Best Raw Dog Foods: Exploring BARF Foods for Canines

Certain people feel that dogs still look, behave, and have the nutritional needs of their wolf ancestors. Frightened by recalls of commercial dog foods, they look for alternative diet sources. Since wild canids don’t eat cooked or processed foods, they feel their beloved pups shouldn’t either. And the raw dog food movement was born. Over the past decade, it’s gained in popularity. But there are concerns with feeding raw dog foods. And it’s important to understand EVERY aspect of a diet before you make a potential switch.

BARF Diets

You may see raw dog foods referred to as BARF diets. BARF stands for “bones and raw food.” (Or, in some circles, “biologically appropriate raw food”). And that’s what you’re offering: muscle, organs, bones (either whole or ground up), raw eggs, fruits, and vegetables (only the dog-safe ones, obviously).

Nothing’s cooked, heated, or changed from its original form. In other words, you offer your dog food the way a wolf would encounter it in the wild. (Well, you cut things up to prevent choking and wash the fruits and veggies) It’s labor-intensive and expensive – whether you tackle the work or purchase a pre-made version.

Benefits of Raw Dog Foods

Those who champion the raw dog food craze claim it’s superior to commercial food. The raw diets provide plenty of benefits that you’ll see if you make the switch:

• Improved skin and coat
• Higher energy levels
• Better dental health
• Stronger immune system
• No problems with allergies
• Fewer and firmer stools

However, there’s NO proof (with one exception, which we’ll get to in a second). Advocates often refer to a 2003 study. It appeared in an obscure journal that was NOT peer-reviewed. In scientific circles, that translates to ZERO credibility. No one’s provided evidence that raw dog foods provide the benefits claimed. With the proper high-quality diet and care? You get the same results.

The Fiber Equation

Raw dog foods WILL see your dog leaving less of a mess for your pooper-scooper. Why? In BARF diet preparations, people leave out a key component that wild dogs DO consume: fiber. Wolves eat the hair and feathers of their prey. This helps to keep their GI tract moving nicely and serves as a healthy dose of fiber. Raw diets? They come up short in the fiber department.

So if you hate cleaning the yard when you need to mow, you CAN achieve that by making the switch. However, you still need to consider other aspects of your dog’s health.

Drawbacks of Raw Dog Foods

Veterinarians don’t support feeding your dog raw dog foods. Both the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and American College of Veterinary Nutritionists (ACVN) express concerns AGAINST these diets. They point to the lack of evidence supporting the health and safety of BARF diets – for your dog AND you.

Raw food carries a risk of contamination with bacteria. The biggest concerns?

• E. coli
• Salmonella

While refrigeration and freezing slow bacterial growth, they don’t kill the microbes that exist in the first place. And the shelf-life of raw food? It’s limited. If you don’t mind expiration’s carefully, you can feed your dog spoiled food.

Preparation of raw dog foods takes time – for the company making them AND you. Frozen and refrigerated diets need thawing and warming. Some freeze-dried foods require rehydration. The extra time translates to higher costs.

Safety Concerns with Raw Dog Foods

If you choose to feed your dog a BARF diet, you MUST consult with your veterinarian. They can monitor your dog’s health for any changes. You should also set up a consult with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist. The nutritionist will help you create a balanced diet that ensures your pup receives the proper supplements to keep them safe.

Then you need to protect yourself and your family. Even dried foods run the risk of contamination. You don’t want anyone to end up in the hospital. Make sure you follow safe food-handling guidelines:

1. Wash your hands with warm water and soap before AND after you touch the food.
2. Don’t touch anything else once you handle the raw food. This creates cross-contamination.
3. Anything you DO touch needs to get washed immediately.
4. Any food your dog doesn’t eat within 15 minutes MUST get thrown away. Raw dog foods CANNOT stay out for free-feeding.
5. Wash your dog’s bowls as soon as they finish.
6. Clean your work surfaces with HOT, soapy water or a disinfectant cleaner.
7. Store unused food as directed as soon as you finish with it. DON’T leave it out.
8. Keep children away from the dog’s food.

Types of Raw Dog Food

Raw dog food comes in a variety of forms. (You don’t have to place orders with the butcher) Some BARF diet purists argue that certain types violate the “raw” rule, but it’s up to you to decide what works for you, your pup, and your family.

• Air-Dried: You’ll also see these foods under the “dehydrated” label. Gentle heat removes moisture from the food. They’re the most affordable and don’t crumble. Plus, because heat’s involved, they’re less likely to have bacterial contamination.
• Homemade: You got it: this means gathering the ingredients yourself. You MUST work with a nutritionist to get the balance of vitamins and minerals correct. Recipes from the internet are NOT a substitute.
• Freeze-Dried: Freezing causes the water to sublimate into a gas. It’s expensive, but the diets remain stable for a long time. And the drying kills most bacteria. However, these diets tend to crumble.
• Frozen/Refrigerated: Low temperatures keep bacteria from reproducing. This is the freshest option for raw dog foods, and you can set up orders with delivery services or pick them up from pet stores.

Choosing a Raw Dog Food

Picking out raw dog foods is a daunting task. You need to balance a lot of different nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. Looking for the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) label can grant you some peace of mind. That symbol lets you know you’re getting a properly balanced diet, providing the minimums a canine needs to remain healthy. Otherwise, you want to read labels and check for the following:

• Meat Sources: Healthy, uncontaminated animals should provide the protein.
• Organ Meat Choice: Wolves don’t eat EVERY organ of their prey, and your dog shouldn’t, either. The liver, kidney, and heart provide the best source of nutrients. However, you don’t want more than 5-10% of the diet to contain organs.
• Carbohydrates: Your dog needs carbs for energy. This usually comes from fruit, veggies, and grains. Avoid raw dog foods with potatoes, peas, or legumes!
• Fat: Fish contain omegas, which are HEALTHY fats. But, otherwise, your dog doesn’t need a fat content higher than 15%. Beef and lamb have HIGHER levels of fat than other proteins.
• Bone: Excessive bone means excessive levels of calcium and phosphorous. Try to stay UNDER 1.5%.
• Bonuses: Your dog needs additional nutrients and vitamins to stay healthy. You want fatty acids, superfoods, and omegas.

Best Raw Dog Foods

Raw dog foods have A LOT of controversies. One side feels they’re the best diet to come along. But the other? They raise red flags and shake their head. No one denies that dogs descended from wolves. But the modern dog? You’re not going to see a Pug run down a deer. If you speak with your vet and talk with a nutritionist – and take EVERY safety precaution to protect yourself and your family – you CAN switch your dog over to a BARF diet. The professionals DO need to get involved to keep your pup healthy, though. You don’t want them to end up with nutritional deficiencies.

We pride ourselves on providing products with the best reviews. As such, you’re not going to find any refrigerated or frozen raw dog foods here. All of my digging and research couldn’t unearth enough reviews to support their inclusion on the list. They DO exist out there, and you’ll find them referenced by other sites. But with only a small handful of positive reviews (compared to the thousands for these diets)? They didn’t make the cut.