Home Reviews Primal Pronto Raw Frozen Formulas Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)

Primal Pronto Raw Frozen Formulas Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)

By Mike Sagman

Updated: October 6, 2023

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Rating:

Primal Pronto Formulas Dog Food receives the Advisor’s highest rating of 5 stars.

The Primal Pronto Formulas product line includes six raw frozen recipes.

Each recipe below includes its related AAFCO nutrient profile when available on the product’s official webpage: Growth, Maintenance, All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

• Primal Pronto Canine Pork [A]
• Primal Pronto Canine Duck [A]
• Primal Pronto Canine Beef (3 stars) [A]
• Primal Pronto Canine Lamb (3 stars) [A]
• Primal Pronto Canine Chicken (3 stars) [A]
• Primal Pronto Canine Turkey and Sardine [A]

Primal Pronto Canine Lamb Formula was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.

The first ingredient is lamb heart. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing to us humans, heart tissue is pure muscle — all meat. It’s naturally rich in quality protein, minerals and complex B vitamins, too.

The second ingredient is lamb liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The third ingredient is ground lamb bone, an excellent source of natural calcium.

The fourth ingredient is organic kale. Kale is a type of cabbage in which the central leaves do not form a head. This dark green vegetable is especially rich in beta-carotene, vitamins C, vitamin K and calcium.

And like broccoli, kale contains sulforaphane, a natural chemical believed to possess potent anti-cancer properties.

The fifth ingredient includes organic carrots. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.

The sixth ingredient is organic broccoli. Broccoli is a healthy green vegetable and a member of the kale family. It’s notably rich in vitamin C and fiber and numerous other nutrients.

Like other cruciferous vegetables, broccoli is believed to provide anti-cancer benefits.

The seventh ingredient is organic apple, a nutrient-rich fruit that’s also high in fiber.

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 six notable exceptions…

First pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are rich in vitamins, minerals and, more importantly, linoleic acid — an essential omega-6 fat, and dietary fiber.

Next, montmorillonite clay is a naturally occurring compound rich in many trace minerals. Montmorillonite has been approved for use in USDA Organic Certified products.

Reported benefits include the binding of certain mold-based toxins and even controlling diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

In addition, salmon oil is naturally rich in the prized EPA and DHA type of omega-3 fatty acids. These two high quality fats boast the highest bio-availability to dogs and humans.

Depending on its level of freshness and purity, salmon oil should be considered a commendable addition.

Next, this recipe also includes coconut oil, a natural oil rich in medium-chain fatty acids.

Medium-chain triglycerides have been shown to improve cognitive function in older dogs.¹

Because of its proven safety² as well as its potential to help in the treatment of canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) and chronic skin disorders, MCT can be considered a positive addition to this recipe.

We also note the inclusion of alfalfa, a flowering member of the pea family. Although alfalfa is high in protein (18%) and fiber, it’s uncommon to see it used in a dog food. This hay-family ingredient is more commonly associated with horse feeds.

And lastly, except for vitamin E, although we find no mention of added vitamins or minerals on the ingredients list, we’re reassured to find a detailed list of naturally present nutrients on the company’s website. ³

Primal Pronto Dog Food Review

Since this recipe contains a number of organic ingredients, we feel compelled to grant this line a more favorable status as we consider its final rating.

That’s because organic ingredients must comply with notably more stringent government standards — standards which significantly restrict the use of any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, hormones or antibiotics.

With that in mind…

Judging by its ingredients alone, Primal Pronto Formulas 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 41%, a fat level of 38% and estimated carbohydrates of about 14%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 49% and a mean fat level of 35%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 9% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 72%.

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

Even when you consider the mild protein-boosting effect of the alfalfa, this looks like the profile of a raw product containing an abundance of meat.

However, with 63% of the total calories in our example coming from fat versus just 28% from protein, some recipes may not be suitable for every animal.

Bottom line?

Primal Pronto Formulas is a meat-based raw dog food using an abunance of named meats and organs as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.

Enthusiastically recommended.

Please note certain recipes are sometimes given a higher or lower rating based upon our estimate of their total meat content and (when appropriate) their fat-to-protein ratios.

Those attempting to mimic a dog’s natural ancestral diet this Primal Raw Frozen Formulas Dog Food makes a reasonable choice.

Primal Dog Food
Recall History

The following list (if present) includes all dog food recalls since 2009 directly related to this product line. If there are no recalls listed in this section, we have not yet reported any events.

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls sorted by date. Or view the same list sorted alphabetically by brand.

To learn why our ratings have nothing to do with a product’s recall history, please visit our Dog Food Recalls FAQ page.

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Notes and Updates