Navigating the Pet Food Jungle: Our USA Raw Dog Food & Treat Brands for the USA!
Finding a healthy and reputable food for your dog can be an expensive minefield. With countless brands out there, how do you know which one truly meets your furry friend’s needs? That’s where we come in!
We’ve meticulously filtered through numerous brands, comparing ingredient panels, sourcing of ingredients, and company reputations to bring you our top recommended raw dog food and natural treat and chew brands for the USA.
Our list is thoughtfully curated to help pet parents like you make informed choices.
Complete and Balanced Raw
Brands 1-6 on our list are part of Susan’s Thixtons annual list OR they are balanced with whole foods and not a premix.
Brands 7-10 are complete and balanced to AAFCO standards using supplements of which some may be synthetic.
Choosing the right food is crucial for your pet’s health, and we’re here to make that decision easier!
All provide - Balanced using whole foods and on Susan Thixtons 2024 list
Solutions - Balanced using whole foods and on Susan Thixtons 2024 list
Vibrant k9 - Balanced using whole foods and on Susan Thixtons 2024 list
OC raw - Balanced using whole foods and on Susan Thixtons 2024 list
Small batch - Balanced to AAFCO whole foods and on Susan Thixtons 2024 list
Bj’s raw - Balanced to AAFCO using whole foods
Raw bistro - Balanced to AAFCO (Utilises chelated minerals)
Rebel Raw - Balanced to AAFCO (with 6 possibly synthetic ingredients) and on Susan Thixtons 2024 list
Omas pride - Balanced to AAFCO (natural and synthetic components of which some are chelated 10+ synthetic)
We feed raw - Balanced to AAFCO using synthetics and on Susan Thixtons 2024 list (13 - some may be chelated minerals but this is not stated)
80:10:10 (Prey Model)
It’s crucial to understand that an 80:10:10 diet is nutritionally incomplete when fed on its own. It lacks key nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, zinc, and manganese, which are essential for a dog’s overall health and wellbeing. To avoid deficiencies, raw diets must be properly balanced using additional whole foods and supplements. For step-by-step guidance on how to balance a raw diet, visit our detailed article here.
An 80:10:10 raw diet—composed of 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, and 10% offal—is an ideal foundation diet or for a canine elimination diet. This simple structure helps identify food sensitivities by allowing pet parents to introduce a new or novel protein source at a time, reducing the risk of cross-reactivity and pinpointing potential allergens.
Below are online brands that offer 80/10/10 prey barf model which needs additional ingredients added to it to be complete.
1.BJs raw (protein blend range only - avoid the boneless minces!)
3.My pet carnivore - (their elimination diet blends)
6.Hare today (ground beef bones and organs blend) on Susan Thixtons 2024 list
8.Raw feeding Miami (pre made grinds)
USA treat recommendations
When feeding treats and chews to your dog, it’s important to exercise caution to ensure their safety and health. Many commercial treats contain harmful additives, artificial preservatives, or low-quality ingredients that can negatively impact your dog’s wellbeing.
Even natural chews, such as bones or bully sticks, pose potential risks like choking, splintering, or digestive blockages if not chosen carefully. Always select treats and chews that are appropriate for your dog’s size, chewing habits, and dietary needs, and supervise them while they enjoy them. Utilise chew holders if your dog is a particularly aggressive chewer such as the Everchew chew holder
Additionally, consider how treats fit into your dog’s daily calorie allowance to prevent weight gain or nutritional imbalances. We have taken every effort to ensure all foods, treats, and chews on our recommended list are free of harmful excipients at the time of researching. However, always double-check and then check again before purchasing—and make it a habit to review the label itself to ensure the product remains natural and free from harmful ingredients.
Vibrant K9 for freeze dried treats
Tuesday's Natural Dog Company for dehydrated chews
Carnivorous Craving - dehydrated treats, food toppers and bone broth.
Rawfedk9 - freeze dried & dehydrated
Farm Hounds Treats dehydrated treats
King Lou pets - dehydrated and freeze dried 100% meat treats
Green JuJu - great freeze dried treats in novel proteins: goat, duck, bison, salmon, rabbit.
Riley’s Pets - single ingredient treats, jerky and organic non GMO biscuits
Winnie Lou - Organic high protein biscuits
Amazon Treats USA
gourmate pet treats - New Zealand proteins
Pure bites (single ingredient)
Pupford freeze dried training treats
icelandic+ for fish treats and chews
purebites for single ingredient freeze dried
Vital essentials freeze dried training treats
Amazon Best Chews USA
Pawstruck.com Braided Bully 16 weeks+ (Collagen chews are tougher and better for slightly older puppies with stronger teeth.)
Paw-struck collagen chews 16 weeks+
(Collagen chews are tougher and better for slightly older puppies with stronger teeth.)
Nature Gnaws for 100% usda chews and bully’s 12 weeks+ (Air-dried meat chews are generally softer and easier for younger puppies.)
@devildogpetco for Yaks & split antlers. 16 weeks+ (Yak chews are hard, so they’re best suited for older puppies with fully developed teeth, provided they don’t have MCADD.)
