[pfeiner]

A friend just mentioned Darwin’s Raw diet. I have been successfully feeding Primal for a while now however Darwin’s is significantly less expensive and with two Lab’s. costs add up quickly. Anyone have any feedback re:- Darwin etc.
Thanks loads!

[pugmomsandy]

I’m sure Darwin’s is a great product and several people here use it. But with 2 large dogs you might check into feeding prey model for some meals such as feeding a whole chicken (including the feet and gizzards, liver and neck). Not every single meal is required to be complete and balanced. 20% or less can be unbalanced. There is a large raw forum at dogforums dot com and it has a very big “raw feeding pictures thread”. Also check out preymodelraw dot com. I also use a recipe book, “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” which is easy to follow and comes with a recipe to make a vitamin mix. You’d save a lot of money by buying bulk or family packs of ground beef or chicken and even bone-in pork chops. And they go on sale when it’s their sell-by dates. I also find whole raw sardines at the ethnic grocery store for $1.19/lb on sale. This is one meal for my dog and he only needs one sardine which is around 3 oz. the sardines come in various sizes. Another option is buying your own meat and using a premix.

[Dori]

I feed commercial raw as well as home cooked raw. I feed both Primal Pronto Beef, and Lamb. They make other proteins but one of my girls has allergies to all things poultry so those are the two I stick to. I also feed Darwins. Darwins is less expensive and also less in fat content. I have three toy dogs. One is a 14 1/2 year old Maltese, 4 1/2 year old Maltipoo and 4 year old Yorkipoo. I have to admit that they are all chow hounds and have never met a meal they don’t inhale and certainly haven’t turned down. They have done equally as well with Primal as they have with Darwin’s. I feed a rotational diet so both Darwins and Primal as well as other commercial raws are in my freezer. Primal Prontos are geared to be able to scoop and serve. It is raw but little bits (somewhat like the size of kibble) and defrosts very quickly on the kitchen counter in their bowls which is really very convenient when I’ve forgotten to take some other raw from the freezer. Doesn’t happen often but it does happen.

[pfeiner]

Thanks for your feedback. Like moist, I have spent a lifetime (57 yrs :)) being told to stay away from bones and pets. Knowing that cooking bones is a problem as they will splinter, raw bones are OK?? I read that they are but I am still afraid. I see see poultry necks at the market and think, the pups would love them, but I am afraid of causing health issues.

[pugmomsandy]

I started with chicken wings when I first introduced raw. Then chicken legs and turkey necks. Chicken necks are very small. My dogs are 22 to 27 lbs.

[Raffaele C]

I feed both my dogs Darwin’s. It’s great because it gets delivered to me every 3 weeks and stays frozen everytime! I have done a ton of research of dog nutrition and what’s best and I have decided that the next best thing to homemade is Darwin’s. The ratio from meat to vegetables is really good for providing a balanced diet for dogs. Both my dogs took to this raw diet very easily and have loved it ever since!

[Dori]

Raffaele C. Do you feed your dogs Darwin’s only or do you use other commercial raw foods? Thanks,

[Linda S]

I’ve been feeding Blue Ridge Beef since Dec’13. I’m looking to switch to a more balanced brand so I don’t have to add all the ingredients to make it balanced. I have 4 dogs and go thru 7lbs per day of Blue Ridge. Does anyone have an opinion on Blue Ridge?? I am now looking at either Darwins or Steve’s Raw (Primal is more expensive) since all the nutrients are in there and I can assume it’s balanced like they say. I like the idea of Steve’s as it is in nugget form and easy for when I have a petsitter and easier to weigh out amongst my 4 different weights.

[macsmommy]

I have been feeding my dogs Blue Ridge Beef mixed with Sojo’s dehydrated veggies for 5 years. Sojo’s is a mixture of vegetables with added vitamins and I buy it at doggiefood.com for a low price with free shipping. However, I have recently switched from Blue Ridge to Primal Raw because I had recently noticed my dog’s feces looking really black and soft and was somewhat concerned. At that same time, I read some comments on Dogfoodadvisor.com that Blue Ridge Beef’s Owner, Steven Lea, owns a collection facility that picks up dead, diseased, and dying animals. The name of the company is Lea Way Farms. The mailing address is the same for both companies. I was mortified when I read that. So I did some research and found more information regarding same. So then I contacted Dee at Blue Ridge Beef’s office and she could not adequately put my fears to rest. She told me that “anyone that has common sense would realize there would be no future in us selling diseased food to our valued pets.” Now, mind you, I have been a customer of theirs for 5 years!! She did not directly address my question regarding rendered meat being in their products other than referring to what my common sense should tell me which was quite offensive and infuriating. To me, owning a pet food company and a collection facility for dead, diseased, and dying animals is a HUGE conflict of interest. In addition, apparently the owner, Steven Lea, applied for a permit to build a Rendering Plant, but the city commission was not keen on the idea, so Steven Lea withdrew his application. Needless to say, I am not feeding my dogs Blue Ridge Beef anymore. I have switched to Primal Formula. They have a freeze dried formula that my dogs love. It is 100% human grade raw meat and I feel safer with this product. It’s a little more expensive, but well worth it.

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