Primal raw food Formulas, Mixes & Grinds are made with 100% natural ingredients and no synthetics. When using all natural ingredients, factors such as climate, season and region can play a role in the appearance and odor of raw materials such as kelp, alfalfa, spirulina and leafy greens. Variation in color of these raw materials can affect the appearance of our finished products. Thus, if you purchase our products year round, you may notice a slight color and/or odor variation. This change in color and/or odor is completely normal and has no affect on our quality or the consistency of the nutrient values in our foods.

Read more

A pet food label must state guarantees for the minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, as well as the maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture. The "crude" term refers to the specific method of testing the product, not to the quality of the nutrient itself.

Guarantees are declared on an "as fed" or "as is" basis, that is, the amounts present in the product as it is found in the can or bag. This doesn't have much bearing when the guarantees of two products of similar moisture content are compared (for example, a dry dog food versus another dry dog food). However, when comparing the guaranteed analyses between dry and moist (raw/canned) products, one will note that the levels of crude protein and most other nutrients are much lower for the moist product.

This can be explained by looking at the relative moisture contents. Moist foods typically contain 65-78% moisture, whereas dry foods contain only 10-12% water. To make meaningful comparisons of nutrient levels between a moist and dry product, they should be expressed on the same moisture basis.

The most accurate means of doing this is to convert the guarantees for both products to a dry matter basis. The percentage of dry matter of the product is equal to 100% minus the percentage of moisture guaranteed on the label. A dry food is approximately 88-90% dry matter, while a moist food is only about 22-25% dry matter. To convert a nutrient guarantee to a dry matter basis, the percent guarantee should be divided by the percentage of the dry matter then multiplied by 100.

For example, a moist food guarantees 12% crude protein and 75% moisture (or 25% dry matter), while a dry food contains 27% crude protein and 10% moisture (or 90% dry matter). Which has more protein, the dry or moist? Calculating the dry matter protein of both, the moist contains 32% crude protein on a dry matter basis (12/25 X 100 = 48), while the dry has only 30% on a dry matter basis (27/90 X 100 = 30). Thus, although it looks like the dry has a lot more protein, when the water is removed; the moist food actually has a little more protein.

An easier way is to remember this is that the amount of dry matter in the dry food is about three to four times the amount of dry matter in a moist product. To quickly compare guarantees between a dry and moist food, multiply the guarantees for the moist food by three to four times.

Read more

The rotation of protein sources plays an integral part in feeding a raw food diet to your canine and feline. Through an ongoing rotation of proteins, you will offer your pet a varied source of amino acids and fats, the two most crucial elements of a wholesome diet for dogs and cats. Each protein source offers different omega fatty acid structures.

We recommend rotating your pet's food source often. Most consumers will rotate to a new protein source after each bag is finished. While you can rotate each protein source daily, we don't recommend feeding multiple protein sources for one meal.

If your animal is allergic to a particular protein source, simply eliminate that source from the rotation. You can utilize our wide selection of proteins to offer your pet protein alternatives.

Read more

We receive numerous consumer inquiries regarding the availability of our raw frozen and treat pet products in retail stores throughout the country.

Primal currently has over 110 products on the market and most retailers carry a selection of our products in their stores. However, due to some retailer's space restrictions, you may not see all of our products in your local retail store.

If you see a product or products on our website that you would like to purchase but are not able to locate in your retail store, simply inquire with the store manager and request a special order for that item(s). All retail stores have access to our entire line of products through their regional distributor.

Happy feeding!

Read more

Primal's treat line consists of 7 products for dogs and cats. All Primal Treats are single-source protein and are produced using meat, poultry and game from the USA and Zealand. Primal Treats contain no preservatives, grains or fillers.

Our treat line offers a wide variety of unique protein sources including Buffalo and Venison. In addition, we produce our treats using various cooking methods including slow dry roasted, freeze dried and jerky style offering your pets both crunchy snacks and soft treats that are excellent for training.

Look for the complete line of Primal Treats in your local retail store and offer your pet a healthy snack option with our human-grade, all-meat snacks and treats.

Read more

Raw food diets offer our companion animals a species appropriate, nutritionally sound alternative to eating processed, cooked pet foods. Comprised of human grade meat and poultry products with the addition of a variety of fruits, vegetables, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids, commercially available raw food diets provide a nutrient dense source of food in a 100% digestible format.

Evidence of the benefits of feeding raw present themselves quickly with such characteristics as an increase in energy, clear eyes, lush soft coats, bright white teeth, healthy pink gums, slim and muscular body tone as well as healthy bowel and intestinal health.

Primal Pet Foods is committed to elevating the health of all pets and we would appreciate hearing about the benefits that your pet has experienced as a result of eating a fresh raw food diet.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Read more

Primal Pet Foods began out of a desire to find alternative methods of nourishing our family pets Luna, Oso and Cedric. As Luna began to age she started showing signs of common canine ailments often associated with diet. As for Oso and Cedric, these thriving boys were in need of a diet that would better compliment their exceptionally high level of energy.

Primal Pet Foods utilized the expertise of one of its founders, a trained chef in fine food and product development, to create easy-to-serve, wholesome and delicious formulas based on the BARF diet. Having developed our formulas and having witnessed the benefits to Luna, Oso and Cedric's health, we felt compelled to share our recipes with other pet owners and Primal Pet Foods was born.

Production of Primal Formulas started in 2001 and primarily serviced the San Francisco Bay Area. Primal Pet Foods grew quickly and soon outgrew their small facility. With a commitment to elevating the health of your pet, Primal products are now sold in nearly 2000 retail stores across the United States. We hope you enjoy our quality products.

Read more

You may have noticed a few changes around here. Yes, we've made some major updates to our website. We set out to design a new web environment that would bring dynamic content to our customers in an easy to use package.

We've added even more detailed information on all of our products. Everything is there right at your finger tips. Still have questions? Check out our Knowledgebase. It's all here!

Poke around and explore. There's lots to see and do. Visit our entirely reconstructed Education section. We've made it even easier to learn about feeding raw. Check out our Primal Community section. Add a testimonial. Give us your thoughts on our blog. Stop by anytime and visit often.

And there's much, much more. We hope you enjoy the new online experience!

Read more