Is We Feed Raw or Smallbatch better for dogs?

Effectively tied at A/90 vs A/90 on the v15 rubric. We Feed Raw leads with explicit 80/10/10 PMR ratio adherence, PhD veterinary nutritionist oversight, frozen-raw format, beef-based recipe, and DTC subscription with six-variant rotation. Smallbatch leads with true prey-model carcass portions (skinless chicken necks + chicken backs), twelve USDA-certified-organic produce ingredients, Pacific NW family-batch production, and glycinate-form trace mineral supplementation in freeze-dried format. Pick We Feed Raw for PMR ratio adherence and subscription convenience. Pick Smallbatch for true prey-model carcass-portion feeding and organic produce breadth.

What are prey-model carcass portions and why do they matter?

Prey-model carcass portions are actual whole-prey-animal cuts (necks, backs, wings, feet) where bone and attached meat are still in their structural carcass configuration — rather than ground bone integrated into muscle meat for processability. Necks and backs are the meaty-bone cuts that prey-model raw feeders specifically target because they replicate the dental and digestive workload of consuming whole prey: dogs chew through skin, meat, cartilage, and small bones, which provides dental cleaning, jaw exercise, and natural calcium-to-phosphorus consumption. Few commercial brands include true carcass portions because they’re harder to process and portion consistently. Smallbatch’s skinless chicken necks + chicken backs at primary positions is structurally rare and represents the closest commercial approximation of DIY prey-model feeding.

What's the difference between glycinate and sulfate trace minerals?

Both are forms of trace mineral supplementation that meet AAFCO completeness requirements, but they differ substantially in bioavailability. Glycinate-form minerals (zinc glycinate, copper glycinate, manganese glycinate) are chelated to glycine, the smallest amino acid — chelation pairs the mineral with an amino acid carrier that protects it through the digestive tract and delivers it directly to the absorption sites. Glycinates have the highest absorption efficiency among chelated forms (typically 70-90% absorption). Sulfate-form minerals (zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate) are unchelated salt forms with substantially lower absorption (typically 20-40%). Smallbatch uses glycinate forms; We Feed Raw uses sulfate forms. The whole-food meat content in both brands supplies substantial bioavailable mineral content, so the supplementation-form difference is incremental rather than primary, but glycinate is the more bioavailable form.

We Feed Raw vs Smallbatch: Which Is Better for Your Dog?

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The short answer: Effectively tied at A/90 vs A/90 on the v15 rubric. Both are A-tier raw recipes from independent US brands with deep whole-prey-model commitment. We Feed Raw is frozen raw with explicit 80/10/10 prey-model ratio (beef + organs + beef necks with bone), PhD veterinary nutritionist formulation oversight, and DTC subscription with protein-rotation across six variants. Smallbatch is freeze-dried raw with skinless chicken necks + chicken backs as the primary positions (true prey-model carcass portions, not ground bone), plus twelve USDA-certified-organic produce ingredients and Pacific NW family-batch production. Pick on protein (beef vs chicken), format (frozen vs freeze-dried), and whole-prey-cut philosophy (ground bone vs intact carcass portions).

The scores

We Feed Raw Beef Recipe Frozen Raw: A (90/100) — Beef, Beef Heart, Beef Liver, Beef Kidney, Beef Necks (with bone).

Smallbatch Freeze-Dried Raw Chicken Sliders: A (90/100) — Skinless Chicken Necks, Chicken Backs, Chicken, Chicken Livers, Chicken Gizzards.

How the ingredients compare

The top-five ingredients reveal the formulation split between these two products:

We Feed Raw: Beef, Beef Heart, Beef Liver, Beef Kidney, Beef Necks (with bone)

Smallbatch: Skinless Chicken Necks, Chicken Backs, Chicken, Chicken Livers, Chicken Gizzards

Both products earn effectively the same v15 score, but the ingredient lineups tell different stories about how they got there — that is where the actual pick decision lives.

Where We Feed Raw pulls ahead

Explicit 80/10/10 prey-model ratio + PhD veterinary nutritionist oversight + DTC subscription with six-variant rotation: We Feed Raw is formulated to the classic PMR ratio under PhD veterinary nutritionist oversight specifically, with DTC subscription customization across Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Pork, Lamb, and Combo variants. Smallbatch is whole-prey-model but doesn’t name the explicit 80/10/10 ratio in product communications, and the brand uses small-batch retail distribution rather than DTC subscription. For owners specifically wanting PMR ratio adherence with subscription convenience, We Feed Raw is the structurally aligned pick. Shop on Amazon →

Frozen-raw format retains maximum nutritional intactness: We Feed Raw is frozen raw — no sublimation step. Smallbatch is freeze-dried raw — the sublimation drying preserves substantially more structure than kibble extrusion or air-drying but is one process step removed from purely frozen raw. For owners specifically prioritizing maximum nutritional preservation, frozen raw sits one rung higher on the format-preservation hierarchy.

Beef-based recipe for owners avoiding chicken: We Feed Raw Beef Recipe is beef-based — appropriate for dogs with chicken protein sensitivities or owners following protein-rotation diets that include beef. Smallbatch’s Chicken Sliders are chicken-based; the brand offers other protein variants but the Chicken Sliders are the widely-distributed default. For owners specifically wanting beef-based raw recipe, We Feed Raw is structurally aligned.

Where Smallbatch holds its own

True prey-model carcass portions (skinless chicken necks + chicken backs as primary positions): Smallbatch leads with skinless chicken necks + chicken backs at positions #1-#2 — structurally meaningful because these are actual whole-prey-cut carcass portions (necks and backs are the bone-and-attached-meat sections that prey-model raw feeders specifically target), not ground bone in muscle meat. Few commercial brands include whole-prey-cut carcass portions; most use ground bone integrated with muscle meat for processability. For owners specifically prioritizing true prey-model carcass-portion feeding (the gold standard for PMR / raw feeding philosophy), Smallbatch is structurally specialized. Shop on Amazon →

Twelve USDA-certified-organic produce ingredients: Smallbatch includes twelve USDA-certified-organic produce ingredients (organic carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, broccoli, kale, collards, parsley, blueberry, kelp, garlic, wheatgrass, rosemary, basil). Few raw brands run their entire produce section as certified organic — the certification is a higher input-quality standard than “natural” or unverified produce sourcing. We Feed Raw is strict PMR with no vegetables; organic produce inclusion is structurally absent.

Pacific NW small-batch family production + chelated trace minerals + glycinate-form minerals: Smallbatch is produced by a Pacific NW family-owned operation with regional sourcing. The supplement section uses zinc glycinate, copper glycinate, and manganese glycinate — the highest-bioavailability chelated form (glycinates are chelated to glycine, the smallest amino acid, which has the highest absorption efficiency). We Feed Raw uses sulfate-form trace minerals, which are 30-60% less bioavailable. For owners specifically prioritizing single-source Pacific NW family production and glycinate-form supplementation, Smallbatch is the structural pick.

The bottom line

Effectively tied at A/90 vs A/90 — the pick comes down to feeding-philosophy specifics, format, and protein. Pick We Feed Raw for explicit 80/10/10 PMR ratio adherence, PhD veterinary nutritionist formulation oversight, frozen-raw maximum nutritional preservation, beef-based recipe, and DTC subscription with six-variant protein rotation. Pick Smallbatch for true prey-model carcass portions (skinless chicken necks + chicken backs as primary positions), twelve USDA-certified-organic produce ingredients, Pacific NW family-batch production transparency, glycinate-form trace mineral supplementation, and freeze-dried shelf-stable convenience without freezer storage.