Butternut Box Vs Raw Dog Food: What’s The Difference?

Last Updated on December 29, 2023 by Kieran Beckles

Are you thinking about switching to Butternut Box but wondering what’s the difference between Butternut Box and raw dog food?

It’s a question that I asked myself when I decided to make a change to Copper and Skye’s dog food diet a few years ago but I was unsure whether to go for Butternut Box or a raw dog food brand.

It can be confusing trying to decide what type of dog food diet is right for your dog and for your circumstances due to the sheer number of dog food companies in the UK at the current time.

There’s no shortage of fresh dog foods, whether you’re looking at balanced and complete fresh food, air-dried dog food, wet food, raw food, freeze-dried dog food or customised kibble.

As part of my work, I’ve had the chance to feed a lot of different dog food brands to Copper and Skye. I’ve seen the benefits of feeding fresh dog food meals containing human grade meats, human quality fruit and vegetables to my Alaskan Klee Kai dogs.

In this article, I’m going to tackle the question of Butternut Box dog food vs raw dog food – and what’s the difference. I’ll also touch upon my experience feeding their fresh dog food to Skye and Copper.

(Cut to the chase: We recommend Butternut Box and you can save 50% on your first box and 50% off your second box by clicking here).

Butternut Box

Butternut Box are a fresh dog food company who have been revolutionising mealtime for British dogs.

Butternut Box believe in putting the real food such as human quality meat, fresh produce and superfood supplement into their fresh dog food.

You won’t find any additives, artificial flavours, nasties or preservatives in their fresh dog food recipes. Instead, Butternut Box use human quality ingredients in their gently cooked fresh food recipes.

Butternut Box’s recipes are comprised of 60% meat and 40% fruit, vegetables and other minerals. Butternut Box’s team of vets make sure each recipe has the right balance of minerals, vitamins and all the nutrients for dogs of all ages.

Butternut Box source human grade meats from trusted suppliers so you can feel confident about your dog’s cooked meals. They gently cook their dog food at low temperatures (90 degrees) to lock in the flavour and nutrients as well as remove any bad bacteria from the meat.

Butternut Box will portion your dog’s food based upon their requirements after you’ve filled out their questionnaire. Seeing as nearly 60% of dogs in the UK are obese, it gives dog owners peace of mind that their pooch is getting just the right amount.

Once your dog food is ready, Butternut Box freeze their fresh meals before they’re shipped direct to your door. By freezing your dog’s meals, Butternut Box don’t have to use any nasties or preservatives.

Dog owners will be required to fill out a questionnaire before signing up to Butternut Box so the fresh dog food company can get an in-depth insight into your dog’s specific needs and get the perfect portion size.

You can share your dog’s breed, exercise routine, how many treats they devour and any underlying health issues such as skin issues or sensitive tummies.

Butternut Box will suggest some meals for your dog but you’re free to choose from their range of fresh dog food recipes. Their impressive menu was one of the reasons why Butternut Box appealed to me.

Skye is a fussy eater so I love having the ability to vary her meat meals. You can select the frequency of delivery ranging from fortnightly to monthly.

Butternut Box will ship your dog’s meals direct to your door, using Woolcool to ensure the pouches are still frozen when you get to your box. Butternut Box have an eco-friendly approach so you can recycle most of the elements of your delivery.

When it comes time to serve your dog their Butternut Box meals, you’ll need to defrost the meal pouch before cutting it open and serving direct into your dog’s bowl.

At the time of writing, I’m feeding Butternut Box to Skye and Copper at a cost of £70-80 a month.

It’s more than you’d pay for store-bought dog food but Copper and Skye haven’t had any issues since switching to Butternut Box, which wasn’t the case with kibble or wet food. This is just my experience – perhaps yours is different.

But seeing the sheer volume of positive reviews on Trustpilot (average score 4.8 stars based upon over 35,000 reviews), I suspect many dog owners have experienced a positive change after switching their fussy eater or dog with a sensitive tummy to Butternut Box.

What Is Raw Dog Food?

aw dog food is a hugely popular pet food format that’s provided pet owners with the chance to feed human grade meats rather than mystery fillers sometimes found in wet food or traditional dog food.

If you’ve decided to ditch the kibble or wet food in favour of something healthier to feed your dog, you’re probably familiar with raw dog food already.

The basic concept is that dogs should eat a raw diet like their ancestors who would’ve eaten in the wild centuries ago. Therefore, it’s a diet that’s high in meat.

Most will opt for a 80-10-10 formula (80% meat, 10% bone, 10% offal). However, some raw dog food brands and some dog owners who make their own raw food will add in some eggs, fish, fruit, vegetables and superfoods.

Before I go any further, I should point out that there are risks associated with feeding a raw diet to dogs.

In fact, the UK government has a page dedicated to the handling of raw pet food and the associated risks. They stress the importance of washing hands thoroughly with soap and hot water after handling raw food, storing and defrosting away from where human food is stored and prepared, and cleaning and disinfecting all surfaces that the raw pet food touched.

Raw meat can be contaminated with harmful bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria and E. coli. Some pet foods, such as those which are described as being lightly steamed or lightly cooked, may not have been fully pasteurised and may still potentially contain harmful bacteria. People can become unwell after handling raw pet food and treats. It is therefore important to take the correct precautions before, during and after feeding pets.

Gov.UK

In the UK, there’s a number of reputable raw dog food companies who have been providing pet owners with the opportunity to feed raw dog food.

Much like Butternut Box, they’ll source their ingredients from trusted suppliers as they strive to use meat from high welfare farms.

In my experience, I found some raw dog food companies may ask customers to fill out a questionnaire so they can learn more about your dogs. They may even offer a consultation with one of their experts.

I have noticed that other raw food companies will leave dog owners to work out the best option for their four-legged friend. Most brands will offer a choice between a traditional raw food option (aka 80-10-10) and raw food combined with some fresh ingredients.

Either way, once you’ve made your selection, they’ll ship their meals to your door using ice to keep it frozen. Most raw food brands have an environmentally-friendly approach like Butternut Box.

The price of raw dog food can fluctuate but I found that I’d typically pay between £100-120 for a supply of raw food that would last a month for Copper and Skye.

You’ll need a sizeable freezer to store the meals as they’re usually stored in trays that aren’t as convenient to organize. So you may have to make room in a couple of shelves in your freezer.

Butternut Box Vs Raw Dog Food

So what’s the difference between Butternut Box and raw dog food?

Well, Butternut Box’s meals aren’t classified as raw because they’ve been cooked at low temperatures to kill bad bacteria in the meat.

Raw food hasn’t been cooked so it could potentially contain harmful bacteria as listed in the UK Gov quote above.

That’s the key difference between Butternut Box and raw dog food.

If you’re looking to give raw dog food a try, we’ve reviewed some raw dog food companies on our website.

My pick would be Naturaw and their raw dog food based upon my experience feeding their human quality rat meat and nutritionally complete meals to Copper and Skye during a trial period.

Butternut Box Vs Raw: Our Verdict

I’ve fed both Butternut Box and raw dog food to Copper and Skye.

While there is one raw dog food brand that Copper and Skye enjoyed, they weren’t big fans of the majority of the raw dog food companies I’ve tried. Of course, every dog is different and your dog may love every brand of raw dog food.

Copper and Skye have struggled with sensitive tummies in the past, while Skye can be extremely picky with her food. She refused to touch all the raw dog food companies that I tried to feed her apart from one. Copper was a more willing participant but his favourite was the same.

Having said that, I’ve stuck with Butternut Box in the long term for a number of reasons.

I love their array of fresh food recipes, which are perfect for picky Skye. I usually select around six different recipes so I can vary her meals every couple of days.

Some of Skye’s favourite Butternut Box meals include Wham Bam Lamb, Pork This Way, You’ve Got Game and Beef It Up.

Butternut Box is the only dog food brand that Skye has always enjoyed eating. Copper is more food motivated and there’s no doubt that he adores his Butternut Box meals.

As a dog owner, I like that Butternut Box’s meals use high-quality meat and use a cooking process that sees the fresh dog food brand gently cook their meat meals into nutritionally complete recipes.

Most pet parents will find it easy to store Butternut Box meals in one shelf in their freezer (much easier than the trays that the majority of raw food companies and fresh dog food companies use).

I keep a couple of defrosted Butternut Box dog food pouches in the fridge. When it’s mealtime, it’s as easy as rip-and-serve so there’s no fussing around despite adding fresh foods to your dog’s diet.

If you’ve got an open packet in the fridge, you don’t have to stress about blood leaking out of the packet. I found it less faff and fuss feeding Butternut Box than raw dog food.

Butternut Box are good value for money. I pay around £70 a month for my two dogs, which is between £10 and £30 less than most raw dog food brands that I’ve previously tested.

Where To Buy Butternut Box?

If you’re ready to ditch your pet’s old dog food and give Butternut Box fresh dog food a try, you can only place an order Butternut Box through their website.

To get started, you’ll need to complete Butternut Box’s sign-up questionnaire before Butternut Box will offer pet parents a suggested meal plan.

If you’re a dog owner ready to start your Butternut Box journey, you can click this link or the button below.

Do We Have A Butternut Box Coupon Code Or Discount?

We contacted Butternut Box and managed to secure a tasty discount for pet parents who are readers of our website or follow us on social media.

If you want to feed your four legged friend Butternut Box, you can save 50% on your first and second Butternut Box orders.

By availing of this discount, you’re getting the chance to try Butternut Box fresh food meals over the course of a couple of weeks effectively risk-free.

You can get 50% off your first box and 50% off your second box when you click this link or the button below.

Anything Else To Consider?

For pet parents ready to make a change to their pup’s dog food whether that’s wet food, raw food, fresh food or even home cooked food, it’s a good idea to speak to your veterinarian before you decide to make a change to your dog’s meals.

In my experience, I’ve make the mistake of introducing new pet foods to my Klee Kai too quickly. Whether I’ve introduced raw food, wet food or fresh dog food but don’t take the time to carry out a gradual transition, Copper and Skye end up with an upset tummy.

When looking for the best dog food company for my Alaskan Klee Kai, I take a look at how their fresh food meals are prepared, whether the dog food brand gently cook their recipes, are the ingredients human quality, what’s the nutritional content, how their subscription service works and can I cancel easily.

Butternut Box Vs Raw: Wrapping Up

So we’ve reached the end of my Butternut Box Vs Raw article.

Butternut Box isn’t the same as raw dog food despite using high quality meat that usually makes up 60% of their recipes. Unlike raw dog food, Butternut Box cook their meals at low temperatures before their frozen to lock in flavour and nutrients as well as kill any potentially bad bacteria in the meat.

Having tried both pet food formats, my personal preference would be Butternut Box based upon my Alaskan Klee Kai’s love of their meals, the pre-portioned meal pouches, simplicity of meal preparation and variety of recipes.

But if you’ve decided to give raw dog food a try or you’re already feeding raw and you’re going to stick with it, we’re happy that you’ve ditched the kibble in favour of something balanced, complete and natural.

Don’t forget you can get 50% of your first box and 50% off your second box when you hit this link or click the button below.