What Exactly is Raw Pet Food?

When most people hear the word “raw,” they think of the raw chicken in their refrigerator. They don’t think of complete and balanced, commercially made raw recipes crafted by pet nutrition experts. But that’s exactly what raw pet food is. It’s a combination of meat, fruit, vegetables, vitamins, and minerals, all thoughtfully and expertly balanced to give your pet the best nutrition possible. At Instinct, we keep our ingredients raw so that their nutrients stay intact, instead of being cooked out. Plus, our raw recipes have zero pathogens like Salmonella and Listeria. So, the next time you hear “raw,” don’t picture that slab in your fridge. Picture the healthiest version of your pet.

Keep scrolling for more information about feeding raw and what sets Instinct apart.

Nutrient Dense

We start with whole-food, raw ingredients like real meat (cage-free chicken, grass-fed beef and lamb), fruits and vegetables. Instead of forming and cooking them to make pet food, we keep them raw. This allows the food to retain more of its nutrients, natural flavors, vitamins, and minerals than cooked options.

Completely Safe

At Instinct, because we don’t cook our food, we use High Pressure Processing (aka HPP or Cold Pressure) to kill any pathogens. This process uses extreme water pressure (instead of heat) to make our food safe-to-eat. When shopping for a raw pet food brand, make sure they undergo this step on every single recipe. (Not all brands do!)

High-Quality Ingredients

Instinct’s raw recipes are made with real meat, fruit, and vegetables like cage-free chicken, grass-fed beef and lamb, apples, blueberries, spinach, apple cider vinegar, and more. We are diligent about sourcing high quality ingredients from suppliers we trust.

Expert Crafted Nutrition

At Instinct, because we don’t cook our food, we use High Pressure Processing (aka HPP or Cold Pressure) to kill any pathogens. This process uses extreme water pressure (instead of heat) to make our food safe-to-eat. When shopping for a raw pet food brand, make sure they undergo this step on every single recipe. (Not all brands do!)