Raw feeding can look appealing to dog owners who want meat, organs, and minimally processed ingredients. Northwest Naturals dog food offers frozen and freeze-dried raw meals in pre-portioned formats, along with toppers, treats, and other raw products.
The convenient pieces make raw feeding simpler than preparing meat at home. However, uncooked pet food also carries risks that cooked diets reduce. Freezing and freeze-drying do not reliably destroy every harmful bacterium or virus.
This guide explains the Northwest Naturals product range, ingredients, possible benefits, feeding methods, recall history, and safety concerns pet parents should understand before buying.
What Is Northwest Naturals Dog Food?
Northwest Naturals is an Oregon-based raw pet food brand. Its current product range includes raw frozen and freeze-dried meals, nuggets, bars, toppers, and treats for dogs and cats. The company also provides a feeding calculator to help owners estimate daily portions.
The main dog-food formats include:
- Frozen raw nuggets
- Frozen raw chubs
- Freeze-dried raw nuggets
- Raw meal bars
- Meal toppers
- Freeze-dried treats
Some products are designed as complete meals, while others are intended only as treats or supplemental foods. Always read the nutritional adequacy statement before using a product as your dog’s main diet.
A product labeled for intermittent or supplemental feeding should not replace complete and balanced everyday food.
What Ingredients Does Northwest Naturals Use?
Northwest Naturals recipes are generally built around uncooked animal ingredients. Depending on the recipe, these may include:
- Muscle meat
- Organ meats
- Ground bone
- Fish
- Eggs
- Fruits and vegetables
- Oils or seeds
- Vitamins and minerals
Muscle meat supplies protein and amino acids. Organs can provide iron, copper, vitamin A, B vitamins, and other nutrients. Ground bone may contribute calcium and phosphorus.
These ingredients can form part of a balanced diet, but simply combining meat, organs, and bone does not guarantee complete nutrition. The amounts and nutrient ratios must be suitable for the dog’s life stage.
Check the exact package for the full ingredient list. Recipes may contain several proteins, which can be a problem for dogs with confirmed food allergies or those completing a veterinary elimination trial.
Is Northwest Naturals Complete and Balanced?
The answer depends on the exact product.
Some frozen and freeze-dried meals are intended as full diets. Treats, toppers, and certain raw products may not provide every nutrient needed for long-term feeding.
Before buying, find the nutritional adequacy statement and confirm that the food is complete and balanced for:
- Growth
- Adult maintenance
- All life stages
- Gestation and lactation, when relevant
Puppies should not eat an adult-maintenance formula as their only food. Large-breed puppies also need carefully controlled growth nutrition.
Do not assume that Northwest Naturals cat food and dog food can be used interchangeably. Cats and dogs have different nutritional requirements, even when the ingredient lists appear similar.
Potential Benefits of Northwest Naturals Dog Food
Meat-Focused Formulas
The recipes may appeal to pet parents who prefer foods built around meat, organs, and bone rather than conventional dry kibble.
Dogs need protein and essential amino acids, but a high meat content alone does not prove that a food is healthier. Nutritional adequacy, calorie content, processing, quality control, and suitability for the individual dog still matter.
Strong Taste and Aroma
Raw and freeze-dried meat often has a noticeable smell. This may encourage some picky dogs to eat more willingly.
Rehydrating freeze-dried nuggets with warm water can soften the food and strengthen its aroma.
Continued appetite loss needs veterinary attention. Dental pain, nausea, medication, infection, digestive disease, and other health problems can cause a dog to stop eating.
Convenient Portioning
Frozen nuggets and freeze-dried pieces are easier to measure than large blocks of raw meat. Pre-portioned food may reduce preparation time and help owners avoid estimating amounts by eye.
The company’s feeding calculator offers a starting estimate based on the dog’s details. Actual requirements can still change with age, activity, neuter status, body condition, and health.
Choice of Frozen or Freeze-Dried Food
Frozen meals provide a soft, moisture-rich texture. Freeze-dried products are lighter and do not require freezer storage before opening.
This flexibility can be useful for travel or homes with limited freezer space.
Can Be Used as a Topper
Freeze-dried pieces may be crumbled over another complete food. When using them as a topper, reduce the regular meal so the added food does not create excessive calories.
Toppers should not form a large part of the diet unless they are nutritionally complete.
Raw Food Safety Concerns
The main concern with Northwest Naturals is not the appearance of its ingredient list. It is the fact that its animal ingredients are uncooked.
The CDC does not recommend feeding raw pet food or raw treats to dogs and cats. Its definition includes raw frozen, freeze-dried, and dehydrated foods. These products may contain germs that can make pets and people sick.
Possible pathogens include:
- Salmonella
- Listeria monocytogenes
- E. coli
- Other disease-causing bacteria
A dog may carry and spread harmful organisms even when it does not appear ill. Contamination can reach people through bowls, hands, counters, floors, saliva, vomit, and stool.
Freezing preserves food, but it does not sterilize it. Freeze-drying removes moisture, but it also does not guarantee that all pathogens have been destroyed.
H5N1 Bird Flu and Raw Pet Food
The FDA requires covered pet food manufacturers using uncooked poultry, cattle meat, raw milk, or unpasteurized eggs to consider H5N1 bird flu in their food-safety plans.
The agency states that dogs can contract H5N1 by consuming contaminated uncooked animal products. Dogs have generally shown lower mortality than cats, but fatal canine cases have occurred outside the United States. Processing methods capable of inactivating the virus include cooking, canning, and pasteurization.
This issue is relevant because Northwest Naturals sells uncooked poultry recipes.
The brand’s December 2024 H5N1 recall involved a frozen feline turkey product, not a dog formula. Oregon officials reported that an indoor cat died after consuming the recalled food and that the virus recovered from the food matched the virus found in the cat.
Although the recalled product was Northwest Naturals cat food, the incident highlights a general risk associated with uncooked animal ingredients.
Northwest Naturals Recall History
Northwest Naturals has had at least two important recalls involving raw pet food.
2018 Dog Food Recall
In February 2018, the company recalled one batch of five-pound frozen Chicken and Salmon Dog Food chubs because a retail sample tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.
The affected product had been distributed in several states. No pet or human illnesses were reported, and the FDA later terminated the recall.
2024 Cat Food Recall
In December 2024, Northwest Naturals recalled two-pound frozen Feline Turkey Recipe packages after testing associated the food with H5N1 and the death of an Oregon cat.
Northwest Naturals does not appear on the FDA’s current 2026 recall table, which was updated on July 2, 2026. That does not guarantee that no future recall can occur.
Keep the original package until the food is finished so you retain the lot code, expiration date, and manufacturer details.
How to Feed Northwest Naturals
For frozen food, the company advises thawing the required portion in a covered container in the refrigerator overnight or briefly at room temperature before feeding. Unused thawed food should remain refrigerated.
Use these safety steps:
- Keep frozen food at a safe freezer temperature.
- Thaw it in the refrigerator whenever possible.
- Wash your hands before and after handling it.
- Use separate utensils for raw pet food.
- Clean bowls and counters after every meal.
- Refrigerate or discard uneaten food promptly.
- Keep raw food away from human meals.
- Do not allow face licking immediately after feeding.
Avoid leaving thawed or rehydrated raw food in the bowl for long periods.
Who Should Be Extra Careful?
A cooked complete diet may be a safer choice when the household includes:
- Children younger than five
- Adults aged 65 or older
- Pregnant people
- People with weakened immune systems
- Anyone receiving chemotherapy or immune-suppressing treatment
Raw feeding may also create additional risk for puppies, elderly dogs, and pets with weakened immune systems or serious chronic disease.
Speak with your veterinarian before feeding raw food to a medically fragile dog.
How Much Does Northwest Naturals Cost?
Prices depend on the protein, package size, format, and retailer. Freeze-dried products usually cost more per ounce than frozen food because they are lightweight, shelf-stable, and require additional processing.
Calculate the real expense using:
Package price ÷ number of feeding days = daily feeding cost
Include:
- Shipping
- Freezer storage
- Food waste
- Treats and toppers
- Number of packages needed monthly
Large dogs may require a substantial amount of food, making a complete freeze-dried diet costly. Some owners may find it more practical to use freeze-dried nuggets as a measured topper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Northwest Naturals Dog Food Cooked?
No. Its frozen and freeze-dried raw products contain animal ingredients that have not undergone normal cooking.
Is Freeze-Dried Raw Food Safer Than Frozen Raw Food?
Freeze-drying improves storage convenience but does not guarantee the removal of harmful germs. The CDC includes freeze-dried products in its raw pet food warning.
Can Puppies Eat Northwest Naturals?
Only use a formula whose nutritional adequacy statement supports growth. Ask your veterinarian before feeding raw food to a young puppy.
Can I Mix It With Kibble?
Yes. Reduce the kibble portion to account for the calories added by the raw food.
Does Northwest Naturals Need Refrigeration?
Frozen products require freezer and refrigerator storage. Dry freeze-dried products are shelf-stable, but rehydrated leftovers become perishable.
Is Northwest Naturals Dog Food Worth Considering?
Northwest Naturals dog food offers meat-focused recipes, convenient frozen nuggets, portable freeze-dried options, and flexible topper use. It may appeal to healthy dogs that enjoy raw food and owners who can follow strict handling practices.
The drawbacks are important. Raw food can carry harmful bacteria and viruses, costs more than many cooked diets, and requires careful storage and cleaning. The company also has a recall history involving Listeria in dog food and H5N1 in a cat recipe.
Check the current adequacy statement, calculate the monthly cost, and review the ingredient list before buying. A complete cooked diet may be safer for puppies, medically fragile dogs, high-risk households, and owners who cannot manage raw-food hygiene consistently.
