Grain free raw dog food: what it means

“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.

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 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:

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.

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.

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.

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.