[Kristin C]

Hi Paz-did you order the smaller portions, 1 or 2 lbs? Or the the 10 lbs? I’ve ordered from them for about 6 months and I have to say I don’t care for their new packaging. They used to deliver the smaller portions in tubs. I ordered 10 lbs of beef once and noticed a lot of white and I was concerned with the fat content since they don’t post their nutrient data. So now I just order the smaller portions and they actually look ok to me, but I only feed a few meals per week of the novelty meats. I make the rest of my dogs meals with chicken and lean beef from the grocery store. I do order individual beef organs from Reel Raw and haven’t had the leaking issue you have. You may want to email them about it. They are very responsive.

[paz de paws]

I just recently received my first order from Reel Raw. I am quite disappointed in the quality of the meats and packaging. The individual bulk grinds of turkey, beef and chicken are much fattier than any other grinds that I have purchased from Hare Today and My Pet Carnivore . There is more white than red in these grinds indicating too much fat and skin in place of muscle meat and organs. The dogs are eating it but I am only going to serve it every 3-4 days as it is not something I am comfortable feeding them everyday.
I also purchased six 2lb bags of organ meet. Every single bag had holes in it. Some were not noticeable until they began to thaw at which time the blood started streaming out.
I will NOT be making another purchase from Reel Raw.

[InkedMarie]

ground raw isnt cheap any way you look at it, unless you want to go with Blur Ridge Beef

[crazy4cats]

Peggy-

You could still give them more wet food as long as you reduce the amount of dry you are feeding them and the wet food is a complete and balanced formula.

My kitties have a hard time liking reduced fat food as well. I guess it would be like eating plain popcorn after you are used to eating it with butter. LOL! I try to feed my dogs moderate to low fat dry foods because the toppers that I use tend to be a little higher in fat. Such as the canned and frozen raw that I add to their meals.

Sounds like you are making some great changes. It sure is a learning experience isn’t it? Who knew?

[Akari_32]

Also, I’m wondering, for the sake of space, if I order off that prepared meals things Reel Raw has going on, and I doubled his weight on the meal sizes, if that would be more economical, and space-convenient. We don’t have a big freezer, or space for a chest freezer. I can’t help but think of how big the 5 lb packs of hamburger are at work, and how we would have to have 10 of those in our freezer! LOL

[Akari_32]

So I just finished doing up Bentleys tenderloin. 7.85 pounds made him something like 28 meals. Ooh to have a small dog! Aaaaand, I actually made it how you’re supposed to this time and mixed the meat and mix together in a big bowl. I did add about a cup of water to it to mix better, and not be so sticky. I usually do just under a tablespoon per 4-5 oz serving of a chunk (or cubes/pieces if it’s hearts) of meat, so I can’t really pre-measure otherwise. I’ve never bought this much ground meat before (had them throw the whole tenderloin in the grinder– he said right away “are you feeding this to the dog??” I buy too much meat…. Lol) so i never really thought about putting it all together before freezing lol

One thing: I’ve got 11 or 12 days of turkey left. Should I buy some beef or something to hold him off that couple extra days from the pork, or would it be ok to start feeding the pork at the 12-13 day frozen mark?

I never realized exactly how much he got out of a pound of meat. Those 5x 10lb packages I’m gunna have to buy from Reel Raw are going to last him the rest of his life LOL

[InkedMarie]

Akari,
regarding Reel Raw, if you buy in 50 pound increments, free shipping! Those of us in the north east get free shipping 30 pounds and over.

[InkedMarie]

It’s been awhile since I ordered from Reel Raw out of Maine and I could swear their mixes (meat, organ and bone), 10 pounds for $29.99, came in beef and chicken only. I just went to their site and they have those plus pork, turkey and a combo (beef, chicken, turkey and pork).

[Akari_32]

I just opened a bag of SSLL, thankfully. I ordered it sometime in early December. I emailed them to make sure they got my order, and I asked when they were going to have their new products available and they said they didn’t have an exact date just yet. The bag should last about 3 months. I also have a bag of TruDog and some Natures Variety frozen raw if I run out of SSLL before then lol

I meant to find out if I could do local pick up for MPC, but I’m nowhere near close enough anyways lol I don’t even live in the right state for free shipping from Reel Raw! However, 50 lbs for free shipping is fine, I think. I’ll get creative if I have to. I’m also trying to figure out if the pre-made meals are going to be cheaper, or if i can find a decent way to get to 50 lbs for free shipping and still keep it with in my price range. They do this weird free shipping at 50 lbs increments thing lol I’ll have to play with on the computer.

[Akari_32]

Reel Raw does look a bit more expensive. The 10 lb complete ground mixes may be cheaper though, at just $3 a pound. I’d have to recheck on Hare Today. That would last about a month, too, since he only eats about 4 oz a day on SSLL right now, and should eat less on all raw according to the calculator.

How do I find out if I am, HDM? That sounds really good if I could find a place close by to pick up.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Shipping for me is about $1 per pound for Hare’s stuff but it’ll depend on which state you’re located. I’m in the NY and Hare is in PA so that’s why it’s cheaper for me than My Pet Carnivore. Someone living further west would probably be better off ordering from MPC. I’m always weary of any site that offers free shipping on raw, every one I’ve seen just jacks the prices of the products up to compensate for the free shipping and in the end it doesn’t end up saving any money.

[DogFoodie]

Don’t be afraid of a German butcher! They’re the ones who perfected the art!

Growing up, there was a butcher shop where I lived that had a third generation German trained Master Sausage Maker who passed along his skills to his sons. They’ve closed up shop for human products and now make raw dog food. 🙂

You aren’t by chance on the home delivery route for MPC, are you? I can order all I want and pick it up at a designated drop-off site for only $10.

[InkedMarie]

I love Hare but cant tell you about shipping. Make an order, including shiping, to see what the cost is. Look at Reel Raw. If you order a certain amount, there IS free shipping. 10 pounds of beef and chicken complete mix is $30.00 I think.

[crazy4cats]

Ok, I’m back. I was thinking more about the bone broth. Can you use cooked bones to make it? Like can I use the carcass from a Costco rotisserie chicken that we’ve had for dinner to make it? Or, does it have to be raw bones?

[Barbara P]

Hi Dori,

Wow, thank you so much for all the information on raw foods. I will go through them this weekend and determine if any of them work for Colby. I understand about tweaking the basic food to make sure Colby is getting what he needs.

I really appreciate all your time.

Gratefully,
Barbara

[Dori]

Hi Barbara. Sorry I haven’t chimed in sooner, it’s been a very busy day. As I’ve mentioned to you before, it has been a very long road to achieving a quality to Katie’s life. My favorite and most trusted commercial raw foods are: Primal Raw Formulas (the formulas are the only one of their foods that are complete and balanced), Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Foods, Answer’s Detailed Raw Foods (a bit difficult to find but any pet store that carries their raw goats milk should be able to order in the food for you), OC Raw, Stella & Chewy’s (I go back and forth with my feelings about the taste of their food for my dogs but as a company they are top notch), Vital Essential Raw, Nature’s Logic Raw. With all of this said I continue to always be on the look out and continue to tweak Katie’s diet. The companies that I mentioned are the ones that I feel very confident and comfortable with feeding to my dogs; but you always have to be on the look out that if any of these foods you feed to your dog don’t agree with them, look for different ingredients in the foods that may be the culprit. Katie cannot have any fowl whatsoever. Sometimes a food may be labeled “bison”. Please make sure that there is no other animal protein in the food. Sometimes some companies will add chicken fat, turkey fat, or some poultry to up their protein requirements for their label. Also some companies may have an over abundance of peas or some other ingredient which may bother your dogs. I have not found that to be the case with any of the above mentioned companies and foods. I do have to be careful which foods from these different companies I feed my dogs because Katie cannot have poultry of any sort, duck, lamb, quail. I stay away from all those. The only kibble that is fed to my dogs on very rare occasions is Nature’s Logic Kibble. They are not strictly a grain free food because their formulas contain millet which is a pseudo grain. For some bizarre reason Katie, who cannot tolerate any grain whatsoever, doesn’t seem to have any reaction to millet. It started out as an error on my part. I thought Nature’s Logic was a grain free food. It wasn’t after some time that I found it contained millet which I didn’t realize it was grain free. I was looking for a kibble that she might be able to eat because my husband who, on the rare occasion has to feed my dogs, is very squeamish and hubby is a bit on the lazy side, and just wants to be able to scoop a food and pour into their bowls. It doesn’t happen often because I don’t like feeding them kibble. Anyway, if I can be of further help please ask away and I will do my best to answer any and all questions that I can.

Just a quick add on to my post is that I do rotate brands, proteins within brands, etc. etc. My very favorite of all commercial raw foods is Primal. Without a doubt I have no qualms about recommending Primal Formulas. Primals Pronto Formulas are also an easy way for you to transition into commercial raw feeding because they are small little bits that you can scoop out frozen and put in bowls and wait till they soften (approx. 15 minutes) and then feed. I have three dogs…..5 lb. Yorkipoo, 6 lb. Maltipoo and a 7.3 lb. 15 year old Maltese. They have been eating these high protein, moderate to high fat, low carb foods for approx. 3 years. None have developed any issues from eating high protein, moderate to high fat foods. Many will scare people into believing that some foods have too much fat to feed dogs. It’s not the quantity of the fat or the protein for that matter, it is the quality of the fats and proteins in the foods. Huge Huge difference. As I’ve said, I have spent years figuring all this out, researching ingredients, companies, supplements in the foods and I’m very confident that I feed my girls high quality foods with high quality ingredients from companies that I trust implicitly and companies that, to my knowledge and investigation, have never had recalls.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 11 months ago by Dori.

[Karen K]

Again, always use FOOD GRADE. The DE for pools and such contains toxic chemicals.
DE is used in grain silos to control weevils & such. It can be taken internally for parasites but will not kill every type of parasite so research this and also the amount to use. It does not require a large amount of DE.
DE kills fleas because it kills exoskeleton pests which also includes roaches, spiders, etc.
It kills them because the sharp edges of the material (think really tiny tiny sand) of the diatoms from which it is made puts cuts in exoskeletons and the bug dehydrates to death.
Works great on Palmetto bugs (think huge roaches) in Florida. I have used it on kittens & puppies. Expose the skin by holding back the hair and powderpuff it on the area around the neck and tail (fleas favorite places). Eventually the fleas will crawl over the area and they are goners. No need to create dust while applying it. The dust is very dangerous if inhaled as it will also cause tiny cuts in lung tissue of any mammal. DE does not kills bugs by chemical action but by a natural method which does not harm mammals as long as they don’t breathe the DE dust in.

[DogFoodie]

How is she found on THK so far? You said you got samples and she’s eaten several varieties?

I have a young Golden who has food intolerance issues, in addition, he has a sensitive digestive system. When he encounters a food to which he’s sensitive, he will frequently have loose stools. Some of the things I have to avoid for him are tomato, chickpeas, lentils, beans and flax. All of those can potentially be irritating to the digestive system for various reasons and produce gas and loose stool. When I can successfully avoid those ingredients, and fish, he’s a happy camper. I would look for foods for your pup that don’t contain those ingredients either due to her digestive system being easily inflamed.

I would try adding a good quality digestive enzyme. I had great luck with Swanson’s BioCore. I’d also offer raw, green tripe which is full of wonderful digestive enzymes. I buy my raw, green tripe at Hare Today.

[bill c]

Thanks Cheryl,

I’m on Honest Kitchen (Zeal…moved from Thrive and Embark due to those twos high fat content) and Acana (changed that too, based on feedback here in the group). You’ll appreciate this. To keep all the wet and dry flakes from messing up his beard i fill Glad bags with the allotted portion, trickle-in some water (filtered of course) shake and mix, then flatten it and stack one on top of the other. The bag-pancakes then go into the freezer. When I feed him, in the morning, I break it up–while its still in the bag–then pour out the little chards into his bowl (on top of his raw, frozen chicken breast) and get it to him before it liquifies. It works wonders. I’ll have to try Primal or Vital. Will see if they have it in the markets here.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Barbara,

Yes, I would suggest that you go back to square one and complete a proper elimination diet. Did you conduct your elimination diet using veterinary guidance? Here’s an article that will give you an idea of what your elimination diet should look like: http://communityvet.net/2010/03/diy-elimination-diet-for-the-dog-an-cat/

Elimination diets take a long time, many months, in fact; and require strict discipline. If your diet wasn’t conducted like the one in the article, it’s time to reconsider starting fresh.

You’ve mentioned some other items that your dog cannot have that you didn’t originally mention. Were those ingredients that you unearthed or did they show up on your dog’s allergy test?

Once you’ve identified his allergies, you can safely begin looking for foods. A raw diet, either homemade or commercial is great, but not if it contains any of his allergens. You could consider looking at Rayne customized diets, if you’re unable to find a commercial diet that meets your requirements or are not comfortable making home-prepared meals that contain none of his allergens, and are most importantly, properly balanced.

[Barbara P]

AQUARIANGT – Thank you for your suggestion of Nature’s Logic raw. It looked very healthy and good until I got to the eggshell meal, whole eggs and kelp. I didn’t realize kelp is in so many foods but we had to eliminate it after trying some we got and dried (kale chips) from our local organic farmer this summer. I have not tried sardine oil with him as I figured it would be the same as salmon oil, although he can tolerate catfish, cod, herring, mackerel and white fish. I’ll have to try it. His dog biscuits are Blue Seal Lobster Bisquettes and those have not been a problem for him so far but I’m holding my breath. Thank you again.

[Akari_32]

Food for the next 72 days!

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/9ED9755D-F378-42C5-8076-CDC2820623C0_zpsinsoiy6d.jpg

The single 5.5 oz cans on the left are for raw in the morning and and a can at night. The rest of the meals are 3oz cans in the morning and 5.5 oz cans at night. Two funny combinations that’s happened during sorting:

Wellness in the morning, 9Lives at night:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/63C91AD6-7959-41F4-B1EE-4B00423A09AF_zps90rbtcqp.jpg

And raw in the morning and Friskies Sausesations at night:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/BBD4B1CC-ADCF-4DAC-8021-A5D1ED5F6BF3_zpsfmr8rsvk.jpg

I can’t decide which is worse LOL Only at my house…. Both of these are the last cans, Btw. I try to spread out the super junk as much as I can, that why I still have these. The rest of his food is good, though! Or at least decent for the most part lol

Halo Impulse, Wellness, Authority Flaked Turkey, some sort of Blue Buffalo Healthy Gourmet, Newmans Own, Sheba, my two selected Friskies Special Diet and Fancy Feast varieties each. Oh, and some Insticnt Pride. I think there may be one more, but I’m not sure… lol

[Barbara P]

Thank you DORI, DOGFOODIE and KAREN, for your input. DF – I have tried an elimination diet but continually changing ingredients was hard on his bowels (and my carpets) when I was working. I retired in June and am now trying to address his food and behavior concerns. Are you recommending that I go back to that after investing the expense of the allergy testing? Do you think this would this be helpful to me, or would it be better for him to try the commercial raw/ homemade/freeze dried as Dori recommended. I believe you mentioned you have a golden too and they are know for this. KAREN – Thank you for the info about the kibble. From that statement I deduce that the reason he is turning prematurely white in the face since beginning the latest kibble must be the starch, would you agree? DORI – It sounds like you have been through with your Katie, everything I have with my Colby. I know nothing about how to make homemade meals that are complete and balanced, and am worried about choosing raw foods that might not be. Do you use a certain brand or do you mix them up?

[Akari_32]

You guys know I’m always on the look out for a deal, and to better the dogs diets at the same time. I was surfing around and came across Hare Today. I know several of you guys use it, so I decided to check it out.

I’ve figured out that I need to keep it at $3.89 and less, to keep the price competitive to what I am doing now, which is See Spot Live Longer, and sale meats (lots of sale whole roaster/frier chickens @.@). Which should be easy, I think.

However, what is shipping like? Is there a “free shipping when you spend so much” deal they do? I need to stick with less than $30 a month. If it needs to be bought in bulk, thats fine with me. Shipping is a huge factor on this right now.

What makes me really like this idea, though is that the prices are cheaper than in store (which means nothing if shipping is too much lol), and I can get Bentley more than mass amounts of chicken, because the variety here sucks. Its either chicken, beef, chicken, pork, chicken, maybe some random organ someone ordered at Publix but never picked up, more chicken… Everything but the chicken and some pork is just so pricey, $5 a pound and up! I’m thinking he is still having problems with chicken though, because even though he’s been on raw for some time now, he still breaks out and gets red and itchy and yeasty at times. I know the grass and rain and other pollens has something to do with it, but I can’t help but wonder if completely cutting out chicken would help him even more, or maybe cutting out the pre-mix, if its something in the SSLL.

If I can cut out the SSLL, are the meat/organ/bone grinds on Hare Today balanced? Like this beef blend, for example?

“Ground Beef/Organs/Tripe/Bone, 5 lb $19.20

Hormone and antibiotic free beef. This is approximately 80% meat, 7% tripe, 7% organ [heart,liver, lung, and kidneys] and 6% bone.
Fine Ground

This food is low in Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin B6, Phosphorus, Zinc and Selenium, and a very good source of Protein and Vitamin B12”

I would think yes, but I figured I’d make sure. According to the calculator, he’d only need about 3.84 oz. He currently gets a 5 oz chunk of whatever meat I give him and SSLL, and a little coconut oil because the princess won’t lap up the SSLL anymore without the coconut oil, or a good deal of blood from the meat. Rotten little dog lol

Also, since I’m considering cutting chicken from his diet, should I also cut out other birds, and stick with beef, pork and maybe fish? He didn’t really like fish based kibbles when he was a puppy, and he’s not a huge fan of fish oil, but maybe he’d like raw fish? The whole sardines or anchovies, or whatever they were, on Hare Today are right in my price range at $3.85 a pound, and I know whole fishes are balanced meals. I’d also like if you guys that know the site better than I do to recommend some goodies that are in my feeble price range. Mixes of meats to make balanced meals are also good, as well. Just keep the average price per pound in my price range 🙂

As far as bones and RMB, I can just get those in store, I think. Some prices are cheaper at Publix than Hare Today, so I’ll price shop for bones first before deciding where I’ll buy them.

I’d also like to know if there are any other sites like this that may be cheaper, or have other things. I’m also looking at complete freeze-dried and dehydrated meals, if anyone can recommend any that are going to be about $30 or less a month for an 8 pound dog.

Thanks a bunch guys!

[Susan]

DogFoodie, peas are high in Lectins like lima, beans, sweet peas, cow peas, potatoes, tomatoes, lentils, sweet potatoes, the list goes on..

Barbara, I found sweet potatoes & potatoes made my boys ears itch, he would shake & shake his head while walking, scratch & scratch his ears, I had to do a elimination diet to find out what foods made him itch scratch & have diarrhoea.. its worth it in the end..

Like Dori said the best is either home cooked, commercial raw or freeze dried..
kibble is the worst to feed as it has starchy ingredients that bind the kibble….

[Dori]

Barbara P. Thought I’d jump in and say that one of my dogs has many many food sensitivities. In my opinion, (and it’s the path I took three years ago) dogs with multiple allergies do best on either a home made food, home made raw, or commercial raw dog food formulas. I feed commercial raw dog food formulas (complete and balanced). Unfortunately, it’s the most expensive way to go. I also feed some freeze dried and The Honest Kitchen dehydrated food. I’m not inclined to spend time making dog food at home. I barely cook for my husband and myself. I also don’t want to worry about whether I got everything complete and balanced. My three dogs are small so the cost of feeding them in this manner is not outrageous. Before I started feeding raw, Katie would scratch 24/7, horrible breath, gas to clear out a house, not just a room, yeasty smelly ears, shedding all the time (she’s a Maltipoo…they are not suppose to shed), really coarse hair, goopy gunky eyes, runny loose stools and diarrhea, I could go on and on and on. I am happy to say that all those issues are a thing of the past. She doesn’t have a single one of those issues anymore. She’s a real happy camper now as am I and her two little sisters as they all eat the same foods. I believe in rotating proteins within brands and also rotating brands. Let me also add that the only time she needs to go to the vet now is her yearly physical. Before the change to commercial raw dog foods she was always at the vet, allergist and dermatologists trying to figure out what was going on with her and they always had her on different prescription anti-histamines and wanted to put her on steroids (I didn’t allow that). Those costs were way more than it costs me to feed all three of my dogs commercial raw dog food. I am also happy to report that Katie does not need any anti-histamines anymore. None!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 11 months ago by Dori.

[DogFoodie]

I think it seems odd that the same thing is happening to both dogs at the same time.

Any chance of changing to a different brand of commercial raw or even a home cooked diet?

I have no first hand experience with UTIs or crystals, but wondered if something was going on with one of my dogs when she started licking herself, so I started both of my dogs on Mercola Bladder Support. The batch that Mercola is shipping expires in February, so I’d wait until they have a fresh batch on hand if you decide to consider it.

[DogFoodie]

I’m not sure, with what information we’ve been given, what intuitive conclusions can be drawn about peas that cannot be drawn about beef, lamb, poultry, fish, and et all.

[crazy4cats]

I think that is weird that your pups got crystals while eating raw food. However, after one of my cats blocked due to crystals, I have been researching causes for them. There are other reasons besides just diet. Definitely, make sure they continue to get a lot of moisture and plenty of opportunities to go potty. Also, feed two or three times a day to keep their pH levels in check. I believe that stress and anxiety caused much of my cat’s issue. Have you made big changes at home recently? Any new pets or people in the house, or changes to their routines?
Prescription food, both canned and dry has helped rid my cat of his crystals. I’m giving him about 75% prescription food and 25% regular diet. I am going to gradually decrease the prescription over a year’s time and reevaluate his urine regularly.

Crystals in dogs are not as serious as in male cats as their parts are no where as likely to get blocked as cats. However, they can make it painful to pee as they are like little pieces of glass. Can you feed them the Royal Canin temporarily or with the raw until the infections and crystals are gone? Also glucosamine has been recommended to me by more than one vet for bladder support. Good luck to you. It can be worrisome, can’t it?

[InkedMarie]

have you added any urinary supplements? What about adding some warm water to their raw?

[stephw4]

I have 2 mini-dachshunds ages 7 and 9. They are not overweight in fact one only weighs 5.5 lbs. Both of them have had recurring urinary tract infections with struvite crystals. My dogs eat a raw diet (Natures Instinct) with NO grains at all. They also get plenty of water. My vet wants me to put them on Royal Canin urinary support food. For obvious reasons I don’t want to do that. Any suggestions on what to do?

[pugmomsandy]

Hound and Gatos Pork

houndgatos.com

Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Pork, Venison and Bison, Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance Rabbit and Goat

grandmalucys.com

Great Life Dr E’s Buffalo (has salmon oil) and Pioneer Naturals Pork

doctorsfinest.com

Addiction Perfect Summer Brushtail and Outback Kangaroo, Fig’Licious Venison (dehydrated), canned Black Forest Rabbit, Hunter’s Venison Stew:

https://www.addictionfoods.com/products/dog-formulas/raw-dehydrated/perfect-summer-brushtail

Merrick 96% Pork canned

merrickpetcare.com

Tucker’s Pork and Bison (raw)

tuckersbones.com

Bravo Blend Pork, Bravo Boneless Bison and Venison, Bravo Basics Rabbit

http://www.bravorawdiet.com/dog_frozen_blends_pork.html

• This reply was modified 10 years, 11 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 11 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[aquariangt]

The raw ones are fine, kibble and canned from natures logic all have multiple protein sources

[aquariangt]

Natures logic raw rabbit or venison seem to work.

[pugmomsandy]

Petkind Tripe dry food reads like a very good quality dog food that includes both fresh meat and meat meal. But tripe is best fed raw, so if you are looking to feed tripe for it’s health benefits, then I wouldn’t recommend a kibble since kibble can be cooked with high temperatures. I consider cooked tripe just another “meat”. Raw tripe is another story.

[karren w]

Yes she carnt eat potato sweet potato rice chicken wheat .its a night mare as the dont sell any food over in the uk with out any of these in .she has been on orijen six cish for 5 weeks now and carnt stop itching and licking het paws till they are raw and her ears are going yeasty and bum thats why i took her to the vets yesterday .i am just at my wits end

[Barbara P]

I’ve been searching for a dog food that does not contain beef, poultry, lamb, fish, and peas. Does anyone have any suggestions? I’ve already checked into Nature’s Variety or Natural Balance’s Limited Ingredient foods but unfortunately those did not meet the criteria.

[DogFoodie]

If it’s your hope to use a fish based food for the Omega 3’s, you’re better off adding sardines, fish oil or another form of Omega 3 supplement to the food you’re feeding.

Here’s an article written by Steve Brown, who many consider to be one of the authorities of raw feeding: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_12/features/Fats-Chance_20658-1.html

[Sarah]

Hello Dog Experts!

I would love to get your suggestions on what would be the best food to get for our new puppy Pearl who is 3/4 Golden Retriever and 1/4 Border Collie mix that the breeder refers to as a Coltriever. We have had her since she was 10 weeks old and is now 13 weeks and weighs 12 lbs and is a very active and happy pup. She is currently on Taste of the Wild Puppy which was what the breeder was feeding and we have switched between the Wild Prairie and Wild Pacific Salmon formulas and she has done well on both but seems to like the Wild Pacific Salmon formula more. She has a long and very fluffy puppy coat still and the Vet suggested having her on a fish based puppy food for both her longer coat and to help with the cancer that is so prevalent in Goldens. My understanding is TOTW is a good food for the price point however, I am looking to find what the best food would be for her. I joined the Editors Choice but the large breed Puppy foods listed were not fish based. I don’t mind paying more $$ as it is important to me to have her on the best food possible. Our vet is not pro Raw food and we currently are not looking to go that direction except for possibly supplementing. If anyone has suggestions on supplements we should be adding I would love to hear those as well! I am also scratching my head on whether I should be doing all dry or a wet/dry combo for her food.
These are some of the suggestions we got from Mud Bay for her dry food (a local high end pet store):
1. First Mate Puppy
2. Instinct Salmon (it’s not a puppy formula but they said that it has the same protein and fat ratios as a puppy formula would have)
3. Acana (they didn’t carry but said was great)
4. Orijen (they didn’t carry but said was great)
I appreciate the help, the more I research the more confused I get and would love to hear from people’s personal experiences!
~Sarah

[Sarah]

Hello Dog Experts!

I would love to get your suggestions on what would be the best food to get for our new puppy Pearl who is 3/4 Golden Retriever and 1/4 Border Collie mix that the breeder refers to as a Coltriever. We have had her since she was 10 weeks old and is now 13 weeks and weighs 12 lbs and is a very active and happy pup. She is currently on Taste of the Wild Puppy which was what the breeder was feeding and we have switched between the Wild Prairie and Wild Pacific Salmon formulas and she has done well on both but seems to like the Wild Pacific Salmon formula more. She has a long and very fluffy puppy coat still and the Vet suggested having her on a fish based puppy food for both her longer coat and to help with the cancer that is so prevalent in Goldens. My understanding is TOTW is a good food for the price point however, I am looking to find what the best food would be for her. I joined the Editors Choice but the large breed Puppy foods listed were not fish based. I don’t mind paying more $$ as it is important to me to have her on the best food possible. Our vet is not pro Raw food and we currently are not looking to go that direction except for possibly supplementing. If anyone has suggestions on supplements we should be adding I would love to hear those as well!

These are some of the suggestions we got from Mud Bay (a local high end pet store):
1. First Mate Puppy
2. Instinct Salmon (it’s not a puppy formula but they said that it has the same protein and fat ratios as a puppy formula would have)
3. Acana (they didn’t carry but said was great)
4. Orijen

I appreciate the help, the more I research the more confused I get and would love to hear from people’s personal experiences!

~Sarah

[Kristin C]

We feed our raw grinds out of a jar or dog food bowl right in our kitchen. RMB’s get fed outside in our driveway, but we only do that once per week and we supervise. Dried beef trachea we feed as a treat outside (or in the garage), weather permitting.

[theBCnut]

Since senior dog’s ability to get protein out of their diet decreases by as much as 50%, they need more, not less, high quality protein. Most senior dog foods assume your dog is in advanced stages of kidney disease and decrease the amount of protein. We don’t suggest senior food for healthy seniors. A good quality All Life Stages food is ok for kibble, but canned, raw or fresh is best.

[theBCnut]

Z/D is mostly carbs. You may want to see if you can find any raw feeder forums. Making homemade food is the easiest way to control ingredients and you can make big batches and freeze them for convenience.

[theBCnut]

I feed mine their raw food in crates mostly.

[karren w]

Hi I have been told by the vet to put my dog on hills zd ? As she carnt have potatoes sweet potatoes rice chicken or any carbs as she gets itchy and licks her paws till they are raw and get yeast ears and bum .i have you tryed hills or no anyone with the same problems as us I have look at evo food but we are in the UK and they don’t sell it here she has been on orjien six fish for 4 weeks and the fur on her head is falling out .

[Kristy M]

I have a question for you big breed folks that feed raw. We have two spoiled indoor rough collies and a doggie door, which means they can get in and out whenever they want. How do you feed messy stuff like this without trashing your house? I can’t lock them outdoors with their bones, and the weather in Atlanta is frequently too hot or too rainy to force them outdoors for extended time anyway…

[Richard W]

Everything JamieK typed is accurate. Being around dogs all day, working in a pet store, etc. doesn’t make one an expert on nutrition. No offense intended at all. Dogs evolved to be scavengers, getting nutrition from plant and animal sources. That makes them omnivorous.

Since plant-based foods contain more vitamins and minerals per calorie compared to animal-based foods, there are legitimate reasons to consider vegan or mostly-vegan diets superior.

The question of digestive enzymes or gut flora could tip the balance back toward meat, but that is largely unexplored territory. Humans have comparatively large digestive systems, but that is more because our ancestral diets contained large amounts of raw plant matter (more energy required to digest). Assuming that vegan dog food isn’t raw, and is prepared to optimize digestion and nutrient uptake, it could certainly work.

Again these are just the facts. If you disagree then your notion of common sense is flawed.

[DogFoodie]

Thank you, Charlotte, for adopting a senior who was obviously in need of a loving home. 🙂

I’ve had the very best luck, by far, with Nature’s Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Diets. I can’t use the NVI LID canned foods, because they contain flax, one of my dog’s triggers. My dog isn’t a fan of raw, which is OK with me for various reasons. Raw is a great way to go if it’s an option for you. Lots of folks have great success with raw for dogs with food intolerance / allergy. It’s OK if you choose another route.

If your pup is OK with peas and tapioca, you’re good to go with the NVI LID There are several proteins to choose from…, our best are duck and turkey. I’m not a fan of the lamb only because the protein is lower and the pea protein higher subsequent to a recent formulation. That said, if lamb was the only option for my dog, I’d use it. NVI also makes a LID with raw boost in the lamb formula only.

I continue to look for other foods to rotate with the NVI LID. I just had another strikeout, so we’re back on the NVI until things stabilize, then we’ll try something else again.

[Charlotte P]

What foods have you all switched to/had success with? My dogs have always been on grain-free, supplemented with pumpkin and goat yoghurt. Right now I have two, both are rescues… Phoebe is about six years old, she came to me four years ago, and her health is fine except for a reaction to yeast supplements which I tried as a flea treatment alternative (They are both on Comfortis now). Leo, also about six, came to me four months ago and has the anal abscess issues, was underweight, and ended up having TWELVE teeth removed – he was already missing five! Over the years, dry and canned foods I have tried include Natural Balance, Spring Naturals, I and Love and You, Wishbone Lake, and of course, home-cooked meals. Has anyone had success with any of these? How about Orijen, Acana, Blue Buffalo, or Taste of the Wild? Do I need to go raw? For the dry, I had the best outcome with Wishbone Lake.

[Susan]

Hi Harpers mum, you have to vacuum daily to pick up fleas, also you’ll have to worm them as fleas give tapeworms, My boy keeps getting re infected with Tapeworm, I went to vet this morning to get another all wormer cause he had 2 little rice worms on his bum the other day, then the next day the same after he did a poo, he had a few rice worms around his bum again, the vet nurse said tapeworm is from fleas, the thing is he doesn’t have fleas, Oh, he sometimes will bring a flea home on his leg from the park but he comes to me & shows me as he can not handle any thing crawling on his legs like a ant or flea, I also bought Comfortis for the cat as I think the cat is the culprit bringing in the odd flea, the vet nurse said once I get rid of any fleas Patch should stop getting reinfected with tapeworm…
Have you tried Comfortis for ur dogs, I know a few ladies in the dog park use Comfortis & said its excellent, after giving the Comfortis tablet monthly for about 4 months the ladies said they don’t need to give the next month or the next months tablet as the fleas don’t seem to go on their dogs anymore, I’ll try it on the cat & see how we go but it must be giving with a meal also if the dog or cat vomits up the Comfortis tablet within 1 hour Comfortis will give another tablet for free, the vet where you bought will just give another tablet..