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You’re busy with work, family, friends, exercise and more. But your dog’s diet shouldn’t be put on the back burner.
Maybe you’ve taken a stab at preparing your dog’s food yourself but found that it eats up a lot of time. No more shopping for ingredients, grinding, chopping, measuring and mixing them yourself.
Order your dog’s raw dog food online and have it shipped directly to your door. Your busy schedule will open up a little bit, so you can spend that time walking Fido instead of preparing his food.
If you’re unsure about the benefits and risks of a raw diet or you’re interested in making your dog’s raw food yourself, read our article.
Article Overview
- What Meat Is Best For My Dog?
- Frozen vs Freeze-Dried
- Best Raw Dog Food Delivery
- Other Reviews
- How To Thaw Frozen Food (Video)
- How To Change To Raw
What Meat Is Best For My Dog?
Below are some guidelines on how different proteins can affect your dog’s health. Depending on how raw dog food is made, the meat may have different levels of nutrients than what we’ve listed below.
Use the table below to help you decide which protein source is best for your dog. For example, if your dog suffers from high cholesterol, you may want to avoid beef. Or, if your dog has food allergies, you may want to consider lamb or venison.
Pork is high in fat and not well-tolerated digestion-wise by many pets. You should also avoid giving your dog pork as it can cause pancreatitis.
| Beef | Chicken | Lamb | Turkey | Goat | Venison | Fish | Rabbit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good For Heart Health |  | |||||||
| Good For Managing Food Allergies | | | ||||||
| Amino Acids | | | ||||||
| High Fat Content | | | ||||||
| Low Fat Content | | | | | |
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| Phosphorus | | | | |
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| Selenium | | | |
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| Retinol, Alpha and Beta-Carotene and Lycopene | | |||||||
| Essential Fatty Acids | | |
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| Iron & Zinc | | | | Iron | ||||
| Potassium | | | |
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| Fewer Calories | | | |
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| Low In Sodium | | |
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| Niacin | | | | | | |||
| Vitamin B4 | |
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| Vitamin B6 | | | | | ||||
| Vitamin B12 | | | |
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| Riboflavin | | |||||||
| Thiamin | | |||||||
| Higher Cholesterol | | | |
Frozen vs Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food
The companies in this article offer frozen and/or freeze-dried (or dehydrated) dog food. Frozen raw dog food is less processed than freeze-dried, and it typically has no artificial preservatives. However, you have to store it in the freezer and thaw it before feeding (thawing times vary based on brand and food formation, e.g., nuggets, patties, etc.).
Freeze-dried raw dog food is more convenient and easier to travel with since you can store it at room temperature. With some, you don’t have to add water, but most require rehydration before your dog eats it.
Once the frozen food thaws or you’ve added water to the freeze-dried food, it forms a mushy consistency, which makes it easy for your dog to eat.
How To Handle Frozen, Raw Food
Wash your hands, utensils and working surface with warm, soapy water before opening the bag. Take out the desired amount of frozen food using a utensil and place it in a container with a lid on it. Place the container in the refrigerator for it to thaw.
Once thawed, put the raw food into your dog’s stainless steel bowl for your dog to enjoy. The container should be stainless steel because other materials like plastic and porcelain are porous and can trap germs over time.
Here are some cool stainless steel dog dishes that you can customize with your dog’s name on it for $14.99 .
After your dog is finished eating, wash the dish with warm soapy water. Do not use the dishrag on other dirty dishes because you could contaminate them with raw food particles.
Best Raw Dog Food Delivery
Raw dog food typically includes no fillers so many dogs have smaller bowel movements. And some claim that the raw diet aids in better digestion and nutrient absorption. This means cleaning up Fido’s waste with a pooper scooper or bags is much easier.
We chose some of the best raw dog food delivery services for those of you who may want to start your dog on a raw diet and want to learn more. Or if you don’t have time to prepare Fido’s meals, having a company do it for you is much easier.
The deciding factor could come down to one of a few things:
- How you want to store the food
- Whether or not you’ll be traveling or
- What type of food your dog likes (patties, kibbles, etc.)
Looking for fresh, cooked dog food delivery? Read this.
BARF World Review
#1
BARF World is the pioneer of raw dog food. BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) claims that a raw diet can result in a pet free of allergies and digestive problems. They offer raw diets in multiple forms, including frozen and freeze-dried patties, nuggets and chubs (tubes of raw blend).
Their website is very informative and includes information on the best proteins for dogs with allergy, digestion and weight issues. We love that BARF works on educating pet parents to help them make the best diet changes for their dogs.
We also like that BARF offers both frozen and freeze-dried options, so if it’s easier to serve frozen at home and travel with freeze-dried for trips and overnight stays, you can.
Pros |
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Pricing
| Beef | Chicken | Lamb | Combo (Chicken, Beef, Lamb & Pork) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frozen Chubs (2 lbs each) | $80.57 for 6 chubs $128.97 for 12 chubs $257.94 for 24 chubs | $78.57 for 6 chubs $126.97 for 12 chubs $253.94 for 24 chubs | $85.57 for 6 chubs $141.97 for 12 chubs $283.94 for 24 chubs | $80.57 for 6 chubs $128.97 for 12 chubs $257.94 for 24 chubs |
| Frozen Patties (each 6 lb bag contains 24 8-oz patties) | $79.94 for 2 bags $128.97 for 4 bags | $73.94 for 2 bags $126.97 for 4 bags | $85.94 for 2 bags $141.97 for 4 bags | $79.94 for 2 bags $128.97 for 4 bags |
| Frozen Nuggets | $78.57 for 12 lbs $128.97 for 24 lbs | $85.57 for 12 lbs $141.97 for 24 lbs | ||
| Freeze-Dried Nuggets | $25.97 for 14 oz $153.97 for 84 oz | $23.97 for 14 oz $141.97 for 84 oz | $32.97 for 14 oz $166.97 for 84 oz |
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Instinct Pet Food Review
#2
Instinct’s raw dog food is frozen and never cooked. It consists of 85% meat and organs and 15% fruit, vegetables, vitamins and minerals.
All you have to do is store the bag of food in the freezer and follow the thawing instructions on the bag. The dog food should be shipped in packaging to keep it frozen during transit. But if you receive the dog food already thawed, do not feed it to your dog and contact customer service about a new shipment.
The only reason Instinct isn’t our #1 pick is because it doesn’t offer a freeze-dried option.
Pros |
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Pricing
Instinct by Nature’s Variety has different options depending on your dog’s taste and size preferences. Below are your options from smallest to largest.
- Raw Bites — Small Breed
- Beef or Chicken 3 lb bag: $14.99
- Raw Bites
- Beef or Chicken 6 lb bag: $29.9
- Lamb 2.7 lb bag: $14.99
- Raw Medallions
- Frozen Beef or Chicken 3 lb bag: $14.99
- Frozen Lamb 2.7 lb bag: $14.99
- Raw Patties
- Beef or Chicken 6 lb bag: $29.99
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Cali Raw Review
#3
Cali Raw specializes in raw dog food delivery subscriptions in 10, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 30 and 36-pound options. It also sells 1 and 2-pound bags of raw dog food, which is great if you want to purchase a small amount to try out on your dog before committing to a subscription service.
How does the subscription work? Choose the amount of food and the frequency of shipments to your door (ranges from every week up to every 3 months). You can pause or cancel your subscription at any time.
We also like that the ingredients are sourced in the U.S., and the raw dog food is produced in a USDA-inspected facility. The only reason it’s not ranked higher is that it doesn’t offer a freeze-dried option.
Pros |
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Pricing
- 1 lb bags of adult beef, lamb, chicken or turkey formulas: starting at $6.25
- 2 lb bags of adult beef, lamb, chicken or turkey formulas: starting at $11.99
- Subscriptions (save 5% on future orders when you subscribe for regular delivery)
- Adult: available in beef, chicken, turkey, lamb
- 10 lbs: starting at $62.50
- 20 lbs: starting at $125
- 32 lbs: starting at $200
- Additional weights available: 12, 16, 24, 28, 36 lbs
- Puppy: available in chicken & beef blend, turkey & lamb blend, 50/50 combo box)
- 10 lbs: $65 for chicken & beef; $85 for turkey & lamb; $73.75 for combo
- 20 lbs: $130 for chicken & beef; $170 for turkey & lamb; $147.50 for combo
- 32 lbs: $208 for chicken & beef; $272 for turkey & lamb; $240 for combo
- Additional weights available: 12, 16, 24, 28, 36 lbs
- Bulk Bags: available in turkey adult, chicken adult, chicken & beef puppy blend (2lb resealable bags)
- 24 lbs: $150
- 36 lbs: $225
- Adult: available in beef, chicken, turkey, lamb
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Other Raw Dog Food Delivery Options
Darwin’s | The Honest Kitchen | Primal Pet Foods
Darwin’s Review
Darwin’s offers both organic (Natural Selections) and conventional (BioLogics) formulas of raw dog food. Natural Selections uses pasture-raised, cage-free and antibiotic-free meat as well as organic vegetables. BioLogics uses conventionally raised meat and conventional vegetables.
Darwin believes that to provide the most balanced diet, you should feed your dog a variety of meats. But they also recognize that some pets have sensitivities to some meats. If your dog is sensitive to beef, chicken or turkey, you can customize the number of pounds you want delivered of each meat variety. If your dog doesn’t have a sensitivity, Darwin recommends you feed them beef, chicken and turkey.
You are automatically enrolled in a recurring order, and you can adjust the frequency of shipments from every week to every 20 weeks. You can cancel or change this at any time.
Pros |
Cons |
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Pricing
- BioLogics
- Beef: $5.89/lb
- Chicken: $4.69/lb
- Turkey: $5.19/lb
- Natural Selections
- Beef: $6.99/lb
- Chicken: $5.79/lb
- Turkey: $6.39/lb
- Duck: $6.99/lb
- Lamb: $8.19/lb
- View all options
The Honest Kitchen Review
The Honest Kitchen dehydrates the ingredients to retain natural vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. So when you buy a 10-pound box of dog food, it makes 40 pounds of food since you add water to the mix.
This dog food is 100% human-grade and meets FDA standards for human food. The ingredients are finely diced to make them easier to digest, and there are no preservatives or GMO ingredients.
The Honest Kitchen isn’t in our top picks because of the lack of bones and organ meat, which is a pretty big component in raw diets for dogs.
Pros |
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Pricing
The prices below are for 10-pound boxes, which make 40 pounds of fresh food. There are smaller sizes available as well: 2 pounds (makes 8 pounds) and 4 pounds (makes 16 pounds).
- Chicken: Check Amazon for availability
- Turkey: $97.99 ($0.61 / Ounce)
- Beef: $102.89 ($0.64 / Ounce)
- Fish: $122.49 ($0.77 / Ounce)
Primal Pet Foods Review
Primal Pet Foods has frozen and freeze-dried raw dog food options. They use 100% USDA-inspected protein, certified organic fruits and vegetables, and non-synthetic vitamins and minerals. Ingredients are sourced from sustainable ranchers in the U.S., New Zealand, Australia and Europe.
Unfortunately, customers complain about the freeze-dried nuggets being broken up when they arrive, which can make it difficult to know how much to feed your dog. Primal Pet Foods wouldn’t be our first pick for freeze-dried, but we’d suggest them as a frozen option.
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Pricing
The prices below are for 14 oz bags of freeze-dried nuggets. Each 14 oz bag makes 3 pounds of dog food, just add water.
- Duck: $41.99 ($3.00 / Ounce)
- Lamb: $31.99 ($2.28 / Ounce)
- Chicken: $30.99 ($2.21 / oz)
- Beef: $31.99 ($0.23 / Ounce)
- Turkey & Sardine: Check Amazon for availability
- Venison: $41.99 ($3.00 / Ounce)
- Rabbit: $41.99
- Pork: Check Amazon for availability
- Quail: Check Amazon for availability
How To Thaw Frozen Dog Food
There are a few ways to thaw your dog’s food before mealtime. We recommend thawing the food for your dog because ingesting frozen food can be uncomfortable and difficult to digest. Below are some ways in which you can thaw your dog’s food.
How To Change Your Dog’s Diet To Raw Food
Before changing your dog’s diet, speak to your vet or try out this online vet service to see what’s best for your dog. If you do opt to change your dog’s diet, be sure to do so slowly. Here are some tips on changing your dog’s food slowly.
What changes do you hope to see in your dog if you shift to a raw diet?
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Just wanted to let you know that per Honest Kitchen none of their products such as the dog food you have listed is raw. It is cooked and dehydrated.
I don’t understand why you are labelling The Honest Kitchen as ‘grain free’ when it lists grains and says WHOLE GRAIN DIET’ right on the box?
You can purchase The Honest Kitchen with or without grain in it. So if your dog needs a grain free diet, The Honest Kitchen has options for you. But if you want your dog to have grain, you can get it with grain as well. Hope that clears it up some.
Have you seen or reviewed the Real Meat air-dried food? It seems good to me, and is so easy to travel with. I’d like to know how it measures up in this catagory.
We haven’t reviewed it but will consider adding it in a future update.