Raw food — another brand or homemade: what is in it, and what we would feed instead
Not currently carried at Barks N Purrs · Other pet store, online, or home-prepared
Our take
If you are already feeding raw from somewhere else, you have made the big decision. The questions now are rotation, organ and bone balance, and whether the supplements are covering the gaps every raw diet has.
What the label says
If you're already feeding raw from another source, you're way ahead of the curve — the format itself is the most important decision. The honest comparison isn't about "better raw"; it's about rotational variety, novel proteins for allergies, formulation expertise, and the in-store support specialty raw retailers provide that grocery-channel raw cannot match.
- Homemade raw is often short on calcium or organ
- One protein, fed for months, misses the point of raw
- Unknown sourcing
- No local loyalty program
- No one to call when the switch gets bumpy
- Rotation across four or more proteins
- Novel proteins for elimination diets
- Loyalty pricing that compounds over a year
- Someone to call when the switch gets bumpy
- A supplement plan built around the food
Raw food quality varies: Look for a clear muscle-to-organ-to-bone ratio on the label (about 80/10/10 for dogs). If the label does not say what share is bone and organ, ask. Muscle meat alone runs short on calcium over time.
The switch at Barks N Purrs
Big Country Raw (Buy 12 Get 1 Free) + SMACK (Buy 8 Get 1 Free) — local sourcing, traceability, and loyalty savings on every bag.
Website prices on 2026-09-26. Cost per day is a starting estimate at 2.5% of body weight for an adult dog; your plan uses your pet's real weight and age.
Turn this into a 30-day plan for your pet
Three minutes: who they are, what is going on, what they eat now. You get the food, the first two supplements, the amount to feed and the cost per day, emailed to you as a shopping list to bring in.
Build the plan