Answers Dog Food Review 2024: Recalls, Pros & Cons

Review Summary

The only fermented raw food on the market, Answers dog food eliminates the need for high-pressure processing or dehydrating because the fermentation process controls pathogens naturally. Answers’ Detailed line features AAFCO-certified complete and balanced recipes formulated for dogs of all ages. Answers also offers limited diet formulas, fermented cheese, fermented pig’s feet, and meals for cats. We like the idea of fermented dog food because it naturally preserves your dog’s meals while boosting their gut with prebiotics and probiotics.

However, we’re only giving Answers four stars because there are a few potential issues. While it’s never had a recall, Answers became embroiled in a company scandal in 2019, and most of its staff shortly resigned afterward. Coupled with COVID-19 supply shortages, the past few years have been rough for this pet food company, and it’s sometimes hard to find its recipes. Additionally, not all of its meats are organic, and some are even by-products.

At a Glance: The Best Answers Dog Food Recipes

Answers Dog Food Reviewed

Who Makes Answers Dog Food and Where Is It Produced?

Originating as a family-owned company, Answers is manufactured in Pennsylvania from mostly American-sourced ingredients (with the exception of the cinnamon and green tea in its treats). Lystn, LLC., is listed as its distribution company. Answers has recently shifted management due to the resignation of most of its corporate members in 2019, including founders Roxanne Stone and Jacqueline Hill. Answers Pet Food Nutrition Science Director Billy Hoekman also resigned, stating, “I no longer support the direction Answers Pet Food is moving in.”¹ The company is run by President & CEO Keith Hill, and it has had a completely new staff as of 2021.

Which Type of Dog Is Answers Best Suited For?

The Detailed line is made for every dog. It’s AAFCO certified for all life stages, so you can feed Detailed to a puppy, adult, or senior of any breed. We should note that Answers contains more fat than some other dog foods, so it isn’t the answer for a dog needing a low-fat diet, such as elderly dogs or canines with pancreatitis. If you have a dog with special needs, Answers makes a limited ingredient line, called Straight, with products merely consisting of meat, whey, and sea salt. While this isn’t considered a complete meal, it provides a nutritious base that you can supplement with appropriate ingredients.

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

All of Answers recipes are grain-free. A few years ago, veterinarians noticed the rise in dog allergies and recommended grain-free foods as a way to counter the supposed rise in gluten intolerance. However, it’s now believed that dogs’ immune systems are more likely reacting to protein, such as chicken or beef. A grain-free diet may not be helpful, and a 2019 investigation by the FDA reveals it might actually cause harm. There’s a correlation between grain-free diets and cardiomyopathy in dogs; however, the jury is still out on whether this connection stems from the use of peas as a grain substitute, taurine deficiency, or the lack of grain itself.

If you don’t want to chance it with grain free, we recommend feeding your dog a raw diet that includes some heart-healthy grains, such as brown rice or oatmeal. Stella & Chewy’s Wild Red Raw Blend is a good alternative that doesn’t skip the grains or skimp on meat.

Discussion of the Primary Ingredients (Good and Bad)

Here, we mostly discuss the ingredients in the Detailed line, since we’re specifically reviewing those products.

In general, we like how the meats in Answers food are raised without antibiotics, and some are even organic. Our favorite recipe, Detailed Raw Chicken, contains organic meat. However, note that the Detailed Raw Beef says it’s 100% grass-fed beef but doesn’t mention anything about being organic. Therefore, we can conclude that it’s not. Similarly, the Detailed Pork recipe claims to be GAP raised but also doesn’t say anything about being organic. We only find this interesting because Answers often advertises its food as organic, but it doesn’t appear that all of its recipes qualify.

How Does the Fermentation Process Work?

All of the Detailed diets are preserved by fermentation through kefir. This dairy-free drink is made from goat’s milk, which is easier to digest than cow’s milk. Kefir provides your canine’s gut with beneficial prebiotics and probiotics, which helps them develop a strong digestive system.

It’s important to note that the first few days of feeding your dog probiotics may result in messy stool. Your dog’s body may undergo a detox process, during which the good bacteria in the probiotics attack the unhealthy bacteria that have built up in your dog’s gut over time. While detox can have temporarily unpleasant results, they should subside within a couple of weeks, and your dog’s health should experience an overall improvement.

Are Fermented Products Safe? Do They Contain Salmonella?

Trace amounts of Salmonella are actually allowed in human food, but the FDA has a zero-tolerance policy for the bacteria in pet food. This law makes it difficult for raw food manufacturers to function, since their food technically does contain trace amounts of bad bacteria. However, the good bacteria found in kefir control the bad bacteria through the fermentation process that’s been preserving food since ancient times.

Long story short, fermented raw food is most likely safe, but nonetheless, Answers includes a warning on all of its raw food labels clearly indicating that its recipes are not for human consumption and urging pet parents to wash their hands and utensils after use.

What Is Montmorillonite?

If you look further down the ingredients list, you’ll see montmorillonite, which is a somewhat unusual ingredient. This is actually volcanic ash that functions as a natural non-caking agent. In case you’re curious, it’s allowed in your food too.

Does Answers Contain Meat By-Products?

Technically, yes. While Answers is a health-conscious food, some of its meats are actually by-products. Meat by-products are the humanly non-edible parts of slaughtered meat, including some organs and ground bones. However, Answers is still a better choice than other food brands that don’t list where their meat originated from.

If you see “Meat By-Product” on an ingredient list, you should know that it could legally include any animal, and few parts are off limits. Fortunately, all of the meat by-products used in Answer’s Detailed line are clearly and thoroughly labeled “chicken,” “beef,” or “pork,” as well as meticulously identifying which part, such as stating “ground chicken bone” on the label instead of “chicken by-product.”

A Quick Look at Answers Dog Food

Recall History

Starting in 2019, Answers came under fire when the FDA accused it of allowing Salmonella in its food. However, there were no reports of illness, and no recall ever took effect. In fact, Roxanne Stone, who was the vice president at the time of the report, disputed the claim on multiple grounds. She said that it wasn’t the FDA that supposedly found the Salmonella. Instead, the Nebraska Agricultural Department claimed to find it on its sample, and the FDA then issued a warning to pet parents urging them not to purchase the food without verifying.

When Answers obtained a sample to test in its own facilities, the results came back negative. Ms. Stone and the staff on her team suggested that the offending samples might have experienced cross-contamination in the lab and denied the claims. Curiously, when the FDA accused Answers of containing Salmonella, it never indicated how much.

Since this incident, most of the staff from Answers have resigned. While that may seem suspicious on the surface, a letter from President and CEO Keith Hill revealed that the reason was due to his divorce from Jacqueline Hill, who was the vice president and one of the first to hand in her resignation.

The 3 Best Answers Dog Food Recipes

1. Answers Raw Chicken

Organic chicken and vegetables give your dog healthy fuel for their day. Answers Raw Chicken is preserved and fortified by fermented raw goat milk whey, a good source of prebiotics and probiotics.

The main drawbacks to this food are problems in all of the recipes in the Detailed line. Like the other choices, this is a grain-free food that’s high in fat. We also question if there are enough supplements because it’s missing common additives, such as taurine and certain vitamins. On the plus side, Detailed Raw Chicken is the cheapest Answers recipe.

---

2. Answers Raw Beef

With real beef products as the first five ingredients, Answers Raw Beef is a hearty beefy treat that serves as a meal. As with the other formulas, we’re not sure that we approve of such a high concentration of fat, and we wish it wasn’t grain free. Contrasting with the organic chicken, the label says this detailed recipe contains, “grass-fed beef,” but doesn’t claim to be organic. We can assume that it probably isn’t.

Like the other recipes, we appreciate how this food is preserved by fermented kefir, but we wish it included more vitamins and wasn’t grain free.

---

3. Answers Raw Turkey

Your pup will think they’re feasting on Thanksgiving dinner every day with Answers Raw Turkey. We appreciate how all of the meat products are organic, and the first five ingredients are all turkey.

Like the other products, we’re shocked at the high levels of fat, especially given that turkey is a leaner meat than beef.

What Other Users Are Saying

Following the controversy with the FDA and the subsequent pandemic, which created a supply chain shortage, Answers pet food entered a crisis from which it still hasn’t fully recovered. Enthusiastic Answers consumers faithfully supported the company through the turmoil with numerous claims that the food had nourished their sick dogs back to health. They practically begged the company to continue producing the food. However, a short time later, many pet stores stopped carrying Answers following growing consumer complaints of diarrhea and their dogs’ sudden distaste.

Answers is still available for purchase, but based on reviews, we’ve concluded that the quality diminished after the change in leadership.

Conclusion

If you’re interested in fermented raw foods for your dog, the Answers Detailed line is the perfect answer. We especially like its Detailed Raw Chicken formula because it’s organic and not quite as pricey as its other recipes. Answers is the only company that manufactures fermented pet foods as of yet. The main reason that it didn’t score a higher rating is not all of its meats are organic, most recipes contain by-products, and every recipe is grain free, which may not be beneficial in light of recent studies. It also appears from customer reviews that the quality has greatly diminished following changes in leadership over the past couple of years.

While fermented food is generally safe, it does come with risks, so be sure to follow the directions for storage, and wash your hands after feeding your pet any raw food.

• See Also: Evolve Dog Food Review

---

Featured Image Credit: Answers