Raised Right Review 2023: Is Fresh Food Good For Your Pet?

Overview

Raised Right is a family-owned, human-grade pet food company. It combines years of experience in farming and ranching with the knowledge of expert veterinarians and pet food scientists to create safe, fresh, nutrition-dense recipes for cats and dogs.

I discovered the brand while looking for an alternative to commercial pet food – its limited-ingredient whole-food recipes caught my eye. In addition, all foods are made with human-grade ingredients, and each batch undergoes laboratory safety tests for pathogens to ensure that Raised Right’s food is safe for pets.

While the price made me think twice, I have to admit, I wasn’t disappointed. Raised Right’s food is fresh, healthy, and pets love it!

Raised Right Meals

Raised Right has food for dogs and cats. The pet food delivery service prepares meals in a USDA-inspected facility, meeting the AAFCO (The Association of American Feed Control Officials) standards. 

Plans and Recipes

Raised Right currently has 11 foods for canines and 4 for felines. Some of its dog foods suit puppies, while others are perfect for mature dogs. Its cat foods only cater to adult cats, though. So, you'll have to search for meals for your kitten elsewhere.

Raised Right doesn't sort its meals by plans or allergies. If you're curious about a particular bag, check its ingredients and speak to a vet if your pet's sensitive to some of them.

You have 2 options when buying pet food – a full box containing 16 bags or a sample box with 4 bags. If you're transitioning from other food, it might be worth trying the sample box to see if your pet likes the service's food before subscribing.

Choose any product you think would suit your dog or kitty. If you’re not sure, take a meal personalization quiz.

You can complete the questionnaire in a few minutes. If you have a dog, specify its age (Puppy or Adult Dog) and weight, among a few other parameters. Once you're through, pick the shipping frequency and recipes. I find the quiz useful, but quite basic compared to other services. The Farmer’s Dog, for example, considers breed, activity level, potential health issues, and many other factors.

When you answer questions, the system dishes out meal recommendations. Since I've got a puppy, the suggestions were geared toward boosting his growth. To move ahead with the order, I had to pick out 16 bags.

The company has a couple of treats on offer, too. These are Meat Bites and Shake a Flakes. In case you wonder, Shake a Flakes are supplements you sprinkle over your canine’s or feline’s food.

There are 4 types of treats, all of which are meat bites. These are pork, turkey, lamb, and beef liver treats.

You can pick between 3 Shake a Flakes shaker bottles. They contain turkey, lamb, and beef liver. 

Vets design and vouch for Raised Right's food. The service works with Dr. Karen Becker, a worldwide-famous veterinarian, and Steve Brown, an expert in pet food formulation. And the company snagged the 2019 Innovation Award for Nutrition from the Innovative Veterinary Care Journal.

Ingredients

Each Raised Right bag contains only 1 type of animal protein. The company sources chicken, pork, turkey, and beef for its meals. If your pup is more into lamb, I recommend checking out Ollie. 

You can track each ingredient’s origins on the website. After some quick research, I learned that the beef comes from South Dakota, the turkey from Utah, the pork from Michigan, and the chicken meat and organs from Delaware and North Carolina. As well as the meat, the service tosses in other stuff like parsley, pumpkin, and cod liver oil.

Raised Right's pet food is human-grade, meeting the same standards as food for humans. Its recipes are high in protein and low in carbs since the company avoids carb-stuffed fillers like potato, rice, barley, and corn. For this reason, many recipes contain 2% or fewer carbs. Also, the business uses only whole foods, skipping any synthetic vitamins and minerals.

The food is well balanced, meeting the needs of your dog throughout the life stages. And it's free from preservatives.

Let's take the Original Beef Adult Dog Recipe as an example. It contains beef meat, liver, and heart. Other ingredients are carrots, cranberries, Flaxseed Oil, Organic Spearmint, Cod Liver Oil, Egg Shell Powder, and Organic Dried Kelp. The recipe's calorie content is 408 kcal per cup, equalling 1,790 kcal per kilogram (2.2 lbs). And it meets the AAFCO standards, just like any Raised Right meal. 

In case you wonder, kelp provides vitamins and minerals for your furry friend. Thus, it eases itching and regulates gland activity. Cranberries may prevent urinary tract inflammation, while spearmint, as you probably guessed, freshens your pup's breath, just like a human's. Cod liver oil is beneficial for your pet's skin since it teems with Vitamin A.

Nutrition

A Nutrient Profile accompanies each Raised Right product. There, you can check its nutritional info, mineral and vitamin content, and more. As for the Guarantee Analysis of Beef Adult Dog Recipe, it shows the following values:

As you can see, the beef recipe has at least 23% crude protein, 9% crude fat, and a maximum of 2% crude fiber. Translated into dry matter, it's 61%, 26%, and 4%, respectively. The meal has 1.49% carbs, which is 3.8% dry matter.

Raised Right cooks pet food in small batches. After that, each batch goes through lab-safety tests. The company cooks food at low temperatures to eliminate pathogens and keep the moisture and nutrients intact. Long story short, food enters the market only when it passes safety tests.

What Makes It Different

Raised Right has some other commendable traits. I’ll summarize them in the following eco-friendly points:

Carbon Emission Offsetting

The pet food delivery service takes sustainability seriously. For that reason, it partners with Carbonfund, a not-for-profit organization providing carbon offsetting options to individuals and companies. This means that Raised Right balances out its carbon emissions by investing in reforestation and preserving existing forests.

Plastic Neutral Certification 

The company also partners with rePurpose Global – a plastic auction platform dealing with plastic pollution. Simply put, each package the service sells removes an equal amount of plastic from nature.

Unboxing

The food comes in a small box tucked inside a bigger one. Insulation layers insulate the inner package. Inside, you'll find flash-frozen, sealed, and neatly arranged meals. Check the labels to become familiar with serving instructions, ingredients, and more.

Your food arrives in boxes made of cardboard. And most curbside recycling programs accept them. Even the refrigerated liners are eco-friendly since they're made from non-GMO corn and are fully compostable. 

As for the food bags, keep them in the freezer until you're ready to defrost. Once thawed, they stay fresh for up to 6 days in the fridge.

Prices

Raised Right has uniform prices for dog and cat foods. Whether you'll pay the delivery fee depends on the plan or product you choose and, in some cases, your location. 

You can opt for 2 packs of treats and Shake a Flakes. But their price remains the same, nonetheless.

Shipping costs hinge on whether you're ordering a Full Box or a Sample Box. If you go for the full box with 16 bags, delivery is on the house. But if you're in Hawaii or Alaska, you'll have to cover the shipping. Send an email to info@raisedrightpets.com for a quote. If you opt for the 4-bag sample box, you'll pay a $9.99 shipping fee if you live in the mainland US.

Use the custom meal plan calculator to figure out how much your pet's food costs. If your adult dog weighs 15 lbs, for example, and you wish it to maintain its weight, feeding it 100% Raised Right food will set you back $6.25 a day. But if your pup is large, weighing 60 lbs, its food's daily cost will be $17.68.

The numbers change if you've got a cat, of course. For a 5-pound feline with average activity, you're looking at about $2.50 a day to keep it at its current weight. But if you've got a larger, 10-pound cat with normal activity, expect to spend around $4.12 a day on its meals to maintain its weight.

Raised Right has special offers on occasion. Right now, you can use this offer: 20% Off Your First Box (16 Bags).

You can pay for your pet's meals with a credit card via Stripe. To do so, you'll have to provide your card number, expiry date, and card code.

You can shop on the website risk-free since the service's money-back guarantee covers you 2 weeks after delivery. If your pup or kitty doesn't like Raised Right's meals, you'll get a full refund during the set time frame. 

If a 14-day money-back feels too short, consider ordering Nom Nom food. This dog food delivery service’s return policy covers you for 30 days following the delivery.

Shipping & Delivery

Raised Right covers all 48 contiguous states, plus Hawaii and Alaska. To get your delivery by Saturday, place your order by 9 pm EST on Monday the week before. The service ships out on Sundays, so if you're close by, you could get your food the next day.

Give customer support a shout if you need to adjust your Raised Right delivery. Pause or restart your subscription through the Subscriptions page. You don't have to be present when delivery arrives since the company doesn't require your signature. You can track the progress via a tracking number you get once shipping is on its way.

How Raised Right Works

You don't have to take any particular steps to become a Raised Right subscriber. All you have to do is shop, and the system will remember you. Here's how to become the pet food delivery service's customer: 

How to Sign Up

1. Select Custom Meal Plan or Food in the header. Food will expand into 2 sub-categories – Human Grade Dog Food and Human Grade Cat Food. Click on the one you're interested in.

2. Choose the meals for your pet. If you take the quiz, there are a few steps you have to complete to get there. Once you’re ready to place the order, hit Proceed to Checkout.

3. Enter your personal, billing, delivery, and credit card details. When you’re done, select Place Order.

Managing Your Subscription

To log in, hit the My Account icon in the top-right corner of the screen. Then, scroll down to Login to sign in with your email or username and password. 

The account setup is pretty basic but functional. You can pause, cancel, or resume subscriptions from your Subscriptions page. It also lets you update your delivery address and peek at past transactions.

You can also adjust your pet's info for a new feeding menu. But if you're looking to change recipes or shipping frequency, you'll need to contact customer support.

Customer Service

I've got to give some props to Raised Right's customer support. I was curious about getting a refund on a Full Box because my dog's super picky, and the Sample Box, containing 4 meals, simply wasn't enough to test the waters. I shot a message on Saturday, expecting a Monday response. But I got a reply in an hour or 2. It didn't exactly answer my question, but it was still helpful.

So, I clarified the situation and awaited another response. And I got the following email:

Raised Right has 2 communication channels, which are email and phone. You'll find both at the bottom-right corner of any page's footer. Click on either, and a pop-up window will appear. Or you can copy the email address and paste it into your own email client. The phone number is 844-777-3871 while the email address is info@raisedrightpets.com.

I was unable to locate any formal information regarding Raised Right's customer service hours. However, considering that I received the initial email response on a Saturday morning, and the following one on Sunday morning, it's a reasonable assumption that they operate during normal weekdays and up until Sunday afternoon, at least. I should note here that I sent a follow-up email on Saturday evening. 

The pet food delivery service has an FAQ section. It comprises the Ordering & Delivery, Usage & Storage, and Nutrition sections. But I don't find it super comprehensive compared to some other services. If you compare it to Spot & Tango's FAQ, which also offers fresh dog food, you'll find its FAQ way more informative.

You can close your Raised Right account from the Account page. Click on the corresponding icon in the header and head over to the Subscription section. You can cancel your subscription from there.

Raised Right Recalls

Raised Right products haven't been subject to any recalls at the time of my research. 

How Raised Right Compares to Other Pet Food Services

Raised Right vs. The Farmer’s Dog: Both companies focus on chicken, turkey, beef, and pork as primary proteins in their meals. They also prepare fresh food cooked at low temperatures. But The Farmer's Dog considers more details when you build a custom meal plan for your pup, including breed and dietary sensitivities.

Raised Right vs. Ollie: Besides fresh food, Ollie has baked food on offer, which is more affordable. Also, you can mix and match Ollie's fresh and baked food to strike a balance between quality and affordability. What's more, Ollie includes lamb in its fresh food selection, providing you with more variety.

Raised Right vs. We Feed Raw: If your pet eats fresh food, Raised Right is the only option in this comparison. But if you’re considering transitioning your dog or cat to a raw food diet, We Feed Raw is the logical choice. We Feed Raw prepares food whose main ingredients are chicken, turkey, duck, lamb, venison, and beef meat, and its meals may comprise 80% of muscle meat.

The Bottom Line: Is Raised Right Worth It?

Raised Right is a great choice if you're looking for high-quality fresh pet food. The service collaborates with seasoned vets to craft recipes that meet AAFCO standards for nutritional balance. Also, the pet food delivery service teams up with respected eco-friendly organizations to contribute to long-term eco-sustainability. 

Raised Right may not be a perfect choice for pet food personalization. It does have a meal plan customization quiz, but it takes far fewer key factors into consideration than many other services such as The Farmer’s Dog. Also, the service has only fresh meals on offer, which tend to cost a lot, especially if your dog is large.

FAQ

Who owns Raised Right dog food?

Braeden Ruud is the CEO and co-founder of Raised Right. The company was founded in 2016.  

Is Raised Right dog food cooked?

Yes, Raised Right's dog food is cooked at low temperatures for a long time. This method eliminates pathogens while preserving the essential nutrients pups need.

Is Raised Right grain-free?

Yes, Raised Right pet food is grain-free. It's also preservative-free, containing only whole foods.