Nourished by Nature, Rooted in Science

100% Human Grade

100% Human Grade

To support healthy digestion and microbiome balance, using lean meats and no fatty organs.

Whole Food

Whole Food

Human-grade, unprocessed, high quality real meat and veggies in holistic recipes for your dog

USDA Kitchens

USDA Kitchens

Prepared in USDA-inspected kitchens to ensure the highest standards of safety and quality.

Vet Developed

Vet Developed

Gently cooked lean meats and whole foods

A Meaningful Difference

We Don't Use Organ Meats. Here's Why.

Most fresh pet food brands — including many premium competitors — rely on organ meats like liver and kidney as a primary protein source. We made a deliberate choice not to.

The liver is the body's primary filtration organ. It processes, metabolizes, and concentrates what the body works hardest to eliminate — including environmental contaminants, agricultural residues, heavy metals, and metabolic byproducts. The kidneys perform the same filtering function for the blood and urinary system. These organs do critical work precisely because they handle what the rest of the body needs to get rid of.

Organ meats are also among the highest-fat tissues in the body. High dietary fat has well-documented associations with digestive upset, weight gain, and pancreatic stress in dogs — particularly in breeds or individuals already prone to those concerns.

Chi Dog and Chi Cat use lean, clean muscle meat exclusively. Every protein source in every diet is a skeletal muscle — the tissue that does the body's physical work, not its metabolic filtering. It's a simple principle with a meaningful difference in what ends up in your pet's bowl.

✕No Liver
✕No Kidney
✕No High-Fat Organs
✕No Organ Concentrates
✓Lean Muscle Meat Only
✓Low in Copper
✓Free of Choline Bitartrate
⚠️
What Most Brands Use
High-fat organ meats as primary protein

Liver

The body's primary filtration & detox organ — concentrates what the body processes for elimination

Kidney

Filters blood and eliminates metabolic waste — one of the body highest — burden filtration tissues.

High Fat Content

Organ meats are among the fattiest tissues in the body — associated with digestive stress and weight gain

High in Copper

Liver is extremely high in copper — a concern for breeds with copper storage sensitivity

✓
What Chi Dog & Chi Cat Use
Lean skeletal muscle meat exclusively

Lean Muscle Meat

Skeletal muscle — the tissue that does the body's physical work, not its metabolic filtering

Lower Fat Profile

Lean proteins keep fat content controlled and digestibility high across all five diets

Low in Copper

Formulated to keep copper levels low — an important consideration for many breeds

No Choline Bitartrate

We use whole food choline sources rather than synthetic choline bitartrate supplement additives

Chi Dog vs. The Rest

Not All Fresh Food Is Created Equal

See how Chi Dog's formulation standards compare to other fresh and premium dog food brands.

WHAT MATTERS IN THE BOWL Chi Dog Other Fresh Brand A Other Fresh Brand B Other Fresh Brand C Subscription Kibble Brand
Cooked, human-grade meals Real ingredients prepared for human consumption standards yes yes yes yes no
Founded & formulated by veterinarians Not just vet-advised — veterinarian owned, led, and formulated yes yes no no no
Free from high-fat organ meats No liver, kidney, or organ concentrates — lean muscle meat only yes no no no no
Formulated using Integrative Food Therapy principles Each diet matched to specific functional nutritional intent by a certified food therapist yes no no no no
High protein, lower carbohydrate Lean proteins with whole food carbohydrates — no processed grain fillers yes no yes no no
Low in copper No liver means no excess copper — a meaningful distinction for copper-sensitive breeds yes no no no no
Free of choline bitartrate Whole food choline sources rather than synthetic supplement additives yes no no no no
Free of emulsifiers (e.g. carrageenan) No carrageenan or synthetic emulsifiers associated with gut lining disruption yes yes yes no no
DIY supplement option for home cooking Vitamins and minerals available separately for owners who want to cook at home yes yes yes no no
Balanced cat food available Chi Cat — formulated with the same integrative food therapy approach yes yes no no no
Veterinary affiliate program (RX line) Exclusive formulations accessible through enrolled veterinary partners yes no no no no

Competitor information based on publicly available ingredient lists and product descriptions. Chi Dog does not make medical claims about competitor products.

What Pet Parents Say About Chi Dog's Food Therapy Meals

The Bark Around Town

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Testimonials

Real Stories From Real Pet Parents

Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions? We're here to help.

Does Chi Dog meet AAFCO standards?
Yes. Our recipes were formulated, by Dr. Susan Bohrer, based on Traditional Eastern Medicine concept of clean eating to prevent disease. We worked with Dr. Edward Moser, an experienced veterinary nutritionist, to balance our diets to meet and exceed AAFCO’s standards for all life stages, including the growth of large breed puppies. That means Chi Dog can be fed to all dogs, even growing puppies, who will reach a mature weight of over 70 pounds.
What do you mean by “Whole Foods”?
Whole foods are natural foods. When you read an ingredient on a package, you should be able to see it in the food. Chi Dog uses human-grade ingredients that we would eat, not feed-grade ingredients as in kibble and canned dog foods. When our labels say beets, carrots, and peas, you can see, feel, and smell these ingredients in the food.
How does a fresh, lightly cooked food (like Chi Dog) compare to a raw diet?
Dog’s wild cousin’s raw meat diet may be better than kibble if it is not processed. Eastern Medicine finds benefit in cooking. Lightly cooked fresh whole food ingredients are better to nourish. It is especially true for our sick, old, and young pets; any animal who is a little delicate. Raw meat may be fine if you are a young adult and have a lot Of “Qi” (pronounced Chi) to digest your food. If you want to feed more gently, lightly cooked whole foods are ideal. Just as we would give a baby apple sauce and an old person soup, cooking the food brings some energy into the food to help them digest. Eastern Medicine recognizes raw foods as appropriate for very healthy and strong patients but unsuitable for weaker patients. It is completely appropriate to supplement a Chi Dog diet with raw vegetables in our young to middle-aged, disease-free companions.
Does Chi Dog have any preservatives?
No. We have supplemented our diets with Vitamin E (tocopherol) to help maintain the freshness of our diet and support your dog’s coat, healing, and circulatory system.
How is Chi Dog shipped?
Our eco-friendly shipping boxes are lined with Green Cell Foam and packed with enough dry ice to ensure that your pet's meals; stay cool until midnight of your delivery day. If your pet’s meals arrive after this time frame or they are partially thawed, the meals are still safe to consume as long as the food is cool to the touch.
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