The raw dog food diet certainly has its critics, and they aren’t without reason. This diet hasn’t been around for very long, so there really isn’t a lot of research to back up whether the long term benefits outweigh the risks. Still, many dog owners are confident in their choice to feed their pet raw food, and if done correctly it certainly does seem that there are many benefits to the raw food diet.
smallbatch, a company that manufactures and distributes raw dog food, is taking the diet to a whole new level. They are a family owned company based in the bay area. Inspired by the local and sustainable sources around them, they set out to make a new kind of raw pet food. They use ingredients that go above and beyond the standards like hormone and antibiotic free meats, organic herbs and vegetables, and pure supplements like bee pollen and organic kelp.
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The company uses meat that comes from free-range, pasture raised animals and their produce is always 100% certified organic. The supplements in smallbatch pet foods are pure, organic, and unrefined. They don’t use high pressure pasteurization (HPP) techniques either. HPP is a technique where products that are already sealed in their package are subjected to a high level of isostatic pressure that is transmitted by water. This extends the shelf life, but also takes some of the nutrients out of the food.
The company started out producing raw dog food from local farmers markets and ranches in California. They distributed their pet food to consumers all over the state. Now they’ve also added an additional facility in Oregon where they use locally grown and produced food from the Pacific Northwest to make raw dog food that is distributed through Washington, Colorado, and Oregon. smallbatch is hoping to add more neighboring states to the mix soon.
Despite the fact that dogs have been domesticated for years, they still have a lot in common with wild dogs. Their incisor teeth are sharp, making them perfect for ripping through meat and tearing it off the bone. Dogs also have short intestines which allow them to eat a large amount of bacteria and digest it without suffering any negative side effects. Dogs are built to eat raw food. They crave raw food, so why not feed them raw food?
That’s what the makers of smallbatch believe. Although there isn’t enough research to prove anything yet, studies suggest that pets that eat a raw food diet have a greater resistance to bacteria, viruses, and parasites and they have a smaller chance of suffering from diabetes and cancer. Raw foods also contain more bio-available components, which means that your dog will produce smaller, firmer, less stinky poops.
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smallbatch pet foods come frozen or freeze dried. Their dog food is available in beef, chicken, duck, turkey, rabbit, and lamb blends. You’ll be able to read and understand every ingredient in these dog foods. For example, the beef blend contains (in order): beef hearts, beef livers, beef kidneys, beef bones, organic carrots, organic yams, organic broccoli, organic squash, salmon oil, organic kale, organic collards, organic apple cider vinegar, organic kelp, organic bee pollen, organic parsley, organic wheat grass, organic bilberry, organic garlic, organic rosemary, and organic basil.
The minimum amount of protein in the dog food blends ranges from 13.9% to 16.2%. The meals all come in two sizes: sliders and patties. The calories per slider range from 36 to 56 and for the patties the calorie count ranges from 291 to 448. You can also purchase dog and cat food in larger tubes that you can split into portion sizes yourself. Plus, if you have a multi-animal household, you can feed your dog(s) and cat(s) the same food without having to worry about each animal getting the proper nutrition.
