Whether you have a tiny Yorkie or a Great Dane, you are aware that their diets play a massive role in their lives. Your furry friend having the proper nutrition is vital to maintain a good quality of life. The question of whether raw food is the best option for your dog is a very multifaceted question, as it is dependent on many factors pertaining to your specific dog, such as breed, age, health concerns, etc. We’ve put together a custom list of raw dog food Brand recommendations by pet lovers, pet experts, and bands noted by well-versed canine nutritionist. While reading this article, it's important to remember that every dog is unique, so before making any dietary changes, it's important to consult your veterinarian or canine expert and know their intolerances to ensure the well-being of your furry friend.

1. Maev Raw Food

Maev is a premium dog food brand that emphasizes on ingredients you can see and maximum nutrition and benefits for your dog. They take a unique approach of flash freezing their food for optimal nutrient absorption and to aid in slowing down the eating process. The brand also emphasizes that the food is unprocessed, high in protein, and low in carbohydrates. Maev takes the initiative of starting with the diet of dogs to overall strengthen them and increase their quality of life as a whole. The dog food contains no fillers, additives, or toxins, just ingredients that you can see, which can be beneficial for dogs who have specific dietary needs, or have allergies. Customer feedback overall has been very positive, mentioning the ease that Maev brings to feeding time, and the improvements in their pups overall health. 

2. Viva Raw

Viva Raw stands out among other dog food brands not just due to the fact that they offer raw dog food, but because of the process that they go through to ensure the quality of the ingredients that go into it. Viva sources their ingredients from small farmers that have never administered hormones or antibiotics, and have been certified humane. They produce their food in small batches and check for quality and pathogens to ensure that your pup is getting the freshest food possible. Viva offers a plethora of options for those picky eaters out there as well. It is important to remember that when introducing your pup to raw foods that you should gradually make the switch over and not just completely transition in one day.

3. Instinct The Raw Brand

Instinct is a premium pet food brand that’s mission is to give all pets the best life possible through their diets. Instinct recipes are backed by science and go through many quality tests before making it to your pups bowl. They go through the process of cold pressing the food to ensure that it is pathogen free and that all of the nutrients within the ingredients stay intact. Instinct offers a range of options for dogs of all ages and diets. With their different lines of raw food, it gives dog owners many options to choose from, depending on where they are currently at in their raw journey. With a commitment of providing your dog with the most natural and pure diet possible, they partner with many research programs and studies to ensure that everything they do is effective towards giving your pup the best life possible.

4. Idahound

Idahound prides themselves in using premium, local ingredients to provide your dog with the best possible diet. Relevant to the name, everything, (butchering, processing, and packaging,) is done in Carey, Idaho. Sourcing from local farms the brand considers their dog food  “farm to bowl meal” as there is minimal processing and manufacturing that takes place between the time that they prepare the food and the time that your pup indulges in it. Idahound only offers three options, beef, sheep, and rabbit, to ensure the quality of the meat and to decrease their carbon footprint. Many have testified that the ball design of the food brings ease to feeding times and that they have seen many digestional improvements since switching over to Idahound. 

5. Dr. Marty's Nature's Blend

Dr. Marty is a known veterinarian who helps animals in many ways. He used the information that he discovered during his early stages in his career to identify and fix the issues that commercial pet foods were causing. Nature’s Blend is made from real ingredients and has zero artificial preservatives, additives, or synthetic ingredients. All batches of the food are triple checked to ensure that they are safe and provide your pup with the correct nutrients. The ingredients are freeze dried to maximize nutrients and minimize mess. Customers have reviewed that they have seen an improvement in their dog’s energy and activeness.

6. Open Farm: Freeze Dried Raw

Open Farm offers many options when it comes to their raw food selection for your pup. Open farm ensures that their sourcing partners are certified humane to ensure that the ingredients that go into the dog food are top quality. It stands out due to their initiative of transparency, they ensure that everything they do is traceable to ensure that you are aware of not only what your dog is ingesting, but where it actually comes from. Open farm uses humanely raised and grass- fed beef, and no antibiotics, hormones or steroids to ensure the quality of your dog's food. The freeze dried design leads to less mess and the foods have been reviewed to improve overall dog health.

7. Ultimate Pet Nutrition Nutra Complete: Freeze Dried Raw

Ultimate Pet Nutrition was formulated by veterinarian Dr. Gary Richter as an insurance that pets received the best possible nutritious diet. While offering other items, the freeze-dried raw food is made with high protein ingredients and minerals to provide the most ideal pet diet. The dog food has no fillers, artificial, preservatives, or added grains, and contains prebiotics, antioxidants, and amino acids to aid in the improvement of your dogs health. Many pup owners have seen an improvement in energy and coat health.

8. We Feed Raw

Dog owners highly regard the We Feed Raw Dog Food, due to its amazing quality and its ability to be customized for your pup. We Feed Raw has you answer a few questions about your dog, to create the perfect meal plan just for your pups needs. They emphasize many different benefits that partaking in a raw diet could have. All recipes are formulated by animal nutritionists to ensure the effectiveness of all the products. The meats ate USDA human grade and the recipes contain no fillers, preservatives, artificial flavors or color. Overall We feed Raw offers a balanced meal to your pup with high quality ingredients, vitamins and minerals.

9. BJ's Raw Dog Food

BJ’s Raw Pet Food believes that raw dog food is natural and smart. BJ’s has based their recipes off of the Prey Model Raw diet (PMR diet), which is an approach to attempt to replicate the diet of animals when they are in their natural environments. They source their ingredients from small farms located in Pennsylvania to ensure great quality. BJ’s offers many options where your pup wants a mixture of proteins or is only fond of one. The food comes ready to serve and has been reviewed by many dog owners to have great quality.

10. Darwin's Natural Pet Products Dog Food

Darwin’s is a pet food brand that offers a plethora of options when it comes to raw dog food. From simple recipes in their Natural Selections line to recipes that specialized to support dogs with health issues in their Intelligent Design line, the options seem to be endless. The recipes are created with animals who are treated humanely and contain no grains, fillers, hormones, or chemical preservatives. Many dog owners have seen an improvement in the health of their dogs and enjoy the quality that Darwin provides.

We’ve gone over 10 high quality raw dog food brands that each have their own unique attributes that are put in place to ensure the enjoyment and health of your furry friend. It is important to remember that every dog is unique, and that you should consult your veterinarian before switching your dog to a raw diet. Things such as weight, breed, age, health conditions, etc. all impact the nutritional needs of your pup. The options listed have been chosen to cater to a wide range of dogs and their needs. Each dog is different and has different preferences, so hesitate to review the list multiple times to ensure the genuine delight and health of your furry friends.