OC Raw Dog Food (Raw Frozen)

by Mike Sagman
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Rating: ★★★★★

OC Raw Dog Food receives the Advisor’s highest rating of 5 stars.

The OC Raw product line includes eight raw dog foods. However, since we’re unable to locate AAFCO nutritional adequacy statements for these dog foods on the company’s website, it’s impossible for us to report specific life stage recommendations for these recipes.

The following is a list of recipes available at the time of this review.

  • OC Raw Fish and Produce
  • OC Raw Beef and Produce
  • OC Raw Goat and Produce
  • OC Raw Turkey and Produce
  • OC Raw Rabbit and Produce
  • OC Raw Chicken and Produce
  • OC Raw Chicken, Fish and Produce
  • OC Raw Lamb and Produce (3 stars)

OC Raw Turkey and Produce was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.

OC Raw Turkey and Produce

Raw Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 68% | Fat = 23% | Carbs = 2%

Ingredients: Turkey, ground turkey bone, turkey gizzard, carrots, apples, broccoli, spinach, acorn squash, beets, cod liver oil, parsley, blueberries, calcium carbonate, spirulina

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 3.2%

Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients

Estimated Nutrient Content
MethodProteinFatCarbs
Guaranteed Analysis21%7%NA
Dry Matter Basis68%23%2%
Calorie Weighted Basis55%44%1%

The first ingredient in this dog food is turkey. Turkey is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey”.1

Turkey is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The second ingredient is ground turkey bone, an excellent source of natural calcium.

The third ingredient is turkey gizzards. The gizzard is a low-fat, meaty organ found in the digestive tract of birds and assists by grinding up a consumed food. This item is a favored delicacy to a dog.

The next eight items include a series of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables…

  • carrots
  • apples
  • broccoli
  • spinach
  • acorn squash
  • beets
  • parsley
  • blueberries

Amongst the fruits and vegetables we find cod liver oil, a fish oil known to be rich in both EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids as well as vitamins A and D.

The next ingredient is calcium carbonate, likely used here as a dietary mineral supplement.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.

With two notable exceptions…

First, Spirulina is a species of blue-green algae. Depending upon its level of purity, Sprulina can be a natural source of of additional protein, vitamins, minerals, carotenoids and other antioxidants.

And lastly, except for the Spirulina, we find no added vitamins or minerals on the ingredients list. We would assume these essential nutrients are provided by the food ingredients in the recipe.

OC Raw Dog Food
The Bottom Line

Judging by its ingredients alone, OC Raw Dog Food looks like an above-average raw product.

But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 68%, a fat level of 23% and estimated carbohydrates of about 2%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 64% and a mean fat level of 23%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 5% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 37%.

Above-average protein. Below-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical raw dog food.

Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a raw product containing a significant amount of meat.

However, with a fat to protein ratio of about 82%, the Lamb recipe may not be appropriate for every dog — and has thus been given a lower star rating.

Bottom line?

OC Raw Dog Food is a meat-based product using a significant amount of named meats and fish as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.

Enthusiastically recommended.

However, it’s important to note that many raw dog food products make no attempt to meet AAFCO nutrient profile guidelines to be complete and balanced for daily use.

For this reason, we recommend consumers become aware of the advantages and disadvantages of raw feeding before committing to long term use.

Special Alert

Rice ingredients can sometimes contain arsenic. Until the US FDA establishes safe upper levels for arsenic content, pet owners may wish to limit the total amount of rice fed in a dog's daily diet.

A Final Word

The descriptions and analyses expressed in this and every article on this website represent the views and opinions of the author.

Although it's our goal to ensure all the information on this website is correct, we cannot guarantee its completeness or its accuracy; nor can we commit to ensuring all the material is kept up-to-date on a daily basis.

Each review is offered in good faith and has been designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food.

However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in specific health benefits for your pet.

For a better understanding of how we analyze each product, please read our article, "The Problem with Dog Food Reviews".

Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt, consult a qualified veterinary professional for help.

In closing, we do not accept money, gifts or samples from pet food companies in exchange for special consideration in the preparation of our reviews or ratings.

To learn how we support the cost of operating this website, please visit our public Disclosure and Disclaimer page.

Have an opinion about this dog food? Or maybe the review itself? Please know we welcome your comments.

Notes and Updates

09/14/2012 Original review
09/14/2012 Last Update

  1. Adapted by the Dog Food Advisor and based upon the official definition for chicken published by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, Official Publication, 2008 Edition ↩
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  • http://www.y8u.org/ Y8 Games

    Your original views on this subject ar refreshing and
    attention-grabbing. you have done an honest job of expressing your
    views. Thank you.

  • InkedMarie

    Thank you!

  • Hound Dog Mom

    It’s preferable to feed a single protein at each meal (or at the very least a protein group – i.e. all poultry or all red meat). If you feed your dog chicken and beef, but combine the chicken and beef at every meal rather than feeding chicken for a day/beef for a day (or a week or whatever), you’re essentially feeding the same food at each meal – it’s the same concept as why someone shouldn’t feed the same kibble at each meal, just in terms of raw food. It’s fine to feed one a breakfast and one at dinner, or one for a day the other for a day, etc. Also if you’re mixing proteins and a sensitivity occurs it would be more difficult to determine what the sensitivity is to. In the wild a dog would eat only on protein source per meal. My dogs get a single poultry protein for breakfast and a single red meat protein for dinner and never get the same breakfast protein or dinner protein two days in a row – so at the moment it’s chicken for breakfast mon/wed/fri and turkey for breakfast tue/thur/sat, pork for dinner mon/wed/fri and beef for dinner tue/thur/sat.

  • InkedMarie

    Hmmm…I was told by the person who told me about Hare to mix the proteins. Wht about those of us who feed two meals; it’s not good to do one protein at breakfast, another at dinner?

  • Hound Dog Mom

    Hi Nicole –

    It’s great that you’re giving your dogs variety but – imo – it would be a better idea to not mix the proteins. Feed beef for a few days, then chicken for a few days, then fish for a few days. This way your dog isn’t getting exposed to the same exact proteins every day at every meal – it’s good to give you dog a break from certain foods. Some believe feeding the same foods each day make dogs more susceptible to developing sensitivities to the food.

  • Nicole

    Now that OC Raw comes in ground form I buy a bag of chicken, a bag of fish and a bag of beef open all 3 bags and mix them all together this way my dogs are getting a little of everything at each meal. Very happy with this product

  • Shawna

    I raw feed too and agree with HDM and Patty. My dogs get a new protein (and brand for that matter) about every two to three days.

    Raw feeder and veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker feeds a different protein every single meal and rotates between 14 different proteins before feeding the first again (she wrote that on a post in her forum before it closed).

  • http://www.facebook.com/fran.c.wickham Fran Cohen Wickham

    My dogs really love this food, and I find it very convenient and easy to feed. I switch up proteins on a daily basis and have never had an issue.

  • Hound Dog Mom

    My dogs eat raw – I change the proteins up often. Currently they get beef for breakfast Monday/Wednesday/Friday and chicken for breakfast Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday. They get turkey for dinner Monday/Wednesday/Friday and pork for dinner Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday. I’d say change proteins as often as you want – the more variety the better.

  • Pattyvaughn

    They say when you first start to feed raw to feed the same protein for a week, then add a second protein. Now that I’ve been feeding raw for a while, I feed a different protein every time I feed.

  • Jennifer Robinson

    If I feed my dog this raw food is it ok to change the meat like one month rabbit and the next beef?

  • Psboyer

    I have used OC for some real problem issues in many dogs of various ages and breeds,every problem was solved or greatly improved. I am sure the other brands are good I have just had amazing results with OC.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com/ Mike Sagman

    The lower rating in any report I write is never due to the sole fact an ingredient is sourced from lamb. It’s typically because that lamb ingredient contains too much fat.

    As I mention in this review…

    “However, a fat to protein ratio of about 82%, the Lamb recipe may not be appropriate for every dog — and has thus been given a lower star
    rating.”

    That much fat is simply too high to ignore. Hope this helps.

  • SOVIDA

    I THINK THE LAMB HAS A LOT OF FAT AND WHY THE 3 STARS..MANY OF THE FOODS MIKE REVIEWS I SEE HE ALWAYS GIVE THE LAMB OF THE PRODUCTS…3 STARS..

  • Christine L

    I am so thankful to hear you gave this food five stars!!!! My pugs love it and I have seen a great improvement in their skin and health! It’s interesting you have the lamb 3 stars my girls didn’t do well on that!!

    Thank you for taking the time to review this food!