You can get raw meat for dogs from grocery stores, butcher shops, online subscription services, local farms, ethnic markets, and raw feeding co-ops. The best source depends on your budget, how much freezer space you have, and whether you’re building meals from scratch or buying pre-made raw food.
Grocery Stores and Butcher Shops
Your nearest grocery store is the simplest starting point. Chicken thighs, turkey necks, beef hearts, chicken livers, and pork ribs are all common raw feeding staples available in most supermarkets. Look in the marked-down meat section for significant savings on items approaching their sell-by date, which are perfectly fine to freeze immediately for later use. Butcher shops and meat counters often carry organ meats, bones, and cuts that don’t make it to the regular display case. Ask specifically for items like kidney, spleen, or green tripe, as these are frequently available but kept in the back.
Ethnic and international grocery stores are an underrated option. Latin, Asian, and Middle Eastern markets routinely stock organ meats, chicken feet, whole fish, and other parts that conventional grocery chains don’t carry or carry only in small quantities. Prices tend to be lower, too.
Online Raw Dog Food Delivery
Several companies ship pre-portioned, frozen raw meals directly to your door. These are convenient if you want someone else to handle the formulation and sourcing. We Feed Raw and Open Farm both offer free shipping on orders over $50. Viva Raw ships free on orders over $250, with a flat $15 to $20 fee for smaller orders. Darwin’s and Maev operate on subscription models with regular deliveries.
The trade-off is cost. Freeze-dried and frozen raw commercial diets are the most expensive way to feed a dog. A Tufts University cost comparison found yearly costs for raw diets ranged from around $200 to over $7,000 depending on the brand and dog size. Fresh and raw commercial foods cost 4 to 6 times more than even the priciest dry kibble. For a large dog, that math adds up fast.
Local Farms and Bulk Buying
Buying directly from a farm is one of the most cost-effective ways to source raw meat in large quantities. The process, sometimes called “freezer beef” or “freezer pork,” works like this: you put down a deposit on a whole, half, or quarter animal. The farmer delivers the animal to a local butcher, who processes it to your specifications. You then pick up the packaged, frozen meat and pay the butcher separately for processing. Pricing is usually based on “hanging weight,” which is the carcass weight after initial processing but before final butchering into cuts.
This approach requires chest freezer space and an upfront investment, but the per-pound price drops dramatically compared to buying individual cuts at retail. You can also request parts that are perfect for raw feeding but rarely sold in stores: whole organs, meaty bones, trachea, and other connective tissue cuts. Search for local farms on platforms like ChopLocal, or check farmers’ markets in your area.
Raw Feeding Co-ops
Co-ops are buying groups where raw feeders pool their orders to access wholesale pricing on meat, bones, and organs. They’re especially useful for finding items that are hard to source individually, like green tripe, whole prey animals, or bulk organ mixes. Most co-ops operate regionally and organize monthly or bimonthly group orders from wholesale meat distributors.
Active co-ops exist across North America. The Rocky Mountain Raw Feeders serves Colorado’s Front Range. The Austin Raw Feeders Co-op (ARF Coop) covers central Texas. Southeast Michigan, greater Pittsburgh, northeast Ohio, central Oklahoma, and Calgary all have established groups as well. If there’s no co-op near you, online communities like CarnivoreFeed-Supplier or CanadianRawPetSupply can help you find regional suppliers or connect with other feeders interested in starting a group.
What to Buy: The Basic Ratio
If you’re assembling raw meals yourself rather than buying pre-made, you need more than just muscle meat. The most widely used framework is the Prey Model Raw ratio: 80% muscle meat, 10% raw edible bone, 5% liver, and 5% other secreting organs. Liver is considered essential because of its concentrated fat-soluble vitamins. The remaining organ portion can come from kidney, spleen, brain, pancreas, or thymus.
One common mistake is treating heart and gizzard as organs. They’re actually muscle meat and should count toward the 80% portion. True secreting organs, the ones that perform biological filtering and hormone functions, are what provide the micronutrient density that raw feeders are after. When sourcing, aim for variety across multiple animal proteins (chicken, beef, pork, lamb, fish) over time to cover a broader nutritional spectrum.
If you’re buying a commercial raw product and want assurance it’s nutritionally complete, look for a statement on the label referencing AAFCO nutrient profiles. This means the food has been formulated to meet minimum (and in some cases maximum) concentrations of all required nutrients. Products labeled “for supplemental or intermittent feeding only” are not complete diets and shouldn’t be your dog’s sole food source.
Safety When Sourcing and Handling
Not all meat sold for animals meets the same standards as meat sold for human consumption. The USDA prohibits diseased or disabled animals from entering plants that process meat for people. However, under pet food regulations, meat from dead, dying, diseased, or disabled animals (called “4D” meat) can enter the animal feed supply chain if it has been rendered or heat-treated to eliminate pathogens. The important detail: raw materials from these sources are explicitly prohibited from use as raw pet food. This means if you’re buying from a reputable raw pet food company or purchasing human-grade meat from a grocery store, 4D meat should not be in what you’re feeding.
Handling raw meat for your dog carries the same contamination risks as handling raw meat for yourself. The FDA recommends washing your hands with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds both before and after handling any raw pet food. Wash your dog’s food bowl, along with any scoops or utensils, with soap and hot water after every single meal. Keep a dedicated cutting board for raw dog food prep, and don’t use your dog’s bowl as a scoop. Thaw frozen raw food in the refrigerator rather than on the counter, and clean any surfaces the meat has touched.
Choosing the Right Source for Your Situation
Your best option depends on how much effort and money you want to spend. Here’s how they compare in practice:
- Grocery stores and butcher shops: Most accessible, moderate pricing, limited organ and bone selection. Good for beginners or small dogs.
- Online raw food companies: Most convenient, highest cost, nutritionally formulated. Best if you want a hands-off approach and can absorb the price.
- Local farms: Lowest per-pound cost in bulk, requires freezer space and upfront deposit. Ideal for large dogs or multi-dog households.
- Co-ops: Wholesale pricing, access to hard-to-find items, requires coordination with a group schedule. Worth seeking out if one exists near you.
- Ethnic markets: Best variety of organs and unusual cuts at low prices. Often the cheapest source for liver, kidney, tripe, and chicken feet.
Many raw feeders combine multiple sources. A common approach is buying muscle meat in bulk from a farm or co-op, picking up organs and specialty items from ethnic markets, and filling gaps with grocery store finds on sale. This hybrid strategy keeps costs manageable while ensuring the variety your dog’s diet needs.