Heart To Tail Information

Heart To Tail is a pet food brand that is exclusive to the fast-expanding grocery store Aldi. Aldi, which is originally from Europe, has surged in popularity in the United States over the last decade and is now a staple of many's weekly grocery shopping.

With more than 2000 unique stores across 37 states, if you haven't been able to visit Aldi yet, you will most likely be able to do so soon.

Like many of the products and brands sold by Aldi, Heart To Tail aims to be very competitively priced in comparison to other pet food brands.

This reason above others is why many are considering switching to the brand along with convenience and word of mouth.

There is very limited information available on where Heart To Tail pet food recipes are produced, but we believe that this production does take place in the United States.

We believe that this production is most likely done at a third-party manufacturing facility, perhaps one owned by Sunshine Mills, which also produces food for brands like Triumph, Evolve, and Elm Pet Foods.

Aldi also has another store pet food brand which is called Pure Being , and it is aimed at a slightly higher price point than Heart To Tail.

Given that Heart To Tail is an Aldi exclusive pet food brand, it can not be purchased from other retail pet food stores and is only found within Aldi stores.

In addition, you can not purchase Heart To Tail online from any of the large pet food websites like Chewy and Petflow.

Aldi Logo

Heart To Tail Product Range

Dog Food

It is difficult to ascertain the full extent of the Heart To Tail product range as there is limited information online, but from what we can gather, they have a moderately sized product range.

This includes a mix of dry dog food, wet/canned dog food, and some dog treats. There are notable more wet/canned recipes available from Heart To Tail than dry recipes.

Heart To Tail does not focus on the distinction between grain-free and grain-inclusive food like many other brands.

In addition, it appears that Heart To Tail does not produce many of the popular specialized dog food recipes such as those for puppies, senior dogs, or large breed dogs which is unfortunate.

Cat Food

Similar to the above, it is difficult to gauge the full size of Heart To Tail's cat food range due to the limited information available, but from what we have researched, they sell a range of dry cat food and wet/canned cat food.

The range of wet/canned cat food is noticeably larger than the dry food range, which is common in the cat food industry, given its popularity.

Once again, it does not appear that Heart To Tail produces any specialized cat food recipes such as those for Kittens or Senior Cats.

Heart To Tail Nutrition

Dog Food

Sadly, the nutrition provided by Heart To Tail dog food recipes varies significantly, with some formulas offering nutrition that is below average compared to other dog food brands.

This is particularly true of their dry dog food recipes which offer poor nutrition that is high in plant-based protein and carbohydrates.

You can see an example of the nutrition offered by a Heart To Tail dry dog food recipe below.

Heart To Tail Nutrition

However, Heart To Tail wet dog food recipes offer an improved nutritional profile that is more appropriate for dogs. This includes higher proportions of animal-based protein and fat and lower levels of carbohydrates.

If you would like to learn more about canine nutrition, we highly recommend you read our Dog Food Guide.

Cat Food

Similar to above, the nutrition offered by Heart To Tail cat food recipes varies between recipes and is not consistent.

Many of Heart To Tail's dry cat food recipes offered nutrition that is unimpressive and a poor reflection of a cat's natural diet.

These recipes often include very high portions of plant-based material and carbohydrates, which is not an ideal component of a cat's diet.

Cats are obligate carnivores  which means they need to consume a diet high in animal or fish-based ingredients with minimal plant matter.

However, Heart To Tail's wet/canned cat food recipes are an improvement and have higher proportions of protein and fat, along with much-needed moisture.

To read more about feline nutrition, including more information on what it means to be an obligate carnivore, be sure to check out our Cat Food Guide .

Heart To Tail Ingredients

High-Quality Meat & Fish Ingredients

  • Chicken
  • Turkey
  • Beef
  • Salmon
  • Whitefish
  • Tuna

Heart To Tail uses a moderate range of meat and fish ingredients in its recipes, with the majority of these ingredients featuring in their wet/canned recipes.

The presence of any of the above is a good sign as these are considered high-quality ingredients and reliable sources of animal-based protein and fat.

All of these ingredients are used heavily by pet food manufacturers thanks to their relatively low-cost, impressive nutrition and because of how easy they are relatively easy to source.

Chicken Hen

Other Notable Ingredients

While many of Heart To Tail's wet or canned recipes contain high-quality meat and fish ingredients, other recipes include other sources such as Meat and Bone Meal.

While Meat and Bone Meal can provide some valuable nutrition to dogs, it is widely considered to be a poor-quality ingredient and one that should be avoided.

The primary concern with Meat and Bone Meal is that it lacks transparency and accountability. Pet owners do not have a clear picture of what it is made from, and manufacturers could change its source at will.

You can learn more about the use of Bone Meal in dog food in our article Bone Meal In Dog Food.

While not as frowned upon as Meat and Bone Meal, some of Heart To Tail's recipes also contain another ingredient that lacks transparency, Animal Fat.

Animal Fat is a simple ingredient and can provide dogs with animal-based fat, but similar to Meat and Bone Meal, it is not accountable, and the source of the fat could easily change.

Heart To Tail's recipes include several grain ingredients, including Corn, Rice, and Soybean. Grain ingredients like these can be extremely controversial additions to pet food recipes, with many being strongly against their use.

However, there are other pet owners and experts, especially those that feed brands like Purina Pro Plan and Royal Canin, that are strong supporters of the use of grains.

Regardless, these grains act as dense sources of carbohydrates, plant-based protein, and fiber.

Rice

Lastly, some of Heart To Tail's recipes include grain by-products like Wheat Middlings, which can be a very controversial ingredient.

Wheat Middlings are a leftover product from grain processing and are considered by many to be a very poor quality ingredient. Some go as far as to describe them as "floor sweepings", although others dispute this.

Heart To Tail Animal Testing

Based on our research, we can not find any information on whether Heart To Tail participates in any form of animal testing for its products.

However, given that we believe Heart To Tail recipes are likely produced by a third-party manufacturer, the brand likely shares the same testing and trial standards.

Many smaller pet food brands, especially store brands, do not perform large-scale testing or trials and avoid disclosing this information to their customers as it could be perceived negatively.

Many in the industry are concerned about this lack of information and transparency and believe that some pet food recipes may not have been sufficiently tested for long-term consumption.

We strongly believe that laboratory or invasive testing of animals is a cruel and outdated practice. We hope that in the future, this practice will be heavily reduced or eliminated completely.

Heart To Tail Recalls

Based on our research (FDA, AVMA, DogFoodAdvisor), we have no information that leads us to believe that Heart To Tail has ever issued a recall of its pet food products which makes it a recall-free pet food brand.

However, given that Heart To Tail is a relatively new brand, this recall-free record is not hugely surprising and is the default.

However, Aldi's other brand, Pure Being, issued a voluntary recall in July 2021 . This recall was issued by Sunshine Mills Inc, which produces Pure Being on Aldi's behalf.

The recall was due to certain products containing potentially elevated levels of Aflatoxin. This toxin can be harmful to pets if consumed in significant quantities. While no illnesses were reported from this issue, the manufacturer issued this recall out of caution.

The specific Pure Being recipe affected by this recall is shown below:

Pure Being Natural Dog Food Deboned Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe – 5 lbs.

Best if used By 11 Feb 2022

Lot: TD3 11/Feb/2021 4099100129441

Despite this, we hope that the manufacturer of Heart To Tail's recipes is can maintain high safety and quality standards in their production processes in the years to come to maintain its recall-free record.

Nevertheless, pet owners should always be vigilant of any future recalls of Heart To Tail recipes or recipes from any other pet food brand to ensure their pets remain healthy and safe.

Best of Heart To Tail

Chicken & Beef Stew With Rice & Carrots Review

Heart To Tail Chicken & Beef With Rice & Carrots

As we mentioned earlier, Heart To Tail's wet dog food recipes offer far improved nutrition over their dry counterparts, and for that reason, we are going to recommend them as Heart To Tail's best recipes.

The above Chicken & Beef Stew is a prime example of this and includes a large portion of animal-based content.

Chicken is the recipe's primary ingredient and makes up the bulk of this animal-based content, but it is joined by a smaller portion of Beef.

Outside of this, the recipe includes a moderate portion of several plant-based ingredients, including Rice and Carrots.

Both of these plant-based ingredients are fairly common and can provide a mix of carbohydrates, fiber, and some beneficial vitamins and minerals.

Heart To Tail Featured Articles

At this time, Heart To Tail has not been featured in any of our articles.

Heart To Tail Full Product Range

Dog Food

Complete Nutrition

Filet Mignon Flavor In Meaty Juices

Grilled Chicken Flavor In Savory Juices

Prime Rib Flavor In Gravy

Beef Stew With Rice, Carrots & Peas

Chicken & Beef Stew With Rice & Carrots

Chicken Stew With Rice, Carrots & Peas

Lamb & Rice Stew With Carrots & Peas

Dog Treats

Mini Dental Sticks

Dental Sticks

Chew Bones

Bacon Flavored Curlz

Beef Flavored Sticks

Medium Original Dog Biscuits

Small Variety Dog Biscuits

Cat Food

Complete Nutrition

Indoor Formula

Special Medley Formula

Beef Entree

Gourmet Chicken Entree

Cod, Sole & Shrimp Entree

Salmon Entree

Turkey & Giblets Entree

Ocean Whitefish & Tuna Entree

Cat Treats

Chicken Flavor

Salmon Flavor

Seafood Medley