There’s quite a lot of people who have heard or read somewhere that pork raw dog food is a big no no to feed their dogs.
Just recently, one of my readers emailed me and asked if she really had to cook raw pork prior to feeding it.
Not too long before that, someone else emailed me to get my take on raw pigs feet and pig tails.
So the elephant in the raw feeding room seems to be the question:
Can you feed raw pork to dogs?
That’s why today, I cover the following:
- Is raw pork safe for dogs?
- What’s in pork raw dog food: nutrient profile + recipe idea
- Where to buy pork raw dog food
- A practical alternative: 7 freeze-dried pork dog foods
- Also: Are dried pig ears safe for dogs?
Can You Feed Raw Pork To Dogs: Yay or Nay?
Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links. I may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.
Is Raw Pork Safe for Dogs?
First things first, let’s address the elephant in the room – is raw pork actually safe for dogs to consume?
Yes, it is, at least in the US and other Western parts of the world!
That’s because farmers no longer feed their pigs raw meat garbage from slaughterhouses.
And no, you don’t have to cook raw pork for dogs if you get it from a reputable source. For example, from a raw dog food retailer or also from your local grocery store or butcher.
There’s quite a few raw dog food retailers that carry different cuts of raw pork that definitely don’t need any cooking and are completely safe to feed.
For example:
- Raw Paws Pet Food
- Raw Feeding Miami
- My Pet Carnivore
- Hare Today
- BJ’s Raw Pet Food
The only time when you should freeze pork for 3 weeks prior to feeding it is when it’s from wild hogs.
That’s because they can carry the parasite Trichinella Spiralisis which causes Trichinosis, a disease with symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting and muscle pain.
If you’re still worried, go ahead and freeze any raw pork for 3 weeks prior to using it for meal prep.
What’s in Pork Raw Dog Food: Nutrient Profile + Recipe Idea
Besides being an affordable protein source, raw pork is a cooling meat (according to traditional Chinese medicine).
Just FYI, other cooling meats are rabbit and duck. That makes it a great option for dogs with food sensitivities. Like my own pup Wally, for example!
When you have the option of feeding pasture raised raw pork for dogs as opposed to factory farmed pork, go for it.
Pastured pigs are always going to be the healthier option as they’ve eaten a variety of foods such as bugs, grasses, weeds, roots, leaves, nuts, etc.
Factory pigs are kept in crowded areas and mostly fed corn and soybean meal, both of which are rich in Omega-6 fatty acids.
Those are known to cause inflammation in the body.
That said, pastured pigs are richer in Omega-3 fatty acids which are known to decrease inflammation within the body.
They also get Vitamin D from having access to the outdoors, i.e. sunshine.
Why else is raw pork good for dogs?
Pork meat is rich in a variety of nutrients.
Let’s look at a few nutrient profiles of different cuts of pork. You’ll notice that different cuts of raw pork have differing amounts of nutrients.
That’s why it’s so important to rotate, rotate, rotate between them, as well as between the protein sources you feed your dog(s)!
Ground raw pork, 100grams (3oz):
- Vitamin A, 2.00 mcg
- Thiamin (Vit. B1), 0.732 mg
- Riboflavin (Vit. B2), 0.235 mg
- Niacin (Vit. B3), 4.338 mg
- Pantothenic Acid (Vit. B5), 0.668 mg
- Vitamin B6, 0.383mg
- Cobalamin (Vit. B12), 0.70 mcg
- Folate (Vit. B9), 5.00 mcg
- Vitamin C, 0.7 mg
- Calcium, 14.00 mg
- Copper, 0.04 mg
- Iron, 0.88 mg
- Magnesium, 19.00 mg
- Manganese, 0.010 mg
- Phosphorus, 175.00 mg
- Potassium, 287.00 mg
- Selenium, 24.60 mcg
- Sodium, 56.00 mg
- Zinc, 2.20 mg
100grams (3oz) of Raw Pork Liver:
- Vitamin A, 6502.00 mcg
- Thiamin (Vit. B1), 0.283 mg
- Riboflavin (Vit. B2), 3.005 mg
- Niacin (Vit. B3), 15.301 mg
- Pantothenic Acid (Vit. B5), 6.650 mg
- Vitamin B6, 0.690 mg
- Cobalamin (Vit. B12), 26.00 mcg
- Folate (Vit. B9), 212.00 mcg
- Vitamin C, 25.3 mg
- Calcium, 9.00 mg
- Copper, 0.68 mg
- Iron, 23.3 mg
- Magnesium, 18.00 mg
- Manganese, 0.344 mg
- Phosphorus, 288.00 mg
- Potassium, 273.00 mg
- Selenium, 52.70 mcg
- Sodium, 87.00 mg
- Zinc, 5.76 mg
Raw pork kidneys, 100grams (3oz):
- Vitamin A, 59.00 mcg
- Thiamin (Vit. B1), 0.340 mg
- Riboflavin (Vit. B2), 1.697 mg
- Niacin (Vit. B3), 8.207 mg
- Pantothenic Acid (Vit. B5), 3.130 mg
- Vitamin B6, 0.440 mg
- Cobalamin (Vit. B12), 8.49 mcg
- Folate (Vit. B9), 42.00 mcg
- Vitamin C, 13.3 mg
- Calcium, 9.00 mg
- Copper, 0.62 mg
- Iron, 4.89 mg
- Magnesium, 17.00 mg
- Manganese, 0.123 mg
- Phosphorus, 204.00 mg
- Potassium, 229.00 mg
- Selenium, 190.00 mcg
- Sodium, 121.00 mg
- Zinc, 2.75 mg
Raw Dog Food Recipe Idea with Raw Pork Chunks & Ground Raw Pork
Here’s a meal that my pup Wally recently ate:
- Raw pork chunks
- Ground raw pork & beef mix
- Raw goat ribs
- Calf liver
- Beef kidneys
- Homemade plant matter smorgasbord (puréed spinach, ripe banana, blueberries, raspberries, ground almonds, rosehips powder, kelp)
Where to Buy Pork Raw Dog Food
It’s fairly easy to find pork raw dog food in the US, both premade grinds you can feed as a meal as well as individual cuts for homemade raw dog food.
I’ve been lucky at local places around me as well as online with trusted raw dog food suppliers.
Local Brick & Mortar Stores
Most grocery stores carry a few cuts of raw pork you can use for DIY raw meal prep, for example:
- Ground raw pork
- Raw pork liver
- Raw pork feet
Take a quick look at the packaging before you use it for meal prep. It should tell you whether or not it’s been treated with a sodium solution.
If it has, give it a good rinse. If it’s available without the sodium treatment, go for that one instead.
The same applies to your local butcher if you have one. You may also be able to find a few cuts of raw pork at ethnic grocery stores or even Farmers Markets.
Online Raw Dog Food Retailers (US)
I’m aware of the following raw dog food retailers in the US who sell raw pork dog food in one form or another.
All of them carry at least one complete version of raw pork that can be fed as is, and many offer additional cuts of raw pork for DIY raw meal prep.
If you’re aware of any other raw dog food suppliers who carry raw pork, feel free to leave a comment below this blog post to share the information with fellow raw feeders.
Or drop me a quick line at barbara@k9sovercoffee.com and I’ll add the information to this blog post.
(1) Raw Paws Pet Food
Raw Paws Pet Food carries one complete pork raw dog food that can be fed as is.
They also offer a few individual cuts of raw pork you can use for raw meal prep:
- Signature Blend Pet Food Pork Recipe
- Pig tails (2lbs, RMB)
- Pig tails (Bundle Deal, 4 for the price of 3, RMB)
- Meaty pork bones (4 ct pork neck bones, RMBs)
Ingredients of the Signature Blend Pork Recipe:
Pork Meat, Pork Heart, Pork Tongue, Pork Bone, Pork Lung, Pork Liver, Pork Kidney, Pork Spleen, Pork Pancreas.
Pig tails are about 35% meat and 65% bone.
To save 15% on your Raw Paws Pet Food order, use my affiliate discount code K9Savings.
(2) Raw Feeding Miami
Raw Feeding Miami also carries one complete pork raw dog food they call pork grinds:
It contains ground up pork meat, heart, liver, kidney and bone.
Additionally, they have multiple cuts of pork you can use for DIY raw meal prep:
- Boneless ground pork (muscle meat)
- Pork cushion meat (muscle meat)
- Hearts (muscle meat)
- Liver (secreting organ)
- Kidneys (secreting organ)
- Pancreas (secreting organ)
- Spleen (secreting organ)
- Gullet (muscle meat)
- Tails (RMB, with natural fur, great fiber source)
- Brains (secreting organ)
You can save 10% on your first Raw Feeding Miami order with this referral link.
(3) My Pet Carnivore
My Pet Carnivore also carries one complete pork raw dog food they call whole pork. It’s available coarse ground and fine ground.
Ingredients of the whole pork:
Pork meat, pork bones, pork heart, pork liver, pork kidney and pork lungs.
They also have several individual cuts of raw pork you can use to make your own DIY raw dog food:
- Heart chunks (muscle meat)
- Tongue chunks (muscle meat)
- Kidney chunks (secreting organ)
- Liver chunks (secreting organ)
- Femur bones (recreational bones)
- Chunks (meat with bone)
(4) BJ’s Raw Pet Food
BJ’s Raw Pet Food only sells boneless ground pork meat.
It’s not a complete meal but is great to use as pork muscle meat in DIY raw dog food!
(5) Hare Today
Hare Today also carries one complete raw pork meal (fine ground pork/bones/organs) that can be fed as is.
Its ingredients are raw ground whole dressed pork, bones, heart, liver and kidney:
- 77% whole pork with head/brain and bones, pork trim
- 15% pork heart
- 8% pork Lilver
- >1% pork kidney
They also offer individual cuts of raw pork for raw meal prep:
- Meaty pork bones (small, cut from the pork ribs: 82% meat, 18% bone)
- Hearts
- Kidney
- Livers
- Trim (cut from shoulder & jowl)
Update: Thanks to reader SonJa for pointing out two more online resources for pork raw dog food, Real Meal Pet Food Company and White Oak Pastures.
(6) White Oak Pastures
White Oak Pastures carries the following individual cuts of raw pork for DIY raw meal prep (all from pastured pork):
A Practical Alternative: 6 Freeze-Dried Pork Dog Foods
I always recommend freeze-dried and/or dehydrated dog food for raw feeders who travel with their dogs and can’t bring fresh raw dog food along.
It’s also good to include in your emergency kit if you have one – I used to have a hurricane emergency supply kit back when I lived in NC, and it included dehydrated dog food from The Honest Kitchen.
Thankfully, I never needed it, but it’s better to have and not need it than the other way around, right?
Now without further ado, here are a few options for freeze-dried pork dog food:
- Primal Freeze-Dried Nuggets Pork Formula
- Smallbatch Pets Freeze-Dried Raw Food Diet for Dogs, Pork Recipe
- Stella & Chewy’s Freeze-Dried Raw Dinner Patties, Pork Recipe
- Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Pork Freeze-Dried Dog Food
- Bravo Homestyle Complete Freeze-Dried Pork Dog Food
- BIXBI Rawbble Freeze-Dried Dog Food Pork Recipe
Also: Are Dried Pig Ears Safe for Dogs?
Generally speaking, yes, dried pig ears aka “real bacon” are safe for dogs.
As a matter of fact, dried pig ears make great single-ingredient dog chews, but since they’re a bit more on the fattier side, I wouldn’t feed them every day.
There’s a ton of brands that make dried pig ears for dogs, but I personally prefer the ones made without antibiotics, steroids, or added hormones – like the non-greasy, thick cut, Whole Pig Ears from Brutus & Barnaby.
They’re available as a 12ct bag, but you can also buy a 25 or even 100ct bag if you have multiple pups!
I also like the Jumbo Pig Ears from Raw Paws Pet Food.
They come as a 6ct bag, but you’ll get the best bang for your buck if you buy their Jumbo Pig Ears for Dogs Bundle Deal (3 for the price of 2).
Especially if you add my affiliate discount code K9Savings for an additional 15% OFF.
Pork Raw Dog Food: Bottom Line
So, can you feed raw pork to dogs?
Yes, it’s completely safe to feed your pup raw pork dog food from a reputable source.
For example, raw dog food retailers or your local grocery store and butcher.
The only time when you should freeze raw pork prior to feeding it is when you’re dealing with wild hog meat.
Remember that raw pork for dogs is a cooling protein source that can be a good novel protein for dogs with lots of food sensitivities.
Related Reading:
- Can dogs eat pigs feet?
- Lamb for raw dog food
- How to feed your dog wild raw venison
- All about raw beef dog food: Which cuts, where to buy & more
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