PHILOSOPHY
As a company, we know transparency is important to our customers. We are proud of the products we sell, and are open about the manufacturing process.
Click on a topic below to learn more, and if you have any questions or would like more information, give us a call! We would be happy to help!
It is the care we take in finding the best ingredients, formulating for optimal nutrition, and producing healthy balanced and safe raw food for your dog and cat! We support Canadian Farmers! All of our ingredients are sourced from Canadian Farmers and Processors, and everything is made right here in Canada.
We are proud to sell pasture-raised beef, lamb, and buffalo. Pasture raised animals graze and forage on grass, which is much higher in key nutrients like omega-3 & B Vitamins. These meat sources are much healthier and flavourful for both us and our pets!
Our poultry products including chicken, turkey and duck come from free range farmers that allow their birds to roam and roost. A better and more natural way to grow.
We source from farmers and processors that abide by safe and ethical standards of care for animals throughout all life stages.
All our fish products, including our THRIVE Herring Oil, are from Canadian Fisheries committed to environmentally sound and sustainable fishing practices.
We only source the best possible ingredients, including Certified Organic Products for our fruit and vegetable blends.
Big Country Raw diets are formulated by a full time Pet Nutrition Expert, Agrologist with a Master’s Degree in Animal Sciences. Their education and knowledge of the food industry, ingredients and how pets digest and absorb nutrients are essential to ensuring our raw food contains the best foods for optimal health!
This full-time role is also an essential function of our daily production. They are involved in sourcing and evaluating incoming raw materials, ensuring proper mixing and recipe ratios are followed and that Big Country Raw products are consistently meeting our high quality standards both in nutritional completeness as well as food safety.
From a recipe to a freshly frozen product, we've broken down our production process into four steps. Click below to learn more about each step of the process.
The first and crucial step to the production process is the weighing and batching. This is where the information provided by the software comes to life. Each ingredient is carefully weighed to make sure the recipe is consistent from one batch to another.
1st Grind – This process includes bone crushing and a course grind of muscle meats and organ meats.
2nd Grind – We now add our fruit and vegetable puree and additional green supplements such as kelp, barley grass and wheat grass. In this process the meat and veggies are mixed to ensure consistency and ground again to ensure no large bone pieces.
Using precise portioning equipment we individually packaged in either a 2 or 4 lb container or 1 lb vacuum sealed package. The packaged product is quality inspected to ensure a proper seal, correct labelling and the food should be a rich and colorful red and pink with a certain amount of humidity, not brown or grey and dry.
Our fresh product is immediately transferred to our blast freezers that ensure fresh product is frozen at temperatures – 20C to ensure all the nutrients are locked in, so when it’s thawed again it’s fresh and packed with nutrients.
All Big Country Raw recipes are formulated using Genesis Food Processor Software. This software provides our production team with an exact amount of each ingredient to ensure that our final recipe contains all the nutrients needed to meet our nutrient claims.
Raw Ingredients not available through the USDA Database are sent to SGS Laboratory’s for guaranteed analysis. The laboratory analysis would include several test samples to ensure that our results are an accurate profile of the raw materials. This information is used by our Agrologist to evaluate and make adjustments to the recipe as required as raw materials can change depending on the age, breed and diet of the animal.
LABORATORY TESTINGBig Country Raw has partnered with SGS Laboratories to test our raw materials and finished products for nutritional compliance since 2016. Testing fresh raw diets can present many challenges as the typical test size is just 25 grams and 60% moist. Obtaining a test sample that would be truly representative of an entire batch requires multiple carefully sampled test results to obtain an accurate representation. However, Big Country Raw invests significantly in testing for both nutrient analysis as well as research and development to ensure nutritional adequacy.
Big Country Raw formulates 4 recipes:
Big Country Raw Dinner Recipes and XL for dogs and puppies, provide complete and balanced nutrition for pets, substantiated by an extended AAFCO Feeding Trial. Recipes are formulated to meet the nutrient requirements suggested by The Nutrient Requirement for Dogs by the National Research Council (NRC) and follow the Minimal Requirement (Amount / 1000kcal for growing puppies after weaning and adult dogs).
The addition of an Omega-3 Fatty Acid, such as Thrive Herring Oil, Salmon Oil, or Hemp Seed Oil (with the exception of Fish Dinner), is recommended to be added for their beneficial impact on overall health, especially for growing puppies.
Big Country Raw Fare Game for cats and kittens, provide complete and balanced nutrition for cats, substantiated by an extended AAFCO Feeding Trial. Recipes are formulated to meet the nutrient requirements suggested by The Nutrient Requirement for Cats by the National Research Council (NRC) and follow the Minimal Requirement (Amount / 1000kcal for growing kittens after weaning and adult cats).
Additional supplementation with Omega-3 Fatty Acid is recommended when the recipe doesn’t include fish.
These recipes are formulated to be basic DIY raw recipes balanced to traditional prey model raw recipe ratios of 80% muscle meat, 10% bone and 10% organ meats. Signature Blends are multiple protein recipes. They are suitable for both dogs and cats. These recipes fed in rotation can form a balanced diet. We recommend supplementing these recipes with our Thrive Fortify Supplement and a source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids (Thrive Herring Oil, Salmon Oil or Hemp Seed Oil) to ensure a complete & balanced meal meeting the NRC minimum recommended Nutrient Requirements for Cats & Dogs.
These recipes are formulated to be basic DIY raw recipes balanced to traditional prey model raw recipe ratios of 80% muscle meat, 10% bone and 10% organ meats. Pure Formulas are single ingredient recipes meaning they contain only 1 singular protein, making them a great choice for pets with food intolerances or allergies. They are suitable for both dogs and cats. These recipes fed in rotation can form a balanced diet. We recommend supplementing these recipes with our Thrive Fortify Supplement and a source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids (Thrive Herring Oil, Salmon Oil or Hemp Seed Oil) to ensure a complete & balanced meal meeting the NRC minimum recommended Nutrient Requirements for Cats & Dogs.
Big Country Raw takes exceptional care to produce a safe raw pet food. Click here to read our Food Safety Plan:
Food Safety Plan