best raw dog food reddit

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated November 18, 2024

Contributions sourced from

Best Raw Dog Foods

By Mike Sagman

Updated: April 16, 2024

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A raw dog food diet is designed to mimic a dogs natural ancestral menu. The whole concept of raw feeding is based upon a dogs instinctive carnivorous bias a built-in desire to capture (or find) and eat another animal.

As unsavory as it may seem, it is completely natural for a wolf to consume the entire animal.

Meat, bones, organs and all.

As direct descendants of wolves, dogs are simply not genetically optimized to consume the 50% carbohydrate content of todays commercial kibbles.

So, how do these diets compare?

The Ancestral Diet Compared to Dry Kibble

No one can argue the dry baked pellets we call dog food arent convenient. Yet the nutrient profile of a dry kibble is nowhere near the nutrient content of a dogs ancestral diet.

Notice the higher carbohydrate content of the kibble compared to the dogs natural ancestral diet. Or how about the dramatically lower protein and fat levels?

The Benefits of a Raw Diet

Feeding a raw dog food diet has many notable benefits

Firmer stools
Improved digestion
Healthier skin and coat
Reduced allergy symptoms
Better weight management

There have been many reports of improved health when chronically ill pets were switched from a commercial product to a raw dog food.

The Downside of a Raw Dog Food Diet

A raw dog food diet cant touch the convenience of a kibble. Just measure and pour. It just doesnt get any easier.

Yet besides the lack of convenience, theres another critical issue. Bacterial contamination.

Salmonella and E. coli germs can always be a potential problem with raw meats. Yet the risk of food-borne disease is actually quite low.

That is, low risk for dogs. But not for humans.

Thats because a dogs digestive system is shorter and more acidic.

Which makes canine infections like these fairly rare.

The real risk of food-borne disease is actually greater for a dogs human caretakers not the dog.

Yet with proper care and handling, this risk can be dramatically reduced.

How to Use Our List

Below youll find a list of the Advisors suggested raw dog foods. Of course, this list should not be considered a complete catalog of all the raw dog foods on the market.

For there are others. Many others.

We only provide this small group as a starting point.

As a matter of fact, if you know of a specific dog food you believe we should have included on this list, please feel free to share your recommendations in the Comments section below.

Or if youre looking for some suggestions yourself, be sure to look through our readers Comments to find more good ideas.