Frequently Asked Questions

Our freeze-dried treats are sourced and produced from Canadian Farms and Waters. Our competitors often source them from other countries and finish production in Canada, allowing them to claim that they are made in Canada.

Yes, all of our formulas are carefully crafted by a certified pet nutritionist to meet rigorous AAFCO standards. This ensures that your pet receives all the essential nutrients, fats, and protein necessary to maintain optimal health and strength.

Single-ingredient treats are made from a single, whole-food ingredient, without any extras like additives or artificial preservatives. These are perfect for dogs with food sensitivities or allergies. We also offer novel proteins such as Kangaroo and Duck Liver.

A balanced raw dog food diet typically consists of a variety of ingredients, including muscle meat, organs, bones, and sometimes fruits and vegetables. These ingredients should be appropriately proportioned to provide the necessary nutrients, including proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.

To ensure balance and completeness, raw dog food diets often follow guidelines set by organizations such as the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) or the National Research Council (NRC). These guidelines provide recommendations for the essential nutrients dogs need for optimal health at various life stages.

Additionally, many commercial raw dog food products undergo testing to ensure they meet AAFCO nutrient profiles or NRC recommendations for completeness. Some raw feeding enthusiasts also choose to consult with veterinarians or animal nutritionists to formulate homemade raw diets that meet their dog's specific nutritional needs.

We have recently upgraded our manufacturing process to provide a more consistent product. The pieces are now puck shaped versus the older cube shape. The weight is the same and feeding guidelines have not changed.

For adult dogs, we recommend feeding a 1/4 lb (one puck) for every 10-15 lbs of your dog’s body weight. This is a general guideline. Adjust accordingly based on your dog’s age and activity level. We recommend puppies eat approximately triple what an adult dog would eat.

Pets should not participate in any exercise one hour before, or after eating.

Your puppy can start eating raw food as soon as he/she has weaned…in fact, that is the healthiest way to transition (vs. feeding kibble before feeding raw). It’s best to introduce single-sourced proteins first and then gradually introduce more ingredients. Check out this great article on the topic: http://baywoof.com/featured-article/starting-puppies-on-a-raw-food-diet/.

Presently, we do not have a cat-specific blend, however this is something we are developing for the future. We do have cats that are currently eating Rocky Mountain Raw and thrive! Cats require more taurine in their diets than dogs, so if you do feed Rocky Mountain Raw to your cat, we recommend supplementing with additional source of taurine such as:

• Shellfish: An excellent source of taurine, with especially high levels in clams, scallops, krill and shrimp
• Fish: Cold water fish, such as sardines or salmon are excellent, natural sources of taurine
• Natural, high quality taurine supplements, suitable for cats All meat contains taurine, therefore our products containing only meat, with no additional ingredients, contain the highest levels of taurine (our Beef & Chicken, Tripe & Chicken, or Plain Chicken).

There are several studies that demonstrate that feeding raw is more beneficial than cooked. “In December 1995, the British Journal of Small Animal Practice published a paper contending that processed pet food suppresses the immune system and leads to liver, kidney, heart and other diseases. Dr. Kollath, of the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm, headed the study done on animals. When young animals were fed cooked and processed foods they initially appeared to be healthy. However, as the animals reached adulthood, they began to age more quickly than normal and also developed chronic degenerative disease symptoms. A control group of animals raised on raw foods aged less quickly and were free of degenerative disease.”

There is also a book called, “Pottenger’s Cats: A Study in Nutrition” in which Dr. Francis M. Pottenger conducted a ten-year study with over 900 cats. He determined the optimal diet for his cats was 2/3 raw meat, 1/3 raw milk, plus a little cod liver oil. Here’s what is interesting: If either the meat or milk was cooked, the cats’ health degenerated.

While some pet-owners who feed Rocky Mountain Raw prefer to thaw their dog or cat’s meal out in the refrigerator overnight, feeding frozen provides benefits as well. Feeding frozen encourages your pet to slow down while eating, and helps work their teeth and gums, and even helps clean their teeth! If you do choose to thaw out the food, don’t microwave it as the heat will destroy nutrients in the food.

In order to preserve the nutrients in our products, without adding preservatives, we freeze our products. Thousands of pets die each year from choking on their food. Larger dogs, especially, tend to gulp down their food, increasing this risk. Rocky Mountain Raw is designed in a shape and size that is safe for your pet, whether thawed or frozen.

Yes! Carnivores in the wild do not eat the same meal every day. Variety is beneficial for your pet to have optimal health. Rocky Mountain Raw offers a range of products that you can vary to make meal time more interesting for your pet.

Most pets can make the switch right away. Rocky Mountain Raw’s complete blends (Chicken Formula, Turkey & Beef Formula and Beef Formula) contain ingredients which aid in the transition from kibble to raw. In the rare case that your pet has difficulty transitioning to Rocky Mountain Raw, you can supplement with probiotics or digestive enzymes, but this is not usually necessary.

It is not recommended that you feed Rocky Mountain Raw and kibble within the same day. Ideally, when feeding a raw diet, no kibble of any sort should be fed. If, however, you choose to feed kibble while your pet is on a raw diet, it is advised that you leave at least twelve hours between feeding raw and feeding kibble, as they are digested at different rates.

Most pets are eager to eat a raw diet, and switch with enthusiasm and ease, however, if you happen to have a “picky eater”, here are some tips:

• Maintain a positive attitude. Your pet is sensitive to your mood, and any skepticism or apprehension you may have about feeding raw food will be picked up by your pet. If you are confident, and reassure your pet, they will accept the change more readily.
• While variety is preferable for your pet to achieve optimal health, it is important to stick to one blend when making the switch to raw.
• Fast your pet the night before making the transition. This will give their digestive system a chance to “clear out”, and also make your pet more eager for food in the morning. – Limit treats when transitioning to raw, as this will increase your pet’s appetite for meals.
• Some of our customers have had success crushing up and sprinkling some of our single-ingredient freeze-dried treats over the raw food to entice their dog to try it.

No; this is expected. Rocky Mountain Raw Pet Food provides food in its natural state. The moisture necessary for digestion is contained in the raw food. Because kibble has been heated and has the water removed, pets eating it need to drink more water in an attempt to maintain proper hydration. In addition, kibble often contains large amounts of sodium, causing pets eating it to drink more water.

Cooked and inappropriately sized bones are dangerous for dogs to eat. They can cause obstruction, tearing of internal organs, and choking. Raw bones (either in finely ground form or appropriately-sized for your dog) are not bad for dogs to consume, and contain many nutrients beneficial to your dog.

You should always follow safe handling practices when feeding a raw diet to your pet, the same way you would with meat products you would consume (wash hands/surfaces, eliminate cross-contamination, etc.). As far as your dog getting sick from bacteria; this is a myth. Dog saliva contains a bacteria-killing enzyme. In addition, raw-fed dogs do not have plaque on their teeth (which kibble causes), making it a less habitable place for bacteria to thrive. The bacteria does not remain in the mouth of a raw-fed dog, therefore you won’t get sick from your dog interacting with you after eating their raw meal.

If the meat contained in your pet’s raw food diet is fit for human consumption, this issue is practically non-existent. This is often a scare tactic used by opponents of raw diets. On the rare chance your pet picks up a parasite, it can be safely dealt with in a healthy dog. On the other hand, a dog eating kibble is MORE LIKELY to develop complications from picking up a parasite, because they will have a compromised immune system.

There are a variety of reasons why many non-holistic veterinarians don’t recommend feeding raw.

First of all, most vets do not have a background in nutrition. Yes, they receive a little nutrition training as part of their overall education, but they are not nutrition specialists.

Also, most pets can “get by” on kibble, so a vet might tell you that it isn’t necessary for you to examine your pet’s diet. Your pet likely won’t thrive, and could end up with health issues, but people have been feeding kibble for years and their pets have been “fine”…..right?

Feeding raw can be the best thing you can do for your pet. Unfortunately, if done incorrectly, it can also be the worst. That is why it is important to feed your pet a well-balanced, premium raw diet, like Rocky Mountain Raw, to eliminate these risks. If a pet-owner doesn’t have much time to do the proper research, and decides to make their own raw diet to feed their dog, they could be putting their pet at risk for nutritional deficiencies, injury from cooked or improperly-sized bones, or illness from low-quality, non human-grade meat products. Because vets likely end up seeing many of these types of raw-fed pets in their offices, and the fact that your pet can “get by” on kibble, they may be wary of recommending feeding raw, and default to the supposedly safe choice of kibble. That being said, thousands of pets die each year from choking on their kibble, and there are many non-raw pet food recalls that occur each year.

Some vets may also site bacteria and the risk of you, the pet-owner, getting sick from feeding your pet a raw diet. As we established earlier, however, you have no more risk of getting sick from feeding Rocky Mountain Raw than you do from your own chicken or hamburger meat that you purchase from the grocery store.

Finally, many vets sell, and profit from selling specialty food for your dog or cat. How many pets owners do you know of that “have” to feed their pet the “prescribed” food from the vet?

If you would like a veterinary’s opinion on switching your dog or cat to eating raw food, consult a holistic veterinarian who has nutrition training for the best advice.