FOUR LEAF ROVER Meat Mixer Freeze-dried Dog Food Mix, 2.73 lb, grass-fed beef

Freeze-dried dog food mix arrives as a powder in a 2.75 lb (44 oz) bag, and grass-finished beef organs and bone make up more than half of what is inside. It is a mixer rather than a complete meal on its own: ground meat from a butcher or grocery store gets worked in before serving. Beef, turkey, lamb and other proteins all work, so one bag covers a range of meals.

A beef and organ base with organic vegetables alongside

Beef bone, beef liver and beef heart from grass-fed cattle are freeze-dried into the mix, and together they make up over 50% of the product. Organic broccoli, kelp, mushrooms, kale, parsley and ginger complete the recipe. The brand describes the nutrients as coming from those organs, bone and vegetables rather than from a vitamin premix.

The vegetables are included for the fibre and antioxidants they provide, as the manufacturer describes it. Because the bag is a mix, it is designed to be paired with meat you supply rather than fed as the whole bowl.

The ingredient list in the bag

Beef bone, beef liver and beef heart lead the ingredient list, all from grass-fed cattle. The vegetable side is organic: broccoli, kelp, mushrooms, kale, parsley and ginger. No vitamin premix appears in the list, which is what the brand points to when it says the nutrients come from whole foods.

The brand says that when prepared according to the directions, the food uses 100% whole foods and satisfies or goes beyond AAFCO nutritional requirements, with the final product containing less than 5% carbohydrate. Those two figures apply to the finished meal after your ground meat goes in, not to the powder alone.

Will this mix suit your dog and your kitchen?

How much ground meat does the bag need?

Part of the bag makes a single meal; a full bag goes further, taking either 10 pounds or 25 pounds of ground meat depending on how much you want to prepare at once.

Which proteins can I add?

The brand lists beef, turkey, lamb or other proteins, and says you can rotate proteins as often as you like.

Can I feed it to a dog that cannot eat raw meat?

The manufacturer states the food can be served raw or gently cooked, and names gently cooked as the option for dogs who can't eat raw.

What do I do with the mixed food?

After mixing, the directions are to portion and freeze the food.

What ages and sizes is the mix for?

The brand describes the mix as suitable for dogs of every age and size.

Mixing, cooking and freezing the food

To use the bag, work ground meat from a butcher or grocery store into the powder and combine until you reach the amount you want to make. You can prepare one meal at a time, or use the entire bag at once with either 10 pounds or 25 pounds of ground meat. Once mixed, portion the food and freeze it.

Dogs who can't eat raw can have the finished food gently cooked instead, while raw serving stays an option for the rest. Ground beef, turkey, lamb and other proteins are all listed for the mix, and the brand leaves the choice of protein open from meal to meal. The bag measures 11 x 2.4 x 7.5 inches and weighs 44 ounces.