In-Depth Review of Darwin's Natural Dog Food | Convenient Premade Raw Meals
Benefits of Raw
We all want the best for our pets, and that includes their diet. While raw diets aren’t a new concept, they have been increasing in popularity in recent years. We have been feeding our pack of five German Shepherds raw meals for about a year now, and have noticed shinier coats, cleaner teeth, and smaller, less stinky stools.
It can be very overwhelming when you start looking into preparing raw meals for your pet! My primary concerns were sourcing meat and ensuring I provided adequate nutrition to my dogs. One great option for those starting the transition or who simply don’t have time to source and prepare their own meals is pre-made raw diets. One year ago we decided to go this route and chose Darwin’s Natural Pet Products. Keep reading to get an in-depth look at Darwin’s Natural Dog Food.
Recipes
Darwins offers three different lines of raw dog food: Natural Selections™, BioLogics and Intelligent Design™. All lines are high protein, gluten-free and grain-free. They are all carefully formulated and tested to meet or exceed AAFCO canine nutritional profiles and the National Research Council’s guidelines for dog nutrition. Their formula is 75% real meat and 25% fresh vegetables and are formulated by experts to be complete and balanced for all life stages.
Natural Selections™
Darwin’s Natural Selections™ is the most popular raw food line from Darwin’s. All the meat used to produce this meal were raised cage-free (free-roaming), or pasture raised, were grass fed, and are free of steroids, antibiotics or artificial growth hormones.
The current recipes offered in the Natural Selections™ line is Chicken, Duck, Turkey, Beef and Lamb. This is the recipe that our dogs have been on for the last year and the basis for this review.
Intelligent Design™
Intelligent Design™ are specially formulated meals for dogs with certain health issues and are available only with a veterinary prescription.
The current recipes offered are Kidney Support, Liver Support, Cancer Support and Joint and Musculoskeletal Support.
Pricing
Pre-made raw food is expensive. Period. But you have to keep in mind that you’re paying for the convenience of pre-packaged complete and nutritious meals delivered straight to your door on a routine basis. No need to plan meals, source meat, or spend hours prepping meals for the week. You simply store in freezer, thaw out and feed!
The price per pound will depend on the food line and protein that you’re purchasing. We typically pay between $5.50-$7.00 per lb for Chicken, Turkey and Beef of the Natural Selections™ line. When setting up your recurring order, you can pick and choose which proteins you want. So, if you want to go the cheapest route, you can choose all chicken and pay between $4.50-$6.00 per lb. As an example of pricing for an active large dog, we feed Ryker (60 lbs), 2 lbs of raw food per day. At a price of $6.39/lb, it costs us $12.78 per day and $396.18 per month to feed her.
Pricing per lb as of March 2020 is as follows:
Price per lb for Darwin’s Biologics Raw Dog Food
Price per lb for Darwin’s Natural Selections™ Raw Dog Food
Price per lb for Darwin’s Intelligent Design™ Raw Dog Food
Ordering Process & Shipping
Darwin’s has continued to improve their website and ordering process over the past year! You simply select the line of food you’d like to try, enter details about your pet, and choose your shipping frequency. We have shipments delivered to our house every 2 weeks.
The main consideration when it comes to frequency is freezer space. We have a 5-cu ft chest freezer that holds up to 150 lbs that’s perfect for our needs. The good news is Darwin’s offers free shipping on all orders in the continental U.S., so you can have orders delivered once a month or once a week at no extra charge!
One week prior to your delivery, you’ll receive an email from Darwin’s letting know your next shipping date and what’s included in your order. At this point you have time to make any necessary changes.
Darwins’s uses UPS 2-Day Shipping to ship out all orders. Each box contains dry ice to keep the food cold during delivery. The only issue we’ve had with a delivery in the past year was caused from UPS holding the food for an extra day a few times and some of the food was thawed. In these circumstance, Darwin’s has always offered to replace the food. I have UPS Shipping Notifications turned on, so I get emails from UPS two days prior to the Scheduled Delivery Date and know exactly when to expect the food.
It’s important to note that you must have a recurring order setup to order from Darwin’s. You can’t simply purchase 2 lbs here or there as needed. You can however change, postpone, or cancel deliveries at any time before your next shipment.
Packaging
The packaging of this product is great! Darwin’s is served in 2 lb packages divided into four 1/2 lb portions. For us, this is the perfect serving size to be able to easily add/subtract food from our dog’s diet without having to save partial portions. Every 1/2 lb portion includes an E-Z Peel corner, which I find to be very easy to open.
Included on the package are the Lot Number and Manufacturing Date. This is important because if there are ever any recalls, you would look at this information to determine if your food is affected. Also included is the Ingredients List, Guaranteed Analysis, Feeding Instructions and Handling Guidelines.
Handling and Quality
Darwin’s should be handled the same as any raw meat. There are valid health concerns for both you and your family if raw food is contaminated. Any surface the raw food touches, including kitchen counters, cutting boards, knives, food bowls, or your hands, may become contaminated if the food contains a pathogenic organism.
The FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service) recommends:
Washing your “hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or and after handling food.”
Running “cutting boards and utensils through the dishwasher or wash them in hot soapy water after each use.”
Keeping “countertops clean by washing them with hot soapy water after preparing food.”
We thaw out our Darwin’s in the refrigerator for several days before feeding. If the food isn’t thawed completely, we’ll let it sit in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes until thawed.
Once thawed, we simply open the package, put the food in a bowl and serve! The quality of the food has been outstanding and consistent since our first order. I’ve never noticed any foul odor or anything that looks off in the food itself. The texture is somewhat like hamburger meat, and the small bite size pieces of vegetables are clearly visible.
How Much Do I Feed?
During the ordering process, you’ll input your pet’s weight and Darwin’s will recommend a feeding quantity based on this. Their calculation is based on 2% of your pet’s weight, which is a great starting point when beginning to feed raw. However, you may want to feed more or less than this amount depending on your dogs breed, current physique, and activity level. The general recommendation I’ve seen in my research is to feed approximately 2-3% of your dogs weight. All of our dogs are between 60-80 lbs and eat between 2-3 lbs per day.
Rules of thumb to determine feeding volumes. Source: Darwinspet.com
Transitioning
To prevent digestion issues, it’s recommended to transition to any new food slowly. When introducing to our dogs, we followed Darwin’s 10-day transition plan. With this plan, you feed a mix of 25 percent Darwin’s with 75 percent of your dogs old diet for three days. For days 4 through 6, you feed 50 percent Darwin’s and 50 percent of their old diet. Then, from day 7 to day 9, you’ll want to increase that percentage again so that you’re feeding 75 percent Darwin’s. Finally, on day 10, you’ll be feeding 100 percent Darwin’s Natural Pet Products.
Following this plan, we had no issues transitioning any of our dogs to raw. In fact, their stools improved almost immediately. Some people have had success switching their dogs to raw cold turkey. Just do your own research and decide what you feel would be best for your own dogs.
Click here to view more resources to aid in transitioning your pet to raw.
Tips for transition to raw. Source: Darwinspet.com
Treats and Chews
Darwins offers three options for treats and chews: Free-Range Duck Necks, Lamb Femur Bones and Venison Jerky. You must have an active, recurring subscription with Darwin’s to add any of these products to your order.
Free-Range Duck Necks
Duck necks are definitely a fan favorite in our house! Darwin’s Duck Necks come in 2 lb packages, which divides into two 1 lb halves. Each half typically has 4-5 duck necks in it. We feed these as an occasional treat that all the dogs go crazy for, and it’s almost satisfying to hear that crunch as they’re chowing down on them.
Our dogs will usually eat a neck within a few minutes. Though they don’t last long, they’re a great way to help promote a healthy gut, clean teeth, and fresh breath. In addition, ducks necks are rich in Omega 3 fats and a great source of Selenium and Vitamin B3.
Lamb Femur Bones
Darwin’s Lamb Femur Bones are a great option for those wanting to give their dog raw meaty bones! Each femur bone is between 7-9 inches long and has a lot of meat on each end. It takes our dogs about 30-45 minutes to get most of the meat off and from there they’re just enjoying chewing on the bone for as long as I’ll let them.
Raw meaty bones are a great way to keep your dog entertained, while also providing nourishment and naturally cleaning your dogs teeth and gums. Darwin’s bones are cut from the highest quality, grass-raised lamb and are free of antibiotics, steroids, or hormones.
As with any bone, you’ll want to monitor your dog closely while feeding and remove any bite size chunks your dog chew off. Because these are raw bones, you’ll want to either refrigerate or toss after each chew session
Venison Jerky
We love to pack Darwin’s Venison Jerky on our adventures! They quickly defrost from the freezer and are ready to feed. The dogs love these because they’re 100% all venison meat. We love them because they’re easy to tear apart into bite size pieces to use as training treats!
You can use our code JAKOBA to add free jerky treats to your very first order!
Summary
Darwin’s is an excellent choice for pet owners who like the convenience of pre-made raw meals. Sourcing meat, preparing meals, researching proper nutrition and balancing meals properly can all be very time consuming and overwhelming for those just starting the transition to raw. The quality of this food is phenomenal, and I encourage anyone on the fence about trying it take advantage of their current promo offer. You can get your first 10 lbs of raw for just $14.95 with free shipping! Don’t forget to use JAKOBA at checkout for free venison jerky treats and donate $14.95 to my local GSD Rescue!
Common Questions
What changes do you notice in your dogs when on raw?
The biggest change we saw on raw was improvement in their stools. They went from being big and sometimes soft to small and firm almost immediately. Koba was notorious for pooping in ten different piles while on kibble only. On raw, he’ll poop a small amount in one spot. We’ve rarely had any soft stools in the past year since including raw in their diets.
We’ve also noticed healthier teeth! Koba had his first dental cleaning a year ago and his second a few weeks ago. The vet himself said the plaque build up was very mild compared to the previous year. Kai and Brenna have been on raw since they were 3-4 months old, and their teeth are both very clean and white.
As far as improved energy, it’s hard to say since all of our dogs are fairly young and healthy. I will say energy for all has continue to be excellent.
Can you feed raw food and kibble at the same time?
We have continued to feed raw and kibble over the past year with no issues. Most days, the dogs are on all raw. If we’re running short on time and don’t have time to thaw a meal, we’ll feed a meal of kibble. If you plan to feeding raw and kibble, just watch their stools and overall health to see how they’re doing on it.
Can you feed raw to puppies?
In my opinion yes, but I’d start by cooking the raw meals first. We introduced Kai to Darwin’s at 3 months old and lightly sautéed his meals. Once we saw how well he did on the food, we started feeding it straight raw. Darwin’s is formulated for dogs of all life stages, and thus suitable for puppies.
Per the Darwin’s website:
“We at Darwin’s recommend that you start off feeding a gently cooked meal until 4 months of age. This allows their immune systems to develop and become stronger so they can handle the “bacterial loads” that are part of raw food. We believe the best method is to sauté Darwin’s raw meals in a pan (with a little water to prevent sticking) over medium to medium-high heat for 8-12 minutes. Cook until there is a little color on the outside of the meat, but the centers are still pink.” Click here to read the rest of this article.
Do I need to add anything to the Darwin’s meal to make them complete?
The short answer is no. You may choose to supplement certain things. like goats milk or a hip & joint supplement, but nothing extra is required. Darwin’s is formulated to be a complete meal on it’s own. When first introducing the food, I recommend not adding supplements until you see how they are digesting the meals. If stools and overall health is great, then you may choose to add certain things to supplement their diet.
