FAQs | Everything You Need To Know About Cali Raw

Cali Raw is located at 880 W. 16th Street, Newport Beach, CA 92663. We are open Monday-Friday from 10am-6pm.

We also ship to 20 states in the Western Region.

If you want Cali Raw shipped to you and you're outside of the listed states join our waitlist!

We currently ship to the 20 Western US States. We plan to expand our shipping to the East Coast in the near future!

Join our Shipping Waitlist here.

We ship via UPS ground from our location in Newport Beach, CA every single Monday for CA and out of state orders, and Tuesday for remaining CA orders.

Your order will arrive Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday depending on your location.

Local delivery is currently available in Orange County, CA for qualifying zipcodes.

Deliveries are made every Wednesday from 10am-10pm. Local delivery is $4.99 for orders over $150, and $12.99 for orders $50-$149.

Local pickup is available in Newport Beach Monday thru Friday from 10am-6pm at 880 West 16th Street Newport Beach, CA 92663.

For these options, choose in-store pick up or local delivery at checkout or give us a call to place an order!

Yes, we do! We offer 10% all orders over $500. Discount will be applied automatically at checkout.

At Cali Raw Nutrition, we offer complete & balanced raw dog food, as well as healthy single ingredient treats and chews!

We offer 4 Adult Formulas (Beef, Chicken, Turkey, & Lamb), 2 Puppy Formulas (Chicken/Beef and Turkey/Lamb) as well as a full collection of healthy treats & chews

Stay tuned...we're expanding!

Our esteemed & highly regarded animal nutritionist James Pendergast has 14+ years of experience formulating raw food for dogs and cats. Our formulas are complete and balanced to meet AAFCO guidelines and beyond. We opt for high quality ingredients to ensure your dog receives the best possible diet & nutrition

In our podcast, James discusses more about the formulas at Cali Raw. 

All our formulas are formulated with complete & balanced nutrition. This means that our formulas meet the nutritional levels and requirements established by AAFCO.

Each of our formulas are made up of raw meat, bone, organs, vegetables, salmon oil, and essential vitamins and minerals. Best of all, no fillers!! 

Click here to see our complete lists of ingredients.

Our BARF model, biologically appropriate raw food, is complete and balanced with approximately 80% meat, bone, and organs & 20% fresh vegetables.

Learn more about the BARF Diet v PREY Model Diet 

Check out our eBook: 15 Benefits of Raw Food for Dogs

Our formulas are made with USDA inspected and approved human-grade ingredients. Cali Raw Dog Food contains no artificial ingredients, no preservatives, no fillers, & no by-products. Our food is made to be natural with raw meat & fresh vegetables.

The meats we use are no different than the meat you would buy at the grocery store. Because we believe that your furry friend deserves nothing less than the best, we only source and produce the best.

No we do not, but we do use human-grade ingredients all passed for human consumption.

Denatured meat, also known as 3D or 4D meat, is a process that changes the color of meat to show it is not safe for human consumption. This meat comes from animals that are dying, diseased, or already dead.

Once the meat has been put into those categories, it can still be used in the pet food industry. This process uses chemicals that can be harmful to pets.

Cali Raw does not use any denatured meats. We use high quality meat passed for human consumption, because we believe your dog deserves the absolute best.

All of our meat and produce are sourced from Western United States, mostly within California. Some ingredients are sourced from Utah, Washington, or Oregon to offer you the best prices on our complete & balanced raw formulas.

Our Beef Formula has bone meal in it opposed to ground beef bone, due to the great variances found in the Calcium content of the ground beef bones. Our bone meal is finely ground up cattle bone. It has been tested for heavy metals and is non-irradiated. Our bone meal will also provide your dog with phosphorous and magnesium.

It is difficult to meet AFFCO standards and requirements of vitamins/minerals content solely on whole meat & veggies due to variations in levels.

For this reason, we use a premix to get us above the minimum requirements AAFCO has established. Our premix is high-quality, organic, and human grade.

Our treats are only one single ingredient! Each of our healthy dog treats and chews have no preservatives, no chemicals, and no additives!

Check out our treats here.

Yes, Cali Raw Nutrition uses quality lean meats! It gets difficult to formulate a balanced diet when you use very fatty meats (85/15) because you are getting all the additional calories without the additional vitamins or minerals that go along with the protein. 

Our meats are high quality, passed for human consumption, humanely raised, locally sourced, with no growth hormones or antibiotics. 

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is a voluntary membership organization of all 50 states and Federal government agencies, as well as government agencies from other countries, responsible for the execution of laws and regulations pertaining to the production, labeling, distribution, use, or sale of animal feed and feed ingredients. AAFCO does not regulate, test, approve or certify pet foods in any way. AAFCO establishes the nutritional standards for complete and balanced pet foods that manufacturers follow to formulate their products according to the appropriate AAFCO standard. These standards are defined by two nutrient profiles: Adult Maintenance and Growth or Reproduction.

Yes they are! Remember, this is what your dog was designed to eat! Yes! Dogs have a shorter digestive tract and higher levels of acidity in their digestive system. Therefore, they can tolerate a higher level of bacteria than us humans. When a dog is fed a species appropriate diet, their immune system is optimally strong and their digestive system is functioning properly. The acidity level in their stomachs is also very high on a raw diet, which makes it an undesirable environment for bacteria to survive. Remember, raw meat is what nature intended dogs to eat. Quality raw meats are not just perfectly safe for dogs, they are ideal!

Check out our eBook: 15 Benefits of Raw Food for Dogs

Yes, it is safe to thaw and then refreeze raw dog food. It does not affect the quality or safety of the product.

Thaw the frozen raw dog food in the refrigerator for 1-2 days until soft and unfrozen. Once the food is thawed and measured to meet your dog’s requirements (see our feeding guidelines for more info) you can place it in your dog’s metal or glass bowl! Always store unused portions in the fridge for the next feeding. Do not exceed refrigerator storage for more than 7 days once thawed.

While it is recommended that you avoid feeding your dog processed foods, we understand that feeding an exclusive raw diet isn’t feasible for everyone. In these cases, we recommend supplementing your dog’s current diet with 50% raw dog food to improve health. Any time you add fresh ingredients to your dog's diet, their health will benefit! 

A guide for you:  Kibble and a Raw Diet | Supplemental Feeding Guide 

You can but we recommend you don't. Cooking the meat will deplete the nutrients and may destroy/modify the proteins. We only recommend cooking the food if someone in your family (pet or human) with a compromised or weakened immune system or if your puppy is under 16 weeks of age. If you choose to cook the formula, lightly cook 6-8 minutes in a skillet with a small amount of water.

For adult dogs, we recommend feeding a raw diet either once or twice per day. If twice per day, split the daily suggested feeding in half. For puppies, we recommend feeding raw food 3-4 times per day, splitting each meal equally based on suggested daily feeding quantity for their predicted adult weight. You can also use our calculate feeding tool (homepage) and input your dog's life stage, breed size and ideal weight, then the tool will calculate show you the answer immediately.

Yes, as long as your dog is not allergic to something in the formula you can switch meat sources with ease. We actually recommend offering your dog a variety of meat sources weekly. When possible it is best to feed your dog 2-3 meat proteins per week. Your dog will appreciate this! We offer formulas in Beef, Chicken, Lamb, and Turkey!

If you aren't ready to switch your dog to raw dog food yet, you can start by introducing raw treats and fresh whole foods to their current diet! You can give your dog sardines, raw eggs, fresh raw vegetables, and raw bones!  

Yes, although we strongly advise to only add healthy options occasionally. Remember that not all food considered safe for humans is safe for dogs. Examples of safe human foods dogs love that you can safely feed in small quantities occasionally are: sweet potato, pumpkin, raw meaty bone, ground bone, organ meats such as livers and kidneys, raw eggs, vegetables like broccoli, spinach, and celery, fruit like apples and watermelon, some dairy such as yogurt or goats milk, plus bone broth & fish stock.

When you switch your dog to any diet, you will notice change in poop and habits. Switching to raw diet will be no different. As you switch over to raw, you will most likely notice a change in stool. No worries! This is their body detoxifying from their old food to new. The bacteria in the intestinal tract is adjusting, causing your dog to have a looser stool that will go away once they are fully transitioned.

After completing the transition, you will notice smaller stools because they are absorbing all the nutrients in our formulas! Your dog's digestion will greatly improve along with their health. Your dog will be farting less too!

Check out our eBook: 15 Benefits of Raw Food for Dogs

Anytime you change food it’s important to take it slow. While most dogs have strong digestive systems, switching from dry kibble to a raw moist food, can be a shock on their systems initially. Some dogs will even experience a mild detoxification during the transition. Don't be alarmed, this is common when a dog has been eating processed foods their whole life. When switching to a fresh or raw food diet, the dog’s system will take time to adjust and form the enzymes and Microbiota. 

A guide for you: How to Transition To A Raw Diet | Transition Guide

When you go to the doctor, does your doctor ask you about your nutrition & diet? Does your veterinarian address this crucial factor in your dog's health? Most likely not. Traditional veterinarians may often have a negative opinion of a raw diet based on our society's adoption of the cheap & convenient kibble diet during WWII.

Read More: My Vet Says Not To Feed Raw

Many that do know and understand the nutritional benefits of a raw diet, have also encountered dogs fed an unbalanced DIY raw diet. We strongly endorse a complete and balanced raw diet that meets AAFCO guidelines. This ensures your dog is not missing any key components. Our Cali Raw formulas include important ingredients like organs, vegetables, plus naturally derived minerals & vitamins. We recommend you do your own research on the benefits of a raw ancestral diet for your dog, as well as the long term effects & dangers of a kibble diet.

Dog’s caloric needs can vary greatly based on age, weight, activity level, and other factors. The standard formula used for calculating the energy requirements of the average adult dog that lives in the house, receives light daily exercise, and is spayed or neutered is: 30 X Weight in Kg (or pounds divided by 2.2) + 70 = Daily Caloric Needs

Raw feeding is no different than cooking for yourself and family within your own home. Standard sanitary habits should be practiced when handling raw meat. Always sanitize your work area thoroughly after prepping, sanitize used food utensils, including your pet’s bowls once they are finished eating.

Finally, wash hands thoroughly after touching raw meat. Keep the raw dog food food frozen until ready to use, and then refrigerate or discard any leftovers.

Refrigerated leftovers can be stored in a glass food storage container. Regularly wash pet dishes – make sure to pick them up after eating, sorry no grazing allowed. Leaving the food out will cause the meat to spoil.

Yes! Dogs get fiber, energy, vitamins, some minerals, and diverse nutrients from vegetables. We believe it is beneficial to feed dogs a BARF diet composed of approx 80% meat, organ & bone coupled with 20% vegetables.  

Yes we do! In order to ensure our product is still frozen on arrival, your order must be at least 12lbs of frozen food.We ship with dry ice as needed and 72 hour rated eco-friendly insulation. 

For local deliveries, your order must be above $50 to qualify. There is no minimum order for pickups.

We suggest feeding your dog approximately 2.5% of their ideal body weight daily. This is just a starting point, which you can then monitor their weight and adjust as needed.

For puppies, we suggest feeding based on their predicted/ideal adult body weight, adjusting the exact amount according to how your puppy develops.

Our food is delivered 1-3 days from when it is shipped from our warehouse in a 72 hour rated, eco friendly insulated 14x14x14 box with dry ice if necessary. Your order is delivered to your doorstep via FedEx, OnTrac or UPS service. We strongly recommend opening your box and stocking your freezer immediately. Depending on your dogs daily needs, place enough food in your refrigerator for 1-2 days of feeding, 1-2 days in advance.  

In the event that you need to cancel your order and request a refund after it has processed, there will be a 5% merchant fee.

In the event you need to cancel your order after it has already been fulfilled and ready for shipment, there will be a 20% restock fee. 

If you are dissatisfied with a product for any reason, please contact us at support@caliraw.com or call us at 1-949-482-DOGS.

Any orders shipped/fulfilled cannot be cancelled. If a box is lost/damaged we will discuss further action which may include replacing the product at our expense, providing you a full or partial credit, providing a refund of the purchase price, or determining that no remedy is appropriate.

We may require the return or photographic documentation of any product with which you are dissatisfied before we provide you a credit or refund. We do not accept returns.

We offer a discount on your first order! Sign up for our newsletter and receive your New Customer Discount Code.

Our raw meat grinds are packaged in heavy duty vacuum-sealed bags portioned at 16oz. All you need to do is cut the package open, and serve!

Our orders ship directly to your door in a branded corrugated box lined with an eco-liner rated to keep your products frozen for 72 hours during transit. Delivery orders within Long Beach & Orange County California are dropped off on your doorstep in a reusable bag.

We proudly use an eco-friendly liner composed of denim material. This packaging is rated for a 72 hour transit time. While it is not cheap, we at Cali Raw Nutrition believe our planet is worth the price!

We ship every Monday (CA & out-of-state) and Tuesday (CA) from Newport Beach, California. We recommend you order 7-10 days prior to running out of dog food. If you forget and need to expedite an order, please contact us and we will always do what we can to ensure your dog is fed!

No, you do not. We use an eco-friendly, insulated packaging rated for 72 hour transit time so the delivery driver can leave it at your doorstep for you! We do not use styrofoam!