An Honest Review of We Feed Raw: Exploring the Pros and Cons of Raw Dog Food
Updated: Jul 13, 2023
We Feed Raw is a premier company based in Charleston, SC, with multiple distribution centers nationwide to guarantee fast and efficient shipping to customers nationwide. They offer a variety of pre-made raw meals expertly formulated by a Ph.D. animal nutritionist with many years of experience in raw feeding. These meals are made from high-quality ingredients that are fit for human consumption and undergo HPP processing to eliminate potential food-borne pathogens.
This review will primarily focus on the beef products from We Feed Raw.
Ingredients:
Beef Heart, Beef Liver, Beef Kidney, Beef Necks (with bone), WFR vitamin + mineral mix composed of Flaxseed, Calcium Carbonate, Zinc Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin D3 Supplement and Folic Acid.
Nutritional profile:
Guaranteed Nutritional Analysis
Crude Protein 12.2% min
Crude Fat 10.0% min
Crude Fiber 1.0% max
Moisture 68.0% max
51 kcal M.E./oz
1800 kcal M.E./kg
Is it Complete and Balanced? We Feed Raw meals meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles for all life stages. These meals are formulated by a nutritionist with over 30 years of experience feeding a raw diet.
Weight and packaging of the product: We purchased the small box, which is just a taste test for Yenko. It included Beef, Lamb, and their Turkey recipe in 6-ounce packages. Upon receiving our parcel, we noticed all the contents were frozen. Great. However, we also observed that some packs had tears and were not completely sealed. The packaging process appeared rushed, resulting in tears from separating packs during shipping.
Visuals of the meat: The texture of the meat is similar to playdoh, and some of the packs have slight oxidation, especially those with tears.
Taste: Yenko enjoyed the lamb and beef meals; he ate the turkey but was less eager to consume it.
For us, it was the worst meal we ever tasted. Keep in mind it is for dogs, and we know this. It tasted like a cocktail of pills mixed with meat. Or, for a better description of taste, very chalky and chemical-induced. This perplexed me.
On the one hand, We Feed Raw seems great company with great reviews, but; for me, ultimately, we who feed raw feed it to be more natural and away from artificial, and sure, there can be a level of supplementation which knowledgeable dog owners can make an informed choice to choose to use. I can tell you it was intense, unlike any other foods we tried. It can be formulated by a Ph.D. animal nutritionist and using the best supplements ever (hey, sourced in the USA!); for me, it's a no, but because I rather add whole foods to get the same results.
This brings up the question of convenience vs. supplementation and the reasons you, as an educated dog owner, choose to feed this food vs. that food..if you trust BARF or whole prey? Natural vs. supplementation. If you want a convenient way to feed your dogs a raw diet, all you care about is if it is balanced and has no fillers, preservatives, artificial colors, or flavors. This is the food. Yenko did enjoy it.
Poop: No issues, only color distinctions due to the protein type.
Price: The small box is $132 for 24 6-ounce packs.
Delivery: To ensure efficient shipping, the minimum weight for each shipment is 30 pounds. Shipping is only done in increments of this weight to fill a box. However, there is no minimum shipping requirement for the prepacked "boxes" themselves; they offer free shipping.
Other things to Note: I really wanted to like this brand!
We Feed Raw uses High-pressure processing (HPP) to preserve their food. This process is controversial since HPP uses high pressure to eliminate microorganisms while preserving the nutrients and flavor of the food. HPP is considered to be a safe and effective way to preserve food, removing bacteria, viruses, and parasites and extending the food's shelf life up to 5 times. However, there is some limited research that suggests HPP may damage DNA. The proteins are denatured, beneficial bacteria are destroyed with the bad bacteria and ultimately doesn't guarantee the meat cant be contaminated again.
Many years ago, I was a customer of WeFeedRaw, when it was purely a prey model diet. No supplements, no pastuerization and all the other junk. They had a very good product and bought many pounds for years from them.. Not any longer. When they announced to their customers of the changes, I stopped purchasing from them.