feeding trials? I have searched and no one seems to mention them.
With all due respect, isn’t any dog foods that contain animal products (meat) considered cruel? That’s why we vegans don’t eat meat because we don’t support the cruelty that goes on at factory farms. According to your cruelty free list, only Halo and Flint River Ranch offer vegan dog food options; however, they also offer products that contain meat – so in essence, they are not cruelty free either, correct? Wouldn’t you only want to support a company that is 100% cruelty free, meaning they only offer vegan products that have not been tested on animals.
Vegan and cruelty-free are technically not the same thing. I personally am cruelty-free and vegan, but not everyone is or sees it that way. To be a useful resource for all cruelty-free consumers, this post only lists brands that do not test on animals, while labeling which brands are vegan. It is up to the personal preference of each cruelty-free consumer if they deem cruelty-free as also being vegan. You can read more on the difference between the two terms here based on definition and consumerism. https://www.freethebunnies.com/cruelty-free-vs-vegan/
I would like to comment on how you endorse these products as “cruelty free” based only on how testing animals are treated, and not how the animals whose meat is being used are treated. You could at least say “free of cruel animal testing” rather than saying is is more generally cruelty free. If fact millions of animals live a hellish life for the production of cat and dog food and we are used, to such a great extent that humans have become quite disinterested in hearing about it. But we need to wake up and hear about it and protect these animals from cruelty too, or at least not claim that they endured the worst kind of abuse possible and then were slaughtered for a “cruelty free” product.