The raw food diet for dogs has its passionate devotees who believe it has added health benefits for their dogs compared to feeding kibble. If you've decided a raw food diet is right for your dog, you may be put off by the amount of work involved in preparing the meals on your own. There are many commercially prepared options you can choose from that can make transitioning to raw much easier and less time consuming.
Most Popularly Reviewed Frozen Raw Dog Food Diet
Frozen raw dog food is food that has been prepared and frozen to maintain freshness. With these types of food all you need to do is defrost them and they're ready to eat.
Darwin's Natural Selections Raw Dog Food
This frozen raw dog food diet is reviewed as the number one favorite food on Pet Reviews' list of best commercial raw dog food. They give the product five out of five stars because it's made with pasture-raised, cage-free and antibiotic and steroid-free meat and it's high in protein and low in fat. Customer testimonials highlight the changes they've seen in their dogs' health since switching to Darwin's, including reduced skin allergies, healthier coats, and a reduction in arthritis. You can purchase Darwin's from their website and prices range from $5.79/pound for their chicken recipe, $6.39/pound for turkey, $6.99/pound for duck and beef and $8.19/pound for lamb.
Instinct Raw Dog Food Reviews
Nature's Variety Instinct Raw frozen dog food gets a 4.5 out of 5 star rating on the well-respected Dog Food Advisor website, their second-highest rating. It comes in five flavors: lamb, chicken, beef, small breed beef and small breed chicken. The beef and small breed beef formulas both receive a 5-star rating. Chewy.com users give the recipes between 4.3 and 4.8 star reviews. A three-pound bag runs about $15 and six-pounds bags are about $30. Dog Food Advisor considers Nature's Variety Instinct a "highly recommended" food for its use of a notable amount of named meats and organs and high quality ingredients like fruits, vegetables and supplements like flaxseed and salmon oil.
OC Raw Dog Food Reviews
OC Raw Dog Food gets a five star review from Dog Food Advisor. It's also cited in a list of top raw dog food brands for 2019. The food gets rave reviews from customers on the OC Raw Dog website and they cite the health benefits to their dogs, including a reduction in allergies, easier stool cleanup and less flatulence and stomach upset. Since it's a frozen product, you can buy it from specialty pet supply stores directly. The OC Raw Dog website has a handy store locator to find a distributor near you.
Raw Bistro Dog Food Reviews
Raw Bistro is another frozen raw dog food diet that gets an impressive five-star rating from Dog Food Advisor. It is "enthusiastically recommended" for its significant amount of named protein sources and ingredients like organic fruits and vegetables, safflower oil, inulin and chelated minerals. The majority of Raw Bistro's frozen products get five star reviews from customers on their website, except for their bison formula which gets a 4.5 out of five stars. The food can be purchased directly from Raw Bistro in three-pound six-packs. The six-packs range from $172 to $182 except for the bison, which comes in a four-pack for about $308. You can also get a discounted rate with a regular subscription delivery. You can also purchase Raw Bistro in stores and the website has a store locator feature to find a distributor near you.
Most Popularly Reviewed Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Diet
Freeze-dried raw dog food has gone through a process to remove water from the food to preserve its nutritional value. The process, known as freeze drying, involves freezing the product completely, then drying and pressurizing it to remove any solidified water and finally drying it again to remove any remaining water.
Dr. Marty's Nature's Blend Dog Food Reviews
Created by veterinarian Dr. Marty Goldstein, Dr. Marty's Nature's Blend is a freeze-dried food that contains meat, poultry, fish, fruits and vegetables without any grains. Pet Food Reviewer calls Dr. Marty Nature's Blend "high quality and nutritious." A one-pound bag is $59.95 direct from the Dr. Marty's website, although you can get discounts by purchasing 3 or 6 bags. The food has over 600 customer reviews on their website with an average review of five out of five stars.
Primal Freeze Dried Nuggets Reviews
Primal Freeze Dried Nuggets get high reviews on Amazon.com, with their chicken flavor listed as an Amazon's Choice product with an average customer review of 4.2 out of five stars with over 300 reviews. It's number two on the list of best raw dog foods on the Dog Lover's Digest website with a five-star rating. Dog Food Advisor also gives it a five star rating. Primal Freeze-Dried Nuggets also comes in duck, lamb, turkey and sardine, pork, beef and venison flavors. A 14 ounce bag is about $31.
Northwest Naturals Freeze Dried Raw Dog Food Nugget Reviews
Pet Life Today chooses Northwest Naturals as their best budget pick. Although it's made to be used as dog treats, you can feed it to your dog as their regular meal, and you can even supplement it by mixing in some fresh meat and vegetables. Dog Food Advisor concurs, giving this food another glowing five star rating. Amazon reviewers also give the food a five star rating. The food comes in six recipes: turkey, chicken, lamb, beef, chicken and salmon and whitefish and salmon. You can buy individual packs of each flavor for around $24, or a five pack of different flavors for about $110.00.
Most Popularly Reviewed Dehydrated Raw Dog Food Diet
Dehydrated raw dog food diets are prepared through air drying, which slowly removes any traces of moisture from the food without damaging any of the nutrients. These foods are served by adding in water, and some even encourage you to add additional fresh foods such as meat, fruits and vegetables.
Smack Raw Dehydrated Dog Food Reviews
Dog Food Advisor gives Smack Raw Dehydrated Super Food for Dogs five out of five stars, citing its above-average ingredients, significant amount of named meat and organs as well as vegetables. One interesting thing they note about the food is that the ingredients do not contain any additional vitamins or minerals, which may be due to these nutrients being present in the other main ingredients. Smack currently can be purchased directly from the Smack website which ships from Canada. A 5.5 pound bag starts at around $10 to $15 depending on the flavor. It comes in Prairie Harvest Pork, Very Berry Chicken, Caribbean-Salmon Fusion, Rockin' Rockfish, and Chunky Chicken. You can also use their store locator to find a local distributor.
"I and Love and You" Stir & Boom Dehydrated Dog Food Reviews
This product with the long name is an Amazon's Choice product. The average review is 3.9 out of 5 stars with over 300 ratings. Pet Life Today has it on its list of the best raw dog foods because it's high in protein and superfoods. Dog Food Advisor gives it a 4.5 out of 5 star rating and says it's highly recommended for its grain-free formula with a high amount of named meats. It comes in four flavors: turkey, chicken, beef and lamb and a 1.5 pound bag is about $24 or about $63 for a five-pound bag.
The Honest Kitchen Whole Grain Chicken Recipe Dehydrated Dog Food Reviews
The Honest Kitchen's dehydrated food gets high marks on Chewy.com with an average user review of 4.5 out five stars with over 500 reviews submitted. It's also included on a list of the top raw dog foods in 2020 and Dog Food Advisor gives it 4.5 out of five stars. It's also an Amazon's Choice product with over 2,000 reviews and an average rating of 4.3 out of five stars. It comes in four formulas: whole grain chicken, limited ingredient chicken, whole grain beef and whole grain turkey. The food is a little under $60 for a 10-pound box or about $22 for a two-pound box.
Choosing a Raw Dog Food
When choosing the best raw dog food for you and your dog, you should first consider whether you prefer frozen, freeze-dried or dehydrated and also what your budget can handle. Read the reviews carefully and consider buying smaller quantities first to test them out on your dog. Since these foods can be pricey, it's best to do some trial and error before you land on the one that your dog really loves best.
