Which RAWZ Meal Free Dry Recipes Get Our Best Ratings?

RAWZ Meal Free Dog Food receives the Advisor’s top rating of 5 stars.

The RAWZ Meal Free product line includes the 2 dry dog foods listed below.

Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available… Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Rawz Dehydrated Chicken, Turkey and Chicken Recipe was selected to represent both products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.

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Ingredient Analysis

The first two ingredients in this dog food are dehydrated chicken and dehydrated deboned chicken. Dehydrated chicken is considered a meat concentrate and contains more than four times as much protein as fresh chicken.

Plus (unlike chicken meal) dehydrated chicken is never exposed to high temperatures during processing, so it preserves more of the meat’s natural nutrients.

The next two ingredients include chicken and turkey. Although quality items, raw poultry contains up to 73% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.

After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.

The following two ingredients list chicken liver and turkey liver. These are organ meats sourced from named animals and thus considered beneficial components.

However, raw organs contain up to 73% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.

The seventh ingredient is turkey heart, another quality, raw item inclusive of water. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing to us humans, heart tissue is pure muscle — all meat. It’s naturally rich in quality protein, minerals and complex B vitamins, too.

The next ingredient is pea starch, a paste-like, gluten-free carbohydrate extract probably used here as a binder for making kibble. Aside from its energy content (calories), pea starch is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The ninth ingredient includes dried peas, which are a good source of carbohydrates. Plus they’re naturally rich in dietary fiber.

However, dried peas contain about 27% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this RAWZ product.

With 6 notable exceptions…

First, this recipe uses sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.

Next, flaxseed is one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.

However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

In addition, tomato pomace. Tomato pomace is a by-product remaining after processing tomatoes into juice, soup and ketchup. Many praise tomato pomace for its high fiber and nutrient content, while others believe it’s often used as an inexpensive pet food filler.

As the presence of fiber in a dog’s diet is shown to have great importance, we view the inclusion of tomato pomace in this food as a positive.

Next, we find no mention of probiotics, friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing to help with digestion.

We also note the use of taurine in this recipe. Taurine is an important amino acid associated with the healthy function of heart muscle. Although taurine is not typically considered essential in canines, some dogs have been shown to be deficient in this critical nutrient.

Since taurine deficiency appears to be more common in pets consuming grain-free diets, we view its presence in this recipe as a positive addition.

And lastly, this food contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, RAWZ Meal Free looks like an above-average dry product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 44%, a fat level of 13% and estimated carbohydrates of about 34%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 44% and a mean fat level of 13%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 34% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 30%.

Which means this RAWZ product line contains…

Above-average protein. Below-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to other dry dog foods.

Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the dried peas and flaxseed, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a generous amount of meat.

Our Rating of RAWZ Meal Free Dog Food

RAWZ Meal Free is a grain-free dry dog food using a liberal amount of named meats as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.

Enthusiastically recommended.

Please note certain recipes are sometimes given a higher or lower rating based upon our estimate of their total meat content and (when appropriate) their fat-to-protein ratios.

RAWZ Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to RAWZ through November.

No recalls noted.

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.

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More RAWZ Brand Reviews

The following RAWZ dog food reviews are also posted on this website:

• RAWZ Limited Recipe Dog Food Review (Dry)