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Review Summary
We give Muenster Dog Food a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Muenster Milling Co. has been in business since 1932. Though they have gone through several rebrandings over the years, from operating as a flour mill and then a livestock feed company, it seems their true calling is pet food.
In the late 80s and 90s, it was mostly large commercial companies that ran the pet food industry. Ronnie Felderhoff, the third-generation owner of Muenster Milling Co., wanted to shift the focus to natural food pet diets which is what the brand’s commitment has been ever since.
Muenster has carved a name for itself in the world of dog food, but they also offer products for fish and cats as well as horses, a throwback to their livestock feed days. Their goal is to provide innovative pet food made with locally-sourced ingredients that allow your pets to live and perform optimally.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about this brand, and if they manufacture food that will benefit your dog and whether Muenster lives up to its commitment.
At a Glance: The Best Muenster Dog Food Recipes:
At a Glance: The Best Muenster Dog Food Recipes:| Rating | Image | Product | Details | |
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Muenster Beef Meatball Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Treats | CHECK PRICE | |
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Muenster Ancient Grains with Chicken Dry Food | CHECK PRICE | |
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Muenster Elk & Venison Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Treats | CHECK PRICE |
Muenster Dog Food Reviewed
Who Makes Muenster Dog Food and Where Is It Produced?
Muenster dog food is produced in Muenster, Texas, by Muenster Milling, a company owned by the Felderhoff family. It is a fourth-generation family-owned and operated company.
Muenster Milling Co. has been in business since 1932, when Joe Felderhoff used locally sourced grains to mill into flour. After his passing, his son Arthur took over the business and converted the flour mill into a feed mill. For the next 30 years, the company focused on producing livestock feeds for local Texas farms.
In the late 80s, Arthur’s son Ronnie decided to change the course of Muenster Milling Co for good as he put in a pet food extruder. The rest, as they say, is history.
In August 2021, a private equity firm in Dallas acquired Muenster Milling marking the first time the company has been owned by someone outside of the Felderhoff family in its 90-year history.
Which Type of Dog is Muenster’s Best Suited For?
Since Muenster’s offers both grain-inclusive and grain-free recipes, it’s great dog food for nearly every pooch. They also have recipes that suit dogs of all ages and breed sizes, as well as food options for pups on specialty diets like those with dairy or grain allergies. The Muenster website even allows you to filter foods that will be best for joint health or sensitive stomachs. It seems like they have a food type for every dog’s specific dietary needs.
Discussion of the Primary Ingredients (Good & Bad)
The ingredients in Muenster’s dog food will vary from recipe to recipe, but you can expect to see many of the same ingredients in their recipes from the same product line-up. Their line-ups will have similar ingredients from recipe to recipe, except for the protein source. Let’s take a closer look at some of the primary ingredients you can expect to see.
Grain Sorghum (Good)
Muenster prides itself on using locally sourced grains in its grain-inclusive recipes. Grain sorghum is high in antioxidants, niacin, iron, and dietary fiber. It’s a great source of carbohydrates and energy, but it also contains protein which is important for bone and muscle health. Sorghum has fantastic digestibility and can help your pet maintain a good blood sugar balance.
Chicken Fat (Good)
Fat may have a negative connotation in the diet world, but animal-sourced fats are great for our pets. Chicken fat is often used in pet food to improve both the taste and consistency of the food, and, as it turns out, many dogs enjoy the taste of animal fat. Not only will it make your dog’s food more appetizing, but it can be used as a concentrated energy source and will provide a source of omega-6 fatty acids to boost your dog’s skin and coat.
Peas (Questionable)
Muenster’s grain-free recipes list peas as one of the main ingredients. Peas are commonly found in many grain-free pet foods on the market as manufacturers use them as a source of carbohydrates. While peas do provide some nutritional benefits, such as vitamin K and dietary fiber, they can be problematic for dogs who have sensitive digestive systems.
Peas are also a controversial ingredient in dog food due to their link to canine heart disease.
Yeast Culture (Questionable)
According to the AAFCO, yeast cultures are an unnecessary ingredient in pet foods. It’s often added as a flavoring to make the food more attractive to dogs, and it doesn’t have the same nutritional value as higher-quality yeast supplements. It can also act as an allergen for some dogs.
Muenster Product Line-Up
Muenster has four main dog food lines: Perfect Balance, Ancient Grains, Grain-Free, and the Coated Kibble Project. Their Perfect Balance line further breaks down into grain-inclusive and grain-free options.
The Coated Kibble Project line is a texture-rich kibble that adds a little bit of variety to your dog’s diet. This line came to be after one of the owners of the company pledged to eat only Muenster’s dog food for 30 days. After finishing his 30 days, he realized how bland dog food can be and vowed to create a line-up of coated kibble to enhance both the flavor and texture of a dog’s regular diet.
They also have one recipe that doesn’t appear to fit into any of the product lines listed above. This recipe is called the 1932 Flax Free Chicken Meal Recipe. This particular product is priced lower than their other kibble and is pea-, potato-, legume- and flax free.
In addition to their dog food, Muenster also manufactures a line-up of freeze-dried treats that include meatballs, bites, and patties. They also have two meal topper recipes.
Customizable Food Options
One of the unique aspects of Muenster’s dog food is its customizability. Their website offers the chance to add “food enhancements” to your dog’s bag of food. This allows you to create a diet that will help your dog with his unique needs, such as addressing any concerning skin conditions or hip or joint pain. The website claims there to be over 3,000 different combinations so the sky’s the limit.
You can choose from extras such as:
- MCT oil for a source of healthy fatty acids
- Dried cheese to potentially reduce the acids that cause plaque
- Bacon fat to make the food more enticing
- Beef bone broth for digestive health
Availability
Muenster dog food was once available through online retailers like Chewy and Amazon, which made finding their products much easier for online consumers. In 2018, however, they changed their business model to exclusively fill online orders through their own website. You can still find some treats on Chewy and occasionally a bag of food on Amazon, but it’s the luck of the draw.
While you have to admire a company that sacrifices growth and sales to maintain its standards of quality, it does make things difficult for people who prefer to shop around and find the best deals.
If you prefer to buy your pet food in a brick-and-mortar store over online retailers, finding Muenster’s food in stores may prove to be difficult. It seems Muenster’s food is relatively easy to find in states like Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana at locally-owned feed and farm supply stores, but it isn’t available in big-name pet stores like PetCo or PetSmart.
A Quick Look at Muenster Dog Food
- Grain-inclusive and grain-free options
- No recall history
- Customizable food options online
- High protein recipes
- Locally sourced ingredients
- Not available online outside of Muenster website
- Some recipes contain peas
Recall History
Muenster has not issued any recalls on their food at the time of writing.
Reviews of the 2 Best Muenster Dog Food Recipes
Let’s take a deeper dive into the three best Muenster dog food recipes to see what they have to offer.
Muenster Beef Meatball Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Treats
Every dog deserves a tasty treat now and then and these freeze-dried meatballs are a top-tier option that your pup is sure to love. These treats offer a low-carb snack that’s made without preservatives or vegetable oil, providing your pup with an all-natural treat you don’t need to feel guilty about.
These meatballs are made from real freeze-dried beef that was pasture-raised in Texas. They are made with just five ingredients (beef with ground bone, beef heart, beef liver, salt, and sage) and are exceptionally high in protein which will ensure your dog won’t have a carb crash like it might after having carbohydrate-rich treats.
- High in protein
- No vegetable oil
- Low in carbohydrates
- Real beef
- No artificial preservatives
- Very dry texture may not appeal to all dogs
Muenster Ancient Grains with Chicken Dry Food
The Ancient Grains with Chicken recipe is one of Muenster’s top-selling dog foods and it’s actually their longest-running recipe, too. This formula is made with high-quality chicken and ancient grains such as sorghum and flaxseeds that were locally sourced in Texas. It’s high in protein (though, admittedly not as high as the Pork & Chicken recipe) and is a great pick for dogs who have sensitive digestive systems.
This recipe has been approved for all life stages so it’s a great place to start if you’re not entirely sure what kind of food you should be feeding your new puppy.
- High in protein
- Great for sensitive digestive systems
- No preservatives
- Locally sourced grains
- GMO-free
- Kibble may be too small for some dogs
What Other Users Are Saying
Muenster’s dog food has a large following of dedicated and loyal customers, but since their products are no longer available online outside of their website, it can be hard to determine what others think of their products.
You can read the reviews on the Muenster website, but we don’t know for a fact that the company isn’t filtering out the bad reviews to make themselves look better. This is why we like to scour the web to see what other websites and consumers think about the brands we review. Here are some of the internet’s most popular Muenster opinions:
- Dog Food Guru – “They have a variety of meat proteins available in their foods; they offer both grain-free and grain-inclusive diets. And their foods are mostly high protein and lower carbs.”
- Dog Food Advisor – “Muenster Ancient Grains is a grain-inclusive dry dog food using a moderate amount of named meat meals as its main source of animal protein”
- Amazon – As dog owners, we value the opinion of other dog owners. We recommend reading Amazon reviews from real consumers like you before you settle on a food to try. You can read these by clicking here.
Conclusion
Muenster manufactures high-quality dog food that delivers on its commitment to offering natural recipes made with locally-sourced ingredients. Their prices do seem to be a bit high, but when you’re considering the quality of the food, the cost makes sense.
We think that choosing to exclusively sell their products through their website instead of other online retailers does work against them in some ways. Pet parents who like to find deals or use one-stop shops like Chewy and Amazon for all of their pet products may find buying through the Muenster website a bit of a turn-off. Consumers outside of the U.S. are also not able to purchase through the Muenster website which ultimately alienates an entire market.
Overall, Muenster seems to offer a high-quality all-natural dog food that’s worth giving a shot if you can find it in stores or are willing to buy directly from the Muenster website.
