Debunking the Difference: Raw vs. Grain-Free Diets

Maev’s vet team confirms the health-defining distinctions between raw and grain-free dog diets.

“Aren’t raw and grain-free dog diets the same?”

Not at all, but it’s a common (and understandable) misconception since the grain-free diet controversy entered press cycles in 2019. If you haven’t heard, let us bring you up to warp speed.

• In 2019, its safety and efficacy were questioned when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a Grain-Free Diet Alert concerning potential links between grain-free foods and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a life-threatening heart condition in dogs.
• In June 2020, the Journal of Animal Science published a study that found no clear link between grain-free diets and canine DCM.
• As of July 2021, the FDA has yet to conclude their independent investigation into the claim.

But a grain-free diet is not a raw food diet.

They’re fundamentally different in ingredient makeup and health benefits, with one overarching distinction: Unlike a grain-free diet, a raw diet doesn’t look to cut or minimize certain foods.

Rather, it’s focused on maximizing the value of every item on your dog’s plate with nutrition they were biologically designed to favor.

A raw diet is protein-rich.

Dogs require a high amount of protein to function and live at their natural best. A raw diet centers concentrated proteins in their amino acid-rich complex state. It’s balanced and complete with healthy fats and minimal amounts of necessary carbohydrates from stomach-friendly fruits and vegetables.

Meanwhile, a grain-free diet (typically produced in kibble form) is dependent on alternative starches like potatoes, pea flour, and lentils. While these are relatively better than low-nutrient grains like wheat or barley, there’s been little proof of significant nutritional benefit — nor has the diet been officially cleared of its potential link to DCM.

Raw diets have proven health benefits.

Beyond a handful of visually-apparent benefits to energy and behavior, skin and coat, breath, and dental hygiene, a raw diet fundamentally targets the under-skin issues we often don’t see until it’s too late. Dogs on raw food diets are largely less inflamed, agitated, and congested, and more immune to the daily stressors of modern living.

And with the help of clinical science and new food technology, feeding raw can be a pain-free, clean-kitchen experience (good riddance, meat cleaver!).

Consider moving away from the grain-free diet.

Until it’s more concretely approved as a safe and beneficial option, there are more balanced and proven diets for your dog’s best health.

Raw Food - One Time Purchase

The core of every Maev diet. Made with 100% real USDA beef round, beef liver and sweetbreads, kale, peas, blueberries, and pork bone flour. Topped with additional superfoods to target your chosen wellness goal. Flash-frozen and delivered to your doorstep for easy feeding.

15lbs, $142.00