The raw dog food brands we carry source their meats from trusted farms and suppliers in the United States and Canada. These are human-grade ingredients are processed in USDA-inspected facilities that follow strict safety and quality standards.

The proteins are typically sourced from farms throughout the Midwest and other regions of North America, depending on seasonal availability.

The brands we offer are committed to quality and never use 3D or 4D meats (meat from animals that are diseased, dying, disabled, or dead before processing).

In the wild, predators typically consume most of the prey animal they catch. This includes the stomach and intestinal contents of herbivores, which often contain partially digested fruits, vegetables, and plant nutrients. These plant materials can provide beneficial vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Wolves and other wild canines have also been observed eating fruits and plant material directly, likely to obtain additional nutrients that support overall health.

To help ensure balanced nutrition, some complete and balanced raw recipes include small amounts of ingredients such as kale, cranberries, kelp powder, and high-oleic sunflower oil, which contribute additional vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients.

B.A.R.F. stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (sometimes referred to as Bones and Raw Food). This approach focuses on feeding dogs a diet built around high-quality muscle meat, organ meat, and raw bone, along with small amounts of natural ingredients such as eggs, fruits, vegetables, healthy oils, and kelp to help provide balanced nutrition.

The goal of B.A.R.F. feeding is to provide dogs with a diet that more closely resembles the natural foods their bodies are designed to eat, while still supplying the nutrients needed for long-term health.

AAFCO stands for the Association of American Feed Control Officials. It is an organization that establishes nutritional standards for pet foods in the United States.

When a dog food is labeled “complete and balanced according to AAFCO standards,” it means the recipe has been formulated to provide the essential nutrients dogs need for a specific life stage, such as growth, adult maintenance, or all life stages.

High-oleic sunflower oil is used in some recipes because it provides vitamin E and beneficial fats that support overall nutrition.

Only cold-pressed, high-oleic sunflower oil is used, which is higher in monounsaturated fats and lower in unstable polyunsaturated fats than standard sunflower oil. This helps support a healthy Omega-6 to Omega-3 balance in the recipe and contributes to meeting AAFCO nutritional guidelines.

When used in appropriate amounts, high-oleic sunflower oil is considered a stable and non-inflammatory fat source that helps support skin health, coat condition, and overall nutrient balance.

For additional information about high-oleic sunflower oil, see the ingredient reference here.

The terms 3D and 4D meats refer to animals that are Dead, Dying, Diseased, or Disabled before processing. These lower-quality meats are sometimes used in heavily processed pet foods.

The raw dog food brands we carry do not use 3D or 4D meats. Instead, they source ingredients from animals processed in USDA-inspected facilities, helping ensure higher quality and safety standards.

No. These recipes are thoughtfully formulated using real, nutrient-rich ingredients, so additional synthetic supplements are unnecessary. For more information, visit our Ingredient Benefits page.

Yes. Many raw recipes include finely ground bone, which is a natural source of calcium and phosphorus—two essential minerals that support healthy bones, teeth, and overall nutrition. Ground bone can also help support proper digestion in dogs.

No. The recipes use naturally ground bone from the animal itself, rather than commercial dried bone meal. Ground bone is produced during the processing of the meat and is included as part of the natural ingredient blend.

Different recipes may contain ground bone from sources such as beef, chicken, turkey, or pork, depending on the protein used. This helps provide a natural source of calcium and phosphorus as part of a balanced raw diet.

The ground bone comes from the beef femur bones we sell. They're cut up on the band saw and produce some "bone dust" that we include in our Beef Recipe. The Beef & Chicken and the Chicken Recipe have enough bone from the chicken. The Turkey Recipe contains ground turkey bones, and the Pork Recipe has ground pork bones.

Using naturally ground bone from the animal helps maintain the natural mineral balance found in raw diets, while avoiding the use of processed bone meals or artificial mineral sources.

Eggshell is naturally rich in calcium, an important mineral that supports strong bones and teeth. The thin membrane attached to the eggshell also contains beneficial nutrients such as collagen, glucosamine, chondroitin, and hyaluronic acid, which can help support joint health and overall wellness.

If you prefer no eggs or eggshells, Heartland Performance and Albright's Turkey and Pork recipes are egg-free.

In recent years, some dogs developed Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) while eating certain grain-free diets. DCM can sometimes be associated with low levels of taurine, an amino acid that helps support heart function and fat metabolism.

Research is still ongoing, but current findings suggest that the issue may not be the absence of grains themselves. Instead, some pet food manufacturers replaced grain fillers with other inexpensive ingredients such as peas, lentils, beans, or potatoes, which may interfere with taurine production or how taurine is utilized by the body.

High-quality raw diets are typically meat-based and naturally rich in taurine, and they do not rely on plant-based fillers such as grains, pea protein, lentils, beans, or potatoes. To date, raw diets have not been implicated in reported DCM cases related to grain-free pet foods.

For more information, you can review the FDA’s most recent updates on DCM and ongoing research into potential causes here.