Yes. A raw diet is grain-free by nature: it’s raw meat, bone and organ, with no wheat, corn, rice or other cereal, and every product in our range is grain-free. If you want grain-free dog food in New Zealand, raw is a simple way to get it.
“Grain-free” is printed on a lot of dog food bags these days. With raw food the label is almost redundant, because there’s nowhere for grain to go. Here’s what grain-free means, what’s in our range, and how to set up a grain-free raw diet without any guesswork.
What grain-free means
Grain-free means a food has no cereal grains in it: no wheat, corn, rice, barley or oats. It says nothing else about the food. A grain-free kibble still needs something to hold the biscuit together, so many replace the grain with other starches, such as peas, lentils or potato.
Raw food doesn’t need any of that. It’s meat, raw bone and organ, frozen and thawed as you need it.
| Grain-free kibble | Raw food | |
|---|---|---|
| Grain | None | None |
| What holds it together | Other starches, such as peas, lentils or potato | Nothing needed: it’s meat, bone and organ |
| Cooked | Yes | No |
| Stored | In the bag, in the cupboard | Frozen, then thawed in the fridge |
| Ingredient list | Often long | Short: the meats, bone and organ |
Grain-free in our range
All of our mixes, minces, rolls and bones are grain-free. You’ll see “Grain” in the free-from list on every product page. A few examples:
| Product | What’s in it |
|---|---|
| Beef Mince | 100% NZ beef |
| Chicken Mince | 100% NZ chicken, minced with the bone |
| Wild Mix | Horse, goat, venison and alpaca, with offal |
| Balance Mix | Beef organ, green tripe and chicken, to mix with plain mince |
| Raw bones | Beef, veal and goat |
The rest of the range is the same. Active Dog Mix is beef, horse, offal and green tripe. Breeders Mix is beef, horse, goat and offal. Puppy Mix is beef, chicken, offal and green tripe. Fussy Mix is veal, chicken, liver and offal. Veal Mince and Goat Mince are single proteins, Green Tripe is just tripe, and our rolls are raw mince in a tube with no fillers. Everything is made to order in the Waikato from New Zealand meat, and our home page shows the whole range of raw dog food NZ owners order from us.
Why people look for grain-free
Owners go grain-free for different reasons. Some want a diet built on meat. Some have a dog that seems to do better without cereal. Some simply want a shorter ingredient list. Raw food covers all three.
One thing worth knowing: grain-free doesn’t mean free of a particular meat. If your dog reacts to chicken or beef, a grain-free food with chicken or beef in it won’t help. Choose by protein instead, as our guide to raw food for dogs with allergies explains.
That’s where the shop filter helps. Tick what your dog can’t have, and the shop greys out every product that contains it, so you can see the grain-free options that also leave out the meats you’re avoiding.
Building a grain-free raw diet
A grain-free raw diet is the same as any raw diet: about 80% muscle meat, 10% raw bone and 10% organ, worked out over a week. The easy ways to get there with our range:
- A blend with offal already in it, such as Active Dog Mix or Wild Mix, plus raw bones a few times a week.
- A single-protein mince, such as Beef Mince, mixed two parts to one with Balance Mix.
The feed calculator works out the daily amount and suggests products for your dog.
How much a grain-free raw diet takes
The amounts are the same as for any raw diet. A moderately active 20 kg dog eats about 500 g a day: about 450 g of mince or blend, with the bone part as a raw meaty bone a few times a week. A 10 kg box lasts that dog about three weeks. Our guide to how much raw food to feed has the amounts for every size.
Grain-free extras and chews
A lot of treats and chews have cereal in them, so it’s worth keeping the extras grain-free too if that’s the point of the diet. Raw feeders tend to stick to things that are just meat or animal products:
- Raw meaty bones. A raw bone a few times a week covers the bone part of the diet and makes a long chew. Our guide to raw bones for dogs explains how to match them to the food.
- Raw eggs. An egg cracked over the meal a few times a week. See can dogs eat raw eggs for amounts.
- Green tripe. A spoonful over the usual meal, which most dogs love. Our green tripe guide covers how much.
- Training treats. Small cubes of the day’s raw food, or plain dried meat, count as part of the daily amount.
Switching from grain-free kibble
If your dog is on a grain-free kibble now, switch the same way as from any dry food: a little raw at a time over one to two weeks, starting with one protein. Expect the daily amount in grams to look bigger, because raw food holds much more water than kibble. Our guide to switching to raw has the day-by-day plan.
As a guide, a 20 kg dog on about 250 to 300 g of kibble a day moves to about 500 g of raw food. That’s the water in the meat, not a bigger meal. Swap about a quarter of the kibble for raw, then half, then three quarters, over about ten days, and keep to one protein until your dog is settled. The switching guide above has the full plan, with grams for each stage.
Common questions
Is raw food for cats grain free too?
Yes. Our raw cat food, Fussy Mix, Veal Mince, Chicken Mince, Goat Mince and Lamb & Heart Rolls, is grain free like the rest of the range.
What about vegetables?
Our food is meat, bone and organ, with no vegetables or fruit added. Some raw feeders who follow the BARF style add a little themselves. Our BARF diet page explains that approach.
Do your rolls have fillers in them?
No. Our rolls are raw meat with no fillers or preservatives, which is the big difference from a typical cooked dog roll. Our guide to dog roll versus raw mince explains.
Is grain-free raw food more expensive?
Raw food bought in bulk costs about the same per day as a premium kibble for most dogs. Our cost guide works it through by dog size.
Is grain-free the same as gluten-free?
Gluten comes from grains such as wheat and barley, so a food with no grain has no gluten from grain either. Our food has no grain at all.
Is raw food grain-free for puppies too?
Yes. Puppy Mix and the rest of our range have no grain. Our guide to how much raw food to feed a puppy has amounts by age.
How is it delivered?
We deliver chilled across Auckland and the Waikato, and delivery is $5 an order whatever the weight. Our delivery page shows your delivery day.
More guides
Raw food for dogs with allergies and sensitive stomachs
Choosing raw food by protein, every meat in our range, and a gentle switch for a sensitive dog.
Dog roll vs raw mince: what’s the difference?
What's inside a typical NZ dog roll, how raw mince compares, and where raw rolls fit.
How to choose a raw dog food in NZ
Seven things to check before you buy: origin, ingredients, bone and organ, packing, cost per day and delivery.