[Hav mom]

I agree Chipy! I had to reread Dr. Dobias on the raw bone feedings. I bought one from my butcher and when I got home
was going to let my dog have it. Something made me recheck Dr. Dobias site and yep, freeze for at last 7 days due to
the possibility of tapeworms no matter where the raw meat or bones came from. Good Advice, I won’t forget that
again. By the way, do you use his supplements if I may ask????

[Chipy]

It’s a good idea to remove the intestines, beak and nails. Regarding freezing the meat, the following note is included in Dr. Dobias’ online recipe maker;

“Do not feed raw meat or fish that has not been previously frozen due to the risk of tapeworm infestation. All meats and fish should be previously frozen for at least 7 days in temperatures below -0.4F (-18C) to kill tapeworms. Tapeworms can be present even in inspected meats.”

I hope this helps; https://recipemaker.peterdobias.com

[pugmomsandy]

Adding a freeze dried raw food mixer (one with ground bone) might help the poop to get solid (more pieces than you would get in a Raw Boost recipe). NV freeze dried bites, Primal nuggets, Stella & Chewy’s, K9 Natural, Vital Essentials, etc. I feed everything and raw with bone always makes the poop firm. A large bag of K9 Natural has lasted 8 weeks or more just using it as a mixer.

[Jerry R]

I switched to raw for my 16 month old red longhaired dachshund after much research and him not liking any kibble I bought for him. Maybe he’s smarter than I think. He is spoiled. I feed him from the grocery store and meat market. He loves chicken and a drumstick/thigh is more than a meal for him.
He works at it for an hour(skin, bones, and all).
He gets chicken feet to chew on for a treat. He’ll crunch it up for 30-45 minuted and swallow it.
He gets turkey wings too. One of them is 3 meals for him!
Pig tails, chicken and turkey gizzards and hearts, a little lamb liver I bought 10lbs. of for $8 .
Beef and lamb when reduced for quick sale is a great way to offer variety.
He’s as healthy as can be. And those chicken feet are very high in glucosamine for joint health. Great for reducing the effects of and preventing arthritis. Cleans their teeth too.
I try to follow these basic rules but I not naive enough to believe that every meal needs to be properly balanced.
60% lean muscle meat
20 % organ meat(5% liver)
20% bones, cartilage
He gets everything he needs and none of the crap he doesn’t. Firmer poop and far less of it and it doesn’t stink to high heaven. Clean teeth.
I use common sense in ths hygiene dept. and don’t use rotten meat like I’m sure kibble has.

[Sarah Y]

I have a beagle that I rescued a year ago. He was in really poor shape and since being with us his coat and body look great. He is soft and shiny :-). However, we are having problems with his anal glands being full. He does not scoot, but he has leaked and even when having him checked by the vet, they always say his glands are full, especially on the left side. (I mention that because the last two times they tell me, “his glands are full on the left and not the right”)

It seemed his poops have been formed, but not solid. I assume this is why he doesn’t express his glands well?

We talked to the vet about trying a higher fiber diet and if that doesn’t work, trying limited ingredient diets. He has been on the original wellness core since being with us. I tried switching him a couple of weeks ago to the Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost Healthy weight food and we are having the same issues. In fact, perhaps not quite as formed as he was on the CORE. We gradually changed him over to NV over a week and he’s been on the full NV diet for about 8 days now.

We also tried him on Glandex the fiber supplement for about 4 months and there really wasn’t any change. We are sort of wondering if it’s ingredient related.

I’m thinking maybe trying another high fiber, different protein diet to see if that helps and I wondered if there were some suggestions. I will admit, I’m afraid of TOTW, Earthborn, and some of the other foods on the DCM food list. NV is on the list, but I didn’t realize it until I bought it. I know nothing is proven, but Acana, TOTW, Earthborn are pretty high on that list too. I wouldn’t mind trying another wellness food since it’s not on the list if one is recommended for anal gland problems.

Any suggestions for another protein that may work for anal gland problems that’s higher in fiber? Or should we go straight to limited ingredients?

Thanks in advance!

Edited to add: it seems Wellness Core Lamb and Wellness Core Wild Game (6% fiber), Wellness core ocean (7% fiber). Are any of these better for digestion? for anal glands?

• This topic was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by Sarah Y. Reason: added wellness core foods
• This topic was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by Sarah Y.

[Jerry R]

And draining grease isn’t necessary if you don’t cook it in the first place. You’re just removing too many nutrients just like the heat process of all kibbles do. Raw meat and bones including organs. I’ll never go back to commercial dog food of any kind. My dachshund has never been healthier and no more diarrhea.
I’m glad I went prey after a problem of him not caring for any dog food I bought him. Maybe they know what’s best for them.

[Jerry R]

Dogs can handle bacteria tho I do take common sense precautions. I take warninging like the one above with a grain of salt.
And while my raw feeding started out as buying ground frozen Angus from a local raw food supplier that ships too, I quickly changed to meat from grocery store and meat market. Whole chickens, beef, lamb, turkey.
Chicken feet and necks, turkey necks are great for joint health. I bought 10lbs of lamb liver for $7 from the local meat market and mix a little with other meat a couple times a week.
Pork tails, chicken and turkey gizzards and hearts. All from the grocery store and cheap.

[william M]

The controversy isnt one. Kind of like my 78 year old vet. He’s convinced raw is terrible, chicken bones deadly and most other bones and basic meats a waste of money and time , and would love to see my hounds on some science diet scam. I’ll pose to all for you the same question I do to him….When have you found a dead coyote or wolf with a chicken bone in their throat? Same goes for every other wild carnivore eating my chickens from skunk and coons to weasels and fishers. Time to pull the collective head out of our dark holes and realize, your DOG is a canis Lupus. That means wolf from the get go, or wild dog. they do well with raw as well as cooked meats. They love the awful (body cavity parts especially liver, kidney, lungs, heart etc.) and all the connective sinew on the bones and joints. Does their teeth and general oral health immense good.
All this said, let me just qualify my “EXPERT STATUS” as it were. I have raised and managed over 1200 head of beef cattle for several years for market, Had ranches and farms with EVERYTHING from waterfowl to ginnies. I am 55 and have had various breeds of dog from cockapoo’s to almost every breed and crossbreed of hound from germans to pointer to my latest and likely most clearly bred WALKER coon. All have been working hounds i.e. hunting or herding. I have always maintained one large crockpot for my dogs. I will say I have found one minor issue with my dogs and raw meats, and it’s the same for all wild critters….they get a taste for the raw meat of whatever they are eating. So if your raising chickens, best not to give too much raw chicken unless your discipline style with your dogs far exceeds their need to eat chicken. Just saying. Natural law dictates your dogs DNA drive to hunt, kill or just the desire to sniff and retrieve. Play up those traits based on the breed you got and they will be happy, healthy and live (in some cases) longer than you may think. End note… I have had dogs I would use to move cattle for miles with, or hunt for days with, but they were the worse house pets! And every one of them thought they were a lap dog when in the house! Hopes this helps a few on the fence about raw or cooked or processed foods. We use taste of the wild dry kibble as their 24/7 go to if they are peckish. They get a meat and some potatoe or squash mixed “wet or real food” once a day. I make my own with the crock pot and it varies from week to week from chicken to rabbit to beef and pork…..with the occasional venison or elk thrown in as a treat with livers, kidneys and heart and gizzard thrown in. Always good to check with the local stores to pick up all these items when they are close to pull dates and you can get them for up to 50% off. Wallmart carries 10lb frozen leg quarters fo 5.95 per bag. Thats .59 cents per pound for dark meat chicken….my dogs love it and between the two it serves them for a week. Hope all this helps.

[Sandy S]

My neighbor told me about this “”study”” , that was published in our local paper, back in July 2019.

Almost all the dog food brands in this “”study”” . Almost all. Are of excellent quality.

Specifically, Champion Brands. Origin and Acana.. Are high quality dog food. Available in Italy.

Look at the bio availability of any of the ingredients. Meat/grain/legumes..

You will see that your dog is eating a better bio available ration. Then you are..

Thats why a vast majority of the dogs, that eat these high quality ration’s, thrive. The vast majority.

High Quality = (Protein) Meat.Meat & more meat. Macro & micro minerals. Vitamin’s. Fat & fibre.
Low or no grain (carbohydrates) / peas / bean’s lentil’s..

Most dogs do better on meat. Cause A Dog. IS mostly a Carnivore.

You don’t trust the considerable science that went into your dogs ration? Your dog is one of the few, that responds poorly to a high quality, bio available ration?

Concerned about what meat (protein) your dog digest, & thrives on ? And or what carbohydrates (legumes/grain), your dog digest,best?

Feed 1 protein at a time..Feed 1 carbohydrate at a time One. Example: 75gm’s Lamb (as is) with 25gm’s boiled Brown Rice..Total 100gms.

WaLa! You’ve just made a good , bland, digestible,limited ingredient dog food. Try Whatever protein’s (meat). You want to.

Your dog is one of the minority of dogs, that is having problem’s on a commercial dog food?

If need be? Figuring out which basic ingredients, your dog does best on.. Will allow you to, see results from your own hands making your dog’s ration. Going in and going out..

Then go match what you learned, with a commercial dog food..

Dogs do best on meat.. You can add meat. For less cost then commercial dog food.

You can easily add carbohydrates ( brown rice). For much less cost then dog food..

The number one problem with all dog feed is > People feed their dogs way too much..

That “”study””. Does not seem to be able to take into account market share of a dog breed (popularity). Nor the market share of the dog food brands.. Nor nothing specific about the ingredients? Something vague about the amount or digestibility of legumes? WTF? Just that some breeds seem to be more prone to heart problems..

Then is not that whole FDA “”investigation””. Just bunk science? An “investigation” as a reaction to dog owner hysteria?

What did i miss ?

My dog is 8 years young & 33lbs of solid muscle.

I feed 100 gram’s of dry dog food, like Origin or Keto ….. Not the manufactures recommended “200 grams” .

NOT. 200 .. 100 gram’s ..of high quality meat, commercial dry dog food.

Then I add 100 gram’s of “raw” meat & carbs. More Or less. I like to use 2/3 horse meat and 1/3 brown rice.. Your choice . Depending on what work’s best for your dog and your wallet.

The cost of the above mixture , works out to about $1.50 per day ..

Depending on how much I am running her. More when she work’s long and hard. Less when she is less active ..

My dog (33lbs) requires at least 200 gram’s of dry dog food OR it’s equivalent per day ..

6kg per month ..

Many of these high quality dog feeds cost more then $1.50 + per gram !

Thats a lot of coin for dog food . A whole lot !

If need be. Figure out what meat your dog thrives on.. Then match up a commercial dog food…

One protein . One carbohydrate.. Work it out from there..

[Tra R]

I recommend you feed your dog two antihistamines per day. This will help your dog deal with histomine release in its body. This release can happen when your dog has an injury, the body releases histomine to repair the wound, however with histomine intolent dogs, too much histomine can be released and lead to a mass cell tumour being created. In histomine intolent dogs every lump should be biosped and removed, if it is cancer.
There are foods that an owner should try to keep her dog clear of, processed human food (bacon, sausages, tomatoes, salami), spices, salt, citrus fruit, wheat, glutton, dairy products, cherry’s, apricots, fish products, fermented products etc. You can also get natural antihistamines like garlic (limit to one tablet a day), vets do not recommend garlic as it is a bulb but there is no evidence that garlic hurts dogs. Also
Fresh food is the ideal food for your dog, human fresh raw mince meat (not pork) with its dry dog food is good, meat is good for the blood. I personally recommend Pets at Home AVA dry dog food (not fish as fish makes histomine). The antihistamines will help ur pets body deal with any problem histomine ur dog eats. I have a golden retriever (age five) she has had two mass cell tumours, feeding her two antihistamines each day has halted the creation of tumours for a year, so far.

[Patricia A]

I use kibble at times for a base to freeze dried or home cooked. I like to rotate kibble brands and proteins/flavors. I don’t like all the legumes in the brand I currently rotate with which is Stella Chewy’s baked raw coated. I also used their grain inclusive. Although my dogs have done very well on their food with my topper combinations of raw. I don’t want to stick to just one brand. I’ve read good things about Natures Logic. . I like the face that they use no synthetic vitamins. I also THINK that using millet is better option for the starch binder if what they say is true “Carnivore-appropriate Starch – Millet is the starch in our kibble. This grain contains less natural sugar than other starches frequently used in pet foods. Further, millet is much more likely to occur naturally in a wild dog or cat’s diet than chick peas or potato, so will be more familiar to their digestive systems.”
Wondering if anyone has fed this or can share their thoughts on this brand. I at least want to keep up with the same level of quality nutrition or step up with the kibble and not go down.

[haleycookie]

There has been no proof found of dcm being caused my grain free diets. The fda has instructed to not switch foods as there is not a reason to at the moment. There are very few cases and a lot of them include grain in foods. I would focus on feeding a meat based kibble (meat as first three ingredients minimum) as the base and adding in fresh meats, canned foods, and raw/freeze dried raw into your dogs diet to make it as protein and taurine rich and fresh as possible.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by haleycookie.

[Patricia A]

I believe that the consensus is out that feeding kibble for dogs whole life is not the best nutrition for them. Don’t believe the true cause as of yet has been found regarding DCM and grain diets. Many companies add a ton of legumes in their food displacing animal protein. When the dog was switched to a food that was high in meat(animal protein) their hearts returned to normal in some cases.
Then you have grain inclusive. A starch is always needed in kibble to hold it together.
This is a quote from a site I frequent. “On the other hand, some plant material such as rice, soybean meal and corn have some, although limited, usefulness in the meat eater’s diet. Corn, wheat, soy, rice and barley are not bad or harmful to dogs and cats. These plant sources are simply not good choices (we do get to choose what we feed our pets, don’t we?) for the foundation of a diet to optimally nourish animals what are, have been, and for the foreseeable future will be meat eaters.”

Best if you feed kibble get your pet SLOWLY used to several brands and proteins and rotate every few bags. Even between grain and grain free. There are many toppers you can add such as freeze dried in various brands. I use Primal, Stella’ , Bixbi rawbbles . Frozen raw is less costly in these same brands. Also, use toppers of home cooked when appropriate. Boiled chicken, string beans, fish, steak etc. when your also eating this.
I don’t believe you can go wrong with a variety of foods that agrees with your dog.

[anonymous]

Dr. Marty Goldstein’s Nature’s Feast Raw Diet: A Look at the Infomercial

excerpt below

Dr. Goldstein is another celebrity participant, a veterinarian to the stars. He is also a strong advocate of the bait-and-switch known as “integrative medicine.” This means he will sometimes use science-based treatments, but then often gives the credit for any improvement to homeopathy, acupuncture, raw diets, herbs, and other alternative treatments he also employs.

[Bethann C]

In my opinion, Answers frozen raw food is the best. It’s fermented, and is complete and balanced for dogs of any age. I feed both of my dogs Answers. And have done so since they were puppies. They have a variety of Products, all of which my dogs love. I highly recommend Answers.

[Nadia K]

My bichon currently eats kibble in the morning and Stella and Chewy freeze dried raw patties in the evening. She absolutely loves the Stella patties and not so keen on the kibble. I would like to transition her to all raw. Being that freeze dried food is so expensive, I am going to try frozen raw as it is a little better priced.
For those of you that currently feed or have in the past, which frozen raw do you like the best? Did your dog do particularly well with a certain brand? There are so many brands that it is hard to choose even after reading numerous reviews. Besides Stella and Chewy my local pet shop carries Primal, Answers, Tuckers, Small Batch, Instinct and a few others I believe. Thanks for your help.

[Patricia A]

I got the same response Nadia. I think I’ll lean toward Primal in the same proteins . Just give the venison blend and rabbit. Maybe even try those in the Primal since it is lower calories. I researched Vital Essentials which got all 5 stars except the turkey and chicken NIBBLETS. Going to slowly introduce that as a rotation.
I’m just so used to giving just a little kibble with their freeze dried. it also stretches the expensive freeze dried since I’m feeding the two. I’ve been giving Stella’s raw coated grain free. But I advisor lowed rating due to all the legumes raising protein level. So last bag I rotated with the Ancient grains recipe. I emailed advisor for a future review of their grain inclusive. No response but now from response we both received I’m thinking he’s not going to review or rate them anymore??? I mean I at least use his reviews as a starting point of what to feed. So I’m afraid that the grain inclusive might be like a 2.5 if he did review it.
I’m looking into rotating with Natures logic kibble as a base also. I’ just feel better just rating the kibble even though they get just a few a day with their freeze dried or home cooked. You know sometimes I spend a few hours researching food and I go in a circle. I really think at lease for kibble it’s like trying to fit a round peg in a square hole. Don’t think any are really good to feed solely.

[Patricia A]

Not sure about kibble but I know raw or freeze dried Primal is all life stages. Their website lets you put in quick info and calculates approx. how many nuggets to feed for puppy of a certain age. https://primalpetfoods.com/pages/feeding-calculator
PUPPIES

In the wild, when puppies reach 4-5 weeks of age, the mother dog will naturally begin to regurgitate some of her raw foods for her puppies to consume. Thus, when domestically reared puppies reach approximately 4-5 weeks of age, you can begin introducing them to Primal Canine Formulas. Puppies should be fed one to two small (1-2 teaspoons) raw-food meals daily in conjunction with either the milk they consume from nursing and/or other foods you may be supplementing. Puppies should always be fed from separate bowls, as competitive feeding can promote overeating and indigestion. Gradually increase the quantity of Primal Canine Formulas foods every 2-3 days until 8 weeks of age, when the puppies are consuming two tablespoons of Primal Canine Formulas twice daily. At this point (8 weeks), the puppies should be fully weaned and can be fed a diet solely of Primal Canine Formulas and raw meaty bones. Puppies 8 weeks of age and older should be fed approximately 4-8% of their body weight daily in Primal Canine Formulas. Factors such as breed, overall health and level of activity play a part in the necessary feeding quantities of all puppies. Please be sure to monitor your puppy’s dietary needs and adjust the feeding quantities accordingly.

[Mona S]

Thanks Patricia!. So is it no longer believed that puppies need higher concentrations of protein, fat and vitamins and minerals for growth? It’s interesting that there are canned and dry food specifically formulated for puppies but nothing in the raw category.

Mona

[Patricia A]

Mona the only difference in the puppy Stella’s freeze dried is the size which has smaller patties. So the feeding guideline on back of bag is suggestive amounts of patties to feed for poundage of puppy. I accidentally purchased the puppy bag of freeze dried once. I called and asked if it would be okay to feed my adult dog and they assured me that the ingredients are the same as in adult formulas. Just smaller so I would have to give more for the calories she needed. Hope this helps. I also got mine used to Primal freeze dried which they also do very well with. hope this helps.

I also want to add that ALL I believe of Stella’s Chewy’s freeze dried is Hpp processed. Companies that make raw food for pets primarily use two methods to insure the safety of their products. … Raw pet food maker Stella & Chewy’s uses both high pressure pasteurization (HPP) and UV technology to deliver a pathogen-free finished product. The company has patented their system.
Primal freeze dired also uses hpp in some of their flavors. I stick to the turkey/sardine and duck.Primal will be implementing High-Pressure Processing (HPP) into our product line beginning the week of June 6th, 2011 for poultry products only. Poultry products utilizing HPP will be designated by a code date of 070812 or later. Red meat products will not be utilizing HPP. Below is a complete list of products utilizing HPP, as well as non-HPP products.
HPP Products
Canine Formulas: Chicken, Duck, Pheasant, Quail, Turkey & Sardine
Feline Formulas: Chicken & Salmon, Duck, Pheasant, Quail, Turkey
Mixes and Grinds: Chicken, Turkey
All Raw Meaty Bones: Chicken Backs, Chicken Necks, Chicken Wings, Turkey Necks
Non-HPP Products
Canine Formulas: Beef, Lamb, Pork, Rabbit, Venison
Feline Formulas: Beef & Salmon, Pork, Rabbit, Venison
Mixes and Grinds: Beef, Lamb, Pork, Sardine
Raw Goat Milk
Bone Broth: All Bone Broth
Recreational Bones: All Recreational Bones
Primal Treats: All Primal Treats
https://www.stellaandchewys.com/dog-food/freeze-dried-raw-dinners/patties/beef-salmon-puppy

• This reply was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by Patricia A.

[Mona S]

I noticed that in the Best of for Puppies, that only wet and dry foods were listed. Stella and Chewy has a raw freeze dried food for puppies, but otherwise most raw foods seem to be formulated for all life stages. Does Dog Food Advisor have a position on feeding raw to puppies?

My vet is strongly against it as she believes their microbiomes are not developed enough to handle it. But she also recommended Purina Pro Plan as the best food, so nutrition is obviously not her strong point.

Thanks,
Mona
p.s. my particular puppy is a mini aussie, so don’t need to take large breed feeding into consideration.

[GSDsForever]

Hi Nadia.

Well, I have fed homemade (cooked) and will be again soon. But I have always stuck to the complete and balanced ones from vet specialists. My very first vet referred me to appropriate resources for homemade diets, and loaned me books, for nutrition information and recipes from specialists.

I don’t believe in most, virtually all, recipes presented online or in books, as they are nearly always from sources without proper nutrition credentials. Also, I do not feed raw.

Have you inquired with your vet? He may have some appropriate for normal, healthy dogs from veterinary nutritionists. You can also do a consult with a veterinary nutritionist (DACVN) in your area or remotely via your vet.

Two easy to understand and follow sources you might try to just get started:1) DVM DACVN Susan Wynn’s paleo diet recipe online for normal, healthy dogs, 2)former UC Davis Vet School’s DVM, PhD Donald Strombeck’s book “Home Prepared Dog & Cat Diets” (original edition; do NOT buy the revised by a different author) which includes recipes used for many years with patients at UC Davis, including both healthy small animal recipes and therapeutic diets.

[Nadia K]

It’s very frustrating indeed Patricia. I rely on these ratings when making choices for my dog. It is very disappointing when there are errors. Patricia is there a way for members to message each other privately on this forum? I would love to discuss raw feeding with you personally since you have a small dog like mine.

[Patricia A]

I don’t know what the advisor is doing here with these ratings Nadia. I’m now questioning if I can trusts. these ratings since it’s only changing when we question them and I emailed. The freeze dried is supposed to be identical to the raw once rehydrated. So another discrepancy (error) in his ratings .

[Nadia K]

So it looks like the Stella & Chewy duck duck goose patties were updated now to 2.5 stars. The raw patties were not updated and still say 4 stars. This is very upsetting as a week ago I bought the duck ones thinking they were 4 stars. Guess I will need to go exchange them as I don’t want to feed my dog anything under 4 stars.

[Nadia K]

I really want to get my dog off of kibble. Currently she is eating kibble in the morning and freeze dried raw in the evening. I am retired so I have plenty of time to research and cook for her. However I have found that it is somewhat overwhelming when looking for recopies online and also knowing exactly what supplements are needed to be sure the meal is balanced. Can anyone recommend a good place to start that is easy to understand? If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them. I own a one year old bichon that is 11 pounds. Thanks so much.

[Chipy]

So happy to see that everyone likes this family business. I love Hare Today’s ground meat/bone/organ mixes for my little guy with narrowed esophagus. They ship to Florida and the box always arrives with dry ice, super fresh and frozen, solid 5 lbs chubs when I buy in bulk. They offer a great variety of meats and high quality raw products. I use their raw products to build meals with this new Recipe Maker for my pup; https://recipemaker.peterdobias.com I love that I can learn something about each ingredient before adding it to my recipe. Super helpful. 🙂

[Patricia A]

Pugmomsan I posted my question under raw but got no replies. so below is my question again . Maybe you or someone else on forum has an answer. I try to stick to the lower fat 5* proteins/flavors.
I feed Stella’s and Primal as a topper. I would like to know why their Tantalizing Turkey Dinner Patties Freeze-Dried is rated 5 stars by the advisor and their Stella & Chewy’s Tantalizing Turkey meal mixers Freeze-Dried is only 2.5 stars. I believe the recipe/ingredients are exactly the same with only the presentation (nuggets vs patty) being the difference.
Did the advisor make an error in his ratings or am I missing something here?

• This reply was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by Patricia A.

[pugmomsandy]

They have a higher fat-to-protein ratio. Some pets do fine on higher fat and some need lower amounts of fat. I feed a high fat raw diet currently which only has 2 stars but I like the ingredients – K9 Natural Beef Feast.

/choosing-dog-food/raw-dog-food-fat/

[John D]

Why is there a large difference in the ratings for Stella and Chewy’s Raw Frozen Duck, Lamb, Turkey and Chicken?

[Nadia K]

Here is a review from this website:
/dog-food-reviews/only-natural-pet-rawnibs-dog-food/

[Lynn L]

I am feeding a raw diet and Only Natural Pet raw nibs was suggested. My dog likes it however, I wanted to mix it with other raw (Stella & Chewy) so I soaked the raw nibs to mix them up with the other. I’ve discovered very hard bits (non water-soluble) in the nibs. I’ve written twice to the mfg to ascertain what this is. My assumption is that it’s coarsely ground bone but I really don’t know. At any rate, I’m not feeding this food at present pending their response.

Only Natural Pet suggested that I take pictures and send them but the pieces are quite small and just look like food product. I suggested whomever does their Q A soak 5 nibs in water for several hours and then attempt to flatten a nib. They will soon see for themselves what I’ve found. Sizes vary, some are sharp, at most the size of half a pea but when I have a 3 lb dog that size is significant to me. I can’t imagine anything that is not water-soluble that would be appropriate in my dog’s diet.

Thought I would mention this as I’m working rather hard to feed a good quality diet to her and I assume you all might wish to make your own inquiries if you’re feeding this particular product.

[aimee]

Hi AlexT11,

I hadn’t seen the Sam’s club rawhide free rolls before. They have the same ingredient line up and Guaranteed Analysis as Dentley’s rawhide free retriever rolls. The Dentley’s product ,like the Sam’s club product, is labeled as being a product of Mexico. Maybe they are the same????

The Dentley’s product looks like a roll but after soaking I can’t unroll it. I suspect it is an injection molded product made to look like a roll. It eventually breaks down in boiling water whereas the Ole Roy product dissolves quite quickly. I wonder if it could be that the Ole Roy product has a higher gelatin content than the Dentley’s( min 60% protein in the Ole Roy vs min 20% in the Dentley’s ) Gelatin melts at about 95 degrees.

[AlexT11]

There is something missing here…I do believe these chews are not rawhide but there is a process the company is being very deceptive in not disclosing it .

What I see interesting is the way they are hidding the real process of making these chews, I mean…just as @aimee has described about the connection between the guaranteed analysis and ingredients….they just do not match.

It can’t be a rice based product. Rice is a high carb ingredient and they are reporting carb contents as only 5% (even being second on the list). Another hint…there is no way that you could obtain a fiber-like sheet by compressing brown rice and gelatin (not rawhide enzyme-treated), besides brown rice flour gives a dark gray tone.

There is a product at Sam’s, “Hide Free Chews”:
https://www.samsclub.com/p/chicken-chews-10-ct-rawhide-free/prod23390967

The pieces look very much as “No-Hide” by Earth Animal, at much lower cost, the ingredient line up is similar (all natural ingredients), my dog LOVES them although they do not last quite long as rawhide but they last decent amount of time and there is no doubt the ingredients deck is congruent with the guaranteed analysis for the same base ingredients.

[pugmomsandy]

There are several brands that make kibble that are coated with freeze dried raw and there are kibble products with actual pieces of freeze dried raw bites mixed in the product. It depends on your dog on how he handles different forms of food. Mine can eat raw frozen or freeze dried mixed with anything else.

[Patricia A]

Mabel’s mom I’m not sure if their are a others but Stella and Chewy’s has a baked raw coated kibble. “High-Protein Raw Coated Baked Kibble . Taken from their website below. They added grain inclusive also and limited ingredients. They also have the raw coated with nuggets of freeze dried in the bag.
Our Raw Coated Baked Kibble provides a best-in-class solution for those pet parents looking for a simple, pristine, less processed, and highly palatable kibble. Each high-protein, grain-free offering starts with responsibly sourced animal proteins (cage-free poultry, grass-fed beef, and wild-caught fish). Next, we gently bake our kibble. Finally, each and every piece is coated with our own special raw goodness! The result is a special combination of pure raw nutrition and great taste that dogs are wild about!
I feed this as a base with freeze dried Primal and Stella’s freeze dried as a topper. I slowly got them used to the different flavors and proteins. Very east to feed. just break apart and add warm water.
Here is Primal freeze dried site: https://primalpetfoods.com/collections/canine-raw-freeze-dried-formulas
Stella and Chewy’s https://www.stellaandchewys.com

[Mabel’s Mom L]

Hi, there

I’m looking for some backup dog food, for those times when we forget to take our dog’s raw food out of the freezer and can’t run to the store to buy fresh. I keep seeing “raw enhanced kibble” or “raw meal toppers for kibble” and based on what i understand of how dogs process raw vs. kibble, i would think this stuff is pretty awful, right? Or are these processed differently such that a dog isn’t going to have lead sitting in their stomachs.

Thank you for the advice!

Jen

[Patricia A]

Which Primal Pet Foods products utilize HPP?
Modified on: Tue, 11 Sep, 2018 at 3:09 PM

Primal will be implementing High-Pressure Processing (HPP) into our product line beginning the week of June 6th, 2011 for poultry products only. Poultry products utilizing HPP will be designated by a code date of 070812 or later. Red meat products will not be utilizing HPP. Below is a complete list of products utilizing HPP, as well as non-HPP products.

HPP Products
Canine Formulas: Chicken, Duck, Pheasant, Quail, Turkey & Sardine
Feline Formulas: Chicken & Salmon, Duck, Pheasant, Quail, Turkey
Mixes and Grinds: Chicken, Turkey
All Raw Meaty Bones: Chicken Backs, Chicken Necks, Chicken Wings, Turkey Necks

Non-HPP Products
Canine Formulas: Beef, Lamb, Pork, Rabbit, Venison
Feline Formulas: Beef & Salmon, Pork, Rabbit, Venison
Mixes and Grinds: Beef, Lamb, Pork, Sardine
Raw Goat Milk
Bone Broth: All Bone Broth
Recreational Bones: All Recreational Bones
Primal Treats: All Primal Treats
Supporters of HPP claim the process leads to…

A safer product. It’s been shown that the HPP process is effective at eliminating most food-borne germs such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria with little change in the nutritional value of the end product.2

A fresher product. HPP destroys the microorganisms that cause spoilage which, in turn, increases the shelf life of the product.2

[tinyup A]

I have quite a few good pet food stores around me so I’m hoping I can find some brand that doesn’t use this high pressure process everyone seems to be against. I have been having good results with Stella and Chewy but now that I know to avoid HPP, what brands don’t use this process?

Thanks for any advice. My girl is turning 14 this month! She is pickier than ever when it comes to dinner time.

[Cory E]

Hi there,

For one, you shouldn’t give your dog raw food or bone. Here’s why: https://goldenretrieverlove.com/can-dogs-eat-steak/. In a nutshell, raw food may contain salmonelly, and E-coli.

Secondly, you should be careful and avoid giving him raw bone or any kind of bone for that matter. Bones are a choking hazard to dogs despite the perception that dogs are keen on eating bones.

I would suggest to ask the vet the best diet plan for your dog, and how much meat/steak he should have per week.

[Patti N]

I am actually extremely happy with Dr. Marty Nature’s Blend dog food. My 3 year old 20lb Boston Terrier is probably the pickiest eater ever! I have tried everything. She would eat a new food for a little while and then suddenly quit. It was so frustrating. I saw Dr. Marty’s Facebook ad and watched the very long video. It was quite interesting and educational. I decided to try it and have been feeding her the food for 4 months now. She absolutely loves it! I add half the amount of water to the food and allow it to soak for 2-3 minutes. I mash it down and whip it back up. Exactly how the instructions say to do. I sometimes add some of the Stella & Chewy raw kibble for some crunch and I also purchased Dr. Marty’s Tilly’s Treats. She can’t get enough. Their customer service has also been very helpful when needed. I pay $80 for three 16oz bags which last me about a month. It is more than I was used to paying but well worth it.

[Susan]

Hi Eileen,
If your dog has problems digesting food then I’d stay with the Freeze Dried raw as raw meat digest easier then Kibbles, Kibbles sits in a dogs stomach. My boy has IBD & he was vomiting back up the Royal Canine HP Kibble 8 hours later when he was 1st diagnosed with IBD, then he was put on a raw diet & he digested the raw easier no vomiting up undigested raw. 🙂
Feed him the Stella & Chewy freeze dried food, he’s very smart & knows what agrees with him & what is best for him, listen to your dog.
Vet diets are only temporary – NOT LONG TERM, so once your dog Stomach/Bowel has healed my vet told me to start introducing new ingredients to Patches diet.
Then once he’s stable on the Stella & Chewy Turkey formula start looking at another Stella & Chewy meat protein, try the Rabbit it has similar ingredients in same place as the Turkey formula also the Rabbit will have lower fat, also the Venison looks good & lower in fat as well. Sometimes high fat can cause diarrhea??

Start adding a new protein to his diet, read ingredients as some of the Stella & Chewy Freeze Dried formulas have a few organ meats in the 1st – 5 ingredients, organ meats can cause diarrhea when there’s too much, it all depends on your dog if he can handle organ meats, so don’t give up if you have a set back, you’re on the right track feeding freeze dried raw, Freeze Dried Raw is heaps better then any processed kibbles/wet can food.

You know he can handle & eat Turkey so if you have to get a kibble get a limited ingredient Turkey formula,
“Wellness” has pretty good dog foods & my boy does really well on Wellness Core, Wellness Simple formula’s with his IBD…
This is what I feed Patch when he has a bad IBD flare, you’ll see my Patch in the middle photo, the kibble bag is bigger then him lol
Wellness Simple Turkey & Potato has the Matching wet can foods as well

https://www.wellnesspetfood.com/natural-dog-food/product-catalog/simple-limited-ingredient-turkey-potato-recipe

https://www.stellaandchewys.com/dog-food/freeze-dried-raw-dinners

[Cannoli]

Hi Crazy4cats,

Thanks for the kind words. Yeah i fell for the hype of High protein low grain diets, or raw food is best, or quality ingredients over corn and rice is better, and etc….

I fed my pup this hype for over 3.5 years of his life and he still developed allergies….at the end of the day only my vet and vet dermatologist had the answers for what food to feed him…

[steve johnson]

I feed my dog a raw frozen diet such as Stella and Chewys or Instinct. Raw diets can help dogs lose weight because they are lower in carbs. There is a lot less poop to pickup too!

[Cannoli]

Hi Jessica,

Welcome to the Bulldog Family. They are awesome dogs but are extremely prone to all types of allergies ( I blame it on bad breeders and over breeding) …I was lucky my pup did not start showing full blown allergies (itching, ear infections, head shaking, red swollen paws) until about age of 4 but prior to that my bulldog always had loose poops…

Wish i had taken him to the vet dermatologist sooner in regards to his loose poops but I always thought it was just loose poops and he was normal with everything else.

Hopefully you might avoid the Bulldog Allergy trap but if you do I highly recommend listening to your vet and avoid any foods unless you talk to him. Don’t waster your money on No grain, expensive high ingredients foods, and raw foods. All these foods did nothing for my pup except build up his allergies.

My vet dermatologist recommended a great dog food which has the number 1 ingredient of (gasp) Corn. he does very well on corn…no loose poops, no itching..very very minor head shaking and less paw licking…

• This reply was modified 6 years, 6 months ago by Cannoli. Reason: missing info
• This reply was modified 6 years, 6 months ago by Cannoli. Reason: missing info

[pugmomsandy]

My 12-13 year old pug still eats foods for all life stages or growth (puppy). Eats all sorts of foods actually- kibble, wet, raw, freeze dried. I just watch his body condition score. I don’t weight him. Using K9 Natural as a mixer right now and he loves it.

[eileen K]

My dog is on a prescription hydrolyzed protein dog food as he has a problem digesting regular dog food. I have been able to supplement his food with Stella and CHewy’s freeze dried raw turkey meal mixer which he is able to tolerate. But now he doesn’t want to eat the Royal Canin hydrolyzed protein dog food. All he wants is the freeze dried turkey. Can you suggest a non prescription dog food that I might be able to try? Are there any non prescription hydroluzed protein dog foods on the market?

[anonymous]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is cautioning pet owners not to feed their pets Performance Dog frozen raw pet food purchased after July 22, 2019 because a sample tested positive for Salmonella and L. mono.

https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/news-events/fda-cautions-pet-owners-not-feed-performance-dog-raw-pet-food-due-salmonella-listeria-monocytogenes?utm_campaign=9-26-2019-PerformanceDog&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

[Joseph G]

If your dog does have environmental allergies, the food still makes a difference because dogs show signs of environmental allergies through their skin and GI tract as well. It’s possible the Stella and Chewy’s didn’t cause issues because sometimes raw is easier to digest and/or the lamb protein was one your dog was not previously exposed to or did not develop an allergy to. I’m not sure if Rayne has a lamb formula. You could always try the kangaroo, assuming your dog never had it before. It’s a really good food and great for dogs with skin allergies due to high omega fatty acids naturally in the meat, yet it is lower in fat that most meats.

One more thing. If after trying everything and you’re still not having luck, they make a sublingual (under the tongue) immunotherapy for dogs which has the same effects as getting allergy shots, but no shot is required and only a liquid is squirted in the mouth. I did this for about a year with my dog and it helped. She has severe allergies. My dog is now also on Apoquel which is a medication your vet would need to prescribe. Certainly not as natural as the sublingual therapy, but if your dog is bad enough and nothing else works it can be a lifesaver. Further, they also have a shot your vet can give once a month or so and it is similar to Apoquel, but supposedly a bit safer. It’s is called Cytopoint. My dog actually does better on the Apoquel, but every dog is different. Please check with your regular vet. You may or may not need to see a derm vet depending on what you do.

Here’s a link regarding a few things I discussed:

Sub-Lingual Immunotherapy (SLIT)

Allercept Therapy Drops

Apoquel
https://www.zoetisus.com/products/dogs/apoquel/index.aspx

Monthly Injection
https://www.cytopoint4dogs.com/about-cytopoint.aspx

Good luck!!

• This reply was modified 6 years, 6 months ago by Joseph G.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 6 months ago by Joseph G.

[Daniel S]

Hi there, I’m the founder of KetoNatural Pet Foods.

On the issue of ingredient commonality, chicken is BY FAR the most prevalent ingredient in our chicken recipe (and salmon is by far the most prevalent ingredient in our salmon recipe). In both cases, the meat products make up 75% or more of the formula. And, unlike most pet food companies (including at least one of the two you’ve mentioned here) when I make that claim I’m making it on a post-dehydration basis. We add our chicken to our formula AFTER it has been dehydrated, so the percentage of the formula that is chicken is not skewed by the presence of water. Even after dehydration, it’s still the case that more than 75% of our formula is chicken. Your statement that chicken is the “fifth of sixth ingredient” is completely false, I assure you. It’s BY FAR the most common ingredient and I’m not aware of another kibble on the planet that has a higher ratio of animal products to starch than Ketona (and I’ve actually written a book about this subject, so I’m quite familiar with the marketplace!).

(If you want to see this “dehydration issue” for yourself, go check out the website for Orijen by Champion Pet Foods. The company claims that most of its Orijen formulas are at least 90% meat products. But the formulas are also typically at least 25% carbohydrate. Animal products don’t contain carbohydrates. So something doesn’t add up. That “something” is the presence of water in the animal ingredients.)

On this issue of price, it is indeed the case that our food is more expensive than many (but not all) kibbles. But it’s nutritional composition is different too. We have by far the lowest carbohydrate content of any dry pet food on the market today. Carb-heavy ingredients (corn, rice, potatoes, etc.) are the cheapest ingredients. And that’s why most kibbles are insanely cheap (far cheaper than the trashiest fast food on a per-calorie basis). Because our formulas feature more animal-based ingredients and fewer carb-heavy ingredients, they’re more expensive to produce. So we have to charge a bit more. But I’ll note that (1) our prices are only about 20-25% of nutritionally-similar raw diets (the only other types of pet food products that have a nutritional content remotely similar to ours) and (2) on a quantitative basis, switching a 50-pound dog from Acana to Ketona is only likely to add $0.50 to $1.00 per day to your dog food budget. Hardly a massive change.

Regards,

Daniel Schulof
KetoNatural Pet Foods