Raw Bistro Dog Food Review (Raw Frozen)

Mike Sagman  Julia Ogden

By

Mike Sagman
Mike Sagman

Mike Sagman

Founder

Dr Mike Sagman is the creator of the Dog Food Advisor. He founded the website in 2008, after his unquestioning trust in commercial dog food led to the tragic death of his dog Penny.

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&
Julia Ogden
Julia Ogden

Julia Ogden

Content Director

Julia is the content director at the Dog Food Advisor and responsible for the overall strategy of the website.

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Updated: January 13, 2025

Verified by Laura Ward

Laura Ward

Laura Ward

Pet Nutritionist

Laura studied BSc (Hons) Animal Science with an accreditation in Nutrition at the University of Nottingham, before working for eight years in the pet food and nutrition industry.

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Laura Ward

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Our Verdict

Rating:
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Raw bistro raw frozen product range is made up of five recipes with ratings varying from 4 to 5 stars. The average rating of the whole range is 5 stars.

The table below shows each recipe in this range including our rating and the AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Product line Rating AAFCO
Raw Bistro Beef Entree 4 A
Raw Bistro Turkey Entree 5 A
Raw Bistro Chicken Entree 5 A
Raw Bistro Lamb Entree 4 M
Raw Bistro Bison Entree 5 A

Recipe and Label Analysis

Raw Bistro Chicken Entree was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Raw Bistro Chicken Entree

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

48.1%

Protein

29.6%

Fat

14.3%

CarbsCarbohydrates

Ground chicken (includes bone), chicken heart, chicken liver, chicken eggs, organic kale, organic carrots, organic cucumber, organic strawberries, organic flaxseed, organic apple cider vinegar, organic coconut oil, sea salt, organic kelp, inulin (extract of chicory), zinc amino acid chelate, vitamin E supplement, copper amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, vitamin D3 supplement


Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 1.5%

Red denotes any controversial items

Estimated Nutrient Content
Method Protein Fat Carbs
Guaranteed Analysis 13% 8% NA
Dry Matter Basis 48% 30% 14%
Calorie Weighted Basis 36% 54% 11%

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is ground chicken with bones. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.1

Chicken is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life. The ground bone is an excellent source of natural calcium.

The second ingredient is chicken heart. 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 third ingredient is chicken liver, an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The next item includes eggs. Eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.

The fifth ingredient is organic kale. Kale is a type of cabbage in which the central leaves do not form a head. This dark green vegetable is especially rich in beta-carotene, vitamins C, vitamin K and calcium.

And like broccoli, kale contains sulforaphane, a natural chemical believed to possess potent anti-cancer properties.

The sixth ingredient lists organic carrots, which are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.

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 raw product.

With four notable exceptions

First, we find organic flaxseed, 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.

Next, organic coconut oil is a natural oil rich in medium-chain fatty acids.

Medium-chain triglycerides have been shown to improve cognitive function in older dogs.2

Because of its proven safety3 as well as its potential to help in the treatment of canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) and chronic skin disorders, MCT can be considered a positive addition to this recipe.

In addition, inulin is a starch-like compound made up of repeating units of carbohydrates and typically sourced from chicory root.

Not only is inulin a natural source of soluble dietary fiber, it’s also a prebiotic used to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in a dog’s digestive tract.

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, Raw Bistro Chicken Entree looks like an above-average raw product that also incorporates many organic items.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 48%, a fat level of 30% and estimated carbohydrates of about 14%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 50% and a mean fat level of 33%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 10% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 67%.

Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical raw dog food.

Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the flaxseed, this still looks like the profile of a raw dog food containing an abundance of meat.

However, with 54% of the total calories in our example coming from fat versus just 36% from protein, some recipes may not be suitable for pets on a low fat diet.

Raw bistro Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Raw bistro through January 2025.

No recalls noted.

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

Our Rating of Raw Bistro Dog Food

Raw Bistro is a grain-free raw dog food using a generous amount of named meats and organs as its primary source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.

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.

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Highly Recommended

Sources

1: Association of American Feed Control Officials

2: Pan Y et al, Dietary supplementation with medium-chain TAG has long-lasting cognition-enhancing effects in aged dogs, British Journal of Nutrition, Volume 103, Issue 12, June 2010, pp 1746-1754

3: Matulka RA et al, Lack of toxicity by medium chain triglycerides (MCT) in canines during a 90-day feeding study,Food Chem Toxicol, Jan 2009, 47(1) 35-9.

A Final Word

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