Get Joy vs Primal: Which Freeze-Dried Raw Is Better for Your Dog's Gut?

Updated: July 2026 · Reviewed against verified competitor data and Get Joy product facts · See our vet & nutrition experts

Both Get Joy and Primal are a genuine step up from standard kibble, so the honest question is not which brand is better in the abstract. It is what the food actually does for your dog once it is in the bowl, and which approach fits your household. If your priority is a published gut-health system and one food that works for every life stage, Get Joy is likely the better fit; if you specifically want a long-established raw brand with certified organic produce and a wide format lineup, Primal is a strong choice.

Here is what most raw comparisons miss. The question is not just how raw a food is or how long a brand has been around. It is what the food actually does for your dog once it is in the bowl. That is where Get Joy takes a different path: we start with the gut, because gut health is whole-body health, and we build our Belly Biotics blend of prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics directly into every meal. Raw is the format. Gut function is the outcome.

What is the main difference between Get Joy and Primal?

The main difference is that Get Joy is built around gut function while Primal is built around a broad raw format lineup with a long category history. Primal has been a respected name in raw feeding for years, offering freeze-dried nuggets, frozen raw, toppers, and its "kibble in the raw," built on muscle and organ meat, ground bone, and certified organic produce. Get Joy focuses on what happens after your dog eats: better digestion, immune support, and a cleaner bowl, powered by biotics built into the food.

There is also a life-stage difference. Get Joy Freeze Dried Raw is a single shelf-stable format formulated for all life stages, including large-breed puppies. Primal's freeze-dried nuggets are generally positioned for adult dogs. So the Get Joy vs Primal decision often comes down to whether you want a gut-first meal that grows with your dog, or a wide-format raw brand with organic produce and deep category history.

Get Joy vs Primal at a glance

Here is the head-to-head on the factors dog parents ask about most.

Which is better for your dog's gut health?

Get Joy is the stronger choice for gut health because it builds a live pre-, pro-, and postbiotic system into every meal and publishes its potency. Our Belly Biotics blend delivers 3 billion CFU per pound across five probiotic strains (Bacillus coagulans, Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. casei, L. reuteri, and Bifidobacterium animalis), plus inulin as a prebiotic and yeast culture as a postbiotic. This is not a sprinkle-on afterthought. It is a structural part of the recipe.

Why does this matter so much? Gut health drives far more than digestion. A balanced microbiome supports immune function, skin and coat, steady energy, and a healthy inflammatory response. Primal does use probiotics as part of how it keeps its freeze-dried food safe, which is a genuine strength, but that is different from a positioned gut-health system with a published meal-level CFU count. If you want the science first, start with Gut Health 101 and our guide to pre, pro, and postbiotics. For the research backdrop, this PubMed collection on the canine gut microbiome is a good starting point.

Which has a stronger gut-health system?

Get Joy has the stronger and more transparent gut-health system in the Get Joy vs Primal comparison. The difference is intent. Primal uses probiotics primarily as part of its natural freeze-dried kill step, and it does not publish a comparable meal-level CFU count aimed at daily gut support. Get Joy builds Belly Biotics in as a complete pre-, pro-, and postbiotic system, designed and published for gut function, at 3 billion CFU per pound.

Think of it as the difference between probiotics that are there to help make the food safe and a biotic system that is there to support your dog's microbiome every single day. Both are legitimate, but if a measurable, gut-first system is what you are after, Get Joy is designed around exactly that outcome.

Which has better ingredients?

Both brands use clean, animal-first ingredients, and Primal deserves real credit here. Primal builds its recipes on muscle and organ meat, ground bone, certified organic produce, and unrefined vitamins and minerals, backed by a long history in raw feeding. That is a quality build with genuine, human-grade sourcing.

Get Joy pairs premium protein with functional gut support and purpose-chosen whole foods. Our Freeze Dried Raw uses 100% USDA-sourced, single-protein beef or chicken with organ meat, plus pumpkin, flaxseed, and the ancient grain sorghum, which is gluten-free and low glycemic. We hold the Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio at no more than 3:1 for anti-inflammatory support, use non-GMO ingredients, and include no seed oils, fillers, byproducts, or artificial anything. The difference is that Get Joy adds a functional gut layer on top of a clean base, and reaches 99% starch digestibility (95%+ gelatinization) with up to 97% nutrient retention for high bioavailability and a smaller, firmer stool.

How do Get Joy and Primal keep freeze-dried raw safe?

This is where Get Joy and Primal actually agree, and it is worth clearing up a common myth. On their freeze-dried lines, both brands use a natural, probiotic-based kill step and neither relies on high-pressure processing (HPP). Get Joy calls its method Competitive Inhibition, an FDA-approved natural kill step. Primal uses a closely related probiotic-based approach it calls competitive exclusion on its freeze-dried nuggets. The mechanism is essentially the same idea.

Here is how it works. Beneficial probiotics claim the space and resources that harmful bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria would need to survive. Picture a dog park where all the good dogs already took the best spots, so the troublemakers have nowhere to go. Get Joy keeps its max product temperature at 125°F and skips HPP, high heat, irradiation, and acidifiers, which preserves nutrients, texture, and probiotics. If you have read that Primal uses HPP, note that HPP applies to its frozen line, not its freeze-dried nuggets. So on freeze-dried safety, this is common ground: two natural, no-HPP approaches that both put beneficial bacteria to work.

Which works for every life stage?

Get Joy is the clear pick for a multi-dog or growing household because Get Joy Freeze Dried Raw is complete and balanced for all life stages, including puppies expected to grow past 70 pounds as adults, which is the toughest AAFCO standard to meet. That means one food from puppyhood through the senior years, with no switching between "puppy" and "adult" formulas. Primal's freeze-dried nuggets are generally positioned for adult dogs, so a household with a growing large-breed puppy would need to look at other options in Primal's lineup. In the Get Joy vs Primal matchup, life-stage flexibility is a meaningful edge for Get Joy.

The final verdict: Get Joy or Primal?

Get Joy is the best choice for dog parents who want a published, gut-first biotic system and one shelf-stable food for every life stage. Primal is a strong, well-established option if a long raw category history and certified organic produce are your top priorities. And the good news for raw fans is that both keep their freeze-dried food safe the natural way, without HPP.

Frequently asked questions

Is Get Joy better than Primal?

For dog parents who care about a published gut-health system and one food for every life stage, Get Joy has an edge because it builds a pre-, pro-, and postbiotic system into every meal at 3 billion CFU per pound and is formulated for all life stages. Primal is a strong choice if you want a long-established raw brand with certified organic produce.

Does Primal use HPP on its freeze-dried food?

No. Primal's freeze-dried nuggets use a natural, probiotic-based kill step it calls competitive exclusion, with no high-pressure processing. HPP applies to Primal's frozen line. Get Joy also skips HPP on its freeze-dried raw, using Competitive Inhibition, so on freeze-dried safety the two brands share common ground.

Does Primal have probiotics in the food?

Primal uses probiotics as part of how it keeps its freeze-dried food safe, but it does not publish a comparable meal-level CFU count. Get Joy builds Belly Biotics into every meal at a published 3 billion CFU per pound across five strains, as a positioned daily gut-health system.

Is Get Joy good for puppies?

Yes. Get Joy Freeze Dried Raw is complete and balanced for all life stages, including puppies expected to weigh more than 70 pounds as adults. Primal's freeze-dried nuggets are generally positioned for adult dogs.

Can I use Get Joy as a topper?

Yes. Get Joy Freeze Dried Raw works as a complete meal, a topper over your dog's current food, or a training reward. Even a small daily scoop adds real raw nutrition and gut support.

Competitor details (formats, freeze-dried safety approach, life-stage positioning, organic produce) are drawn from Primal's own website and public retailer listings as of July 2026; prices and specs can change, so confirm current details on each brand's site. Get Joy figures are from getjoyfood.com and internal product documentation. This article is for education and is not veterinary advice; consult your vet for your dog's individual needs.