Going with the trend in human food searching for something more natural and organic, there is also a new trend in dog feeding with raw diets. It is the practice of feeding your pets with uncooked meat, edible bones, or organs.
Some people only think of feeding dogs raw food at home without knowing that there is also commercial raw food for making your organic life easier.
Let us recommend some of the best raw dog foods in the current market as below.
Contents
- 1 Top 5 Best Raw Dog Foods Update 2021
- 1.1 Top 1 best raw dog food Stella & Chewy’s Freeze-Dried Raw Stella’s Super Beef Meal Mixers Grain-Free Dog Food Topper
- 1.2 Top 2: Nature’s Diet Simply Raw Freeze-Dried Raw Whole Food Meal
- 1.3 Top 3 best raw dog food, all sizes, all breeds Stella & Chewy’s Freeze-Dried Raw Dinner Patties
- 1.4 Top 4 best raw dog food, all breeds, all life stages The Honest Kitchen Human Grade Dehydrated Organic Whole Grain Dog Food
- 1.5 Top 5: Instinct Raw Boost Mixers Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Topper, Grain-Free Dog Food Topper with Functional Ingredients
- 2 What is raw dog food?
- 3 Why commercial raw dog food?
- 4 How should we use commercial raw dog food?
- 5 FAQs
- 6 Conclusion
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Top 5 Best Raw Dog Foods Update 2021
Top 1 best raw dog food Stella & Chewy’s Freeze-Dried Raw Stella’s Super Beef Meal Mixers Grain-Free Dog Food Topper
Brand popularity: specially designated to satisfy the craving nature of your dog mate. With organic and as natural ingredients as possible, this food is a great topper or mixer for adding protein and flavors to the current diet.
Ingredients:
Chicken With Ground Bone, Chicken Liver, Chicken Gizzard, Pumpkin Seed, Potassium Chloride, Organic Cranberries, Organic Spinach, Organic Broccoli, Organic Beets, Sodium Phosphate Monobasic, Organic Carrots, Organic Squash, Organic Apples, Organic Blueberries, Choline Chloride, Dried Pediococcus Acidilactici Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium Longum Fermentation Product, Taurine, Tocopherols (Preservative), Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Proteinate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin B12 Supplement.
Pros:
Base on the grass-fed, cage-free, and wildly raised chicken, with 95% of meaty ingredients, this mixer contains 48% high-quality protein. It should become perfect add-ins to your mate’s daily boring kibble and satisfy even picky eaters.
The fruit and veggie ingredients are selected from trusted, organic labeled, and certified sources, which will bring the best natural taste into your dog mate’s diet.
No ingredients from China. No artificial flavors, preservatives, or colorings.
Precautions:
It will be best to be served as a topper or mixer. Think about both your budget and the calorie balance for your dog to regulate the feeding amount because it is marked as organic or natural so it is really pricey (about 15 – 20 times higher than normal kibble).
Top 2: Nature’s Diet Simply Raw Freeze-Dried Raw Whole Food Meal
Brand popularity: this food is both a complete meal or/and a kick-start topper with a protein-rich, complete and balanced nutrient profile. It is formulated to meet the nutrient requirements for dogs of all sizes and all life stages (except growing large breed puppies).
Ingredients: Freeze-Dried Raw Turkey, Freeze-Dried Raw Turkey Liver, Turkey Bone Broth, Whole Egg, Carrots, Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, Peas, Banana, Cranberries, Purple Potatoes, Broccoli, Apple, Flax Seed, Chia Seed, Coconut, Tricalcium Phosphate, Brewer’s Yeast, Kelp, Cinnamon, Spinach, Kale, Prebiotic/Probiotic Blend, OMEGA 3 & 6 from Fish Oil, Ginger, Basil, Parsley, Sage, Thyme, Rosemary, Vitamins & Minerals.
Pros:
This food is a perfect blend of raw, fresh human-grade ingredients, including freeze-dried raw turkey, chicken bone broth, whole egg, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, OMEGA fatty acids, probiotics & prebiotics. Freeze-Drying is a natural food preservation process that removes moisture while maintaining the nutritional integrity of the food. Freeze-Dried raw food is always free of pathogens, making it the safest way to feed a raw diet.
It is safe and stable for shelf life meanwhile contains no fillers, no grains, no unnatural preservatives, no added flavorings or dyes.
It is easy for handling. Just add some warm water for rehydration, stir well and let it stay for 10 minutes then stir again and you could serve your boss at room temperature.
Contain healthy fat from flaxseed and fish oil, which promote smooth and healthy skin and coat.
Precautions:
Mixing it with other fiber-rich wholesome diets because it is quite low on fiber rate (only 0.4% max).
Considering a transition course of 7 – 10 days before full usage.
Top 3 best raw dog food, all sizes, all breeds Stella & Chewy’s Freeze-Dried Raw Dinner Patties
Brand popularity: this food is specially designated for small breed dogs from raw, fresh, and organic ingredients. It is formulated into a kind of highly calorie-dense and super-rich protein food that would satisfy all the pickiest meat lovers.
Ingredients: Beef, Beef Liver, Beef Kidney, Beef Heart, Beef Tripe, Beef Bone, Pumpkin Seed, Organic Cranberries, Organic Spinach, Organic Broccoli, Organic Beets, Organic Carrots, Organic Squash, Organic Blueberries, Fenugreek Seed, Potassium Chloride, Dried Kelp, Sodium Phosphate, Tocopherols (Preservative), Choline Chloride, Dried Pediococcus Acidilactici Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium Longum Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Coagulans Fermentation Product, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Taurine, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid.
Pros:
Contain 95% of grass-fed and farm-raised beef, organ, and bones, this food is a super-rich protein source and full of delicious beef flavors. Use free-dried technic to keep all-natural and remove all the antibiotic or toxic matters.
All the ingredients are selected from trusted organic certified sources.
100% organic, certified fruits and vegetables, no grains, no fillers.
100% complete and balanced for all life stages.
Precautions:
A transition course of 5 – 7 days should be introduced before full usage.
It is really a high protein diet so consider adding some wholesome grain, fruit, or veggie snacks as well as using it as a topper for normal food.
Adding ¼ cup of warm water to each patty for dehydrating.
It is rather pricey but worth its value-to-money.
Top 4 best raw dog food, all breeds, all life stages The Honest Kitchen Human Grade Dehydrated Organic Whole Grain Dog Food
Brand popularity: this chicken recipe from The Honest Kitchen is a blend of dehydrated ingredients and supplements and to be served only by adding some warm water. It could be used as a topper or main part of daily meals at an affordable price.
Ingredients:
All ingredients dehydrated: Free-range chicken, organic barley, potatoes, organic flax, organic oats, green peas, carrots, bananas, parsley, organic kelp, celery, tricalcium phosphate, choline chloride, zinc amino acid chelate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, potassium iodide, potassium chloride, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, sodium selenite, thiamine mononitrate.
Pros:
All ingredients are processed in the USA in a human-grade food processing facility, made from non-GMOs and without chemicals & preservatives. Also, there is no use of artificial flavors, by-products, GMOs, filler, corn, wheat, or soy.
It is more affordable than other raw food brands.
Increase the natural parts of the food and reduce as few processed parts as possible by using free-range chicken, organic oats, carrots, and bananas. Those natural ingredients are carefully selected and are very gentle to your dog’s digestive system.
Precautions:
Dehydrated food should be stored in a cool, dry place. The rehydrated parts should be refrigerated for 2 – 3 days.
The transition course for the new food should be introduced within 5 – 7 days.
Top 5: Instinct Raw Boost Mixers Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Topper, Grain-Free Dog Food Topper with Functional Ingredients
Brand popularity: this brand is made with 100% freeze-dried natural ingredients from real meat and whole food. It is usually served as a mixer or topper of kibble to add natural flavors and create more exciting meals.
Ingredients: Chicken (including Ground Chicken Bone), Chicken Liver, Pumpkinseeds, Chicken Heart, Dried Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Dried Chicory Root, Annatto (color), Apple Cider Vinegar, Mixed Tocopherols (for freshness), Rosemary Extract, Dried Bacillus coagulants, Fermentation Product.
Pros:
This food is featured by free-dried fiber and live, natural probiotics to promote a highly digestive system.
Farm-raised chicken is the first ingredient to add healthy and high-quality protein (36% of the food) as a source of additional protein and glucosamine for mobility support.
No grain, soy, and potatoes but using alternatives as pumpkin, sweet potatoes to avoid sensitivities.
Precautions:
Store the food in a cool, dry place. Take care of the expiry date and time.
Because this food should be used as topper only, compare it and take care the ingredients of the food for the main diet.
What is raw dog food?
Raw dog diet usually includes below:
- Muscle meat, often still on the bone
- Bones, either whole or ground
- Organ meats such as livers and kidneys
- Raw eggs
- Vegetables like broccoli, spinach, and celery
- Apples or other fruit
- Some dairy, such as yogurt or cheese
The most important ingredients in a raw dog diet will not be cooked. It could be frozen or freeze-dried for keeping most of the natural flavors as well as the original nutrient base.
Why commercial raw dog food?
Raw dog diet, if being prepared at home, shall rob you of almost all your free time. Furthermore, you also have to bear the risk of contaminating bacteria-related diseases when handling raw meat. Your dog also bears the same risk.
Thus, the commercial raw dog food industry has been born to help dog owners be free from those above troubles. Most commercial raw dog foods use freeze-dried, dehydrated, or air-dried technic. The freeze-dried, dehydrated or air-dried technology should help to remove most of the bacteria from the food while keeping almost all the nutrients as the original base. The based ingredients of commercial raw dog food are meat, organs, and edible bones. The commercial raw food should be rehydrated and then be used with home-cooked grains and vegetables and fruits purchased from the local grocery store. Or commercial raw food could also be a topper to add protein and fat to the normal kibble.
Most commercial raw foods keep the dehydrated or freeze-dried ingredients as is. There is no filler, preservatives, or colorings.
Potential benefits of raw dog food diet are:
- Healthier skin and shinier coat (because more vitamins and antioxidants are kept in raw food)
- Cleaner teeth
- More energy (due to protein and fat are basic indicators of raw food which is produced from based ingredients of meat, organs, and bones).
- Smaller stools
How should we use commercial raw dog food?
Most commercial raw dog food has its instructions. Normally, rehydrating it with warm water is the way to feed your dog. Try it with goat milk or bone broth sometimes to add flavors and nutrients for your dog’s meal to be more excited.
Carefully read the label and you will see that most commercial raw dog food contains mainly protein, fat, and carbohydrate from potatoes, pumpkin, or grains. Thus, adding the vitamin and minerals from cooked wholesome grains, vegetables and fruits are very important. If you do not have time, get it from the kibble and use the raw food as a topper.
What’s more, commercial raw dog food is quite expensive because of specific requirements to make as similar to natural food as possible. Thus, use it as a mixer or topper with kibble is also not a bad idea.
FAQs
What are the downsides of commercial raw dog food?
It is expensive. Yes, but it is worth the value of money because of the nutrients and benefits that it brings to our pets.
It is more likely to be stale. Unlike kibble, the freeze-dried or dehydrated food is more likely to be back to its original form and more susceptible to bacteria when contacting with the environment. Keep it sealed away from the air all the time and put the rehydrated parts in the fridge and consume it within the next two days.
What are the best add-ins for commercial raw dog food?
Commercial raw dog food is featured by high protein and high fat. Thus, the best add-in is the home-cooked grains, vegetables, and fruits to add vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to the daily diet.
If you do not have time to purchase and prepare such home-cooked, a vegan formulated kibble may be another great choice.
Conclusion
Though the commercial raw dog food has many benefits, no brand or formula is perfectly “complete and balanced”. Raw food features high protein and fat richness. It usually lacks fiber and certain vitamins and minerals. The best way is to use it in combination with other kibbles home-prepared raw diet. Then your dog will thank you if you add raw materials to his daily meal.
