Northwest naturals raw dog food Review

Northwest Naturals Raw Dog Food is considered a low risk food with an average score of 8.8. The foods are all manufactured in house at the company’s facility In Portland, Oregon. 

No points are lost for light processing. The line is generally low in carbohydrates, averaging 5% on a dry matter basis (meaning with the moisture removed, for comparison with dry foods). However, carbohydrates as calculated in the Beef recipe exceed 15% and the recipe loses a point for that. 

The Raw line offers 9 raw protein formulas (including organs and 10% ground bone) combined with 18.75% locally grown (but not organic) produce. The food comes in nuggets or chubs. 

It’s preferable for raw dog foods to contain more protein than fat, but the Trout recipe is significantly higher in fat. Since animal proteins are the most expensive ingredient, raw food manufacturers sometimes use fattier proteins to keep costs down. A high fat diet can cause unwanted shifts in gut bacteria and can add toxins, since toxins are stored in fat. 

The foods lose a quality point for excessive added minerals, suggesting a lower quality food that’s lacking naturally occurring minerals from whole food sources.

The company states that their salmon is wild-caught in Alaska, but other fish in the recipes, including their fish oil, appear to be from farmed fish. Wild-caught fish is more nutritious and has a better fatty acid balance than farmed fish. 

The food does not provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.