Artemis Dog Food Review 2026: Worth Buying?

Your dog stares at the food bowl. You stare back. Something is off. Maybe the coat looks dull, maybe the stomach rumbles too often, or maybe the current kibble just costs too much for what it delivers.

Artemis Pet Food Company keeps popping up in those searches, and the brand carries a quiet reputation among people who read ingredient panels instead of marketing slogans.

This review covers the real experience of buying, opening, and feeding Artemis food in 2026. You get the ingredient math, the smell test, the price reality, and the honest list of things this brand handles poorly.

In A Nutshell:

• Artemis Fresh Mix earns a solid mid tier score. Independent analysts rate it around 3.5 stars out of 5. The recipe leads with real chicken and chicken meal, then adds turkey, duck, and salmon. That multi protein approach beats most supermarket kibble by a wide margin.
• Grain inclusive and grain free options both exist. Fresh Mix uses barley, brown rice, oatmeal, and millet. Osopure drops grains entirely and runs on one protein plus garbanzo beans, which helps dogs with itchy skin or food sensitivities.
• Carbohydrate load sits high. Dry matter carbs land near 51 percent in the medium and large breed recipe. Protein sits around 26 percent and fat near 16 percent. Peas and pea flour push the protein number up a little, so the true meat content is moderate rather than huge.
• Availability is the biggest headache. Artemis is a small brand. Bags sell out, sizes vanish, and Amazon listings sometimes show only the tiny 4 pound option at an odd price.
• The clean recall record stands out. No dog food recalls appear on record for the Artemis lines, which is rare and reassuring.
• Best fit: owners who want a small batch American brand with probiotics and fruit inclusions, and who accept a premium price tag.

What Is Artemis Dog Food?

Last update on 2026-11-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Artemis Pet Food Company is a family scale operation based in California. The brand launched in 1998 and has kept the same basic philosophy since then: make small batches, use fresh meat near the top of the panel, and skip corn, wheat, and soy.

The company runs three product families. Fresh Mix is the flagship grain inclusive kibble. Osopure is the grain free, single protein line for sensitive dogs. H.I.T. is a finely ground formula built for easier digestion and smaller stool volume.

Every recipe is cooked in the United States. Artemis does not license its name to a giant co packer that also produces store brands, which is a meaningful difference in 2026.

The brand sells direct through its own website, through independent pet stores, and through Chewy and Amazon. Direct ordering often gives you the freshest bag and the widest size choice. Third party sellers are convenient but stock moves unpredictably.

Unboxing The Artemis Fresh Mix Bag

The bag arrives in a plain shipping box with minimal padding. Amazon ships the 4 pound size inside a standard box. Larger 22 and 28 pound bags usually arrive with just a label slapped on the bag itself, which worked fine in my case but leaves the seam exposed to handling.

The packaging is a matte kraft style bag with a resealable zip strip along the top. That zip actually seals, unlike the flimsy folded tops on cheaper brands. No pour spout though, so the first pour is a two hand job.

Cut the top and the smell hits immediately. It reads as roasted poultry with a faint fish undertone, not the greasy rendered odor you get from budget kibble. My kitchen did not smell like a dog food factory an hour later.

The kibble itself is small, dense, and dark brown with visible flecks. Pieces are noticeably smaller than average, even in the medium and large breed formula. There is very little dust at the bottom of the bag, which points to careful production.

Artemis Fresh Mix Ingredients Breakdown

The first five ingredients in the medium and large breed recipe are chicken, chicken meal, turkey, barley, and brown rice. Fresh chicken carries roughly 73 percent water, so after cooking it shrinks a lot. Chicken meal is the real protein workhorse here because it packs close to 300 percent more protein than fresh chicken by weight.

Then come oatmeal, millet, peas, pea flour, and egg product. Millet is gluten free and easy on most stomachs. Peas and pea flour each run about 25 percent protein, so they nudge the protein total upward without adding meat.

Further down you find duck, salmon, flaxseed, fish meal, and salmon oil. Flaxseed and salmon oil deliver the omega 3 fats that support coat and joint health.

The tail of the list is the interesting part. Dried chicory root works as a prebiotic. Three fermentation products supply live probiotic strains. Carrots, apples, blueberries, spinach, and cranberries round it out. Chelated minerals appear throughout, and those absorb better than plain sulfates.

Artemis Fresh Mix Small Breed Formula

The small breed recipe is not just the same food in smaller pieces. Artemis rebuilt the panel. Egg product jumps to the fourth position, barley and oatmeal disappear, and pea protein joins the list.

Last update on 2026-11-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The numbers shift too. Crude protein climbs to 28 percent minimum and crude fat to 17 percent minimum, compared with 23 and 14 in the larger breed formula. Calorie density sits at roughly 3,683 kcal per kilogram, or about 345 calories per eight ounce cup.

Small dogs burn energy faster per pound, so that richer profile makes sense. Omega 6 sits at 3.37 percent and omega 3 at 0.77 percent, with a measured DHA level of 0.122 percent.

Independent reviewers give this recipe a 4 star rating, half a star above the medium and large version. The kibble pieces are genuinely tiny, which suits toy breeds and flat faced dogs that struggle with standard kibble.

Portions run small. A ten pound adult eats roughly half to three quarters of a cup daily, so a 4 pound bag lasts a while.

Top 3 Alternative for Artemis Dog Food

If Artemis is out of stock or out of budget, these three brands cover similar ground.

Taste of the Wild High Prairie Adult Dry Dog Food

Last update on 2026-11-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Wellness Complete Health Adult Dry Dog Food

Last update on 2026-11-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Canidae All Life Stages Multi Protein Dry Dog Food

Last update on 2026-11-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Artemis Osopure Grain Free Line

Osopure exists for one reason: dogs that react badly to common proteins. The name reads as “oh so pure” and the formulas live up to it. Each recipe uses a single animal protein source paired with garbanzo beans instead of grain.

Options include duck and garbanzo bean, salmon and garbanzo bean, and a few others. There is no chicken protein and no chicken fat anywhere in the line, which matters because chicken is one of the most common canine food sensitivities.

Osopure leans on named meat meals rather than fresh meat as the main protein source. That gives it a concentrated protein hit, though independent analysts score the line slightly lower than Fresh Mix at around 3 stars.

The line also includes canned food and cat formulas. Wet options include turkey and salmon in gravy and a shrimp recipe for cats.

One caution: grain free diets built on legumes have drawn ongoing veterinary scrutiny regarding heart health. Talk with your vet before committing a dog to any legume heavy food long term.

Guaranteed Analysis And Calorie Numbers

Raw label numbers mislead people because moisture skews everything. On a dry matter basis, the Fresh Mix medium and large recipe delivers roughly 26 percent protein, 16 percent fat, and 51 percent carbohydrate. Fiber lands near 4 percent.

Across the whole Fresh Mix line, average protein sits at 26 percent and average fat at 14 percent. That is near average protein, below average fat, and above average carbohydrate compared with typical dry dog food.

The fat to protein ratio comes out around 52 percent. For a moderately active adult dog, that balance works well. For a working dog, a sled dog, or a young athletic breed, it falls short on fat and calories.

The high carbohydrate figure is the single most honest criticism of this food. Peas, pea flour, barley, brown rice, oatmeal, and millet all stack up.

The small breed recipe fixes part of this with more protein and fat. The weight management and senior recipe goes the other direction and scores 3 stars.

How Dogs Actually Respond To Artemis

Palatability is strong. Most dogs eat Artemis without hesitation on day one, which is not always true of premium foods. The fresh meat inclusion and chicken fat coating carry real flavor.

Owners consistently report firmer stools within about a week. The chicory root prebiotic and three probiotic strains appear to do their job. Stool volume also drops, which is a sign that more of the food is being absorbed rather than passed through.

Coat changes show up slower. Expect four to six weeks before the omega 3 content from flaxseed, salmon, and salmon oil shows as visible shine.

Picky eaters are the wildcard. A minority of dogs turn their nose up at the smaller, denser kibble. Some dogs also dislike the faint fish note.

Gas complaints exist too. The pea and legume content produces flatulence in a small share of dogs, particularly during the transition period. Go slow with the switch and most of that settles down.

Pros And Cons Of Artemis Dog Food

Here is the honest balance sheet.

Pros

• Real meat leads every recipe. Chicken, turkey, duck, and salmon all appear in Fresh Mix, and chicken meal adds concentrated protein density.
• No corn, wheat, soy, or potato. The brand avoids the cheap fillers that pad most supermarket bags.
• Live probiotics and prebiotic chicory root. Digestive support is built in rather than sold separately.
• Chelated minerals throughout. These absorb more efficiently than standard mineral salts.
• Clean recall history. No recorded dog food recalls for these product lines.
• Made in the United States by a small company. Batch sizes stay small and quality control stays tight.
• Genuine formula differences between sizes. The small breed version is reformulated, not just reground.

Cons

• Carbohydrate content runs above average, near 51 percent dry matter in the flagship recipe.
• Pea and legume products inflate the protein figure, so the true meat contribution is moderate.
• Fat content sits below average, which limits the food for highly active dogs.
• Fish meal is listed without naming the species, and species matters for fat profile.
• Egg product is vague on the label, and quality of that ingredient varies widely.
• Stock availability is inconsistent across Amazon, Chewy, and local retailers.
• Price per pound sits at the premium end, especially in small bag sizes.

What Artemis Does Not Do Well

Fair reviews name the weak spots plainly, so here they are.

Artemis is not a high protein performance food. At 26 percent dry matter protein, it trails brands that push 32 percent or more. A hunting dog, an agility competitor, or a large breed puppy with heavy growth demands will likely need something denser.

The ingredient transparency has gaps. Fish meal and egg product are both unnamed ingredients in a panel that is otherwise specific. A brand this careful should identify the fish species.

Distribution is genuinely frustrating. Amazon listings flip between sizes. The 4 pound bag sometimes shows at a price that makes no sense per pound compared with the 22 or 28 pound bag. Subscription availability comes and goes.

There is also no fresh, frozen, or air dried product line. If you want to mix kibble with something less processed, you shop elsewhere for that half of the bowl.

Finally, the weight management and senior recipe is the weakest of the three, scoring only 3 stars. Senior dogs may be better served by a different brand.

Price And Value In 2026

Artemis sits in the premium tier but not the luxury tier. Small 4 pound bags run in the high teens. Larger 22 and 28 pound bags bring the cost per pound down substantially, and buying big is the only way this food makes financial sense.

The company offers free shipping on direct orders above a set threshold and often runs a promotion attached to large bag purchases. Ordering direct also unlocks sample packs, which lets you test tolerance before committing forty dollars.

Compared with mass market premium brands, Artemis costs slightly more per pound. Compared with boutique fresh food subscriptions, it costs dramatically less.

The value calculation depends on your dog. If your dog already thrives on a mid priced kibble with no digestive issues, Artemis will not transform anything. If your dog has loose stools, dull coat, or mild sensitivities, the probiotic blend and clean panel may earn back the price difference in fewer vet visits.

Watch the per pound math carefully. The small bags are a poor deal.

Feeding Guide And Transition Tips

Artemis publishes clear feeding charts on each product page. For the small breed formula, a 3 to 5 pound adult eats one third to one half cup daily. A 5 to 10 pound adult eats one half to three quarters cup. A 10 to 20 pound adult eats one to one and a half cups.

Puppies eat considerably more. A 10 to 20 pound puppy at three to four months eats two to three and a quarter cups daily, split across meals.

Measure with an actual eight ounce measuring cup, not a coffee mug. One cup of the small breed kibble weighs roughly 3.4 ounces and carries about 345 calories.

Transition over seven to ten days. Start with 25 percent Artemis and 75 percent old food for three days. Move to a fifty fifty split for three days. Then go 75 percent Artemis for three days before switching fully.

Dogs with sensitive stomachs benefit from stretching that timeline to fourteen days. Keep fresh water available at all times.

Recall History And Safety Record

This section is refreshingly short. No dog food recalls appear on record for the Artemis Fresh Mix or Osopure product lines. That covers the period tracked by major independent recall databases.

For a brand operating since 1998, a blank recall sheet is a real achievement. Plenty of larger, better funded companies cannot say the same.

Artemis manufactures in the United States and controls its own batch sizes. Small production runs mean problems, if they appear, stay contained and get caught faster.

That said, no recall history is not a guarantee of future safety. It is a track record, not a promise. Always check the date code on your bag and store kibble in a sealed container away from heat and humidity.

If your dog shows vomiting, diarrhea, or lethargy after starting any new food, stop feeding it and contact your vet. Keep the bag and the lot number.

Who Should Buy Artemis Dog Food

Artemis fits a specific owner well. You want a small American brand with a clean ingredient panel and you are willing to pay a bit more for it. You read labels. You care about probiotics and chelated minerals. You do not need the highest protein number on the shelf.

The Fresh Mix small breed formula is the standout. Higher protein, higher fat, tiny kibble, and a 4 star rating make it a strong pick for toy and small breeds.

Osopure suits dogs with chicken sensitivities or itchy skin, provided your vet is comfortable with a legume based grain free diet.

Skip Artemis if you own a working dog, a large breed puppy with heavy caloric needs, or a dog that requires a prescription therapeutic diet. Skip it also if reliable, always in stock availability matters more to you than ingredient quality.

Overall verdict: a genuinely good mid tier to upper mid tier kibble that deserves its 3.5 star reputation, held back mainly by high carbohydrates and patchy distribution.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Artemis dog food good for dogs with allergies?

Osopure is the line built for this. It uses a single animal protein and garbanzo beans, with no chicken protein or chicken fat anywhere. That limits exposure to the most common triggers. Fresh Mix contains multiple proteins and grains, so it is a poor choice for a true elimination diet. Talk with your vet before self diagnosing a food allergy.

Has Artemis dog food ever been recalled?

No dog food recalls are recorded for the Artemis Fresh Mix or Osopure lines. The brand has operated since 1998 with a clean sheet, which is uncommon in the pet food industry.

Where is Artemis dog food made?

Artemis Pet Food Company is based in California and manufactures its food in the United States. The company produces in small batches rather than licensing production to a large multi brand co packer.

Is Artemis dog food grain free?

Some of it. The Osopure line is fully grain free and uses garbanzo beans. The Fresh Mix line is grain inclusive and contains barley, brown rice, oatmeal, and millet depending on the recipe. Neither line contains corn, wheat, or soy.

How much protein does Artemis dog food contain?

The medium and large breed Fresh Mix guarantees 23 percent crude protein, which works out to about 26 percent on a dry matter basis. The small breed formula guarantees 28 percent crude protein minimum. Some of that total comes from peas, pea flour, and flaxseed rather than meat.

Can puppies eat Artemis Fresh Mix?

Yes. The medium and large breed and small breed Fresh Mix recipes are formulated for all life stages, which covers puppies. Follow the puppy portions on the feeding chart, since young dogs eat two to three times the adult amount. The weight management and senior recipe is for adult maintenance only.

How long does a bag of Artemis last?

That depends on dog size. A 4 pound bag feeds a 10 pound adult dog for roughly three weeks at half a cup daily. A 28 pound bag feeds a 60 pound dog for about a month. Buying the largest bag your dog can finish within six weeks gives the best price and freshness balance.