I have fed my Dachshunds Darwin raw dog food off and on for years.
I find the quality to be excellent, I’m happy to have it delivered, and since the company is based here in Western Washington, I feel good supporting a small local business.
In this article I will share my experience with the Darwin Raw diet to help those who are considering feeding their dog the Darwin Raw diet.
About Darwin Raw Dog Food
Darwin raw dog food is made from high quality human grade meats and vegetables.
Darwin’s raw diet formula is as follows:
- Meat 75%
- Vegetables 25%
- Gluten Free & Grain Free
- Steroid, Hormonal and Antibiotic Free
- A complete, nutritionally balanced meal
- High in protein, moderate in fat, low in carbohydrates
That being said, the company offers three different meal types on its website.
Darwin’s Natural Selection™
Darwin’s Natural Selection™ A premium recipe line of raw dog food made from cage-free, pasture-raised, or grass-fed (depending on protein) meat and organic vegetables.
Darwin Biologics™
Darwin’s Biologics It’s their values.
We use the same complete and balanced formula as Natural Selection, but our formula is made from fresh, conventionally raised and grown meats and vegetables.
The meat is not free-range or grass-fed, but it is also free of hormones and steroids.
The vegetables used come from the same farms that supply supermarkets.
Darwin’s Intelligent Design™
For dogs with special needs, Intelligent Design™ A line that includes kidney, liver, cancer, joint and musculoskeletal support formulas (available by prescription only).
Judging by the company’s website, the food is based on Natural Selection’s formula but may have reduced some ingredients or added others to address specific health concerns.
What makes Darwin raw dog food different?
Darwin raw dog food was one of the first foods I heard of and certainly one of the first foods I knew of to be delivered.
There are a lot of raw dog foods on the market today, with at least 12 companies offering direct dog food delivery.
So what makes Darwin stand out to me?
- Company founder Gary started out by creating raw diets in his own kitchen to address health issues for his own dogs, and he has refined his formulas over the years.
- At Darwin’s Free menu consultation (For both new and existing customers) If you are unsure of what and how much to feed your dog.
- You can place an initial order of 10 pounds for $14.95 to test out the foods before fully committing to a subscription.
- Shipping is free on orders over 20 pounds, except Hawaii and Alaska. Orders under this amount have a flat shipping fee of $10.00.
My Experience with Darwin Raw Dog Food
The first time I tried Darwin’s was around 2014.
I am their Referral Offer for New CustomersHowever, after almost a year, I started buying frozen raw dog food for my Dachshund directly from the pet store.
But after trying several different brands of raw dog food, I came back to Darwin’s.
Note: If you follow our blog, you know that I rotate my dogs’ foods regularly.
To this day, Darwin’s food remains one of the raw foods in our rotation.
My favorite ways to use Darwin foods are:
- As a complete food for when you want to feed your pet raw food without adding in any organs or vegetables yourself
- By putting them in a Kong or licking mat, you can see that your dog is becoming obsessed with them and getting balanced nutrition instead of junk food.
- When you’re tired of having to run to the pet store all the time
The food comes in individual bags, which is neither a love it nor a hate it.
The best thing about the Darwin is that the pouch is easy to open, even with wet hands.
Even when I feed my two miniature dachshunds at once, I never use a whole packet, so there’s always a partially opened packet left in the fridge.
While it would be nice to have the option to purchase bulk containers to reduce packaging, individual bags help prevent food from becoming contaminated with bacteria.
I don’t want the hassle of opening each individual package so I accept the trade-off.
The food comes in two-pound packages, with each package made up of four smaller half-pound packages joined together.
The plastic has holes so you can separate the pieces without using scissors.
Prices per two-pound package vary depending on the type of meat, but range from $13.64 for chicken to $22.41 for lamb.
When placing a full order (not a first-time order), you will take a quiz and enter details such as your pet’s sex, age, and ideal weight.
Darwin’s uses this information to suggest delivery quantities and frequency.
Packages always arrived on time, without damage and food stayed frozen (shipped on dry ice).
The consistency of the food can be described as being like a meat and vegetable mash.
The food contains a lot of water and the ingredients are finely ground.
But unlike raw foods, which are ground so finely that the individual ingredients are no longer visible, Darwin’s raw foods allow you to discern the individual ingredients to some degree.
Is Darwin raw pet food safe? Have there been any recalls?
As a concerned pet owner, you may be wondering if Darwin frozen raw dog food has ever been recalled.
Those who don’t already know will eventually find out that Darwin raw foods have been subject to voluntary recalls and warnings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on several occasions in the past.
Darwin’s pet foods are monitored for potentially dangerous bacteria by both the company and the FDA.
The FDA maintains a zero tolerance policy prohibiting the presence of Salmonella in pet foods, even in small amounts that pose no harm to humans or pets.
Bottom line: There have been no reports of people getting sick from eating Darwin raw foods, but there have been several recalls and warnings due to suspected bacterial contamination. I believe it’s safe, but you can use your own judgement.
as far as i know Dog Food Advisor (I give Darwin Raw Foods 5/5 stars), Here is the recall history:
- 2017 – Darwin’s voluntarily recalled products after internal testing found possible Salmonella contamination. The company had no reports of pet illnesses.
- 2018 – Darwin’s voluntarily recalls food products after internal testing revealed they were suspected to be contaminated with Salmonella. Single Case Dog food. No pet illnesses were reported to the company.
- 2018 – Darwin’s voluntarily recalls products after internal testing found possible contamination with Salmonella and/or E. coli. No pet illnesses were reported to the company.
- 2019 – FDA issues public warning after testing found Salmonella contamination. No pet illnesses were reported to the company.
Important Note: Darwin’s had already contacted customers to report that the food was consumed without issue. The FDA has notified Darwin’s Refusal to provide customer personal information.
- 2023 – Testing reveals Salmonella contamination and the FDA issues a public warning. No pet illnesses have been reported to the company.
You can read Darwin’s official statement in response to the latest FDA warning here. here.
I think it’s important to mention a few points here:
- Most dogs’ digestive systems can process pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli without any harm, unless they are already suffering from another illness.
- Similarly, humans are unlikely to be affected by low levels of bacterial contamination unless they have underlying health issues or a weakened immune system.
- Recalls don’t just happen with raw foods. All forms of food, including dry, canned, and raw foods, have had voluntary recalls in the past.
Personally, I’m not worried at all about these voluntary recalls and warnings.
Indeed, the voluntary recall demonstrates that the company monitors food safety and remains vigilant.
However, neither I nor my dog have any serious health issues or compromised immune systems.
Disclosure: I love Darwin’s Raw Dog Food and buy it myself, but they have sent me products for free a few times in the past in exchange for sharing my thoughts with you all.
