A raw dog food diet is designed to mimic a dog’s natural ancestral menu. The whole concept of raw feeding is based upon a dog’s instinctive carnivorous bias — a built-in desire to capture (or find) and eat another animal.
As unsavory as it may seem, it is completely natural for a wolf to consume the entire animal.
Meat, bones, organs and all.
As direct descendants of wolves, dogs are simply not genetically optimized to consume the 50% carbohydrate content of today’s commercial kibbles.
So, how do these diets compare?
The Ancestral Diet
Compared to Dry Kibble
No one can argue the dry baked pellets we call dog food aren’t convenient. Yet the nutrient profile of a dry kibble is nowhere near the nutrient content of a dog’s ancestral diet.
Notice the higher carbohydrate content of the kibble compared to the dog’s natural ancestral diet. Or how about the dramatically lower protein and fat levels?
The Benefits of a Raw Diet
Feeding a raw dog food diet has many notable benefits…
- Firmer stools
- Improved digestion
- Healthier skin and coat
- Reduced allergy symptoms
- Better weight management
There have been many reports of improved health when chronically ill pets were switched from a commercial product to a raw dog food.
The Downside
of a Raw Dog Food Diet
A raw dog food diet can’t touch the convenience of a kibble. Just measure and pour. It just doesn’t get any easier.
Yet besides the lack of convenience, there’s another critical issue. Bacterial contamination.
Salmonella and E. coli germs can always be a potential problem with raw meats. Yet the risk of food-borne disease is actually quite low.
That is, low risk for dogs. But not for humans.
That’s because a dog’s digestive system is shorter and more acidic.
Which makes canine infections like these fairly rare.
The real risk of food-borne disease is actually greater for a dog’s human caretakers — not the dog.
Yet with proper care and handling, this risk can be dramatically reduced.
How to Use Our List
Below you’ll find a list of the Advisor’s suggested raw dog foods. Of course, this list should not be considered a complete catalog of all the raw dog foods on the market.
For there are others. Many others.
We only provide this small group as a starting point.
As a matter of fact, if you know of a specific dog food you believe we should have included on this list, please feel free to share your recommendations in the Comments section below.
Or if you’re looking for some suggestions yourself, be sure to look through our readers’ Comments to find more good ideas.
Best Raw Dog Foods
- Aunt Jeni’s Home Made Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)
- BARF Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)
- Bixbi Rawbble Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)
- Bravo Homestyle Complete Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)
- Dr. Marty Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)
- Fresh Is Best Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)
- Genesis RAW Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)
- Halo Freeze-Dried Raw Meal Bites Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)
- Instinct Raw Frozen Diets Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)
- K-9 Kraving Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)
- Nature’s Logic Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)
- Northwest Naturals Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)
- Northwest Naturals Freeze Dried Raw Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)
- Nulo Freestyle Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)
- OC Raw Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)
- Only Natural Pet EasyRaw Dog Food Review (Dehydrated)
- Only Natural Pet RawNibs Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)
- Open Farm Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)
- Raw Bistro Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)
- Raw Wild Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)
- SmallBatch Raw Frozen Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)
- Sojos Complete Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)
- Stella and Chewy’s Dinners Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)
- Stella and Chewy’s Freeze Dried Dinners Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)
- Steve’s Real Food Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)
- Steve’s Real Food Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)
- Stewart Raw Naturals Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)
- TruDog Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)
- Tucker’s Raw Frozen Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)
- Vital Essentials Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)
- Vital Essentials Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)
- Viva Raw Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)
- We Feed Raw Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)
- Wysong Archetype Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)
- Ziwi Peak Air Dried Dog Food Review (Dehydrated)
More Top Picks
- Best Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Foods
- Best Dog Foods
- Best Puppy Foods
- Best Dry Puppy Food
- Best Wet Puppy Food
- Best Small Breed Puppy Food
- Best Large Breed Puppy Food
- Best Dry Dog Food
- Best Wet Dog Food
- Best Dog Food for Allergies
- Best Dog Food for Small Dogs
- Best Dog Food for Large Breeds
- Best Grain Free Dog Food
- Best Dog Food with Grain
- Best Fresh Food for Dogs
- Best Organic Dog Food
- Best Senior Dog Food
- Best High Protein Dog Food
- Best Dog Food for Weight Loss
- Best Budget-Friendly Dog Food
- Best Dog Food for Sensitive Stomach
- Best Low Fat Dog Food
- Best Food for Specific Breeds
A Final Word
The Dog Food Advisor does not accept money, gifts, samples or other incentives in exchange for special consideration in preparing our reviews.
However, we do receive a referral fee from online retailers (like Chewy or Amazon) and from sellers of perishable pet food when readers click over to their websites from ours. This helps cover the cost of operation of our free blog. Thanks for your support.
For more information, please visit our Disclaimer and Disclosure page.