One of the biggest challenges at 4PAWSRAW has been justifying our pricing policy to some customers. At 4PAWSRAW our meats are purchased from quality suppliers, not end of shelf life, or trimmings used by many raw food producers. This, of course, adds to the cost of producing the end product. Lean meat is expensive and usually sold to the human sector.
Also, one of the main questions we face every day is ‘are your products 80/10/10’? Many pre-made raw foods say “10% bone” but so many contain far more bone than this because the carcass is cheap and very bony. Lots of dog’s poo will be white and solid on many of the cheaper mixes. Still, people want to see 10% bone on the label so that’s what you’re told.
Dogs evolved to eat wild very lean animals, not fatty intensively-reared animals. This means that the majority of raw dog foods are too fatty for the average dog.
With protein to fat ratios of around 1:1 certainly in much of the cheaper stuff, and many go far beyond that across their range, we strive to make a healthier range of food, as fat offers twice the number of calories as protein, which can be a very fatty diet for the average dog.
Why are they fatty?
Well, as with the bone tissue, the temptation is to use lots of cheaper cuts, carcass and also cheap beef cuts etc. All of which are generally high in fat and low on lean protein. Cheaper mixes tend to hide fat and bone by grinding to a fine mash, which looks like “chicken” or “beef” to the average customer.
Leaner products will likely result in being more expensive, but your dog will be leaner on them, they are supposed to be lean. Being lean will increase their health and longevity, with the added bonus of getting fewer Vets bills. We stand by our prices as we know our recipes are full of quality ingredients and provide a balanced diet. We at 4PAWSRAW are happy and confident that our customers are not stuffing their pets full of calcium and unhealthy fats.
