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- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
This article was produced in partnership with Raised Right, who provided a free sample in exchange for an honest review.
There are lots of fresh and limited-ingredient dog foods on the market, a far cry from the dry and canned food options of the past. That means a lot to choose from, both ingredient- and formula-wise, and it can be hard to figure out which one is right for your dog.
Raised Right is one of several fresh brands fighting for your pup’s palate with fresh dog food that emphasizes food safety and limited-ingredient recipes. Rover test pups and their parents reviewed it to see how it stacks up to the rest.
What Raised Right Dog Food Offers
Raised Right is a family-owned company that started when the Ruuds began cooking their family’s pets’ meals at home after the huge melamine dog food contamination recall in 2007. With a special interest in food safety, they put generations of farming and ranching experience to use to create Raised Right.
Raised Right dog foods lead with a single animal protein source, with options that include turkey, beef, pork, and chicken for adult dogs and special recipes for puppies. All recipes include fewer than 10 ingredients—all whole, recognizable, foods.
The food itself resembles a coarse pate. It’s lightly cooked at low temperatures to kill pathogens while retaining moisture and integrity, then frozen for shipping. (Pet parents store Raised Right food in the freezer and thaw it in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours before serving.)
Individual 16-ounce packages cost $9.99, and you can buy them in either a four-bag sampler pack or a 16-bag mix. There’s the option to create a customized feeding plan (especially useful if you’re planning to mix Raised Right with other foods) and create your own subscription plan to get your food delivered regularly.
You can also find Raised Right at local pet supply shops using the company’s store locator.
Key Differentiators: Lab-Tested, Limited-Ingredient Foods High in Protein
Fresh dog foods are typically lightly cooked recipes that include no preservatives and are stored in the freezer or fridge. There are a growing number out there—but Raised Right is distinguishing itself on a few key fronts.
High protein and limited ingredients. Raised Right works with veterinarian Karen Becker, DVM, and pet-food formulation expert Steve Brown to create high-protein recipes with very little filler (carbs like potato, rice, wheat, and oats) and no added synthetic vitamins or minerals—while still meeting AAFCO’s minimum nutrition requirements.
Carbs aren’t necessarily a dog’s enemy, and not all pups require high-protein diets—but for those who do, especially active and working dogs, Raised Right offers some of the highest protein levels on the market. Their beef and pumpkin paté recipe clocks in at an astonishing 66% protein on a dry-matter basis.
Similarly, not all dogs need limited ingredients—but those with protein allergies and sensitive stomachs will appreciate that Raised Right’s recipes have just one animal protein, which makes it easy to avoid triggers. The original turkey recipe, for example, contains turkey thigh, heart, and liver; carrots, blueberries, organic spearmint, cod liver oil, egg shell powder, flaxseed oil, and organic dried kelp.
Raised Right is also the first company to voluntarily submit recipes for testing by Check Your Pet Food, which confirmed the food’s guaranteed analysis matches the label and that the nutritional analysis meets AAFCO’s minimum standards for a complete and balanced diet.
Lab-tested for safety. It’s not surprising that a company founded in the aftermath of the melamine recall would make food safety a key part of its mission. Raised Right tests every batch of their dog food before it’s shipped and posts lab-safety test results for each one.
They also list the states and countries from which their ingredients are sourced, and all ingredients meet human-grade consumption standards.
Sustainability: Raised Right offsets carbon emissions with reforestation and forest preservation, is plastic-neutral certified, and uses recyclable shipping boxes and compostable liners to package the food in transit.
Price: We think Raised Right dog food prices land around the middle of the pack for fresh dog foods—it’s neither the most expensive nor the least. To give an idea of how far the food goes, for a 40-pound Australian Cattle Dog Mix, one package was two meals, using Raised Right’s serving size suggestions.
Review: Raised Right Dog Food Gets Four Paws Up From Pepper
Our discerning reviewer, Pepper, certainly devoured all of the Raised Right dog food recipes, which included pork, beef, and turkey. And based on ingredient simplicity and human-grade standards, I felt good about what was going in my dog’s food bowl.
One package was about two meals for Pepper; it’s easy to open, and you can roll/fold the plastic up with a clip to store leftovers or put the whole portion in a dedicated Tupperware in the fridge. You have to scoop the coarse pate into the dish, so unlike dry food, it creates a little extra dishwashing—I used a spoon (and at first a measuring cup to see how much I was serving).
You also have to think ahead to pull the food from the freezer into the fridge to thaw overnight.
Each of the recipes we tried contained spearmint, and it’s the dominant smell when you open a package. That’s slightly disconcerting when you know the food leads with meat protein, but it’s also probably much better than smelling the meat itself.
The crumbly texture made feeding with a KONG, which we usually use to slow down our food- and puzzle-loving dog, not ideal. We typically pour some kibble into the KONG (plus a bowl for what won’t fit), but scooping the pate in was too fiddly to bother with.
Based on our experiences, we think Raised Right dog food would be a good fit for:
- Dogs who could benefit from a high-protein diet, especially active dogs
- Pups who need single-protein or limited-ingredient diets, especially those with sensitive stomachs or food allergies
- Pet parents interested in maximizing food safety and transparent sourcing
- Those looking for environmentally friendly subscription dog food
- Pups who don’t like dry kibble or need more moisture in their diet
- Those looking to spruce up to their dog’s food as a topper or main—it’s likely to be a hit
Who might look to other food types:
- Pet parents who have limited freezer space or schedules that don’t permit fresh feeding
- Pet parents looking for budget-friendly dog foods
- Dogs who need to avoid high-protein diets
A final note about high-protein foods: Some of these recipes contain quite a lot of protein. For some dogs, especially active ones, that can be a great thing! But for other dogs, especially large-breed puppies and dogs with kidney disease, a high-protein diet can cause health complications. We recommend checking with your vet before switching your dog to a high-protein food.