Is raw feeding safe? What the evidence actually says

Raw food scores better than any other format we rate. Not marginally - 76% of raw foods clear 80, against 23% of dry, with a median score of 91. If our scoring is any good, that is a striking result, and it deserves both an explanation and a serious look at what raw feeding actually costs you.

Why raw scores so well

There is no mystery to it. Our open score rewards named ingredients, declared percentages, short lists and the absence of vague categories - and raw labels are unusually plain. A typical raw recipe is a handful of named animal parts and some vegetables.

The numbers, across 192 raw foods:

• 145 of them score 80 or above - a 76% hit rate
• Median score 91, against 73 for dry
• Median declared meat content 68.5%, against 39% for dry

That last figure is doing most of the work. Raw food is mostly meat, and it says so on the label with a number attached.

The risks, stated properly

Bacteria - and this one is about you too

Raw meat carries Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria and E. coli. Dogs tolerate a bacterial load that would flatten a person reasonably well, though they can still become ill and can shed pathogens in their stool while showing no symptoms at all.

This is not a vague worry, and we would rather give you the actual numbers than a warning. An FDA survey of 1,056 pet food samples found around 8 per cent of raw products positive for Salmonella and 16 per cent for Listeria monocytogenes. ^[1] A Dutch study of 35 frozen raw products from eight brands found Salmonella in 20 per cent and Listeria monocytogenes in 54 per cent. ^[2]

Now the number that actually matters. In that same FDA survey, 480 dry and semi-moist samples produced two positives between them. So this is not a “pet food is filthy” story - the cooked formats come back essentially clean, because heat kills these organisms. It is specific to the formats that never get heated. That is precisely why our processing score puts gently cooked food above raw rather than below it: minimal processing is a genuine virtue, but “minimally processed” and “no kill step” are the same sentence.

The under-discussed part is human exposure. The bowl, the fridge shelf, the worktop, the dog’s face and the dog’s stool all become potential routes. Public-health bodies advise particular caution in households with infants, elderly or immunocompromised people. ^[3]

This is manageable with ordinary food-hygiene discipline - dedicated bowls and boards, thorough handwashing, thawing in the fridge rather than on the side, prompt cleaning. It is not manageable by ignoring it.

Bones

Raw bones are considerably safer than cooked bones, which splinter and should never be given to a dog under any circumstances. But raw bones still cause fractured teeth, choking and intestinal obstruction. Dense weight-bearing bones from large animals are the worst offenders for teeth.

Many complete raw products use finely ground bone, which sidesteps the issue entirely while keeping the calcium. If you feed whole bones, supervise, and match the bone to the dog.

Nutritional balance

A commercially prepared complete raw food is formulated to be nutritionally complete. A home-made bowl of meat is not, and the deficiencies build slowly enough that they are hard to spot until they matter - calcium and phosphorus balance especially.

If you want to feed raw without a nutrition qualification, buy complete. It is the single easiest risk to eliminate.

The cost, which nobody leads with

Raw medians £2.94 a day against £1.05 for dry. Close to three times as much, every day, plus freezer space and preparation time.

Over a twelve-year life that is roughly a £8,000 difference. It may well be worth it to you - but it should be a decision you made rather than one you drifted into. Our cost guide puts every format side by side.

Worth knowing: 62 dry foods in our catalogue score 80 or above at under £1 a day. You do not have to feed raw to feed well.

If you are going to do it, do it properly

1. Buy complete, at least at first. “Complete” on the label means formulated as a whole diet. DIY is where imbalance creeps in.
2. Dedicate the equipment. Separate bowl, board and utensils, washed at high temperature.
3. Thaw in the fridge, never on the worktop, and use within a couple of days.
4. Transition slowly. Raw is a big change; our switching guide has the ratios.
5. Watch the stools. Raw-fed stools are typically smaller and firmer. Persistently loose, or any blood, means stop and call the vet.

What a good raw food looks like on the label

The same rules apply as anywhere else, and raw makes them easy to check. You want named species with percentages - not a category. These are the terms that cost points wherever they appear:15Ingredient quality 15 out of 100Meat and animal derivativesThe vaguest term on any UK label - it can mean almost any animal part from almost any species, and the recipe can change batch to batch.22Ingredient quality 22 out of 100Oils and fats (unspecified)Unnamed oils and fats of unknown origin and quality.

A raw food listing “meat and animal derivatives” is telling you as little as a budget kibble does. Most do far better than that, which is exactly why the category scores as it does. Our label guide covers the full vocabulary.

The honest summary

Raw feeding gives you the clearest ingredient lists in the catalogue and the highest scores we award. It also asks for more money, more freezer space, more handling discipline, and a genuine hygiene commitment if there are vulnerable people in the house.

It is a legitimate way to feed a dog well. So is a high-scoring kibble at a third of the price. Anyone telling you there is only one right answer is selling something.

Where to go next

• The best raw dog food - top 10, ranked
• Browse all 192 raw foods and filter by protein or price
• What feeding a dog actually costs, format by format

This is label analysis, not veterinary advice - if your dog has a health condition, talk to your vet before switching foods.