Last Updated on July 4, 2024 by Kieran Beckles
Are you ready to embrace a raw food diet for your dog but you’re unsure whether to start your raw dog food journey with Maev or We Feed Raw?
I’ve been on a quest to find the best dog food for my Alaskan Klee Kai Copper and Skye since moving back to California from London in 2023.
Unfortunately our preferred fresh dog food brand in the UK doesn’t operate in the US, so we had to start a fresh search for the best human grade dog food for our Klee Kai.
We took this opportunity to venture in the world of raw food diets for dogs to see whether Copper and Skye would enjoy eating raw dog foods and whether it fit our needs and budget.
In this comparison dog food review, we’ll take a look at Maev and We Feed Raw, examine the human grade ingredients in their recipes, how their subscription plan works, the monthly price and give our verdict.
Cut To The Chase: We recommend We Feed Raw and you can save 40% on your first order when you click here and use code “LIFEWITHKLEEKAI40”
The Best Raw Dog Food?
Let’s cut right to the chase and dive into the key part of our comparison raw dog food review – who do we recommend?
Well, I’d go for We Feed Raw over Maev based on my Alaskan Klee Kai’s reaction to these two dog food brands and my experience as a dog owner adopting a raw food diet.
I have to recommend We Feed Raw because I’ve never seen my Alaskan Klee Kai take to dog food so quickly, especially raw dog food, which they don’t usually like.
Skye’s reaction blew me away because she’s usually a fussy eater who likes to have a nibble or two before leaving her bowl and allowing Copper to finish it off.
Even with dog food she does like, such as this air-dried brand, Skye still takes her time but finishes the bowl. Her reaction to We Feed Raw was unprecedented.
I liked the convenience of the meal pouches and splitting a pack between Copper and Skye every mealtime, taking the guesswork out of their portions.
There’s no denying We Feed Raw requires a little more effort on the part of the dog owner. You have to remember to keep a couple of thawed meals in your fridge.
But I just pop a frozen meal into the fridge to thaw every mealtime when I take a thawed meal packet out of the refrigerator. I’ve got a good routine.
I really liked that Maev contains organ meat, raw meat, fresh fruit and vegetables and superfoods in a whole food format, so you can tell you’re feeding human-grade food.
You don’t have to worry about how to preserve freshness because Maev can be fed directly from the freezer. There’s no need to thaw their food, so it’s less messy at mealtime.
While Copper and Skye did enjoy their meals, I found that they started to eat only the meat and pick out the fruit and vegetables. The result was defrosted green beans and potatoes on the floor next to their bowls.
Maev only offers two recipes (beef and chicken), while We Feed Raw has six recipes on offer. This is one area where I’d like to see Maev improve.
However, Maev can help with healthier skin, healthy joints, weight management or anxiety thanks to their range of formulations that cater to different dogs and their life stages.
My Maev subscription cost $152 every month, while I had to pay nearly $190 a month for my We Feed Raw subscription.
But my recommendation would be We Feed Raw based on Copper and Skye’s enthusiasm to eat their meals. The raw dog food brand solved my Klee Kai’s pickiness, which I believe is worth the extra cost.
We Feed Raw
We Feed Raw is a raw dog food company based in the USA who’ve created a range of raw foods.
They only use USDA, human-grade meats in their recipes, which are balanced, complete and formulated by PhD nutritionist before shipping their meals cold.
To get started with We Feed Raw, you can complete your meal plan by answering their questions about your dogs to allow the raw dog food company to help your decide what’s best for your dog’s diet.
We Feed Raw will tailor your dog’s raw food to meet their dietary needs, including considerations such as age and weight.
It’s important to note We Feed Raw’s human-grade meats don’t contain any fillers, preservatives, artificial colors nor colors.
At the time of writing, We Feed Raw offer chicken, beef, duck, lamb, turkey or venison recipes.
When researching the best raw dog foods in the USA, I came across We Feed Raw. I decided to give their raw dog food delivery service a try. They offer a custom meal plan that requires dog owners to answer questions about their dogs. It might not be quite as thorough as some questionnaires, but they cover all the key topics.
When I received my raw dog food delivery, I noticed Copper and Skye’s meals came in meal pouches which I found quite helpful because I could split a meal pouch between my Klee Kai every mealtime.
Looking in the Help Section of their website, We Feed Raw recommend using scales or just eyeballing it when it comes to portioning your pet’s raw food. So it’s worth noting that the meal pouches aren’t pre portioned like some other dog foods.
We Feed Raw’s meal pouches are compact and small so they can be stacked in the freezer without too much hassle, just be careful because they can easily topple over!
I had to slightly thaw We Feed Raw before it could be placed in Copper and Skye’s bowls. This did require slightly more preparation and forward thinking on the part of the dog owner.
I must say I was stunned by Copper and Skye’s reaction to We Feed Raw, especially my female Alaskan Klee Kai and her sheer excitement for their raw meals.
In my six years reviewing dog food as my job, I’ve never seen Skye vacuum up her food so quickly and with such excitement. She would finishso quickly that I had to double check Copper wasn’t eating her food as he’s prone to do sometimes.
Skye is a fussy eater so I was really impressed and Copper loved his We Feed Raw meals, too. But he’s a food motivated dog that doesn’t mess about at mealtime.
With regards to price, I paid $23.26 per week, or $93.04 per month or $186.08 every two months. We paid for a two-month supply to bring down the cost. We Feed Raw represent great value when you consider I’m paying less than $100 a month for their raw meals.
Maev
Maev have created a range of human-grade raw dog food to cater to dog parents who want to introduce raw food diets to their pet.
Maev is different from other raw dog food brands because their raw dog food is ready to serve. Effectively, Maev has created frozen raw meals for adult dogs, senior dogs and even puppies.
Maev’s raw food contains unprocessed ingredients high in protein and low in carbohydrates in recipes formulated by a team of veterinary nutritionists. You won’t find any additives, nasties or preservatives in their raw dog food.
When you take a look at the human grade ingredients in Maev’s recipes, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that they only use USDA-certified lean meat alongside fresh vegetables and fruits such as green beans, blueberries and zucchini.
Maev do offer a questionnaire service to allow the raw dog food brand to get to grips with your dog and their specific needs. However, you can also make selections based upon your judgement.
Maev has two recipes on offer – a chicken recipe and a beef recipe. However, have a big health and wellness element to their dog food service with four formulations: Weight & Digestion, Anxiety & Calming, Skin & Coat and Hip & Joint formulations.
You can make a one-time purchase or subscribe to save 10% on your order before your raw dog food is shipped directly to your doorstep.
It’s easy to feed because Maev is ready to serve. They recommend feeding frozen to slow down fast eaters and promote cleaner teeth.
I was intrigued to give Maev a try seeing as they offer the chance to adopt a raw feeding in a convenient and hassle-free way. I was surprised by the sheer excitement of my Alaskan Klee Kai.
I could easily spot the human food in Maev’s meals, with chunks of raw meat and fresh produce visible. It’s little wonder Copper and Skye enjoyed their raw diet so much.
However, I noticed a problem after a few weeks. Copper and Skye started to pick out the fruit and veg, leaving them to the side of their bowl and only eating the meat. This left a big mess, which wasn’t ideal with a toddler in our home.
My Maev subscription costs $152 every month, which I consider to be a very competitive price for a raw food diet. We ultimately canceled our subscription because of the above issue.
Where To Buy We Feed Raw?
If you’ve decided that you like the sound of We Feed Raw, you can only purchase their raw dog food from their website.
We reached out to We Feed Raw to see if we could secure a discount for our readers, and we’re pleased to say you can save 40% on your We Feed Raw order when you click this link or the button below and use the code “LIFEWITHKLEEKAI40”.
Where To Buy Maev?
You can only buy Maev direct from their website. To get started with a Maev subscription or a one-time purchase.
If you’d like to give Maev a try, you can save 20% on your first Maev order with the discount code “KleeKai20” when you click this link or the button below.
Wrapping Up
We’ve reached the end of our raw dog food comparison article.
Having tried both of these pet food brands, we’d recommend We Feed Raw based on Copper and Skye’s positive experience eating their beef and chicken recipes.
It was really easy to feed Maev, seeing as their high-protein dog food is ready to serve when you take it out of the freezer, and I didn’t have to faff around with thawed raw meat.
However, I found that my Klee Kai started to pick out the fruit and vegetables and just eat the meat, leaving a mess on the floor by their dog bowls.
When it came to eating We Feed Raw, I found empty bowls after every meal, much to my delight, which surprised me, considering Skye can be such a fussy eater.
We Feed Raw worked out slightly cheaper when I ordered a two-month supply rather than a couple of bags of Maev that lasted me just a month.
So, I’d urge dog owners to give We Feed Raw a try if you’re ready to start your raw food diet journey.
Kieran runs Life With Klee Kai on social media and other online platforms alongside his wife Yasmin. With over 10 years of experience as a journalist and a passionate dog owner, Kieran loves to combine his passion for pets and writing to share useful insights and product reviews to help other dog owners.