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The 7 Best Raw Dog Foods Australia: Tested & Evaluated 2024
The 7 Best Raw Dog Foods Australia: Tested & Evaluated 2024
Written ByVedrana Nikolic| Canine Coach, B.A Ethnology & Anthropology, M.A Semiotics.Edited & Fact Checked ByRenae Soppe| Double B.A Journalism & Science.Last Updated: 8th January 2024
When it comes to providing the best possible dog food for your pooch, raw options should always be near or at the top of the list.
With many commercial kibble formulas using low-quality ingredients these days, pet parents around the world are becoming more aware of the benefits of feeding raw food to their canine companion.
However, you actually dont have to make the food yourself if you decide to switch your dog to a raw diet. Today, we talk about the best ready-made raw dog food options that can be delivered right to your doorstep.
In our quest to find the best of the best, we put together a panel of independent experts ranging from pet parents to canine nutritionists. Over the course of several months, we researched and tested nearly 80 options. And after much discussion, we were finally able to compile this list of the best raw dog food Australia provides. Let's check them out.
Our Number 1 Pick -Petzyo Raw Royalty
- Made with high quality natural ingredients
- 100% raw
- No preservatives
- Single protein options
- 100's of 5-star reviews
- Super fast free shipping Australia wide
Runner Up -Prime100 SPD Raw Food
- Designed for dogs prone to protein allergies
- Palatability guarantee
- Filled with supplements that strengthen joints
- Grain and gluten-free
Third Choice -Leading Raw Adult Life Stage Diet Wet Dog Food
- Made with human-grade meat
- Four formulas available
- Rich in fibre
- Affordable
Australia's Best Raw Dog Foods Reviewed
Looking for raw dog food delivery in Sydney, or anywhere in Australia? If thats the case, weve got you covered. After months of testing many, many raw dog food options, our team of independent experts agree that these are your best options:
What sets this product apart from the rest?
- Made with high quality natural ingredients
- 100% raw
- No preservatives
- Single protein options
- 100's of 5-star reviews
- Super fast free shipping Australia wide
Gentle Dog Trainers Expert Reviewer
"The Petzyo Raw range is a quality choice as the best raw dog food option for Australian pooches. It's made from really high quality, single source proteins combined with nutrient rich fruit and vegetables such as sweet potato, broccoli, and blueberries. It's a great option that I recommend."
Petzyo's raw dog food option is by far Australia's top raw option available!They are a young Australian company dedicated to providing dog food that our beloved pets deserve. As pet parents themselves, the guys behind Petzyo were disappointed with the quality of commercially available dog food these days, so they decided to create a better solution.
The Petzyo Raw Royalty patties are definitely the best ready-made raw dog food option we have seen so far. First of all, you can choose the protein you want to include in your dogs diet. They offer beef, chicken, or kangaroo, or any combination of those. Our team of canine experts note that dogs with food sensitivities are often allergic to a specific protein source, so we love the option of choosing a single protein (or a mix) thats best for your dogs needs. Unlike other options on our list, like our number three choice, these are all-life-stage patties.
Petzyo Raw Royalty being tested by our independent expert team.
Moreover, these patties contain no preservatives or fillers. Instead, they are enriched with top-notch ingredients to ensure your dog gets a perfectly balanced diet. Seriously, pretty much everything inside is super nutrient-rich. The patties include sweet potato, carrot, broccoli, and blueberries (all full of vitamins), whole grains, flaxseed and fish oil for extra fatty acids, as well as yoghurt, turmeric, and kelp which promote good digestion.
Related:Petzyo Dog Food Review
In addition to this, I love how they personalise the mix to suit your dog perfectly. When ordering their raw patties, I was able to specify my dogs weight and activity level. They then tailored the meal plan to fit his needs perfectly.
The patties come in packs of 6 kg or 12 kg. When you order food from their website, it will automatically give you an approximate amount of food your dog should eat per day, and how many days one order should last (and you can choose to have a new pack delivered exactly when the old one should be done).
Related: Raw Dog Food Delivery Subscriptions.
They also deliver all around Australia!
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- Designed for dogs prone to protein allergies
- Palatability guarantee
- Filled with supplements that strengthen joints
- Grain and gluten-free
Prime100s Single Protein Diet RAW line offers a well balanced and complete formula that provides proper nutrition to both healthy dogs and those with food intolerance. There are three flavours you can choose from - kangaroo, chicken, and lamb. Our panel of independent experts note that while the kangaroo flavour is aimed at adult and senior dogs, the other two flavours are suitable for dogs of all ages.
Related:What Is A Limited Ingredient Dog Food Diet?
All the formulas in the Prime100 SPD Raw line are made with human-grade ingredients and compliant with the AAFCO standards. The formulas are really well-balanced and enriched with nutritious superfoods, so it doesnt surprise us it is one of the most popular choices for owners looking for raw dog food in Sydney and Australia overall. Unlike our number one choice, Prime100 offers both grain-inclusive and grain-free varieties.
Related:What is AAFCO? The Association of American Feed Control OfficialsRelated:What Is the Pet Food Industry Association of Australia (PFIAA)?Related:AAFCO vs PFIAA: Dog Food Standards Comparison Australia
The Prime100 SPD Raw Food being tested by our independent expert team.
We love how all flavours from this line feature green-lipped mussels extract which has a lot of benefits for our pooches. This type of mussels, which are found only on New Zealand coasts, are rich in glycosaminoglycans, which strengthens the joints and has anti-inflammatory benefits.
This line also contains hemp seed oil, which is the most unsaturated oil derived from plants. This oil has a lot of essential fatty acids that are important for a dogs diet, yet dogs bodies dont produce all of these acids by themselves. Hemp seed oil is important for healthy fur and skin, it strengthens the immune system and relieves joint pain.
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Raw recipes offered by Prime100 SPD:
- Made with human-grade meat
- Four formulas available
- Rich in fibre
- Affordable
A dogs diet is determined by several factors, including activity level and life stage. Whats great about Leading Raw is that its range offers four different recipes: puppy, adult, senior and activity, each formulated to suit a specific lifestyle.All the ingredients are sourced locally and all the meat comes from human consumption facilities, which means its of the best possible quality. Each formula contains meat trimmings, as well as offal, ground bones and cartilage, so rest assured your pooch gets all the necessary nutrients from meat. Like our last two options, all formulas also contain fresh seasonal green vegetables, such as green beans, celery and carrots. All of these ingredients are great for a dog diet, as theyre low in calories but rich in fibre and vitamin A, among other things.This dog food comes in a packaging of a dozen patties, each portioned for 12 kilograms of dog weight. In other words, dividing your dogs weight by 12 will tell you how many of them your pooch should eat in a meal. When you add the price of the packaging into the equation, our panel of independent experts felt that the overall cost of this dog diet is pretty decent.
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- Single-protein range for dogs with food sensitivities
- Grain-free
- High-quality ingredients
Big Dog has a single protein range of raw food specifically designed for dogs who are intolerant to certain proteins. With this food, the meat, bone and offal all come from a single species, and there are many different choices: goat, turkey, kangaroo, beef, chicken, lamb as well as salmon and a 4 meat combo.
All of the meat used in Big Dog raw food comes from Australian bred animals that werent exposed to environmental chemicals, which makes this food a great choice for pups with sensitive stomachs. I particularly think that turkey is a can't-miss pick - its high in iron, potassium, zinc and phosphorus, and B vitamins, and its bones are rich with calcium.
The Big Dog Raw Food being tested by our independent expert team.
Goat and kangaroo contain less fat than most traditional red meats. And while a high-fat diet isnt essentially bad for dogs, some of our canine companions need a specific food regime, like mine. Thats especially true for pups with pancreatitis and chronic obesity. Furthermore, goat and kangaroo meat are both high in iron and zinc, which are essential for a properly functioning immune system.
Our experts note that its nutritional profile is similar to that of our number two coice. Food from this range is grain-free but contains some seasonal fruits and vegetables instead. All of these flavours feature cold-pressed ground flaxseed, which is highly beneficial for dogs. Its filled with Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids, which keep the skin and coat healthy and shiny. The food is also enriched with kelp powder, which improves digestive health and helps with various allergy symptoms.
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- The food has a chunky texture which dogs usually like more
- Ground bones give dogs a proper calcium-to-phosphorus ratio
- 5 different flavours
Proudi by Raw Feeders Kitchen offers as much as 5 different raw food flavours, so even the pickiest pooches can find something to their liking. You can choose beef, chicken & turkey, kangaroo & beef, and theres also Red Combo that consists of 5 different types of red meat. These raw formulas come in 2.8 kg packaging, and each pack includes 12 patties.
This raw food consists of 95% meat, organs, moisture, and bone, and the other 5% are essential vitamins, minerals, and oils. It has everything a dog needs for his daily intake. All the animals are Australian bred, like our number four choice, and the food is 100% human-grade. The patties are minimally processed in small batches so that they retain the chunky meat texture that our canine companions adore. The food is snap frozen, and that way it keeps in all the important nutrients while it kills the bacteria in the meat.
The Proudi Raw Feeders Kitchen being tested by our independent expert team.
Proudi contains mixed tocopherols in all of their flavours. These are a combo of different Vitamin E sources, which is beneficial to our pets - its a strong antioxidant and it helps the immune and circulatory system. Its also a highly-effective preservative, meaning it extends the food shelf life.
The food is rich with ground vacuum dried bones, and our panel of independent experts wish to remind you how beneficial bones are to our pooches diets. Animal bones are rich with phosphorus and calcium, both of which are important to a dog's bone health. However, giving our canine friends full-sized bones can cause certain intestinal problems and teeth fractures. Therefore, ground bones are used in a raw food-based diet to avoid previously mentioned problems.
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- High protein content
- Single protein formulas
- Contains probiotics for gut health
- Grain-free
When it comes to buying raw dog food, delivery and storage can often be an issue due to the raw nature of the food being prone to getting spoiled. In such cases, freeze-dried raw food is a good solution. This option from Nulo is made from raw ingredients but freeze-dried.
It doesnt contain any artificial preservatives, but it does contain mixed tocopherols, which as we mentioned with our number five choice, is a natural preservative that ensures a longer shelf life for their food.
The Nulo raw dog food recipes are based primarily on meat. All of their raw formulas are based on a single source of protein. Raw meat, organs & bone make up at least 80% of each of their recipes. In terms of nutritional values, this means it contains at least 40% of protein which is enough even for the most active dogs.
The Nulo Freeze Dried Raw Dog Food being tested by our independent expert team.
Other than meat, Nulo Freeze Dried Raw Dog Food contains various fruits and vegetables, including cranberries and nutritious sweet potato. I also love that they add probiotics for better digestion and flaxseed and fish oil which are great for your dogs coat, and for their overall health.
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- Sold in a 30 -day supply packaging
- Suitable for dogs of all life stages
- 100% meat content
- 60 days money -back guarantee
Balancing a raw diet is not an easy task, especially when it comes to protein. Meat trimmings are delicious, but a good organ blend is also important as offal is a nutritional treasure trove. This topper by Pet Snacks contains meat, lungs, liver, heart and kidneys, which makes it a great way to add more nutrition to your poochs diet. This particular recipe is made purely with kangaroo meat, which is high in protein and low in fat. Thats why its a great option for active and working dogs, but couch potatoes can also benefit from this diet. Kangaroo meat is also rich in zinc and iron, minerals that are extremely important for the proper functioning of dogs immune and circulatory systems, respectively.But if, for some reason, your Fido doesnt enjoy kangaroo, you have other, more popular meat recipes available, like beef or chicken. Unlike the other options on our list, each formula consists of 100% meat and 0% additives or artificial flavouring, so you know exactly what your pooch eats.
Related:The Best Meal Toppers For Dogs.Freeze-dried, this topper has a powder texture, which makes it easy to mix with your dogs raw food. Our team of independent experts also recommend that if your canine companion is picky, you can get the topper to make it blend better. Ultimately, you have a 60 -day satisfaction guarantee on the product, but its really unlikely your pooch wont enjoy a sprinkle of this on every meal.
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Benefits & Drawbacks of Raw Dog Food
Is raw food the best option for dogs? According to the testimonials of our panel of parents and dog nutritionists, yes, it is.
You dont have to look far to find stories of dogs who became more energetic or even solve certain health issues after switching to a raw diet. Is raw meat the only thing that dogs are supposed to eat? Not at all. Dogs have been eating mixed diets for thousands of years, so there is no imperative to force them back to eating only meat, although some believe that its only right that dogs should eat diets similar to what they would eat in the wild.
In any case, a raw diet has turned out to be the right choice for many pet parents who have tried it (1). Among other things, switching to a raw diet can raise your dogs energy levels, give them a shinier coat, and improve dental and digestive health.
Related:How Much Raw Food You Should Be Feeding Your Dog.
However, there are certain risks involved in feeding your dog raw food. Mainly, professionals who warn against raw food say that these diets are often not well-balanced so the dogs dont get the right nutrients, which can lead to further health issues.
Additionally, since raw dog food consists mainly of raw meat, there is some concern regarding the bacteria that could be in there, such as E. Coli and salmonella. While E. Coli in food usually doesnt cause major problems in adult dogs (2), it could potentially cause disease in humans through contact with the food, whereas salmonella can be dangerous for both dogs and humans.
Related:The Best Meat for Dogs.
However, you should probably not be worried about getting sick from handling raw dog food, especially if you buy it from trusted manufacturers.
The whole concern about bad bacteria is overblown. When people are feeding a raw diet, they know its not sterile, and theyre more careful about washing their hands. Feeding a raw meat diet is no different than cooking chicken for the family ... you have to clean up the counter and your knife. - says Doug Knueven, DVM, in an interview for WebMD
In any case, raw dog food is a good option for almost any dog, except for those suffering from some specific health conditions. If your dog has any serious health issues, our experts recommend that you introduce raw food slowly in consultation with your vet. Feeding a combination diet with half dry kibble and half raw food is also a popular option among pet parents. For finding the best dry food, check out this guide.
Frozen vs Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food
When you buy ready-made raw dog food formulas, you usually have 2 options: frozen or freeze-dried. The good news is, both freezing and freeze-drying are excellent ways to preserve nutrients in raw food. Whichever one you choose; you can be sure that the food your dog eats will essentially be the same quality as if it was fresh.
Now, if you go with frozen dog food, you wont have that many options as frozen food is usually only delivered locally or you have to get it in a store. Additionally, you have to worry about storing the food properly as its easy for raw dog food to get spoiled when not frozen. However, once thawed, your dog can enjoy a completely natural meal.
At first, I thought that freeze-dried food looked a bit weird, but after I added some water, it began to look more appetising. There are many advantages of using freeze-dried food: you get all of the nutrients as with fresh food, but the food is lighter, easier to store, and has a longer shelf life. Ultimately, its your choice, but both options are completely fine.
My Final Verdict
Thinking about offering a raw diet to your dog? Hopefully, this guide has shown you that making raw food at home isnt your only option.
Petzyo, for example, is one of our favourite dog food makers overall and their Raw Royalty is made with top-notch ingredients right here in Australia and delivered to your doorstep. If Petzyo is not an option for your, though, our team of experts agree that the Prime100 SPD Raw Food is also a great choice.
Is raw diet good for dogs?
Well, one thing is certain - raw diet is not bad for dogs. A well-balanced raw diet is definitely good for most dogs. It is closer to what they would naturally eat, and it usually does not contain many of the useless fillers that commercial dry kibble often does. Most importantly, when feeding a raw diet, you have more control over what actually goes into the food.
Is it expensive to feed a dog a raw diet?
Feeding a raw diet to your dog doesnt necessarily need to be expensive. If you assemble the meals yourself it can actually be quite cheap, but this is also time consuming. However, there are also ready-made options available that are not overly expensive. They are more expensive than cheap kibble - but that is not good for your dog anyway. Compared to the price of any premium dog food, raw food is not incredibly expensive.
How long does it take for a dog to get used to a raw diet?
Most dogs get used to the new diet after 1-3 weeks. Keep in mind that you should never change the diet of your dog suddenly. Rather, do it gradually, by mixing whatever your dog was eating before switching with the new raw food. After 7 days, your dog should start getting used to it and you should be able to switch the food completely, but exact timing varies from dog to dog.
References
- Freeman LM et al. December 01, 2013. "Timely topics in nutrition: Current knowledge about the risks and benefits of raw meat-based diets for dogs and cats." JAVMA. 243(11): 1549-1558;2013. Retrieved April 16, 2023. https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/243/11/javma.243.11.1549.xml
- "E.Coli Infection in Dogs" January 19, 2010. PetMD. Retrieved April 16, 2023. https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/digestive/c_dg_e_coli_infection
- Lee, E. "Raw Dog Food: Dietary Concerns, Benefits, and Risks." FETCH by WebMD. Retrieved April 16, 2023. https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/raw-dog-food-dietary-concerns-benefits-and-risks#1
