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Crave vs Primal

Crave vs. Primal

In this comparison article for Crave vs Primal, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Crave and Primal, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.

Throughout this Primal vs Crave comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Crave Review Page or Primal Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Primal vs. Crave

According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.

All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.

Crave Dog Food vs. Primal Dog Food

Dry Dog FoodCravePrimal
Crude Protein37.8%48.0%
Crude Fat18.9%26.7%
Crude Fiber4.0%4.6%
Wet/Canned Dog FoodCravePrimal
Crude Protein53.7%49.5%
Crude Fat26.4%28.4%
Crude Fiber4.5%5.3%

Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food

Dogs require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Twelve of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining ten are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these ten essential amino acids.

On average, Primal dry dog food recipes contain 10.21% more protein than Crave recipes. Clearly, there is a significant difference between the protein content of Crave and Primal. For wet dog foods, Crave provides more protein (about 4.17% more).


Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food

Like protein, fats are an essential part of a dog's body. Fats are needed for the proper development and function of the canine body.

The table shows that Crave provides far less fat than Primal. The difference in fat content is roughly 7.82%. For wet dog foods, Primal and Crave provide roughly the same amount of fat.


As you can see, Crave and Primal guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet dog food, Primal and Crave also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Crave Cat Food vs. Primal Cat Food

Dry Cat FoodCravePrimal
Crude Protein44.7%50.1%
Crude Fat19.6%24.0%
Crude Fiber4.7%4.8%
Wet/Canned Cat FoodCravePrimal
Crude Protein53.0%54.6%
Crude Fat26.4%25.4%
Crude Fiber4.9%4.1%

Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food

Cats require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Eleven of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining eleven are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these eleven essential amino acids.

Our analysis shows that Primal guarantees 5.48% more protein than Crave dry cat food recipes. For wet cat foods, Primal and Crave provide roughly the same amount of protein.


Crude Fat Comparison For Cat Food

There are many ways in which dietary fat contributes to the overall health of our feline friends. Here is a short list of benefits provided by fats (not exhaustive):

  • Help transport nutrients across cell membranes
  • Fats produce metabolites, which help control inflammation
  • Maintain healthy blood pressure
  • Slow the growth of yeast infections
  • Fats improve the taste/texture of food.

There is a relatively large difference between the fat content of Primal and Crave. On average, Crave dry cat food recipes contain 4.48% less fat than Primal recipes. For wet cat foods, Crave and Primal provide roughly the same amount of fat.


Crave and Primal both provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet cat food, Crave and Primal also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Crave Pet Food Ingredients vs. Primal Pet Food Ingredients

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Crave.

Pea Protein
Pork Plasma
Caramel Color
Tomato Pomace

We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Crave.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Crave & Primal?

According to our records, Crave has never been recalled.

Primal has been recalled 2 times.

  • March 13, 2015: low thiamine level
  • Dec. 22, 2017: incorrect bone grind size

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog FoodCravePrimal
Per Pound$2.37$45.57
Per Calorie$0.0014$0.0227
Dry Cat FoodCravePrimal
Per Pound$3.58$45.93
Per Calorie$0.0021$0.0230

The average cost-per-lb is heavily influenced by the varying amounts of moisture present in each brand's food products (wet vs. dry food, dry vs. freeze-dried food, etc). However, the average cost-per-kcal eliminates the influence of moisture. Therefore, the average cost-per-kcal is the better metric to consider.

If you'd like to calculate the average cost-per-day or cost-pet-year of feeding Crave or Primal, input your pet's weight into our cost analyzer widget.

Averages price data can identify whether or not there exists a significant price difference between two brands. However, the actual price that you'll pay for Crave or Primal will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Crave and Primal. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.


Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!

Where To Buy Crave Pet Foods

You can purchase Crave pet foods from the following stores:


7 Recipes In-Stock Today

7 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Primal Pet Foods

You can purchase Primal pet food products from these retailers:


15 Recipes In-Stock Today

20 Recipes In-Stock Today

15 Recipes In-Stock Today

14 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductCravePrimal
Dry Dog Food4 RecipesNone
Wet Dog Food8 RecipesNone
Dog TreatsNone6 Treats
Dry Cat Food5 RecipesNone
Wet Cat Food10 RecipesNone
Cat TreatsNoneNone

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Top Rated Primal Recipes

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