The 6 Best Raw Dog Food Delivery Subscriptions in Australia

Considering the switch to a raw diet for your dog? Good for you! However, like many others before you, you’ve probably found out that getting all that fresh raw meat can be complicated.

The solution? Well, raw dog food delivery, of course. But where can you find such options and which ones are worth the price? Let’s find out!

We teamed up with veterinarians, canine nutritionists and pet parents to research the most popular raw dog food delivery subscriptions Australia has to offer. Our team of independent experts then spent months testing them out with our dogs before coming together and deciding which ones are the best of the best.

Along with a list of our favourites, we also share what you need to look for when picking out the best raw dog food subscription service for your doggo. Let's get to it.

Australia's Best Raw Dog Foods Delivery Options Reviewed

Now that you know all about the raw dog food movement and how it may benefit your dog, you probably want to see the best options in Australia. These are the raw dog food delivery subscriptions that our team of independent experts (and our hungry dogs, of course!) loved most of all.

Petzyo is a young Australian company that’s already receiving piles of raving reviews. The reason? They offer top-quality dog food, freshly made and delivered to your doorstep.

While Petzyo also makes dry kibble, their raw patties are the real star of the show. Called Raw Royalty these frozen patties bring the best possible nutrition to your dog.

They offer 3 different raw recipes, each based on the principles of the BARF diet. In other words, each of these recipes is a well-balanced concoction of mostly meat accompanied by bone, offal, and a small dose of healthy fruits, veggies, and herbs. As a preview, our second choice ahead is also based on BARF, while our third choice offers both BARF and PMR-based cuisines.

Each of the Petzyo recipes is based on a single protein: chicken, beef, or kangaroo. So, if your dog needs that, you can opt for a single protein, or combine different patties to give your canine companion some variety. I have had to put my dog on an elimination diet to eek out the source of his allergies, and Petzyo helped me achieve that without downgrading his nutritional intake.

Related: Petzyo Dog Food Review.

Not only are all the ingredients Petzyo uses listed clearly but all of them are also carefully sourced right here in Australia. The food is freshly made, frozen, and delivered to your doorstep, now anywhere in Australia (except Northern Territory).

Petzyo Raw Royalty can be bought as a one-time purchase or a subscription from their website. They offer two order sizes: 5.4 kg or 10.8 kg. Just to give you an idea, the smaller order should last about a week for a 20-kg dog. Everyone on our team of independent experts loved how you can create a delivery schedule based on your dog’s needs. That way, you always get a fresh raw food package once the food runs out.

Raw & Fresh is one of the most popular dog food delivery services in Australia (at least in the areas where they deliver to). The reason? Quality and convenience.

All the frozen raw food recipes from Raw & Fresh are made with top-quality ingredients. The attention to detail is obvious in the way they describe their formulas: they follow the BARF principles strictly, similar to our number one choice by Petzyo, ensuring your dog gets the right proportions of quality meat, bone, offal, as well as the addition of healthy fruits and veg.

Choose between beef, chicken, and roo according to your dog’s needs or mix & match to offer some variety if your dog doesn’t mind the mix of protein. And if you are not sure what to get, Raw & Fresh offers a nice starter pack with a bit of everything so you can let your dog try everything and choose what they like.

The cool thing about the Raw & Fresh raw food delivery is the fact that you can choose the size of the packages. They offer individual packs in various sizes starting from 125 g to 2.5 kg (bulk packs). I was able to get the exact portion size my pooch needed. We all know that defrosting more meat than you need to use can get messy, so it was nice to be able to avoid that.

As for the delivery, Raw & Fresh delivers mostly everywhere in NSW, ACT, QLD and VIC. The packages arrive in thermal liners accompanied by ice packs which can hold up to 10 hours, so you don’t even need to be home when the order arrives.

Raw K-9 is another nice option for those looking to have a top-notch raw diet delivered right to their doorstep.

The mixes made by Raw K-9 are somewhat different from other raw delivery options. Namely, each of their formulas includes a top-notch mix of meat and offal from various sources. That means the same formula will include green beef tripe, chicken giblets, and beef liver, for example.

While we think this combination is amazing, it will not work for dogs who are sensitive to certain types of protein. But for all the rest, it will be lovely.

Moreover, RAW K-9 lets you choose between a BARF diet and a PMR diet, unlike our first two options. The main difference between the two is the addition of fruits and veggies in the BARF meals.

The thing our team of experts noted about the RAW K-9 meal mixes is that they do not include bone. That means that the 10% bone for your dog’s diet should be added separately. However, they do also sell raw bones along with various raw and dehydrated snacks so you can add those easily to your meal orders.

The meal can be bought as meal plans delivered weekly or biweekly, or in bulk bags in quantities up to 40 kg.

What makes CDK9 Raw stand out are their weekly plans. The company offers weekly plans tailored specifically to your dog: based on your pup’s age and size, you’ll receive 7 pre-portioned daily servings. Could it be any easier?

On top of that, everyone on our panel of experts loved that they offer a nice variety of meals to choose from. First of all, there are essential mixes. These are basically a PMR diet - they include meat, bone, and offal in correct proportions, and you can choose between 5 options: chicken, duck, kangaroo, beef, or lamb.

Then, there are the complete mixes which also include fruits, veggies, and other ingredients to ensure your dog recieves each and every nutrient they need. So like our third choice, you choose between BARF and PMR-inspired meals. On top of that, there are specialized mixes to support your dog's health like Complete Digestion Support, or Complete Mobility Care.

Overall, there is a great variety of options, all made with quality ingredients that are all clearly named. If they deliver to your area, you could give CDK9 Raw a go.

Rogue Raw is the perfect choice for those who’d like to take complete control over their dog’s diet, but would still like the convenience of getting the meals delivered to their door on a weekly (or other) basis.

The reason we say this is because Rogue Raw lets you buy each raw meat ingredient for your dog separately if you’d like. I was able to get nicely packaged tubs (500 g or 1 kg) of ingredients like venison meat, water buffalo meat, green tripe, and more; or opt for premade mixes that offered a complete meal for my dog. 

On top of that, they offer a nice range of bones and offal (think lamb necks, venison organs, water buffalo bones...) and natural treats and supplements. In short, it is all in one place, a service similar to our number six choice ahead.

On the other hand, if you’d rather not bother with the specifics and get an appropriate meal plan, they offer this too. Everyone on our panel of independent experts appreciated that there are a variety of options designed to suit the needs of all the different canines in the world: small dogs, active dogs, puppies, dogs that need to gain mass, and more.

All of this can be delivered to your home via refrigerated courier, frozen and insulated.

The Butcher’s Dog is a raw food delivery service with lots of love for dogs behind the concept. Their meals come in the shape of discs, so you can easily defrost as much as you need and create a meal.

Yes, they offer complete meals as well as combo boxes, but the main idea behind The Butcher’s Dog is offering variety to canines. Thus, you can order various meals and mix and match. Similar to our number five choice, there are options made entirely out of meat, some are pure organ mixes, others include vegetables as well, and there are also ‘vegetable supplement discs’ you can add to your dog’s meat meal.

If you're like me and are not sure whether the Butcher’s Dog raw food will work for your pup, you can always order the starter pack. With it, you’ll receive 4 different protein packs and 2 packs of the veg & fruit supplement mix so you can try it out and see how your pooch responds.

What to Look for in Raw Dog Food Subscription

Raw dog food has been getting more and more popular. As a result there are quite a few companies in Australia these days that will deliver raw dog food right to your doorstep. Here is what our team of independent experts suggest you keep an eye out for as you start to shop around.

Quality of Ingredients

The first rule of dog food is the same as when searching for any kind of dog food: choose those made with quality ingredients. If you’ve chosen to feed raw, you are probably looking for the best possible options for your dog. And that’s not just any protein, but quality meat.

Every good raw food delivery provider will be transparent about the ingredients they use and list every single one of them. If they can’t answer your questions about the origin of their meat, it’s probably best to skip them.

A Balanced Diet

One of the main concerns with raw diets is the potential for imbalanced nutrition (1). Feeding only raw meat can lead to certain nutrient deficiencies. Especially in puppies, for example, since not getting enough calcium can cause problems later in life.

But of course, that doesn’t mean that a raw diet can’t be good for your dog. You just need to make sure your canine companion’s diet includes all the necessary parts. Most nutritionists would agree that this includes meat, offal, bone, as well as small amounts of fruits and veggies.

Related: Best Dog Food Subscriptions Australia.

Now, some raw food delivery services (like Petzyo, for example), offer complete meals where you don’t have anything to think about. Others exclude bones, for example, which you should feed separately to ensure that part of your dog’s nutritional needs are met. Some meals include veggies and other nutritious plant-based additions, while others don’t.

There is no right or wrong here, but it’s important to stay informed about what your dog is eating to make sure that they are getting balanced nutrition.

The keywords raw dog food manufacturers often use are BARF and PMR. So what are those?

• BARF is the most commonly accepted model of a raw food diet for dogs. It consists of 70% meat, 10% bones, 10% offal, and 10% of fruit, veg, or dairy.
• PMR stands for Prey Model Raw and is based on the idea of feeding dogs a diet they would eat in the wild. That means whole animal carcasses. In other words, just meat, bones, and offal.

Safe Handling Practices

Another concern when it comes to feeding a raw diet to dogs is the potential for contamination that comes with handling raw meat (2). While there is a real risk of bacterial infections, especially Salmonella, coming from handling raw meat, many would say the concerns are overblown.

While dogs can get bacterial infections like salmonella, they are far more resistant to them than humans. And on the human side, risks can be mitigated by normal hygienic practices like washing your hands.

Related: How Much Raw Food You Should Be Feeding Your Dog.

However, that’s not to say that safe handling of raw meat isn’t important. You want your dog food to be made in reputable facilities and frozen fresh. Unfortunately, though, the pet food industry is not very well regulated in Australia (3), so one must rely on the reputation of manufacturers.

Related: What is AAFCO? The Association of American Feed Control Officials
Related: What Is the Pet Food Industry Association of Australia (PFIAA)?
Related: AAFCO vs PFIAA: Dog Food Standards Comparison Australia

My Final Verdict

The best raw food delivery for dogs in Australia? Everyone on our team of independent experts could agree that our favourite is Petzyo. They offer an awesome range of complete and nutritionally balanced raw meals for dogs, all based on a single protein so even sensitive pooches can enjoy them. And, they deliver almost anywhere in Australia which is always a plus.

However, all the other entries on our list also use top-notch ingredients and offer various options. Most of them deliver only to specific regions, so make sure to check which ones work for your location.

References

1. Ardente, A. February 18, 2022. “What You Need to Know About Raw Food Diets for Dogs”. PetMD. Retrieved June 22, 2022. https://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/5-mistakes-people-make-when-feeding-pets-raw-food-diet
2. Freeman LM, Chandler ML, Hamper BA, et al. Timely topics in nutrition: Current knowledge about the risks and benefits of raw meat-based diets for dogs and cats. JAVMA. 243(11): 1549-1558;2013.
3. RSPCA. August 12, 2019. “How is the pet food industry regulated in Australia?”. Retrieved June 22, 2022. https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/how-is-the-pet-food-industry-regulated-in-australia/