Why choose Grass-Fed raw dog food?

Grass-fed and pasture-raised raw dog food is breaking news in the raw dog food arena.
More and more canine guardians are considering factors such as more ethical farming methods, better animal welfare and even the regeneration of soil (which is now becoming vital if humanity is to continue growing food for years to come).
Choosing meat from grass-fed and pasture-raised animals is the optimal choice if those factors are a consideration for you and your dog.

Not only are grass-fed products better for the animals and the planet but have also been shown to carry better nutrition too. Your dog will receive a superior quality of nutrition eating raw dog food from grass-fed animals.
Nutrients such as vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin A, the antioxidant glutathione and vital omega-3 fatty acids are widely discussed and reviewed as being much higher in grass-fed vs grain-fed cattle¹.
Nutrition is moving beyond the famous saying ‘you are what you eat’ into ‘you are what you eat, ate’. Which takes into consideration the nutritional value of the food we eat as relevant to the nutritional status of the plant or animal before it reaches the food chain.

Another important nutrient recognised as two to three times higher in grass-fed rather than grain-fed animals is a fatty acid known as CLA (conjugated acid)².
CLA is an omega-6 fatty acid and in this case, as it is delivered in its natural form, it is a very useful one.
It has been linked to increased muscle mass, a reduction in obesity, diabetes and even cancers.
It is also noted by a trusted natural dog magazine to improve bone mineralisation and mass too³.

CLA is one the fatty acids that wild prey would have in abundance too, as those prey animals also eat natural grasses and plant material in a natural balanced fashion.
Revered canine nutritionist Steve Brown, whose best-selling books speak of the Ancestral Diet for pets, states the need for fat as the primary energy source for dogs, with a diet as close to the ancestral foods dogs have evolved to eat having the most balanced fatty acid ratios.
Over time industrial farming has shaped those levels in meats, reducing them and promoting levels of inflammatory fatty acids ratios instead.

If you already feed raw dog food or are looking to support a raw-fed dog suffering from skin problems, a switch to feeding minces and raw meaty bones from grass-fed or wild cattle is a huge step in the right direction. You may also wish to read our blog on feeding raw meaty bones and the link between dental disease with inflammatory ailments, as the stripping and chewing of raw meaty bones would also have been a primary part of the Ancestral Diet.

What do the terms grass-fed or pasture-raised mean?
Undoubtably grass-fed, pasture-raised food is healthier for your dog. Let us explain what the terms mean for you. An animal could at times be fed grass whilst living away from a pasture field so the meat would be a grass-fed product but could not be classed as pasture raised. Ideally you would look for a company with products which can be labelled as both, which The Farmer’s Dog can.

Here at The Farmer’s Dog we are proud that our Beef and Lamb products can carry both accolades, even being grass-finished too, while our wild-caught local Venison achieves all three labels naturally. Occasionally, during extreme weather conditions, our grass-fed, pasture-raised animals may be housed inside for their protection.


1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0309174005002779
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0309174003001566
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921448807001848
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20219103/
Fatty Acid Composition of Grain- and Grass-Fed Beef and Their Nutritional Value and Health Implication - PubMed (nih.gov)

 2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921448807001848

 3. Diabetes https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22648724/
Cancers https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23475478/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21762028/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20219103/
Bone Health https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/cla-for-dogs/