Yupp Mini MuttBalls Fish Raw Dog Food Deal Review: Worth It at 52% Off?

Yes — at $3.36 down from $6.99 (52% off), the Yupp Mini MuttBalls Fish raw dog food is worth grabbing if you want a portion-controlled, single-protein fish format for rotation feeding, kibble topping, or a low-commitment first try at raw. You save $3.63 per pack. Sale pricing can change, so confirm today's price on the product page.

That's the short version. The longer version matters more if you've never bought frozen raw before, because format — not just ingredients — decides whether a raw product actually gets used or sits freezer-burned behind the peas. Below we walk through the buying criteria we use on the floor, four raw options worth considering from our raw dog food collection, and a head-to-head between the two we recommend most often.

What actually matters when you buy frozen raw dog food

The four things that determine whether a frozen raw product is a good buy are portion format, protein source and rotation value, nutritional completeness under AAFCO life-stage profiles, and freezer footprint. Price per pack is the last thing to look at, not the first.

Portion format. Mini-ball or nugget formats let you feed by count instead of hacking at a frozen block. For a dog eating 2–3% of body weight daily, that's the difference between a two-minute prep and a five-minute one. A 50 lb dog on full raw needs roughly 1–1.5 lbs of food per day, split across two meals; a 15 lb dog needs closer to 4.8–7.2 oz. Small balls scale down cleanly for both.

Protein source. Fish is a genuinely useful rotation protein. It's naturally rich in omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), and it's a novel protein for most dogs who've spent their lives on chicken and beef. If you're rotating proteins to reduce the odds of a fixed-ingredient sensitivity developing, fish earns its place in the freezer. Peer-reviewed veterinary nutrition literature indexed on PubMed has looked repeatedly at EPA/DHA supplementation for canine skin and joint outcomes — worth a read before you decide how much fish belongs in the rotation.

Completeness vs. complementary. This is where people get tripped up. Some raw products are formulated as complete-and-balanced meals meeting AAFCO nutrient profiles for a stated life stage; others are labelled complementary and meant for topping or supplemental feeding. The label tells you which. For reference, AAFCO's adult maintenance profile sets a minimum of 18% crude protein and 5.5% crude fat on a dry-matter basis, while growth and reproduction profiles require 22.5% protein and 8.5% fat. Always read the guaranteed analysis panel and the nutritional adequacy statement rather than assuming.

Freezer footprint and price behaviour. Raw is heavy and bulky. Smaller packs are easier to trial, easier to store, and easier to write off if your dog turns their nose up. That's exactly why a 52%-off small format is a smart entry point rather than committing to a 20 lb case of something untested.

How much should you actually budget for raw feeding?

Raw feeding runs more per calorie than dry kibble, which is why most GTA households we serve do partial raw. A common pattern: kibble as the base at breakfast, raw as 20–30% of daily calories at dinner. That keeps costs manageable while still delivering the moisture content — typically 65–75% in frozen raw versus roughly 10% in dry food — that many owners are chasing.

The picks: raw and raw-adjacent options worth buying right now

These are the four formats we point customers toward most, ordered by how easily a first-time raw buyer can succeed with them. The Yupp fish sale sits at the top precisely because the barrier to trying it is so low.

1. Yupp Mini MuttBalls Fish — $3.36 (reg. $6.99, 52% off). Pre-portioned mini raw balls in a single fish protein. The small-ball format is the selling point: you can thaw exactly what you need, feed two or three as a topper, or scale up for a full raw meal without breaking apart a frozen slab. At this price it's the cheapest low-risk way to find out whether your dog even likes raw fish.
2. Big Country Raw frozen blends. A Canadian raw maker with a wide protein range, which is what you want once your dog is established on raw and you're rotating. Bulk cartons bring the per-meal cost down considerably compared to trial-size packs, and the brand's breadth makes protein rotation straightforward.
3. Red Dog Blue Kat. Another Canadian raw producer we stock, useful for owners who want carefully formulated whole-prey-style recipes rather than a plain grind. Good option when you've already confirmed your dog tolerates raw well and you want to move to a complete diet.
4. Stella & Chewy's or Primal freeze-dried raw. Not frozen, but nutritionally raw. Shelf-stable, travel-friendly, and no thaw time — the format we recommend to condo owners with a single freezer drawer. Browse the freeze-dried dog food range if freezer space is your real constraint.
5. ZIWI air-dried. The compromise pick. Air-dried at low temperature, dense in animal ingredients, and it feeds like kibble. Pet owners tell us this is what finally got a picky senior eating consistently after frozen raw was rejected.

Our team recommends starting with option one and only scaling up after two weeks of clean stools and steady appetite. In our store we see the same mistake weekly: someone buys a full case of raw, the dog gets loose stool from a too-fast transition, and the case ends up abandoned. A $3.36 trial pack prevents that entirely.

Yupp Mini MuttBalls Fish vs. Big Country Raw: which should you buy?

Choose Yupp Mini MuttBalls Fish if you're trialling raw, topping kibble, or feeding a small dog. Choose Big Country Raw if your dog is already established on raw and you're feeding full meals daily, where bulk pricing and protein variety matter far more than pack size.

The honest answer for most households is both. Bulk raw for daily calories, mini balls for the days you're short on thaw time or want to rotate in a fish protein. During a Toronto February — when nobody wants to plan dinner around a frozen block that needed 24 hours in the fridge — the small format quietly becomes the one you reach for after a cold loop around Downsview Park.

Our store at 1111A Finch Ave W, Unit 2, North York, ON M3J 2P7 is open 7 AM to 11 PM daily, with local delivery available via DoorDash and other apps.

If you're tracking markdowns generally, our clearance sale and cat deals pages move faster than the blog does. We've reviewed a couple of other steep discounts recently too — see the Farmina dental treats deal review at 57% off and the Yaky Charms cheese popcorn chew review if you're stocking up on dog treats at the same time.

Questions buyers ask about the Yupp fish sale

Is the Yupp fish sale actually worth it at 52% off?

At $3.36 versus the regular $6.99, you save $3.63 per pack — a real 52% reduction, not a marked-up-then-marked-down discount. It's worth it if you want a low-cost way to test raw feeding or add a fish protein to your rotation. Sale prices change, so check the product page before ordering.

Where it isn't worth it: if your dog has a diagnosed fish allergy, if your vet has advised against raw for a household with immunocompromised members, or if you simply have no freezer space. In those cases put the money toward freeze-dried instead.

How many Mini MuttBalls should I feed my dog?

Feed by weight, not by eye. Adult dogs on a full raw diet typically eat 2–3% of body weight daily — about 1–1.5 lbs for a 50 lb dog, or roughly 6 oz for a 20 lb dog. If you're using MuttBalls as a topper instead, cap them at 10–20% of daily calories and reduce the base food accordingly so your dog doesn't gain weight.

Check the feeding guidance and guaranteed analysis on the package for the kcal figure, then work backward from your dog's daily calorie requirement. Puppies, pregnant dogs and hard-working dogs need more; senior couch dogs need less.

Can I mix raw fish with kibble in the same bowl?

Yes. The old claim that raw and kibble digest at incompatible rates and must be fed separately isn't supported by controlled evidence. Millions of dogs eat mixed bowls daily without issue. What does cause problems is introducing raw too quickly — start with one or two balls a day and build up over 7–10 days.

If your dog has a sensitive gut, a probiotic during the transition can help. We stock digestive support options in the dog health and wellness range, and prebiotics plus probiotics are worth discussing with your vet if loose stool persists past a week.

How do I handle and store frozen raw safely?

Keep raw frozen at -18°C, thaw only in the refrigerator (never on the counter), use thawed portions within 2–3 days, and wash bowls, utensils and hands with hot soapy water after every meal. The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine publishes handling guidance for raw pet food that's worth reading once before you start.

Households with infants, elderly members, or anyone immunocompromised should talk to both their physician and their veterinarian before feeding raw. The American Veterinary Medical Association maintains a formal position on raw diets — read it, weigh it, and make an informed choice rather than a forum-driven one.

Is fish-based raw food good for dogs with itchy skin?

Fish proteins are naturally high in omega-3 fatty acids, and dietary EPA and DHA are widely studied in relation to canine skin and coat condition. Fish is also a novel protein for many dogs, which matters if chicken or beef is a suspected trigger. That said, itchy skin has many causes — environmental allergens, parasites, and infections among them — so get a diagnosis from your veterinarian before assuming it's food.

When a customer comes in describing a year-round itch, we typically suggest an elimination approach guided by their vet rather than a shotgun diet change. A 2026 review of AAFCO's labelling guidance reinforced how much detail sits in the nutritional adequacy statement — that's the line that tells you whether a food can be fed alone or only alongside a complete diet. Rotation through single-protein options like the Yupp fish balls, plus a look at our broader dog food selection, gives you room to experiment methodically.

Quick summary: Yupp Mini MuttBalls Fish at $3.36 (regular $6.99, 52% off) is the lowest-risk way to trial frozen raw or add an omega-3-rich fish protein to your dog's rotation, thanks to its pre-portioned mini-ball format and small freezer footprint. Established raw feeders will still get better per-meal value from bulk Canadian raw like Big Country Raw. Sale prices change without notice — confirm the current price on the product page before you order.