THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF PET FOODS APPROVED FOR PASSOVER 2023 WHEN PRODUCED IN THE U.S. Products with identical names from foreign countries may have different formulations, thus compromising their Passover status. Since formulas are subject to change, make sure to check all labels. There should be no chometz listed. A product listing meat and dairy ingredients may not be used at any time during the year.
See “Feeding Your Pet: Barking Up the Right Tree” at star-k.org/passover for more information.
CATS
| BRAND | PRODUCT |
| Blue Freedom GrainFree Indoor (canned) | Chicken for Kittens, Chicken for Cats, Fish, Flaked Chicken in Tasty Gravy, Chicken for Mature Cats |
| Evanger’s | When bearing cRc Passover approval |
| Friskies (canned) | Paté Chicken and Tuna Dinner, Paté Classic Seafood Entrée, Paté Turkey and Giblets, Paté Country Style Dinner, Paté Mariners Catch, Paté Salmon Dinner, Paté Poultry Platter, Paté Mixed Grill, Paté Liver and Chicken Dinner |
| Kirkland (Costco) (dry) | Maintenance Chicken & Rice, Natures Domain Salmon & Sweet Potato |
| Kirkland (Costco) (canned) | Paté Grain-Free 3-Flavor Variety (Chicken, Salmon, Turkey |
| Merrick Grain-Free Limited Ingredient Diet (canned) | Real Chicken, Real Duck, Real Salmon, Real Turkey, Real Tuna |
| Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain-Free (dry) | Adult (Hairball Control, Weight Control, Real Chicken and Sweet Potato, Real Salmon and Sweet Potato, Sensitive Stomach), Healthy Kitten |
| Prescription Diet | a/d, d/d venison & green pea, r/d, s/d, t/d, z/d |
| Wellness Core GrainFree (dry) | Adult, Indoor (all flavors), Kitten, Original |
| Wellness Core GrainFree Classic Paté (canned) | Indoor, Kitten, Turkey & Duck, Whitefish & Salmon & Herring |
FISH
Fish food and vacation blocks often contain chometz. Refer to the list below.
| BRAND | PRODUCT | NOTES |
| Pro Balance | Vacation Feeder (3, 7, 14 days) | Acceptable |
| Tetra Tropical | Slow Release Feeders | While these were acceptable in the past, they have started including oatmeal in new formulations and are no longer sufficient. |
| Zoo Med Laboratories | Plankton Banquet Block Feeder (regular, mini, giant) | Acceptable |
DOGS
| BRAND | PRODUCT |
| Blue Freedom GrainFree (canned) | Beef Recipe Adult, Chicken Recipe (Adult, Small Breed, Puppies, Senior), Grillers (Hearty Beef, Hearty Chicken, Hearty Turkey), Lamb Recipe Adult |
| Evangers | When bearing cRc Passover approval |
| Kirkland (Costco) Natures’ Domain (dry) | Puppy Chicken & Pea, Salmon and Sweet Potato |
| Prescription Diet | a/d, d/d, h/d (canned only), s/d, u/d, r/d |
| Purina Pro Plan GrainFree (canned) | Adult Beef & Pea Entrée, Adult Beef & Salmon Entrée, Adult Chicken & Carrot Entrée, Adult Turkey & Duck & Quail Entree |
| Wellness Core GrainFree (dry) | Lamb, Large Breed, Large Breed Puppy, Ocean, Original, Puppy, Reduced Fat, Senior, Small Breed Healthy Weight, Small Breed Original, Small Breed Puppy, Wild Game |
| Wellness Core GrainFree (canned) | Beef & Venison & Lamb, Puppy, Turkey & Chicken Liver & Turkey Liver, Whitefish & Salmon & Herring |
| Wellness Core GrainFree Ninety Five Percent (canned) | Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, Whitefish |
AQUATIC TURTLES
- Flukers – Turtle Diet for Aquatic Turtles
- Dark, leafy green vegetables (such
as collard, mustard and dandelion
greens, kale, bok choy, deep green
lettuces, parsley) - Finely chopped vegetables (such as
bell peppers, carrots, squash, green
beans) - Goldfish
- Guppies
BEARDED DRAGONS
They can follow the same diet as Geckos, listed below, in addition to the following:
- Fruit (including kiwi, banana,
mango, papaya, apple - Mixed vegetables (such as deep
leafy greens, squash, carrots,
greens) - Calcium and Vitamin D
supplementation (e.g., Zoo Med –
Repti Calcium with D3)
NOTE: As bearded dragons age, they can move to a more vegetable-heavy diet for life.
BIRDS
| BIRD TYPE/ SPECIES | RECOMMENDED FOODS | NOTES |
| All Birds | Fruits, vegetables, fresh herbs, cooked chicken, canned tuna, pure alfalfa pellets (crushed for small birds) | |
| Large Birds | Millet, sorghum, sunflower seeds | Millet is easy to acquire in bulk on Amazon.com, as well as at local pet stores, and can be fed in large quantities. Note, however, that it doesn’t provide a nutritionally complete diet. |
| Small Birds | Millet (sorghum and sunflower seeds are too large | Millet is easy to acquire in bulk on Amazon.com, as well as at local pet stores, and can be fed in large quantities. Note, however, that it doesn’t provide a nutritionally complete diet. |
| Doves, Finches, Pigeons, Sparrows | Can have dog food (see above list) |
FOR ALL BIRDS, AVOID THE FOLLOWING: apple and pear seeds; all dairy – small amount
of cottage cheese is okay; all fruit pits; avocado; mushrooms; peanuts.
GECKOS
- Most varieties are insectivores and prefer a diet of the following offered every two to four days:
- Crickets and grasshoppers
- Earthworms, mealworms, silk worms, super worms, or waxworms
- Fruit flies
- Moths
- Roaches
- Calcium and Vitamin D
supplementation (e.g., Zoo Med –
Repti Calcium with D3)
GERBILS & HAMSTERS
- Fruits and vegetables
- Matzah
- Millet
- Puffed rice
- Pure alfalfa pellets or hay
- Pure timothy or other pure grass hay
- Raw sunflower and pumpkin seeds
- Treats
GUINEA PIGS
- Higgins Vita Garden Grain Free – Guinea Pig Pellets
Need Vitamin C supplementation (e.g., Oasis – Vita-Drops Pure Vitamin C for
Guinea pigs). - Vegetables high in Vitamin C (e.g., broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage,
cauliflower, green and red peppers, spinach, sweet potatoes, turnip greens and
other leafy greens) - Unlimited amounts of pure timothy hay (or other pure grass hay, such as
orchard grass, oat or meadow hay), leafy greens, herbs, carrot tops and
chopped vegetables - NEVER feed white potatoes to guinea pigs
RABBITS
- Higgins Vita Garden Grain Free – Rabbit Pellets (Junior or Adult)
- Unlimited amounts of pure timothy hay (or other pure grass hay, such as
orchard grass, oat or meadow hay), leafy greens, herbs, carrot tops and
chopped vegetables
ADVICE REGARDING WEANING PETS BEFORE PESACH
Mixes sold in stores often contain chometz. It is advisable for pet owners to slowly wean their pets off their regular chometz pet food diet. This is accomplished by mixing typical and Pesach food between one and two weeks before Pesach before switching entirely to Pesach food. The ratio of regular and Pesach food should be changed gradually to get the animal used to the new diet. Check with your veterinarian before changing your pet’s diet.
PET STORES IN BALTIMORE METROPOLITAN AREA WHERE
CHOMETZ PET FOOD MAY BE PURCHASED AFTER PESACH
- Petco
- Petsmart
FAQS REGARDING PETS ON PESACH
Rabbi Zvi Goldberg, STAR-K Kashrus Administrator
Q. Are “grain-free” pet foods acceptable?
A. Many “grain-free” dog and cat foods are on the market. While we still
recommend checking the ingredient panel on those foods, they are a good
place to start your search for 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.
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