[lukeduke]

I have a Cane Corso pup and the breeder had her on Kirkland puppy food. I transitioned her to Raw (instinct raw bites and Darwin). She eats the instinct like its “Crack”. 3secs and its gone. Oh, I do mix it with kibble (Prairie large breed). I’m thinking of just strait RAW. Darwin’s raw is local and free home delivery. I will say this about raw; the stole is solid and way less smelly.

[PrincessPiper]

If I’m looking at the recipes in “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet”, how does the Hare Today ground poultry/bone/organ fit in the recipe? Would I be better off just buying each individual thing to make it opposed to a mixed? Sorry for all the questions but I am really wanting to make my own food. She is on Darwin’s right now and doing very well with it.

[theBCnut]

I make some of my own homemade raw, but I still like getting some commercial too. Today I grabbed a container out of the freezer for their dinner, but when it came time to feed I found out that I didn’t grab what I thought I did. I had chicken necks, which 2 dogs can eat, but one can’t. I just went and grabbed a pouch of Darwin’s and floated it in water for a bit for him.

[theBCnut]

Dinovite is how I started on raw. I did his yeast starvation diet for half of my dogs’ food. And then I kept looking into other recipes for raw food and got a couple books. I read every website I could find and talked to other raw feeders. Now, I use Darwin’s commercial raw, grinds from Hare Today and My Pet Carnivore that I have to add stuff to, meat from the butcher, and even one of my buck goats. I use premixes like Dr. Harvey’s Veg to Bowl and Steve Brown’s See Spot Live Longer, that you add to boneless meat. I have used DinoVite and am soon going to try CarnivoreRaw with bone in meat.

I felt like using DinoVite let me start feeding raw quickly and gave me time to learn more, so I could take the next step.

[ellgee]

I have my fingers crossed! We, too, have tried so many foods including pre-made raw (Darwin’s). It is almost a joke with my husband. But I KNOW one day I will be able to say _________ changed Dudley’s life! LOL!

Does your friend feed just the Aqualuk or does she rotate with other foods?

[theBCnut]

Except for Angel, JRT, my dogs are big enough that I just bought a cleaver and hacked chunks off a turkey and handed it to them. I got 3 last year. This year I’ll go for more. I’ll look for smaller ones though.

I go through phases too. I made all homemade for about 4 months, then I signed up for 20 lbs of Darwins every 2 months. Then I started getting grinds from Hare Today. So some times I feed commercial raw, sometimes I feed balanced homemade, and sometimes I feed just grinds. I find it easier to stick with it with more different options. I can put off til the weekend making a big batch of something.

Of course all of mine get some kibble too, about half and half, except my JRT, she gave me a cancer scare a couple months ago, so she gets all raw with extra antioxidants and such.

[neezerfan]

Hi Chuck, I’ve been where you are now and I agree it is overwhelming! You can take it step by step. I started by eliminating kibble altogether. The more I read about it, the more I felt it wasn’t a good food for my dog. I switched to 5 star canned foods, rotating brands and protein sources. I gave him a chicken neck or foot twice a week. Then I started rotating in commercially prepared raw starting with Primal and Nature’s Variety. Now his main food is Darwin’s but I still rotate in other brands and cans. I give him 2 homemade meals a week, he eats twice daily so that’s under the 20% rule.

I don’t feel confident at this point to self prepare all of his meals. My next move is to rotate in meals consisting of fresh meat with a premix added. He’s only 2 so we have time! Maybe I’ll get there eventually but for now I’m doing the best that I feel comfortable with.

Start your dog with a chicken neck and see how it goes. My dog will eat absolutely anything but it did take him a few minutes to get going on his first chicken neck. He just looked at it and circled it for a while before getting down to business. Now he eats all kinds of bones.

[theBCnut]

I understand that for areas that have affected deer, you have to be careful what parts you feed raw, so do research before using anything. I have heard that it is brain, spinal cord, and some organs that you have to be leary of, but I really don’t know for sure. The Honest Kitchen Preference, See Spot Live Longer, and Urban Wolf are all premixes that are good, and I believe that you can add cooked meat to them as well, if there is a worry about your venison. Darwin’s and Aunt Jenny’s have great commercial raw diets. Check out Grandma Lucy’s products too. If you want to order grinds that are not balanced and add your own stuff, Hare Today and My Pet Carnivore are great.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 2 months ago by theBCnut.

[pugmomsandy]

1. Is it better to get a premade mix of raw food online or buy meats from the supermarket or meat market? Or is it better to have a mix?

As a newbie to raw, I think it would be better for you to feed a food that is complete and balanced whether that is commercial frozen raw like Nature’s Variety, Primal, Bravo, Stella & Chewy’s, Darwins, and others, or dehydrated/freeze dried raw (but more expensive) food like Orijen freeze dried, Primal, Stella & Chewy’s. Meat by itself is not a good diet. For beginners, I would buy a commercial raw or use a Premix such as Urban Wolf, See Spot Live Longer, Grandma Lucy’s, The Honest Kitchen. You add meat and some oil and that’s usually it. No additional vitamins needed. You can make these in advanced in big batches and freeze in serving sizes or a couple days worth in one bag/container. You can feed up to 20% of an unbalanced food without having to worry about additional vits/minerals. For example, topping kibble with some meat or scrambled egg (but not more than 20% of the meal). As you become more comfortable with raw you can give homemade a try but be sure to use a recipe book.

2. Is ground or whole better? Your dog might like the texture of some chunks, versus ground. But in any case, raw meat has enzymes that also helps keep teeth clean. The ripping of the flesh and tendons from the bone cleans the teeth too. I have small dogs so I use a coarse ground. My dogs don’t have a preference for meat sizes. They eat it all.

3. I keep seeing people talking about feeding bones, including chicken bones… I was always told that chicken bones are dangerous? This is going to be the one that the hardest to get my wife on board with.

Raw bones are edible. The cooked bones are dry and splinter. Also there are recreational bones versus consumable bones. Most small animals can be consumed whole (chicken, rabbit, quail, turkey). But dense, weight bearing bones from larger animals are for gnawing only (marrow bones/leg bones). For heavy chewers, they can break teeth. For instance, my small dogs eat chicken legs, turkey and duck necks and feet and pork baby back ribs. They gnaw on beef/bison rib bones and marrow bones/femur for the enjoyment and it keeps their teeth clean. I feed these outside and don’t worry about cleanup when the weather is nice. You can train your dog to eat bones in the house on a towel, blanket or tarp. This winter, I’ll be feeding my small dogs in a crate or I could feed them on the bathroom tile and mop.

4. Do you need to add supplements to these meals? If so are they included in the premade mixes or am I adding them?

If you use a complete and balanced commercial premix, no additional supplements are necessary. Although there are a lot of people who give whole food supplements like supergreen foods (chlorella, kelp, barley grass, etc), bee pollen, and herbs, a complete vitamin E.

5. What is the best site for ordering?
I’ve heard Chewy.com is good. I’ve always used Petflow and amazon.

6. Does someone have a schedule or process I can literally follow to the letter?
Sorry, I am sure this has been answered over and over again but I would really appreciate the help. I am not too concerned about the cost as Wellness and Core are not cheap, however if I can pre-make these and feed her in the morning because we are often in a rush and it’s so hard to get her to eat kibble before we leave.

At my house, they eat raw if I have it thawed out. If not, they get other foods (kibble, canned, freeze dried). Darwins comes in convenient packaging and serving sizes and most commercial products come in patties or small bite sizes or chubs (which are the least convenient for me). You just have to remember to thaw! You can put 3 days worth out to thaw in the frig. I also use dehydrated foods (The Honest Kitchen, Addiction) where I just add water and let sit. I make some ahead of time and put it in the frig. But these are not raw.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 2 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 2 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[konamisan]

Hi Dr. Mike,

I’ve been feeding both my JRT & Yorkie raw food for two years now and have only had a problem with feeding the JRT chicken & turkey because she has SEVERE ALLERGIES to it. I’ve tried several brands i.e.;, Bravo, Darwin’s, Steve’s, Stella & Chewy’s, Vital, & lastly Nature’s variety Instinct.

I’ve fed them rabbit, venison, pheasant & lamb.

I recently tried the Variety Instinct Beef!!! BAD CHOICE!.

I started the beef this past Sunday Sept 15th, 2013. I purchased the Patties & the Raw Kibble Bites. I would give them the patty in the evening & the raw bites in the morning.

3 days into the feeding, I noticed that after my Xena the JRT started throwing up about 15 minutes after she ate this food. If she drank any water, she would throw it up too.

Well here we are Saturday September 21st, and she has refused to eat either the patty or the raw beef bites as well. My Zeus, the Yorkie was refusing to touch it too. They both have diarrhea, Only my JRT is still vomiting she isn’t even keeping the water down.

She went to poo this morning and alarming to see, that she had BLOOD in her STOOLS!!! She is refusing to eat anything.

I called the Petco Store where I purchased this food & spoke to the Manager.

He suggested that I bring in the UPC Labels and to generate a written report to the Nature’s Variety Instinct Corp.

I contacted my Vet and He suggested I give her some boiled Chicken & Rice & some Pedialyte. My Vet also suggested that since I can’t afford to bring her to him to check her, he said ” Maybe you should consider giving one of your dogs up for adoption cause you certainly can’t afford the two to take care of them in a case like this”

I have never had an issue as this one to make my Xena soooooo sick. I know that she has not ingested anything other than this BEEF product.

I still want to feed them Raw. HELP WHAT DO I DO Dr. Mike & knowledgeable dog owners.

I also have them on Dr. Becker’s Liver & Kidney Support, Digestive Enzymes & the Spirugreen Super Food for Dogs.

Sincerely for My (Zeus 7 yr. old male & neutered & (Xena 6 yr. old Female & Neutered)

I’ve had Zeus since he was 3 months old & Xena since she was 6 weeks old.

Thank You ,

Konamisan

[theBCnut]

I got VE to use as a replacement for raw when I went on vacation, but it turned out that my squeamish husband thought that Darwin’s looked enough like ground beef that he could handle it. So I’ve been using the VE for training treats. We do agility on Fridays, so sometimes those training treats are enough to be a meal.

[Jagger2012]

I have my 14 month old lab “Jagger” and my 15 week old German Shepherd “Keesha”. Keesha was taken in a few days ago for her last set of shots and I was discussing with my vet that Keesha is a poop eater! Bad! She will not eat her poop but my labs. I have watched her out the window following him around and when he hunches up to poop she will stand right there and eat it as it hits the ground or catch it as it falls and eats it! I am not kidding! I know the whole dog eating cat poop thing but I have never had a dog eat anothers or their own. I try to be outside when they go out to potty but it does not always happen. I do pick up the poop several times a day. My vet suggested getting something “I can’t for the life of me remember the name” to feed them both so his poop is not so appetizing.
I feed them Earthborn Holistic Meadow Feast and Coastal catch. I did order some of the Darwins to try but I can’t afford to have them on that only. I would like to give them Darwins as a lunch and then the kibble for morning and night.

So to my questions: My thought is that she is lacking something as to why she is eating his poop? I was reading on the supplements. Should I try doing some kind of supplementing? And if so what? I have no clue on a lot of this so am needing pointed in the right direction.

Please ask any questions you may have to help me out! 🙂
Tammy

[murphy625]

darwins sounds great…but 105.00 for how many months..? Confused

[theBCnut]

If you want easy, Darwin’s, Aunt Jenny’s, and Answers for complete frozen raw foods foods. Or you can get The Honest Kitchen Preference or Steve Brown’s See Spot Live Longer dinner mixes and add your own fresh meat to them. This is a really easy way to get started feeding raw. Or if you want to do the work of learning about what to add to balance your dogs meals, you can order several different meats from Hare Today.

[sparkles1962]

I have a Jack Russell that I have had the same issues as the Mini-Pin. Had bladder issues years ago, and vet put her on urninary so. For years was throwing up on the food, not an issue for the vet. Then last year started with the pancreatitis. We have been working with a holistic vet, acupuncture, and herbal/homeopathic remedies. Amazing results. But, still working on it. I am now making her dog food. That really helps. I used Darwins raw food/chicken and duck. The only issue I had with that is the small bones, she was throwing those up and it was too costly.

My dog has a duality of chronic inflammatory pancreatitis that is creating damp phlegm in her kidneys and hence bladder stone issues. This is what the holistic vet is working on. It surprises me, that the regular vets don’t even know this. However, I am looking for a good nutritionist vet, for making the appropriate raw diet myself. There is someone online, that you can pay for this service (but I’m a little leary to give my personal info online)! Here is the information I found online, if you are interested. She had some good things to say, such as me feeding a natural diet that included sweet potato is not good for my dog because—if the stones she is forming are calcium oxalate, you should not be feeding sweet potatoes due to their content of oxalic acid. It is also vitally important for kidney health to have sufficient calcium in the diet to 1. meet the dog’s needs and 2. bind excess phosphorus, and in typical, supplemented diets this is usually severely deficient.
Looking online at dog diets with pancreatitis….is overwhelming!!!
— Sabine Contreras
Canine Care & Nutrition Consultant
Creating Healthy Lifestyles for Canines
BetterDogCare.com – DogFoodProject.com

[InkedMarie]

Betsy: Boone is on all of these: Darwin’s, Zeal, NV lid turkey, canned (wellness core salmon, a hound & Gatos salmon, Weruva turkey one, Hero maybe?)….the canned is new except or the Wellness but I see nothing in those to cause a problem. Darwin’s full time isn’t really possible but if this keeps up, I may have to.

Wht about one meal of Darwin’s & the other of Zeal? I wondered if it was Darwin’s but he was on it early in the year with no issues. Skip all kibble & canned? So, no potato in his diet. Well s**t, I’d better check the canned but he’s had the ear issues since April & no caned til a few weeks ago.

The Cur Cu-vet….isn’t that a joint thing or am I confused? Will look at the link again.

I used to use Zymox but not the cleaner, the otic. I just got Halo, thanks Sandy!

Freehold has a name, Lol, hi Jeanne!!

Thanks all, you ladies are wonderful!

[DogFoodie]

Hi Marie,

Sorry Boone is still having problems. : (

I can hear my vet at my recent visit for Sam’s yeasty ears, telling me to feed him Darwin’s full time. Is that an option? It’s not for me.

You said Boone is eating potato right now, right? I think I’d eliminate that for sure and either try Zeal full-time to see if it resolves like you mentioned or maybe try something completely different. I tell you, I was shocked and what great luck I had feeding Sam Horizon Legacy. He seems to be doing really well on Earthborn’s Great Plains Feast right now, also. He still does the occasional flap of the ears, which always gets my attention, but when I peek inside, they seem to be clear. He doesn’t show that he’s bored (though he may well be), but getting him clear and stabilized is my priority.

I believe I exacerbated Sam’s ear this most recent time with the Zymox. I used the Zymox with Bio-Active Enzymes. I used it once at night and the next day when I went to use it again, his ear was very red inside. I didn’t use it again and the vet actually said that Sam’s ear infection was limited to the outer ear canal (she said it looked like the Zymox burned his ear). I did recently pick up a bottle of Halo ~ it seems like a lot of others have mentioned that they use it [for cleaning] with good results.

I’m also hoping that the Curcu-VET he’s been taking will help resolve some of his yeast issues as well. I know you were interested in it, but I don’t recall if it was for Boone or Ginger. Here’s a link to Thorne’s product page: http://veterinary.thorne.com/articles/introducing-curcuvet.jsp

Also, what about a visit to a vet who practices TCVM, unless you already are and one of these folks happens to be your vet: http://search.tcvm.com/vetFinding.asp?qtype=state

[InkedMarie]

Regulars may remember that Boone, who hasn’t had an ear issue in years, has had recurring ones, in the right ear, since the spring. On August 5th, I took him to the vet, who diagnosed bacterial and yeast. She put him on meds and it cleared up. Yes, I did try to fix it myself with Zymox, that worked when he was getting them as a puppy. He’s seven now. I don’t know whats causing them, food or environmental (humid up this way this summer).

So, he has another icky ear but this time it’s both ears. Whats new is adding canned into his rotation (new over the last five days is http://weruva.com/dog-cuisine-kurobuta-hero.php. It’s turkey, which he has eaten for seven years with no issues, I see nothing in there that should cause him a problem. It’s also been more humid over the last six days or so.

I’m discouraged. I honestly don’t know what to do. Part of me says to try him on The Honest Kitchen’s Zeal full time but I’d hate to have him eat that only. He has eaten Embark for years, I thought maybe stopping potato might be good but maybe I should rotate him through just THK. He also eats Darwins that he’s eaten for a year (the ear issues are new as of the spring).

Eh. Any suggestions, advice, anyone want a cute pbgv? <G>

[theBCnut]

So far with my dog, I know for sure most grains are a problem and chicken is a problem, though he doesn’t have any issues with chicken liver. I suspect that potatoes will be a problem, but haven’t given him potato enough to make sure. And I’m afraid that too many beans, legumes will be a problem for him, because he gets gassy easily, but he has food issues that some wouldn’t call allergies.

So far he can eat Brothers, all flavors except chicken, Earthborn Holistic Grain Free Great Plains Feast, Nature’s Variety Instinct Rabbit, Nature’s Variety Instinct LID Turkey. And he gets Darwin’s raw except for the chicken, he also gets pork, quail, goat, mutton, sardines, herring, salmon, etc. all raw.

[beaglemom]

Marmarx, do you mind sharing what you got? I tried a case of the lamb/chicken/turkey medley in my first order and while the dogs enjoyed it just fine, it was just a little “mushier” than I was expecting (and it sortof came out the other end that way too). I’m comparing it to what I’m used to with Darwin’s/Hare for example. I’m going to try some of their beef grinds for my next order… I’m not giving up because like you said, the prices are just too good to pass up and I really want to find something from him that works well for us.

[theBCnut]

Hare Today is a dollar a pound for shipping for me, so it My Pet Carnivore and Darwin’s.

[Alexandra]

Hi Jon,

I am the one that Marie was mentioning. I ordered 50# to try out. My dogs a 90# GSD and 50# Cattle dog mix did very well on it. Marie mentioned to me about the fat, which that got by me when I placed my order. GSD’s can have pancreatic issues and higher fats can cause these issues. I was going to keep it in my rotation but it is a chance that I wasn’t willing to take.

I make my own most of the time using Hare-today or My Pet Carnivore for my meats. I may add Darwins back in as they have lower fat and are a very good company.

[theBCnut]

There are a lot of Darwin’s fans here. Myself included, but none of us were willing to try it, except Losul. Dogs need the bits of bones in it, people don’t.

[topdog]

InkedMarie, received delivery of Darwins. Wow it looks sooo fresh I feel like eating it myself. Looks like the butcher just finished grinding it. Big difference in appearance to the NV I was feeding. Haven’t tried it yet because waiting to finish off the NV but it looks AWESOME.

[dogmom2]

HI everyone.

A quick question…

Hank is blowing his coat in a crazy way this month. I am noticing that his undercoat is basically gone , and his outer coat seems coarse in some areas.

He gets Darwins ( all the protiens), Brothers Allergy, merrick canned, sardines, quality fish oil, coconut oils etc. but I am wondering if he is getting enough fat? Or calories? He looks good, not skinny at all. He is 11 now, so we don’t really want to put weight on him.

Dewey looks fine. Shiny and like he needs a few pounds off!!!

Any thoughts??

[dogmom2]

HI everyone.

A quick question…

Hank is blowing his coat in a crazy way this month. I am noticing that his undercoat is basically gone , and his outer coat seems coarse in some areas.

He gets Darwins ( all the protiens), Brothers Allergy, merrick canned, sardines, quality fish oil, coconut oils etc. but I am wondering if he is getting enough fat? Or calories? He looks good, not skinny at all. He is 11 now, so we don’t really want to put weight on him.

Dewey looks fine. Shiny and like he needs a few pounds off!!!

Any thoughts??

[beaglemom]

HDM – I definitely agree, veggies are important for them to have. There are some that condemn anyone who puts a fruit or vegetable near a dogs mouth and I think it’s so stupid. Even if they don’t NEED them there’s still plenty of nutrition to be derived from them (properly prepared like you said) so why not?? Some people are silly… but to each his own I guess.

Betsy – I’m with you, I’d feed Darwin’s full-time if I could, I feel good about their product and it’s so convenient… only two things have driven me to look elsewhere for raw, those being the cost and the lack of variety 🙁 Shipping kills me with it coming all the way to PA…

Sandy – my dogs both threw up little pieces of bone the first time they had RMBs (duck necks). I think the other Sandy suggested the bone content of necks is pretty high compared to the meat, so feeding them with something else in the stomach could help. You said you’ve fed them before, so maybe this isn’t the issue… but I always just give my dogs a little something else (little THK, other meat, whatever) with the RMB to help “buffer” it. That being said, the pieces they threw up the first time were pretty small so I wouldn’t think they would’ve hurt anything.

[InkedMarie]

Betsy,
First, I have to say how glad I am you’re my friend. I loved that post! Second, regarding Halo. Sandy suggested that to me for Boone’s ears and I need to get some, thanks for the reminder. Third, regarding the kibble you’re hoarding. Ask on your fb for pet supply selling groups. We have them here in NH and I’m sure you have some there. Take pictures of the bags, with the expiration dates and post them, explaining why you’re selling it. If you bought any local, ask if they will take it back.
On to Darwins. Are you going to keep Mr. Money Pit on it? If you will use close to 100 pounds a month, you get the better discount from them. You also get one if you order 40 pounds or more. I didn’t know if you knew that.

[DogFoodie]

I took Sam, the money pit dog, to the vet this evening. ; ) She believes his limping is probably a pano flareup as I suspected. What I didn’t know was that the flares can happen until about the age of three. I told her I gave him turmeric when it flared, but she suggested this product from Thorne: http://www.thorne.com/Products/VeterinaryProducts/prd~V932.jsp. She said it’s actually the therapeutic dose of curcumin. I didn’t realize how much curcumin would benefit Sam’s gastrointestinal health as well as his joint health. So, I immediately ordered some and will start him on it ASAP. I’m a terrible listener sometimes, maybe someone can tell me again how inflammation affects gastrointestinal health.

Sam’s ear issue isn’t in the canal and she said she wasn’t certain if it was environmental or food related and, as I suspected, she recommended that I get him off of kibble. I had given her some of my Darwin’s once and she was like, “Wait! You don’t you have him on Darwin’s? But, that’s a beautiful product!” I had some Darwin’s thawing, so that’s what my two had for dinner tonight and I got to thinking how incredible easy it is and how confident I feel about the product, so maybe I’ll just do that after all. She asked if I was OK doing a topical steroid for a few days and I said that would be fine, as I want to nip whatever is brewing in there in the bud! So, she gave me Panalog. I need to find something more gentle than Zymox to clean his ears with ~ I used it on him one evening and the next night, his ear was very red looking so I didn’t use it and the redness subsided, but the culture she took off his ear junk had pus in it (sorry totally gross). I think the Zymox might be what caused his ear to be so raw so it basically made the problem worse.

What breaks my heart is that I’ve become a kibble hoarder and have more than 300 pounds of it on hand. You know how much that costs and I’ve spent a fortune on it. I feel like I have to use it and am not about to just donate it. So I may do half kibble, half raw until I get rid of some of it. My Cavalier will be eating Darwin’s too, and it’s not like she can eat 300 pounds of kibble very quickly anyway.

Why is this so confusing!?

I’m totally hijacking this thread and I don’t mean to! Sorry!

[DogFoodie]

Hi HDM,

That’s so funny you mention Darwin’s. I know you tried it and aren’t a huge fan of Darwin’s, but it is complete and balanced and has some veggies and it sure would be so much easier (although I did the math and it’ll also be a bit more expensive, too ~ maybe about .50 per pound if I remember correctly). I think I’m going a little overboard because I don’t have any reason to believe that Sam has a problem with carrots and Darwin’s has carrots in it, which was another reason why I thought I’d try Hare instead. Again, it would be easier to use the Darwin’s for sure and I am looking for simplicity.

Edit: I believe the Darwin’s was going to cost something like $4.00 per pound (which included shipping) and Hare Today was about $3.45 per pound (which included shipping).

I’m going to pick up a bag of the JJ Fud’s this weekend and check it out, but I got the impression it was more like chunks of meat rather than ground meat. They don’t advertise, it’s made locally in a USDA FSIS facility so there’s no shipping and it ends up running somewhere in the neighborhood of $2.50 per pound (but, I do need to do more checking on the prices). I only saw bone listed in the duckling variety ~ which I would probably not use because my guys do not do well on duck. I think it must be complete and balanced, but tell me what you think.

Here are the ingredients for the beef variety: Beef Tender Chucks Beef, Beef organ meat (Heart, Liver, Kidney, Tripe) Fresh Whole Eggs, carrots, celery, Sweet potato, Flax seed, Calcium, Dicalcium Phosphate, CholineCloride, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Suppliment, Vitamin B-12 Suppliment, Niacin, Iron Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A, Acetate, Copper Sulfate, Pyridozine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Manganous Oxide, Calsiom Iodate, Biotin, Vitamin D-3 Supplement Sodium Selenite.

A funny edit: I just talked to my mom on the phone and she said that I should get a grinder, etc… I laughed because that’s totally not something I want to get into, but also because she used to be afraid that if Sam ate raw he would somehow become cannabalistic and want to eat Bella. Boy, she’s come a long way for someone who’s almost 80. : ) Then, she reminded me that we have a friend whose son-in-law is a butcher. Now, she tells me. @@

• This reply was modified 12 years, 3 months ago by DogFoodie.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 3 months ago by DogFoodie.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hey Betsy –

Sounds promising. Do you know what’s in it? Is it a complete food or just grinds? Also was wondering, is there a reason you’re not going with Darwin’s (you were one of the Darwin’s feeders right? Or maybe I’m mixed up..)?

[beaglemom]

Hi again FreeholdHound!
Like you I’m not super impressed with his menu but feel the prices can’t be beat (plus no shipping). I started off with a box of the Chick/Turk/Lamb Medley since my dogs don’t have a lot of lamb in their diet but wish I hadn’t… I just wish he wouldn’t combine so many proteins in those medleys. I mean BeeTurDuckenLamb? A little overboard. But anyway, the veggies are ONLY collard greens… which is minimal compared to most other premade raws. Plus he does have whole ground chicken and whole ground duck by itself (no veggies). I don’t know. I’m going to try him again next month one more time (with some “simpler” items… no blends) just because like you, it would nice to have a local supplementary source for raw (no shipping cost is a huge plus). At this point I’m still thinking Darwin’s and Hare are going to remain my primary raw sources though.

[DogFoodie]

Just mentioning…, the reason why I thought I’d go with Hare Today (rather than Darwin’s which would be much easier to me) is because there are no added fruits and veggies. Another thing Tracy mentioned was that Sam probably shouldn’t have any root vegetables. I mentioned that he had done well on Horizon Legacy, but she pointed out that even the apples and carrots in that could be problematic. Probably the only potential problem ingredient in the Darwin’s would be carrots and I have no reason to believe that carrots are a problem for Sam.

[InkedMarie]

I’m sticking with some Darwin’s, canned, kibble and dehydrated. Will have to be good enough!

[InkedMarie]

Betsy: is it humid where you are? Boone has been fine, ear wise, for years, til this year. Now, he’s had an ongoing ear infection, bacteria & yeast. Pretty sure it’s from the humidity.

Good luck on the raw! Steve ometimes has to feed the dogs & he thinks Hare is a pain, lol. It’s easier to flip a Darwin’s into the bowl.

[beaglemom]

Freehold – I often browse Hare Today’s website every other day… frequently every day. lol. I just got an order yesterday but am already planning the next. I love looking too!

Betsy – excellent question, and I can’t wait to read the responses. Sorry I’m no help, but I’m in a similar boat as you where I think one of my dogs needs to go on full raw pretty soon due to allergy issues. It’s interesting Tracy said grinds aren’t necessary all the time because isn’t that what Darwin’s basically is? Unless Tracy’s have more bone than Darwin’s… not sure, but glad you asked this nonetheless.

[DogFoodie]

Good Morning guys!

I have a Hare Today question for you all. : )

Although I wish I didn’t have to (because of the cost and inconvenience), I’m thinking that I should switch my Golden boy, Sam, to all raw. Sam has developed another ear infection while eating a kibble he’s always done great on before. In addition to the infection in his right ear, he has a weepy right eye and what appears to be a pano flare up in his right front leg. I thought it seemed very coincidental that everything was happening on the right side of his body – so I really can’t say these symptoms are all food related; but, these are his only symptoms. His coat is beautiful, no paw licking, no scratching, no smell, etc. I really wanted to do kibble and have amassed a giant stash of it that I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on, much of which is going to end up being donated or given away to friends. : ( I’m taking Sam to the holistic vet tomorrow to see if there’s something more going on and suspect she’ll also encourage me to do raw full time.

So, yesterday, I exchanged a few emails with Tracy at Hare Today who was very helpful. I’d like to try their products to eliminate carbohydrates as much as possible. I’m starting Sam back on Darwin’s today and want to get a Hare Today order ready so that I receive it before I run out of the Darwin’s.

I initially wanted to use the grinds all the time, but Tracy said that not every meal needed to include bone and organs. She also suggested a boneless meal for the second meal of the day when I give Sam a turkey neck as one of his two meals. I need to keep the process as utterly simple as possible. I don’t want to have more than one kind of product thawing at a time because I know I’ll end up with waste that I’ll throw out if I do that. I have more time in the evening, but mornings are very hectic in that I have to have everyone out of the house and be on my way to work by 7:15 AM.

So, what would you guys suggest as the absolutely easiest “menu” option for feeding Hare Today exclusively? Between Sam and my Cavalier, Bella, they’ll be eating just under two pounds total per day. They’ll continue to get chicken and turkey necks several times per week. The only protein they don’t do well on is duck.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[InkedMarie]

TopDog: when I asked Darwins about the Zoologics ingredients, they said they were the same as the Natural Selections except the NS has the organic stuff & other meat. I feed the Zoologics and if I had to guess, I’d think it was a 5 star rating as well. I feed it for a third of my dogs meals and feel very good that I do.

[topdog]

InkedMarie I compared the prices of Darwins Zoologics and Darwins Natural Selections to Bravo Balanced at nearest store carrying Bravo and here’s what I came up with:
Bravo Balanced Blend averaging the cost of 3 meats (turkey, chicken and beef) Price $4.64/lb
Darwins Zoologics averaging the cost of 3 meats (turkey, chicken and beef) Price $4.50/lb
Darwins Natural Selections averaging the cost of 3 meats (turkey, chicken and beef) Price $5.28/lb
Not a huge difference $ wise between Darwins NS and Bravo BB when you consider the convenience of home delivery and the gas not wasted.
Both Darwins Natural Selections and Bravo Balanced Blend are rated 5 stars at DFA but the Zoologics is not rated at all :((
The NS list of ingredients aside from the meat are: Organic Vegetables (29.3%): Squash, Yams, Beets, Zucchini, Celery, Romaine, Parsley, Apple Cider Vinegar. (Vegetables may vary based on seasonality.)
Special Nutrient Mix (2.2%): Bonemeal, Organic Hempseed Oil, Iodized Salt, Inulin (Extract of Chicory), Manganese and Zinc Amino Acid Chelates, Vitamin E.
They don’t list the ingredients for Zoologics

[InkedMarie]

Topdog: have you looked at Darwin’s? It gets shipped to you. I find it cheaper than any other pre made raw. They have a nice trial size, you’ll have to ign up for auto delivery but one phone call can cancel it. You can customize your orders, get any proteins you want in the mounts you want. It looks like real meat,compared to the rest, IMO.

[dogmom2]

Well this year is turning out to be the year of the foot for Hank. I feel bad for him…we get him back up and running (so to speak) and then his foot flares up and won’t heal. Interdigital furuncles are not for the faint of heart I will tel you that.

So we went to see the vet for his adequan shot, and chiropractic adjustment today. His foot flared up big time a week or so ago and it looks terrible, so the vet took a look at it, cleaned it up and trimmed the hair around the opening…and she decided to try a new antibiotic. We are concerned that this years occurrence is so persistent. While we were there I was going to pick up a bottle of the probiotic and enzyme support I use, only to learn that the manufacturer is no longer making it. (Iflora pet probiotic and enzymes by Sedona Labs). We have been using it daily for a few years for both boys…Hanks skin and allergy and Dewey’s digestive issues both benefited from it.

I am very bummed and having a hard time finding anything comparable. I picked up the Honest Kitchen probiotic that just came out, but there is no digestive enzyme component. Also, it is not super cost effective for 2 big boys.

We are still feeding Darwin’s, with some honest kitchen preference and local pastured meats etc..
They get brothers kibble with Merrick canned for most dinners. We feed green tripe about once a week. They get coconut oil, fish oil, spirulina, kefir and curcumin pretty much daily.

So what are you all using for probiotic and enzymes???

In happier news…we have had a nice Summer overall. We bought a used canoe that the boys love to cruise around in…and the sun has been out around here this year! ( we live on the north coast of ca do it is often foggy ). Hank turned 11 a few weeks ago, and is doing really well aside from his feet. Dewey is approaching 8 and is still a youngster at heart. DH took him for a nice beach run this morning.

Thanks for listening, and for any ideas you may have..

Laur

• This topic was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by dogmom2.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Aussie Mom –

Homemade raw is actually much cheaper than pre-made raw. I spend just under $200 a month to feed my girls a homemade raw diet – for comparative purposes it would cost me nearly $800 per month to feed Darwin’s (based on the average cost of all of their formulas). There are many ways to keep costs low when feeding a homemade raw diet: 1) Utilize raw meaty bones (chicken backs, turkey necks, etc.) – they are much cheaper per pound than boneless meat and if fed in appropriate quantities will eliminate the need for a calcium supplement; 2) Use heart, gizzards and green tripe for the muscle meat component of the diet – these items are cheap and nutritious, dogs have no need for expensive cuts of meat such as boneless skinless chicken breast or beef sirloin; 3) Buy in bulk. I purchase my meat from a wholesaler that supplies restaurants and grocery stores – nearly every item I buy is under $1 per pound; 4) Purchase supplements from a human nutritional store, in bulk when possible – this is much cheaper than buying supplements marketed towards pets. I purchase all supplements for both myself and my dog from Swanson’s – best prices I’ve seen. I make my own green supplement by purchasing the ingredients I want in 1 lb. bags and combining them.

Hare Today is great – I do purchase a few things from there (mostly Green Tripe). Their products are not human grade as they contain things like green tripe, ground bone, fur/feathers (for whole prey grinds) that are not suitable for human consumption (but very nutritious for animals) and the products aren’t processed in a human food facility. Using Hare Today grinds may be slightly cheaper than pre-made raw but if you really want to cut costs you need to do it from scratch – many butchers will sell RMBs and offal cheaply as they’re not desirable for humans or hook up with a supplier like I did.

If you’re interested in homemade raw I would highly recommend purchasing “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown. It’s wonderful book for beginners and includes AAFCO compliant recipes that are easy to make and utilize easy to find and cheap ingredients. Dogaware(dot)com is also a great online resource.

[SummerRainAussies]

HDM

There are so many reviews to read here! WOW!
I have been reading a lot of your reviews the last few weeks and you are so educational for raw feeding I thought i would join and try and chat with you.
I have been feeding my Aussies pre-made raw such as darwins, and vital essentials. I have always wanted to make my own raw but was afraid of not making it balanced and That and it seems so expensive for my 22 year old self. But am totally willing to spend more on my dogs than myself. I was reading and discovered Hare-today from a earlier post and that seems like a good place. Human grade?
I was trying to maybe find a good book.
I want to maybe start with half homemade than when i get better at it switch to full homemade.

I dont know what vitamins to give and how much.

[shilodakotamom]

Thanks for all the helpful hints, I’ve heard so much about Darwin’s I don’t want to give up on it so soon.

[somebodysme]

One thing I would definitely cut out is the cheese..find something non-dairy to put on it. That could be why she’s scratching more on Darwin’s.

[shilodakotamom]

Darwin’s felt she might be allergic to chicken or beef, but I started her out on the turkey.

[shilodakotamom]

She had some ear itching, I had her examined and the vet found nothing at all. She was on Instinct Raw for about 3 days before and another 4 days mixed with the Darwin’s during the transition period. She has always scratched a little, but not as much as when she transitioned to Darwin’s. She gets out of bed at night to scratch quite excessively. I thought maybe it was the Instinct since it has yeast in it so hurried the transition a bit. She doesn’t eat the Darwin’s unless I put a little cheese in it and then still only eats about half a serving. Well on the bright side she doesn’t have a weight problem. Itching head, ears, base of tail, and scratches on tummy, if that helps.

[theBCnut]

So she was not itchy before you fed Darwins?

[shilodakotamom]

Ok I have one chihuahua that is not only extremely picky, but is also itchy. She doesn’t want to eat anything I put in front of her for more than a few days. This has been going on for two years. I have attempted Darwin’s for about two weeks now, no luck, and now we are itchy. The other scarfs it down, no itching. Help! I need to find help with the pickiness and now to compound everything else the itching. Any suggestions will be warmly accepted. They are both rescues the picky one from an abandoned house at 3 months of age, and the not so picky was a breeder at a puppy mill. Miss Picky does beg for human food but does not receive any.

[theBCnut]

It’s kind of funny what I see in the picture of my freezer that I don’t notice when I open the door to the actual freezer. It’s like those “I Spy” pictures. Who sees freezer burritos, 2 things of candy, 3 pumpkin puree, 6 bags of kibble, 7 Hare Today chubs, and 30 lbs of Darwin’s