FAQs

Starting your pet on Steve’s Real Food is best achieved with a transition over 7-10 days.

Begin by replacing a portion of your pet’s old food with the new food, and gradually adjust the ratio every few days—introducing a bit more new food while reducing the amount of the old.

Most pets smoothly transition within about two weeks with no issues.

Check out our guide to transitioning your pet to raw food.

20lb frozen raw bulk boxes: 40 patties

5lb frozen raw nuggets: 20 cups*

20oz freeze-dried nuggets: 16-18 cups*

2lb Quest Cat Food frozen: 8 cups*

10oz Quest Cat Food freeze-dried: 5 cups*

*Bags of nuggets are packaged by weight and not by number of cups, so cups of nuggets may vary slightly per bag.

Feeding frozen raw pet food: Portion out the amount your pet needs, place it in the refrigerator to thaw overnight, and then serve. Thawed food is good for up to 3 days in the fridge, so you can thaw multiple portions at a time.

Feeding freeze-dried pet food: Portion out your pet's meal and add water to rehydrate the food. Adding water is required for proper digestion.

Learn more about how to feed raw pet food.

Thawed or rehydrated raw food is good for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Raw food should not be cooked as high heat can harm or destroy valuable enzymes and nutrients. Our recipes also contain ground bone, which should only be fed raw.

To warm up raw food, let it sit on the counter for up to an hour prior to serving or add some hot water.

Contact us for personalized guidance on serving temperatures.

Frozen raw pet food can be kept in a thermal, ice-filled cooler. To keep it properly frozen on your travels, use 5lbs of dry ice in a cooler for every day of travel. Thawed food is good in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freeze-dried pet food is the easiest way to continue feeding your pet raw food while traveling. Moisture is removed from the raw food, creating a shelf-stable, lightweight product.

Check out our freeze-dried dog food and our freeze-dried meals for cats.

Generally, it’s unnecessary to transition between formulas within the same brand. However, we do recommend a gradual transition the first time your pet tries a new protein.

Once you know they do well on the new formula, it can go into their rotation with no transition period in the future.

Learn more about why you should practice rotational feeding your pet.

Steve’s Real Food is versatile—you can use it as a complete meal or integrate it into your pet’s diet.

There are no strict rules. This is food, not a prescription, so choose what works best for your budget and lifestyle!

The more fresh food included in your pet's diet, the better. Studies have highlighted significant health benefits from replacing just 20% of a processed diet with fresh foods.

Learn more about the benefits of raw pet food.

Steve's Real Food Original Formulas offer complete and balanced nutrition for both dogs and cats. These recipes feature 80% meat, organs, and bone, with 15% fresh produce and 5% superfoods.

We also offer Quest Cat Food, a cat-specific line of raw diets. These feature 95% meat, organs, and bone with 5% superfoods.

It isn't always love at first sight (or bite) when you put something new in your pet's bowl. It's normal for some pets to need a longer transition to a new food, but with patience on your end and some tips and tricks, you can make it happen!

Check out our tips for picky dogs and how to transition picky cats to raw food.

There are a few reasons why your vet may not openly support raw feeding, but we have some tips to help drive an open discussion and make your vet feel confident about Steve's Real Food!

Learn how to talk to your vet about raw food.

The variation in color you may notice in our raw pet food is completely normal and is a result of using natural, real food ingredients.

Because we prioritize using unprocessed, whole foods, differences in color, odor, and texture can naturally occur. The color of produce, for instance, can vary based on when it’s harvested. 

Additionally, animals harvested at different ages, during various seasons, and while consuming different diets can influence the color of recipes such as pork, beef, and chicken. They can range from a light tan or grey to a darker red, reflecting the natural diversity in the ingredients we source.

It’s important to understand that these variations are not a cause for concern; rather, they signify that we are using all-natural ingredients and keeping our processing to a minimum. There is no uniformity in nature, embracing these natural differences is integral to our commitment to providing wholesome, unadulterated nutrition for your pets.

Learn more about our ingredients and sourcing.

Raw meat diets are safe to feed your pets when manufactured correctly, and common-sense handling precautions are taken.

At our facility, the safety of our raw pet food is a top priority. We begin by sourcing ingredients from human-grade providers to ensure high-quality standards.

A crucial step in our manufacturing process is the implementation of high-pressure processing (HPP), a cold-water pressure method that effectively eliminates harmful bacteria from the food.

Furthermore, every batch undergoes thorough testing for pathogenic bacteria, and nothing leaves our facility without obtaining negative test results.

At home, treating your pet’s food with the same care as you would raw meat for your family is important. Keep the food at a safe temperature and practice good hygiene by washing hands and surfaces that come in contact with the food.

Following these safe handling practices significantly minimizes the risk associated with feeding raw foods, ensuring the well being of your pets.

Learn more about our raw food safety.

You may be seeing frost instead of freezer burn. Check for the difference between frost and freezer burn:

Frost: Forms when food is frozen, and the moisture creates ice crystals, which can evaporate and condense on the surface. It will resemble “snow” in the bag. These crystals can increase during small temperature fluctuations (even opening a freezer door for a few minutes).

The presence of frost does not indicate that the food has thawed and refrozen. It will not affect the nutritional quality, nor should it compromise taste or texture.

Freezer Burn: This generally occurs when the food is exposed to air in the freezer, leading to the dehydration of the outer layer of the food, which usually takes months and months. Freezer burn manifests as discolored, dried-out patches on the surface of the food.

Freezer burn can affect the food’s taste and texture, making it dry and less flavorful. While it doesn’t pose a health risk, it can lead to a decline in the overall quality of the frozen item.

To avoid freezer burn at home, don’t buy more food than you can use in a couple of months, rotate your stock, prevent long-term exposure to air, and keep your freezer running at its best. Routine defrosting and cleaning of the coils is recommended.

The parasite that causes the most concern in pork is a roundworm called Trichinella spiralis, which can cause the disease trichinosis. It used to be common in the United States, but that was long ago.

Even though the risk is already very low, we take several steps to ensure our pork diets are clean and safe, starting with sourcing from high-quality family farms that raise free-range pigs fed a species-appropriate diet. Our manufacturing process includes high-pressure processing. This cold-water pressure method effectively eliminates pathogens such as harmful bacteria and parasites. Finally, we freeze the pork to temperatures well below what the CDC recommends for killing trichinella and other parasites.

Check out our complete guide to raw pork for dogs.

While many of our ingredients are organic, they don’t all have the certification.

Steve’s Real Food strictly uses 100% certified USDA-inspected raw meats, fruits, and vegetables. All ingredients are non-GMO and free of pesticides, antibiotics, and added hormones.

Our food meets almost every requirement for organic, but the organic certification is too expensive for many of our small farm partners. We prioritize the humane treatment and well-being of farm animals over organic status.

Get the full details about our ingredients and sourcing.

Yes, we solely use GMO-free ingredients.

Learn more about our ingredients and sourcing.

Our meats and poultry are sourced from local US farms. Each farm is vetted to ensure that they are both sustainable and humanely raising their herds - without any added hormones or antibiotics.

Get more information about our ingredients and sourcing.

We ship all frozen foods in a box with an insulated liner using dry ice to keep the food cold. We include enough dry ice to keep the food frozen during transport.

If you receive an order without dry ice and the raw food nuggets still hold their shape, then that means we used the perfect amount of dry ice and the last bit evaporated right before you opened the box.

If there is still dry ice in the box, wear gloves to remove and discard it.

If you meet order minimums, food will ship for free! The order minimums are as follows:

• 5 lb bag bundles: get free shipping
• 20 oz bags of freeze-dried nuggets: buy 3, get free shipping
• 10 oz Quest freeze-dried raw cat food: buy two bundles, get free shipping
• 20 lb box of patties: get free shipping

Due to the perishable nature of the food, we do not accept returns of the product.

If you are dissatisfied for any reason, please contact us as soon as possible after receiving your delivery.

If your order arrives with the food warm to the touch or no longer holding shape, please take photos right away and get in touch with our team.

Our shipping facility is in Tulsa, OK. We ship frozen orders out Mon-Thurs in order of shipping radius. Orders without frozen product (freeze-dried/merchandise) ship in 3-5 business days.

Learn more about how we ship.

We choose liners based on transit time and weather.

During the warmer months, we may opt to use a non-recyclable metallic liner to ensure orders arrive at their destination cold and fresh.

When possible, we prefer to use recycled or recyclable liners that are more eco-friendly; however, they may not perform as well during long transit in hot weather.

Regardless of the liner, we always pack enough dry ice to account for potential short delays.

Get more information on how we ship frozen food.

Raw cat food is an uncooked diet that typically includes raw muscle meat, organs, and bone to mimic a cat's natural prey.

Because it is not cooked, the good bacteria, microbes, phytonutrients, vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, antioxidants all stay intact for your cat's benefit.

Raw dog food usually consists of uncooked ingredients such as meat, organs, and bones. Raw diets for dogs also usually includes fruits and vegetables to balance the diet.

Check out all our raw dog food products.

Cooked pet food is just as it sounds - any food that undergoes some type of cooking (like kibble or canned foods). The high-heat processes of cooked foods alter various essential components in the food. It destroys beneficial elements like good bacteria, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, and more, which are required to be added back into the food in synthetic forms.

Raw pet food is the kind of diet that dogs are cats are biologically hardwired to thrive on. Uncooked food keeps natural, vital nutrients intact.

A raw food diet provides the natural, nutrient-rich meal your cat or dog was designed to eat, supporting their overall well-being from the inside out.

Raw pet food is more easily digestible for better nutrient absorption, and provides bioavailable nutrients to promote healthy skin and coat, steady energy levels, improved digestion, and more!

Learn all the benefits of raw food for pets.

Yes - There is no issue mixing raw food with kibble (or any other type of food).

Freeze-dried dog food is a convenient way to add raw to your pup's meal as a topper!

Absolutely! Feeding your puppy or kitten a raw diet is a fantastic way to give them the healthiest start to life. Raw feeding closely aligns with their natural dietary needs, supporting optimal growth and development.

We recommend beginning with an easy-to-digest protein, such as chicken or turkey.

Check out our comprehensive guide to raw puppy food and our kitten feeding guide.

All our formulas offer complete and balanced nutrition for all life stages, including the growth of large breed puppies.

This means they contain all the nutrients required to help your puppy develop, grow, and thrive.

As a bonus - you won't have to transition foods when they reach adulthood and can keep feeding the same thing!

Check out all our raw foods for puppies and our complete guide to raw puppy food.

Raw food is a great option for dogs with digestive issues.

Heavily processed foods like kibble are harder to digest, and contain fillers and other food additives that can irritate your dog's digestive system.

Fresh, raw foods are much easier to digest and nourish the gut rather than irritate it.

The natural nutrients and enzymes in raw food are very bioavailable, meaning your dog can absorb and use what they eat instead of just passing it through.

Raw fed dogs often have improved digestion, smaller and firmer stools, healthier skin and coat, and increased energy after switching to a raw diet.

Learn all the benefits of raw food for dogs.

We know that fresh, whole foods are better for us than highly processed meals, so why should it be any different for our pets?

A raw food diet provides the natural, nutrient-rich meals dogs and cats were designed to eat, supporting their overall well-being from the inside out.

Check out the many benefits of raw food for dogs and cats.

Many of today's housecats are chronically dehydrated from a diet solely consisting of dry food, which has a detrimental impact to their overall health.

Raw food gives cats the biologically appropriate, moisture-rich nutrition their bodies are designed for.

Learn why you should feed your cat raw food.

We are the official online shop of Steve's Real Food! Check out all our raw dog food.

We also carry Quest Cat Food for our feline friends. Learn more about our raw cat food.

Visit our Store Locator to find a pet store near you that carries Steve's Real Food!

Yes, we offer freeze-dried dog treats great for training, treating, and rewarding!

Protein Bites incorporate the benefits of fermentation, which introduces gut-soothing nutrients, prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics.

You can purchase raw dog food in bulk with our 20lb bulk boxes. Each box contains 40 individual patties and is shipped right to your door!