When it comes to choosing the best raw food for your furry friend, there are a lot of options out there, and Braxton's carries SEVEN brands for you to choose from. Now, we have done all the heavy lifting on choosing what to carry based on nutritional value, the organizations ethics, and overall price point. You can't go wrong with any of the brands we carry, but what's important to you might be different then what's important for another pet owner.
In this article, we are going to discuss two of our most prominent brands and breakdown the nuances of what makes them different. If you wish to reference the first part of this series about all the benefits of raw you can see that here. So let's take a look at Braxton's two top selling brands; Primal Pet Foods and Answers Pet Food.
Primal Pet Foods
Primal Pet Foods is a raw pet food company that was founded in 2001 and they are based out of Fairfield, CA. Their mission is to provide pets and their owners with the highest quality, safest and most nutritious pet foods possible. Primal believes that by returning to our ancestral roots, we can optimize our pet's health.
All of Primal's products are made in the USA with ingredients that are sustainably raised, humanely handled and free from antibiotics, hormones and steroids. The meat, organs and bones used in their products come from USDA certified facilities and are never frozen (which could cause nutrient loss). Primal also uses certified organic fruits and vegetables as well as certified organic supplements to ensure the highest possible nutritional value.
Answers Pet Food
Answers Pet Food is a raw pet food company that was founded in 2005 and they are based out of Fleetwood, PA. Their mission is to produce the healthiest, most biologically appropriate diets for pets possible.
All of Answers' ingredients are sustainably raised, humanely handled and free from antibiotics, hormones and steroids. The meat, organs and bones used in their products come from USDA certified facilities and are never frozen (which could cause nutrient loss). Answers also uses certified organic fruits and vegetables as well as certified organic supplements to ensure the highest possible nutritional value.
The Difference
Now that we've looked at each company's mission, let's break down the key differences between Primal and Answers. Both brands offer a variety of raw food options that are perfect for pets of all ages and sizes. Let's look at the way they process their foods, the nutritional value, and cost analysis.
Processing or "Kill Steps"
Both brands are processed and manufactured in USDA certified facilities to help eliminate risk of food contamination. However, these two companies use two different types of "Kill Steps" to ensure harmful bacteria is removed from the food while still maintaining good bacteria that is essential to the diet. Answers uses a process called "fermentation" to help kill bacteria like salmonella and listeria. Primal uses a different process to ensure these bacteria are removed which is called High Pressure Pasteurization or HPP on their poultry proteins. This form of processing puts the meat through a high pressure chamber to pulverize the cell walls of the bacteria. For their other proteins such as beef and pork they use a process called "Test & Hold" which verifies there are no harmful bacteria in products before they go out to be sold.
Nutrition
Both brands offer a variety of nutrient-rich formulas, they are both Association of American Feed Control Officials or "AAFCO" certified complete whole diets that support all the nutritional needs of your pet. Both use certified organic fruits and vegetables and antibiotic-free proteins. Here is a side by side of of Primal and Answers Beef formulas. As you can see with Answer's Pet Food on the right is a higher protein and fat content than Primal on the left. Ash is also listed on Primal's Guaranteed Analysis which represents the cumulative total of all the minerals found in the food. Most ash comes from the bone content and minerals additives in a product, and many of those minerals include calcium and phosphorus.
Value
When it comes to value, Primal and Answers are both great options. At Braxton's, the Primal Beef Patties is a 6lb bag at $41.29 which makes it $6.88 per pound. Braxton's also participates in Primal's frequent buyer program which is buy 12 get 1 free which cuts the overall cost per pound to $6.35. Answers Beef Patties is a 4lb box for $30.99 which makes it $7.74 per pound. We also have a frequent buyer program for Answers as well which is buy 12 get 1 free making the price per pound $7.15.
Overall, Primal Pet Foods and Answers Pet Food are pretty evenly ranked when it comes to nutrition and value. So, which raw brand is right for you? Next week we will dive into two more brands that Braxton's carries; Bones & Co and Stella & Chewys. Here at Braxton's, we are more than happy to help you make the best informed decision for your furry friend!
(Disclaimer: Price analysis is as of 6/15/2022 and is subject to change)