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Raw Dog Food Resources

Photo of Boxer with huge bone

As the popularity of raw diets has grown, so have the number of products. Choices range from complete diets, to mixtures of meat, bone, organs and veggies that you can use as the base of a complete diet, to parts of the diet, such as ground or whole raw meaty bones, which you would need to combine with other foods at home in order to create a complete diet (see Homemade Diets for more information on how to ensure that you're feeding a complete diet). Most frozen raw foods are expensive, especially if you have to pay shipping, but they may be feasible if you can find a local source (or have small dogs!).

Also see these related articles:

See Also:

Widely available complete raw diets (meeting AAFCO guidelines):

Complete Raw Diets
Product Description Available from
Aunt Jeni's Home Made Offers six complete diets consisting of ground meat and bones, organ meat, vegetables, and a variety of other healthy ingredients, with no grains. Chicken, Lamb, Beef and Rabbit varieties have a ratio of 65% meat to 35% veggies and other ingredients; Turkey and Goat are 75:25. All ingredients are human grade, grass-fed or free-range, hormone- and antibiotic-free. Jennifer Boniface (Aunt Jeni), MS, is an Animal Nutritionist and quite knowledgeable about canine diets. "Home Made 4 Life has been formulated and analyzed by qualified, degreed, experienced Animal Nutritionists not only to meet but to exceed CVMA, NRC, and AAFCO requirements." However, the goat variety is not appropriate for large-breed puppies due to high calcium content. Located in Maryland. Retailers in many states, see Store Locator
Bravo! Balance Raw Food Diet Bravo!, a company that has long made high-quality incomplete mixes, is now offering a Bravo! Balance, which "meets the AAFCO standard for 100% complete and balanced nutrition for all life stages." Chicken, Beef and Turkey varieties, made with human-grade antibiotic-free poultry, hormone-free, grass-fed red meats, organ meats and bones combined with Grade A vegetables and fortified vitamins and minerals. Bravo! also offers a wide variety of incomplete products (see below). Distributors in many states.
Dr. Billinghurst's BARF Diet Offers complete diets (BARF Diet), as well as mix and match minces (BARF Mates -- see Guidelines for Feeding Incomplete Diets for how to use these as a basis for a homemade diet). Chicken, Beef, Lamb and Combination varieties. "These commercially prepared diets are balanced and complete portions (based on AAFCO’S feeding protocols) that are designed to give your dog an adequate amount of nutrition at every meal. We still advocate that a variety of several different choices be given to offer your dog the best opportunity to gain maximum nutritional value." Available through distributors in the US and Canada, or can be ordered online, shipping charge is $25 minimum.
Nature's Variety Nature's Variety uses 95% fresh meat ingredients including ground raw bones. Varieties include Organic Chicken, Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Venison and Rabbit. Freeze-dried version and whole raw meaty bones also available. Note that rabbit meat is sourced from China. All varieties are "formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog & Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages." However, the Rabbit variety should not be fed to large-breed puppies due to high calcium content.
Nature's Variety is much higher in calories than the other frozen foods listed above. It appears to have much more fat than the minimum amounts listed in their nutritional analyses, based on the calories they show.		 Distributors in many states. Freeze-dried version available from SitStay and Amazon.
Northwest Naturals
 Offers complete raw diets that meet AAFCO guidelines. Mixes are about 78-80% meat and include ground meat and bone, organ meat, vegetables, and a variety of supplements, no grains. Chicken, Turkey, Beef, Bison, and Chicken with Salmon varieties. Available in the form of both nuggets and "dinner bars", for easy storage and feeding. Meat is human grade. Although AAFCO is not mentioned on their web site, in private communication they have assured me that "The products are balanced/complete and meet all AAFCO objectives." Calcium percentages are not given, so unsure whether they're OK for large-breed puppies. Located in Portland, OR. Retailers in many states, see Where to Buy
Paw Naturaw Organic Frozen Raw Diets Paw Naturaw makes complete organic frozen and new dehydrated raw diets meeting AAFCO nutritional guidelines for all life stages. Beef, Bison, Chicken and Turkey varieties are all grain-free and made with 100% human-grade ingredients. The company makes its foods at its own processing plant, to ensure quality control. All of the organic chickens, turkeys and bison are purchased directly from documented family farmers, humanely transported, processed for human consumption in USDA inspected facilities, and shipped directly to their own manufacturing facility. Located in Wisconsin. Retailers in several states and Canada. Also available through Amazon.com with free shipping!
Pets 4 Life Home Made Pet Cuisine Offers lamb, chicken, turkey, beef, rabbit, duck and wild salmon varieties. "Home Made Pet Cuisine has been carefully formulated and analyzed by qualified, degreed, experienced animal nutritionists not only to meet but to exceed CVMA, NRC, and AAFCO requirements." Available throughout Canada, see Store Locator
Primal Pet Foods Primal makes both complete diets (Formulas) and blends that are not complete (Grinds and Mixes, see below). All use heart to supply muscle meat, liver as their organ meat. 100% human grade, hormone, antibiotic and steroid free meats, poultry and game, certified organic produce, certified organic minerals and unrefined vitamins. Formulas are available in chicken, duck, beef, lamb, pheasant and venison varieties. Only the venison formula has an appropriate amount of calcium for  large-breed puppies, the rest should not be fed due to high calcium content.
Located in San Francisco, CA.		 Available at retailers around the country, including Whole Foods. Also available online from Only Natural Pet Store.
Stella & Chewy's Offers frozen and freeze-dried Chicken, Beef and Lamb products. "Steaks" are 96% human-grade, free-range meats and bones, and 4% organic fruits and vegetables. Hormone- and antibiotic-free. "All food meets the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages." Opened their own processing plant in May, 2007, and they have a documented food safety and testing program. Calcium percentages range from 1.5-1.7%, which should be OK for large-breed puppies. Located in Wisconsin. Retailers around the country and available online from SitStay, Amazon and PetFoodDirect (freeze-dried only). Also marketed as Only Natural Pet Freeze Dried Patties (see Shopping page for coupons).
Steve's Real Food for Dogs Steve's is a complete diet consisting of ground meat and bones, organ meat, vegetables, and a variety of supplements. All ingredients are human-grade. Has a tiny amount of rice bran, but no other grains. Chicken, Turkey, Beef and "Turducken" varieties available. Now available in patties as well as nuggets, which are bulkier and more expensive to ship. Freeze-dried version is also available, but very expensive. "All formulas of Steve's Real Food for Pets are formulated using the AAFCO nutrient profiles to meet the nutritional requirements for all stages of your dogs life from weaned puppy through seniors."
Retailers across the country in most states.

See Also:

Not recommended:

Animal Food Services: Will not identify the parts they use, claiming that information is proprietary; some products appear to contain no muscle meat at all; unclear whether meat is really human-grade, and whether foods meet AAFCO specifications.
Abady Frozen Diets: Includes meat meal, corn and other grains, soy, and does not use human grade ingredients.
Bil-Jac Fresh Frozen: Contains meat by-products and other foods from unnamed sources, cereal waste products, and other low quality ingredients)

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Widely Available Incomplete Blends

See Homemade Diets: Guidelines for feeding incomplete blends for more information on how to use these products as the basis for a complete homemade diet.

Incomplete Raw Blends
Product Description Available from
Bravo! Original Formula Bravo! offers a wide variety of incomplete products, including Original Formula Blends (ground meat, bone, organs and veggies), Basic Formula (ground meat and bone, some with organs), Boneless Meat, and specialty products (organs only, vegetables only, and salmon oil). They offer a number of exotic proteins (rabbit, buffalo, venison, elk, ostrich, duck, quail), plus green tripe (which is not listed on their web site). Blends are not complete and do not meet AAFCO guidelines, with the exception of Bravo! Balance (see above). You can formulate a complete diet from their products, but don't just feed the blends with nothing added (eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, and canned fish other than tuna are good to add). See Homemade Diets for more info on how to ensure that you're feeding a complete diet. See the booklet Bravo Beginnings for good information on how to put together a complete diet for your dog from Bravo products. Also see the How-2 web page put together by a Bravo distributor who is also a friend of mine. Distributors in many states.
Dr. Billinghurst's BARF Diet Offers mix and match minces (BARF Mates -- see Homemade Diets for how to use these as a basis for a homemade diet). Varieties include Chicken (with bone), Beef Offal (organs only), Tripe, and Fruit and Veggies Nuggets. Also offers complete diets (see above). Available through distributors in the US and Canada, or can be ordered online, shipping charge is $25 minimum.
Oma's Pride
 Oma's Pride offers unusual meats (emu, rabbit, ostrich, duck, venison), tripe (not from USDA approved source), whole raw meaty bones, as well as mixtures of ground meat and bones, organ meat and veggies. Mixes are not complete and do not meet AAFCO guidelines. The mixes are high in bone (70-80% meat/bone at a 50/50 ratio) and low in muscle and organ meat. You can formulate a complete diet from their products, but don't just feed the mixes with nothing added (additional muscle meat and organ meat, as well as eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese and canned fish other than tuna are good to add). See Homemade Diets for more info on how to ensure that you're feeding a complete diet.
From Miller Foods, Inc. in Avon, Connecticut		 Distributors in many states, also available at WagginTails.
Primal Pet Foods Primal makes both complete diets (Formulas) and blends that are not complete (Grinds and Mixes, see Homemade Diets for more information on how to use these products as the basis for a homemade diet). Grinds are meat, bone and organs only (82% meat, 8-9% bone, 7-8% organs); Mixes add fruits and vegetables as well (same proportion of meat, bone and organs, plus 20% produce). All use heart to supply muscle meat, liver as their organ meat. 100% human grade, hormone, antibiotic and steroid free meats, poultry and game, certified organic produce, certified organic minerals and unrefined vitamins. Grinds and mixes come in turkey, chicken, beef, lamb, buffalo and sardine varieties. Only the venison formula has an appropriate amount of calcium for  large-breed puppies, the rest should not be fed due to high calcium content.
Located in San Francisco, CA.		 Available at retailers around the country, including Whole Foods. Also available online from Only Natural Pet Store.

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Local or Limited Availability Products

Local or limited availability products

There are a number of other products available which you may want to look into, particularly if they are in your area (many can be shipped, but shipping is costly for frozen foods). Some of these companies offer ground mixes in addition to just parts. Note that very few of these mixes are certified to meet AAFCO nutritional standards -- in other words, most are not complete diets. You will need to balance out the ratio of meat, bone and organs yourself, and preferably add some additional fresh foods as well, such as eggs, dairy and canned fish with bones. See Homemade Diets for more information.

Following are commercial raw food products in the US, listed by state. See below for suppliers in Canada, Australia and Europe, as well as Specialty Products and Grass Fed and Organic Products.

US (listed alphabetically by state):

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Specialty Products

Specialty products, such as rabbit and tripe, listed alphabetically by state:

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Grass-fed and Organic Products

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Canadian Suppliers

Canadian suppliers of raw food products (listed alphabetically by province):

See http://lepusreg.tripod.com/NRS.html for even more sources, particularly in Canada.

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Australian Suppliers

See Aussie RMB Food Sources

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European Suppliers

 

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If you have any questions or comments, please contact me. My name is Mary Straus and you can email me at either or


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