After years of feeding our two dogs - Luna (11) and Jackson (5) - “premium” kibble, we noticed recurring health issues like itchiness and GI upset. That’s when we learned about the benefits of minimally processed diets - proven to improve coat, GI health, and overall health in dogs.1,2
So we tested two raw and two fresh dog food brands: We Feed Raw, Maev, Ollie, and JustFoodForDogs. With guidance from Holistic Veterinarian Dr. Katie Woodley (DVM), we compared them on nutrition, taste, convenience, and value. We Feed Raw was the clear winner with the most nutrient-dense ingredients, best value, and our dogs’ favorite taste.
How We Chose These Brands to Review
To ensure our review was accurate and comprehensive, we:
- Consulted Holistic Vet Dr. Katie Woodley (DVM), expert in pet nutrition
- Selected only brands that use high-quality ingredients and follow USDA standards
- Tested meals on both a senior and an adult dog
What to Look for in Healthy Dog Food
The best minimally-processed dog foods:
🥩 Use raw, natural meat, organs, and ground bone - dense in a wide range of vital nutrients including protein, vitamins A, B, D, E, & K, iron, zinc, calcium, and collagen
🚫 Avoid high-carb fillers like rice, lentils, and potatoes, which can trigger inflammation
🐶 Taste great, because if your dog won’t eat it, it won’t benefit them
📦 Are easy to serve daily, so healthy feeding stays simple and easy
Let’s see how We Feed Raw, Maev, Ollie, and JustFoodForDogs compare.
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Best Nutrition: We Feed Raw Wins
Dogs’ digestive systems are designed to better absorb nutrients in raw form. Cooking dog food “degrades essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. In raw food, nutrients remain in their natural state,” says Dr. Woodley, so it’s best to mimic what dogs would eat in the wild - unprocessed raw meat, organs, and bones.
How the beef recipes compare for our four brands:
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🥇 Winner: We Feed Raw contains exclusively nutrient-dense raw meat, organs, and ground bone - high in calcium and collagen to improve dogs’ bone density and coat3 - and no unnecessary carbs or fillers.
🥈 Maev - the other raw food we tested - contains some organ meats but several fruits and grains, which can increases risks of digestion issues and even pancreatitis.4 Maev also includes peanut butter which adds unnecessary sugar and minimal nutritional value for dogs.
❌ Ollie and JustFoodForDogs - the fresh brands we tested - are carb-heavy and cooked, preserving fewer nutrients than raw. These are “human-grade,” not made for dogs’ unique biological or digestive needs.
Best Taste: We Feed Raw Wins
The best ingredients are meaningless if your dog won’t eat them. We tested each brand separately:
🥇 Winner: We Feed Raw wins with the tastiest food. Both Luna and Jackson devoured their bowls quickly, and the excitement never waned. No digestive issues - and no leftovers.
🥈 Ollie & JustFoodForDogs tied for second. Our dogs were enthusiastic at first, but that excitement wore off after a few days, and they ended up leaving the veggie chunks in the bowl.
❌ Maev was the least appetizing for Jackson and Luna - at first, neither dog was interested in the frozen cubes; we learned that we had to let them thaw before serving – time consuming and inconvenient. Still, we never saw the same excitement as when we started testing the other brands.
Most Convenient: Tie for Maev and We Feed Raw
All four companies offer customizable subscriptions that ship to your door.
🥇 Winner: Maev’s frozen meals come in individually packaged bowls that are easy to store in the freezer.
🥇 Winner: We Feed Raw’s packs are easy to scoop into a bowl and serve after thawing overnight in the fridge.
❌ JustFoodForDogs does not come pre-portioned, requiring you to portion meals based on their feeding guide using your own measuring cup.
❌ Ollie is messy to serve - the cooked, mushy texture requires scooping and means food sticks to the packaging (and counter).
Price & Value: We Feed Raw Wins
Here’s how each brand broke down in price per meal for my 45lb American Eskimo who eats 2 meals a day:
🥇 We Feed Raw is the best value at $3.51 per meal with Holistic Digest’s discount - and the best nutrition and ingredients. Even without the discount, it’s still cheaper than Maev and JustFoodForDogs at $4.68 per meal.
🥈 Ollie came in second at $3.77 per meal - but without the health benefits of raw.
❌ Maev is the most expensive option at $5.88 per meal.
❌ JustFoodForDogs is similarly expensive at $5.69 - and does not use nutrient-dense raw ingredients.
Best Overall Dog Food: We Feed Raw
We Feed Raw is our #1 pick for minimally-processed dog food in 2025. It uses real raw meat, organs, and bones - with no fillers - and has the best taste and value.
Dr. Woodley agrees: “I recommend We Feed Raw because it’s biologically appropriate and complete, made with high-quality raw ingredients, and backed by nutritional science.”
Ready to try We Feed Raw? Save 25% with our exclusive discount.
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