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Sundown April 15th begins the observation of Passover, an 8-day Spring celebration of the freedom of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. Through certain rituals, modern-day Jews can relive and experience the true freedom their ancestors gained.
From the evening of April 15th through the evening of April 23rd, in recognition of the unleavened bread that the Israelites ate when they left Egypt, Jews do not eat – or keep in their possession – any chametz, or grains that can become chametz. This includes any food or drink that contains even a trace of wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt, or their derivatives.
Remember, recipes sometimes change. Please check your dog’s food labels carefully before feeding.
Dogs are family members who share our homes and mealtimes and join us in celebrations. Because Jews cannot have these grains during Passover, we’ve compiled this list of Passover-approved dog foods that are highly recommended for quality, healthfulness, and taste.
Historically, only grain-free foods were recommended for Passover feeding. However, with recent concerns of heart disease and DCM and a possible association with grain-free dog foods, many pet parents have switched to grain-included diets for their dogs. We’ve named foods with allowable grains (including rice and quinoa) in this updated list.
Many other dog foods do not contain prohibited grains. The following is a list of pet foods approved for Passover 2022.
THE DOGINGTON POST 2022 KOSHER FOR PASSOVER DOG FOOD LIST
Blue Freedom Grain Free (canned): Chicken Recipe (Small Breed, Puppies, Adult), Grillers (Hearty Lamb, Hearty Chicken, Hearty Turkey)
No products found.
Kirkland (Costco) Natures’ Domain (dry): Salmon Meal and Sweet Potato, Turkey Meal and Sweet Potato, Organic Chicken & Pea, Puppy Chicken & Pea
Prescription Diet: a/d, d/d, h/d, s/d, u/d, r/d
Purina Pro Plan Grain-Free (canned): Adult Beef & Pea Entrée, Adult Chicken & Carrot Entrée, Adult Turkey, Duck & Quail Entree, Adult Beef & Venison Entrée
No products found.
Wellness Core Grain Free (dry): Ocean, Original, Reduced Fat, Small Breed Original, Senior
No products found.
Wellness Core Grain Free (canned): Beef & Venison & Lamb, Puppy, Turkey & Chicken Liver & Turkey Liver, Whitefish & Salmon & Herring
No products found.
Wellness Core Grain Free Ninety Five Percent (canned): Beef with Carrots, Chicken with Broccoli, Turkey with Spinach
No products found.
There are other Passover-friendly dog foods available in addition to this list. Look for grain-free options or those with rice or quinoa as the only grain(s). While corn is an acceptable grain to feed during Passover, it is proven to be an unhealthy ingredient for dogs and should be avoided. The Passover-approved dog foods on this list would all make excellent choices for feeding your dog year-round, too.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ABOUT FEEDING YOUR DOG DURING PASSOVER:
Still not sure if your dog’s food is acceptable during Passover? Star-K provides answers to commonly asked questions.
Q. Are “grain-free” pet foods acceptable?
A. There are many “grain-free” dog and cat foods on the market. While we still recommend checking the ingredient panel on those foods, they are a good place to start your search for an appropriate food.
Q. Is it necessary to buy a new food bowl for your pet for Pesach?
A. No. However, the bowl used year-round should be thoroughly cleaned before Pesach.
Q. If I am going away for Pesach, what should I do with my fish?
A. Vacation blocks often contain chometz. One can purchase a block without chometz or use an automatic fish feeder and fill it with non-chometz food.
Q. During a Pesach visit to the zoo, may one purchase the animal feed?
A. No. This feed is often chometz and should not be purchased or fed to the animals during Pesach.
Q. Must pet food with chometz be put away and sold before Pesach?
A. Yes.
Q. Can kitniyos, such as rice and beans, be fed to animals on Pesach?
A. Yes.
Q. What are some common chometz ingredients in pet food?
A. Wheat (cracked, flour, germ, gluten, ground, groats, middlings, starch), barley (cracked, flour), oats (flour, groats, hulled), pasta, rye, and brewer’s dried yeast. Any questionable ingredient should be reviewed by a competent rabbinic authority.
Q. What are some common ingredients which may be kitniyos but are permitted in pet food?
A. 2, buckwheat, brewer’s rice, corn, grain sorghum (milo), millet, peanuts, peas, rice, sesame, soybeans, soy flour, and sunflower.
Q. Is pet food “with gravy” permitted?
A. Most often, gravy contains chometz. Read the ingredient panel carefully.
Q. Are the vitamins or minerals in pet food chometz?
A. They may be chometz, but are batel (nullified) due to the small amount added.
We wish all of our Jewish friends a Happy (and Kosher) Passover!
