In-Depth Review of Tucker's Raw Dog Food

So you’ve decided to feed your dog a pre-made raw diet, but which food should you choose? It can be very overwhelming figuring out where to get started. What’s the best food? What’s the most affordable? Do I need to supplement the diet with anything else?

We’ve been feeding Tucker’s Raw exclusively to one and as a supplemental food to four of our dogs since June 2021. We’ve tried several pre-made raw dog foods, and there are many things we really like about Tucker’s compared to other brands!

Diet Formulation

Tucker’s sells two forms of raw dog food: frozen and freeze-dried. All of their diets are formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages, including growth of large size dogs (70lbs or more as an adult). This means the food is already complete and balanced - you DO NOT need to worry about supplementing. This is a major benefit to new raw feeders because you don’t have to worry about sourcing meat and balancing meals. Simply thaw (or rehydrate if feeding freeze-dried) and serve.

Both their frozen and freeze-dried diets are 95% meat, organ, bone and marrow with 5% pumpkin. Our dogs were able to transition cold turkey to Tucker’s without any digestion issues, and we believe a big reason for this is the addition of pumpkin. Pumpkin is naturally high in fiber, making it a great addition for strong digestive health. It is also packed with important nutrients, including beta-carotene, zinc, iron, vitamin A, E and C and potassium!

All of Tucker's Raw Frozen and Freeze-Dried Formulas are 95/5: 95% meat, organ, bone, and marrow with 5% pumpkin.

The remaining ingredients appear to be high quality. Dog Food Advisor rates Tucker’s as an above-average raw product with no controversial ingredients. Their meats are all USA-sourced, human grade, human edible and federally inspected. Their suppliers follow the Federal Animal Wellness Act, which ensures the humane treatment of the animals used to produce their product.

Raw Frozen

Tucker’s sells nine raw frozen diets: Chicken, Pork & Bison, Beef, Pork & Duck, Turkey, Turf & Surf, Salmon, Pork & Lamb and Pork & Beef. All diets are single protein unless otherwise stated, making it an excellent choice for dogs with protein allergies or intolerances.

Upon opening the package, we could tell that the texture of Tucker’s frozen raw is much different than other pre-made diets. Tucker’s is unique in that they are the only raw dog food company emulsifying their entire product. Basically the ingredients are pureed, giving the food a dense, yet soft consistency. Once thawed, you can easily cut the food with a spoon, and it almost has the texture of canned dog food (but personally looks more appetizing).

Tucker’s believes that emulsifying their food makes the food particles smaller and more digestible. “The smaller the particulate, the more accumulative surface area is available for dogs and cats to absorb the available nutrients. With our pets having such a short digestive tract, providing this added surface area allows them to absorb more nutrients from the food in a short period of time.” Dogs naturally have short digestive tracts, so being able to absorb more nutrients in the short period of time the food is in their digestive tract is important.

In the time we’ve fed Tucker’s, our dogs have had no digestive issues, and the quality of the food has always been excellent. The dogs absolutely love the food, and honestly the texture of the product makes it more appealing to handle. Because it’s pureed, it doesn’t look like raw dog food. For those repulsed by handling raw, Tucker’s may be more tolerable for you!

Packaging

Tucker’s is sold in either 3lb or 6lb bags containing 4 oz or 8 oz vacuum sealed patties, respectively. Out of all the raw brands we’ve tried in the past, Tucker’s has the highest quality packaging. They’re the only raw food that we can say the packaging has never leaked. Raw feeders know how annoying and quite disgusting it can be when raw meat leaks blood all over your refrigerator.

This is also a benefit when quick thawing in the sink - you don’t want water seeping into the raw meat if there are holes in the packaging. The packages are also very easy to open. Just peel away one corner and pop out the patty!

Pricing

Perhaps the biggest benefit to Tucker’s Raw is the price! The average price we pay for a 6lb bag is $32, meaning the cost per lb is about $5.33. Their food is sold exclusively in-store, so you’re not paying for shipping on an already expensive product. Compared to other pre-made frozen raw brands, Tucker’s is definitely one of the most affordable diets on the market.

Price comparison of popular pre-made raw brands.

Calorie Dense

With 400-500 calories per 8 oz patty, Tucker’s Raw is very calorie dense. This means you don’t need to feed as much as other pre-made raw foods, further making this a very affordable food.

Compare this to Darwin’s in the chart above, which is a a lower calorie, more expensive food, you’ll pay over $100 less per month for Tucker’s. Considering Darwin’s only recommends 779 calories per day for an 80 lb dog, you’d likely need to feed even more of this food to maintain your dog’s weight.

Freeze-Dried

Tucker’s also sells freeze-dried complete and balanced raw diets with near identical ingredients to their frozen versions. Because the diets are so similar, you can seamlessly switch between the two without worrying about a transition period.

Their freeze-dried food is very convenient in that you can feed as is from the bag or rehydrate with water. I will say it’s not really practical for the average person to feed a large breed dog a completely freeze-dried diet. I would need to feed one of our dogs about a bag a day, which would cost about $30 per day.

However, it does make an excellent food topper or training treat! Each piece can easily be broken apart and crumbled over food to add a boost of flavor. It’s also an excellent food for those traveling that feed raw. Instead of worrying about storing and thawing raw meat on the road, you simply put in a bowl and serve!

Where to Buy

Tucker’s Raw frozen raw is sold exclusively in-store, so if you’re running low on food, you can run to a local store that carries Tucker’s. This is convenient if you live near a store because it can be easy to forget to order shipped raw product and run out of food. You can use their Where to Buy tool to see where Tucker’s is sold near you.

Overall, we think is Tucker’s Raw is an excellent choice for anyone wanting the convenience of pre-made raw. Pre-made diets take the guesswork out of feeding your dog a raw diet and are ready to eat right out of the packaging. Compared to other brands, Tucker’s uses higher quality packaging and is significantly more affordable. It’s easy to swap between feeding their raw frozen and freeze-dried, and they’re readily available at many stores across the United States.