When you’re shopping for the best meat grinder for raw dog food, you already know the math that matters. Store-bought raw food costs a fortune, the bags never quite match the recipe you want, and the ingredient list always has one thing you would rather leave out. A meat grinder pays for itself fast. But grinding dog food is not the same as grinding burger meat once a month — it is a weekly job, the batches are bigger, and sooner or later the bone question comes up.
The bone question is the whole game here. Most home meat grinders are not rated for bones, and the manufacturers are blunt about it. Feed the wrong bones (or any bones) through a grinder that was not built for them and you get a jammed machine, a stripped gear, and a warranty that no longer applies. Only two grinders on this list are rated by their makers for any kind of bone, and even then only soft raw poultry bones. Everything else here is a meat-only pick, which is still plenty if you add calcium separately through bone meal, eggshell powder, or whole raw meaty bones on the side.
Here is what we looked for in every pick: honest bone capability (manufacturer-rated, not forum rumors), enough power and cooling for weekly sessions, easy cleanup (pet food means you clean like you mean it), and coarse plates that make the chunky grinds dogs do best on. Prices move around, so we skip them here. Every pick is linked below.
One safety note up front, because it matters more than any product pick: never feed cooked bones, and never grind hard bones like beef or pork leg bones. The bone-safety section below spells out the rules. Read it before you grind anything.
- Best overall: STX Turboforce II 4000. The only linked pick here that STX rates for soft raw poultry bones (chicken, rabbit, quail), with a 2000W max motor, air cooling for long sessions, and a 3-year warranty.
- Meat-only powerhouse: Weston Pro Series 1500W. A 2 HP commercial-grade build that chews through 12 to 18 lbs per minute, backed by a 5-year warranty. Strictly boneless.
- Bone-capable upgrade: LEM Big Bite #12. A 0.75 HP all-metal machine that LEM says handles chicken bones, with a 5-year warranty. No direct link available, so search the name on Amazon.
- Budget boneless pick: Sunmile SM-G73. A 1000W max, ETL-certified grinder that handles weekly meat-only batches for far less than the big names.
- Starter pick: Gourmia GMG525. The cheapest way to find out if weekly grinding is for you before spending real money.
- The golden rule: soft raw poultry bones only. Never cooked bones, never hard bones like beef or pork leg.
Best Meat Grinder for Raw Dog Food: Top Picks at a Glance
STX Turboforce II 4000
STX rates it for soft raw poultry bones. 2000W max, air-cooled, foot pedal in the box.
Weston Pro Series 1500W
2 HP commercial build, 12-18 lbs per minute, 5-year warranty. Boneless batches only.
Sunmile SM-G73
1000W max, ETL certified. Handles weekly boneless grinds for one or two dogs.
Gourmia GMG525
The cheapest way to test raw feeding. Small batches, boneless, reverse switch included.
Detailed Reviews
1 STX Turboforce II 4000
Best OverallThis is the grinder we would hand to a raw feeder first, and the reason is simple. It is the rare home grinder whose manufacturer actually rates it for bones. STX says the Turboforce II 4000 handles soft raw bones from chicken, rabbit, squirrel, and quail. That is a short list on purpose. No beef bones, no pork leg bones, nothing frozen. But if your raw recipe includes ground chicken frames or rabbit, this is the machine built for it.
Beyond the bone rating, it is built for the weekly grind in the literal sense. The patented Quad Air Induction Cooling keeps the motor cool during long sessions, which is exactly when cheaper grinders start to fade. Owners report pushing through big batches of chicken quarters and turkey without the slowdown you get from smaller machines. The #12 head moves a lot of meat fast (STX lists 220 to 260 lbs per hour in some materials and 175 to 225 in others, either way it is quick), and the included foot pedal is a small luxury that becomes a big one when both hands are full of raw meat.
Five grinding plates and three blades give you real control over texture, from fine to coarse. The 3-year warranty is solid for this class.
Who it is for: raw feeders who grind bone-in poultry weekly and want a manufacturer-rated machine for it. Who should skip: anyone grinding only boneless meat can save money with the Weston or Sunmile below. And if your recipe calls for ground beef bones, no home grinder on this list does that safely.
| Motor | 2000W max |
| Grinding Head | #12 |
| Bone Rating | Soft raw poultry bones (STX rated) |
| Throughput | 220-260 lbs/hour |
| Extras | 5 plates + 3 blades, foot pedal included |
| Warranty | 3 years |
- Manufacturer-rated for soft raw poultry bones
- Air-cooled motor for long weekly sessions
- Foot pedal included, great for hands-full work
- 5 plates and 3 blades for texture control
- 3-year warranty
- No hard bones, no beef or pork leg bones
- Not rated for frozen meat
- Overkill if you grind boneless only
2 Weston Pro Series 1500W
Meat-Only PowerhouseThe Weston Pro Series is the commercial-grade bruiser of this list. At 2 HP and 12 to 18 lbs of meat per minute, it is the fastest grinder here by a wide margin, and the stainless steel construction is the kind of thing you buy once and hand down. Owners report grinding case-lot quantities of meat in a single session without breaking a sweat. If your raw feeding operation looks more like meal prep for three large dogs, this is the muscle.
The honest framing: Weston does not market this grinder for bones, so we treat it as meat-only. That is not a flaw, it is a lane. Plenty of raw feeders grind boneless meat and add calcium separately, and for that workflow the Weston is close to overkill-proof. The built-in knife sharpener is a genuinely useful touch, since a sharp blade is what keeps grinds clean instead of smeared, and the reverse function clears the occasional jam without taking the head apart.
The 5-year warranty on the Pro Series line is the longest here, which tells you how Weston feels about its lifespan.
Who it is for: multi-dog households and bulk buyers who grind large boneless batches weekly and want a buy-it-for-decades machine. Who should skip: anyone who needs to grind bones. Look at the STX 4000 or the LEM #12 instead.
| Motor | 1500W / 2 HP, commercial-grade |
| Throughput | 12-18 lbs per minute |
| Build | Heavy-duty stainless steel |
| Bone Rating | Meat only (not marketed for bones) |
| Extras | Sausage stuffing kit, built-in knife sharpener, reverse |
| Warranty | 5 years |
- Fastest throughput on this list by far
- Commercial-grade stainless steel build
- Built-in knife sharpener keeps grinds clean
- Longest warranty here at 5 years
- Not rated for bones, meat only
- Heavy and a real countertop commitment
- Overkill for one small dog
3 LEM Big Bite #12
Bone-Capable UpgradeLEM is the name hunters and homesteaders reach for when they outgrow consumer grinders, and the Big Bite #12 is the sweet spot of the line. The headline for raw feeders: LEM says this machine handles chicken bones, and owners report grinding raw chicken frames for dog food with it regularly. It is the second bone-capable option on this list, aimed at people who want all-metal gears and a 5-year warranty behind the claim.
At roughly 11 lbs per minute through a #12 head, it keeps pace with the STX 4000 on throughput, and the all-metal gear train is built for years of weekly sessions. The tradeoff is weight and simplicity. At 33 to 38 lbs it is a countertop commitment, not something you haul in and out of a cabinet. It also has no reverse function, so you clear jams the old-fashioned way, by taking the head apart. Owners say that happens rarely if you keep the meat cold and trim sinew, but it is worth knowing before you buy.
We could not verify a stable Amazon listing for this one, so there is no buy button below.
Who it is for: raw feeders who want LEM’s commercial build and a bone-capable #12 with a 5-year warranty. Who should skip: anyone who wants a reverse function, or who would rather have the STX 4000’s foot pedal and lighter footprint.
| Motor | 0.75 HP |
| Grinding Head | #12 |
| Throughput | ~11 lbs per minute |
| Gears | All-metal |
| Bone Rating | Chicken bones (per LEM) |
| Warranty | 5 years |
- LEM rates it for chicken bones
- All-metal gears built for years of weekly use
- 5-year warranty
- Strong throughput at ~11 lbs/min
- No reverse function
- Heavy at 33-38 lbs
- No verified Amazon listing right now
Search “LEM Big Bite #12” on Amazon for the current listing.
4 Sunmile SM-G73
Budget PickNot every raw feeder needs bones in the grind. If your recipe is boneless meat plus a separate calcium source, the Sunmile SM-G73 does the weekly job for a fraction of the big names’ cost. It is a 1000W max (600W rated) machine with a #8 head that moves about 185 lbs per hour, roughly 3 lbs a minute. For one or two medium dogs, that is a comfortable weekly session.
Owners report it handles chicken thighs, turkey, and beef trim without complaint as long as the meat is cold and cut into reasonable chunks. The ON/OFF/REVERSE switch is a real asset at this price, since reverse clears most clogs without disassembly. ETL certification means it passed independent safety testing, which matters when a machine runs weekly in your kitchen.
The limits are honest ones. The #8 head is smaller than the #12s above, so big batches take longer, and it is strictly boneless. The 1-year warranty is the shortest here. But as a budget entry into raw feeding, it has thousands of Amazon ratings behind it for a reason.
Who it is for: budget-minded raw feeders grinding boneless meat weekly for one or two dogs. Who should skip: anyone grinding bones, or anyone feeding multiple large dogs who would outgrow the #8 head fast.
| Motor | 1000W max (600W rated) |
| Grinding Head | #8 |
| Throughput | ~185 lbs per hour |
| Bone Rating | Boneless only |
| Extras | 3 plates, sausage stuffing attachment, reverse |
| Warranty | 1 year |
- Great value for weekly boneless grinding
- Reverse switch clears clogs without disassembly
- ETL certified for safety
- Thousands of Amazon ratings
- Boneless only, no bone grinding
- #8 head is slow for big batches
- 1-year warranty is the shortest here
5 Gourmia GMG525
Starter PickThe Gourmia GMG525 is the lowest-risk way to find out if weekly grinding is actually for you. It is a 500W rated (1000W max) machine, the smallest motor on this list, and it is priced like it. For a raw feeder just starting out, or someone grinding for one small dog, it gets the job done.
It ships with three grinding plates, a sausage horn, and a kubbe attachment, plus a recipe book, which is more extras than you would expect at this level. Owners report it handles boneless chicken and turkey fine in modest batches. The reverse switch helps when it bogs down, and it will bog down sooner than the bigger machines here. That is the deal: small batches, cold meat, patience.
Treat it as a trial run, not a forever machine. If you are still grinding happily in six months, upgrade to the STX 4000 or the Weston. If raw feeding turns out not to be your thing, you are out very little.
Who it is for: beginners and single-small-dog households testing the raw-feeding waters. Who should skip: anyone with big dogs, big batches, or any interest in bones. This is strictly boneless, small-batch territory.
| Motor | 500W rated (1000W max) |
| Plates | 3 (fine, medium, coarse) |
| Bone Rating | Boneless only |
| Extras | Sausage horn, kubbe attachment, recipe book, reverse |
| Warranty | 1 year |
- Cheapest entry point on this list
- Good extras: sausage horn, kubbe, recipe book
- Reverse switch included
- Fine for small boneless batches
- Smallest motor here, bogs down sooner
- Boneless only, small batches only
- A trial machine, not a forever machine
Quick Comparison
| STX Turboforce II 4000 | 2000W max, #12 head | Soft raw poultry bones (STX rated) | Best overall for raw feeders |
| Weston Pro Series 1500W | 1500W / 2 HP | Meat only | Fastest throughput, 5-yr warranty |
| LEM Big Bite #12 | 0.75 HP, #12 head | Chicken bones (per LEM) | All-metal gears, bone-capable upgrade |
| Sunmile SM-G73 | 1000W max (600W rated), #8 | Boneless only | Budget weekly grinder |
| Gourmia GMG525 | 500W rated (1000W max) | Boneless only | Cheapest way to start |
Bone Safety: The Rules That Matter
This section is more important than any product pick. Grinding bones wrong can hurt your dog and wreck your grinder, so here are the rules raw-feeding communities and manufacturers agree on.
- Only soft, raw poultry bones. Ever. Chicken, rabbit, quail, and squirrel bones are the approved list. These are thin, hollow, and grindable. Cooked bones are never okay: cooking makes bones brittle, and brittle bones splinter into sharp shards instead of grinding cleanly. This applies to feeding whole bones too, not just grinding.
- Never grind hard bones. Beef bones, pork leg bones, and other weight-bearing bones are far too dense for any home grinder on this list, including the bone-capable ones. Both STX and LEM draw the line here, and crossing it is how gears get stripped. If your recipe needs beef bone content, use bone meal instead.
- Thaw everything first. Neither bone-capable pick is rated for frozen meat or frozen bones. Grind thawed, and keep it cold: partially frozen (around 28 to 32F) meat grinds cleaner than warm meat, but fully frozen is a jam waiting to happen.
- Use a coarse plate for bones, and cut pieces small. A coarse grind puts less strain on the machine than forcing bones through a fine plate. One-inch chunks feed better than big slabs.
- Know which grinders are NOT for bones. STX is explicit that the Turboforce 3000, great grinder otherwise, is not for bones. The Weston Pro Series is not marketed for bones either, so treat it as meat-only. The bone-capable list on this page is exactly two machines: the STX Turboforce II 4000 (soft poultry bones per STX) and the LEM Big Bite #12 (chicken bones per LEM).
- When in doubt, go bigger and ask your vet. Bone content is usually around 10 percent of a raw diet by most raw-feeding guidelines, but ratios, calcium needs, and transition plans are vet conversations, not grinder-manufacturer conversations. If you are unsure whether a bone is safe, the answer is no.
What Raw Feeders Should Look For in a Grinder
- Weekly duty changes the math. A grinder that handles a holiday burger batch twice a year is not the same as one that runs every Sunday. For weekly use, cooling matters (the STX 4000’s air induction system exists for exactly this), metal gears outlast plastic ones, and a longer warranty is worth real money. This is why the cheapest grinder is rarely the cheapest over two years.
- Head size should match your batch. A #12 head (the STX models and the LEM) moves serious volume and suits multi-dog households. A #8 head (the Sunmile) is fine for one or two dogs but turns big batches into long sessions. Bigger heads also leave more meat in the auger per batch, so do not oversize for a single small dog.
- Reverse saves sessions. Sinew and silverskin wrap around blades and cause most jams. A reverse function (every pick here except the LEM) clears most clogs with a short burst instead of a full disassembly. If you buy the LEM, trim sinew carefully and keep everything cold.
- Cleanup is a safety issue, not a chore issue. Raw pet food carries the same bacteria risks as raw human food. Wash every part that touched meat in hot soapy water right after each session, dry everything fully before storing (damp steel rusts), and never put the motor housing in water. Owners who grind weekly tend to favor machines that come apart and go back together fast.
- Plate selection matters for dogs. Most raw feeders use a coarse plate for the main grind. Dogs do not need fine-ground meat, and a coarse plate is easier on the grinder’s motor. Save the fine plates for special recipes.
Our Verdict
The STX Turboforce II 4000 is our pick for raw dog food. It is the only grinder here with both an Amazon buy link and a manufacturer bone rating, it is built for long weekly sessions with air-cooled motor design, and the foot pedal and 3-year warranty round out a package that fits raw feeding like it was designed for it. If you grind boneless meat in serious volume, the Weston Pro Series 1500W is the commercial-grade alternative with the longest warranty on the page. And if LEM’s all-metal build speaks to you, the Big Bite #12 is the bone-capable upgrade worth searching for. Whichever you choose, follow the bone rules above and your grinder will last years instead of months.