What’s Really in Their Bowl? Kibble vs. Frozen Raw vs. Dee Dee’s Raw

When choosing food for our dogs and cats, it’s easy to focus on one word on the package — raw, natural, premium, grain-free — and assume that tells us everything we need to know.

But it doesn’t.

Even within the raw-food category, ingredients, processing methods and recipes can vary considerably from one company to another.

That’s why at Dee Dee’s Raw, we believe pet owners should know what they’re actually putting in their pet’s bowl.

“Raw” describes how a food is served. It doesn’t automatically tell you the quality of the ingredients or what else has been added.

Some frozen raw pet foods may contain added water, fillers, grains, preservatives or other ingredients depending on the manufacturer and recipe.

At Dee Dee’s Raw, we take a deliberately simple approach.

Our recipes use human-grade meats, with the exception of our unbleached green tripe. We don't add water to increase the weight or volume of our food, and there are no grains, fillers, added preservatives or artificial flavours.

Our food is minimally processed, fresh-frozen and locally produced in Langley, British Columbia.

In other words:

Pure. Simple. Raw.

This is something we're particularly proud of.

Meat naturally contains moisture, but we don't add additional water to our raw food simply to increase its weight or volume.

When you purchase a 9 lb or 30 lb box of Dee Dee’s Raw, we want those pounds to come from the ingredients you intended to buy — not added water.

For us, ingredient transparency isn't complicated. You should be able to look at the ingredient list and recognize what's going into your pet's bowl.

An interesting piece of independent research was released by the Clean Label Project in 2026.

The organization examined 79 top-selling dog food products across three categories — dry, air/freeze-dried and fresh/frozen — conducting 11,376 individual tests for contaminants including heavy metals, acrylamide, phthalates, bisphenols, pesticides and glyphosate.

The results showed substantial differences between the categories.

According to the Clean Label Project's results, the fresh/frozen foods tested had considerably lower average levels of arsenic, cadmium, mercury, lead, acrylamide and DEHP than the dry foods tested. For example, dry foods averaged approximately 24 times more acrylamide and 11 times more DEHP than the fresh/frozen foods in their testing.

That doesn't mean every dry food is the same, nor does it mean every frozen or raw food is automatically superior. The study compared categories of products, and there has also been industry debate over how some of its results should be interpreted.

But it reinforces something we've believed from the beginning:

How food is made matters — and so do the ingredients that go into it.

We're also big believers in being straightforward about raw feeding.

Raw pet food isn't immune from food-safety risks. Like other raw meat products, it can contain pathogens such as Salmonella or Listeria if contaminated.

That's why ingredient quality, responsible production, proper freezing and safe handling at home all matter.

Raw shouldn't be chosen simply because it's raw.

Quality matters.

We built Dee Dee’s Raw around a pretty simple philosophy: make good food, keep the recipes straightforward and make raw feeding easy for local pet owners.

Our food is locally produced in Langley using simple, clearly identified ingredients. We offer raw food for both dogs and cats, with several proteins and box sizes available.

And because convenience matters too, we provide free personal delivery with no minimum order throughout the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley — including Surrey, Langley, Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, the North Shore, Maple Ridge, Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack and surrounding communities.

Subscriptions are available for customers who want them, but they're never required.

Whether you currently feed kibble, raw food or something in between, we think asking questions about your pet's food is a good thing.

Read the ingredients. Look at how the food is made. Ask whether water or fillers have been added. Find out where it's produced.

Because at the end of the day, not all raw is the same — and not all pet food is the same.

At Dee Dee’s Raw, our goal is simple:

Pure Natural — Pure Love. 🐾

Dee Dee’s Raw
Locally produced in Langley, BC
Free personal delivery throughout the Lower Mainland & Fraser Valley
No minimum order required

Source: Clean Label Project, 2026 Dog Food Category Study — 79 dog food products and 11,376 individual tests across dry, air/freeze-dried and fresh/frozen foods.