[Aspen A]

Not having eaten it myself, and not being a dog, I couldn’t say, but it seems like it would be more enjoyable thawed…Steve’s Real Food kind of looks like burrito meat, but I always say, the closer mexican food looks to dog food the yummier it is…

[Aspen A]

IMHO yes, I think it is a little more work for your dog to digest it because the cold absorbs heat from their body, but I feed my dog about equally frozen and thawed. He tends to overeat the thawed and throw up more, but frozen he has to chew so it keeps him from eating to quickly, which is a benefit. There was once that he had a big frozen meal and he came to me shivering because his body temperature had dropped, which is definitely in the con section, but I don’t think most dogs are so delicate that it is going to give them issues. I think partially frozen is fine. Sometimes I will put out his next meal to thaw in the fridge when he is eating his last meal, which is a decent way to keep track of it and make sure it has time to thaw. But the overall point I am trying to make is that I don’t think it makes that much difference, especially if it is only a couple of times a week and partially frozen. Here at Steve’s Real Food we don’t worry about it at all.

[Aspen A]

Maybe I didn’t explain that well. The product that was recalled weren’t peanuts, they were boca burgers, that apparently had been potentially exposed to peanut contamination, which would be a good thing to recall them for as some people have that allergy, but it didn’t affect me. As I said, I’m not trying to convince you to buy anything or do anything you are uncomfortable with, I just wanted to explain the nature of the recalls and how they really affect people so you could have that information if you wanted it. Knowledge is key, what you do with it is your choice, and as long as you and your pet are healthy and happy, then I fully support however you decide to care for them and whatever brands you use! 🙂 Thanks for a great conversation.

[Aspen A]

I’m not saying recalls aren’t a big deal, I’m just saying that any company, no matter how careful, is subject to them, and awareness of what they really mean can save some overreaction. I recently had a recall on a food I purchased from a store, and almost threw it away, but then I looked into it and it was for a peanut contamination, and since I don’t have a peanut allergy, I felt safe to use the product after all. You should take every precaution you feel is necessary to protect yourself and your pets, and it shows a high level of good pet parenting to keep up to date on what is happening with the companies you are purchasing your food from. This forum is full of great people like yourselves who care enough to do their research – if all pets had such great pet parents, the world would be a much better place!

[Aspen A]

Weezerweeks,

I am not trying to convince you to buy Steve’s over another product if that product is working for you. I care that your dog is getting the best nutrition possible, and if you have found that, then I am happy. I just want to share the knowledge I have gained working in the pet food industry. I believe that we did have a recall in 2013 (that was before I was working here). The interesting thing about recalls with us or any other raw food is that they are usually for chicken, which can contain salmonella, which the government regulates closely. However, the recalls are put in place for the protection of humans, not animals. Dog’s stomaches can handle salmonella like nobody’s business, the concern comes in the humans touching the product. It is like with any other raw meat, you always want to use proper handling procedures and wash your hands after using, and salmonella isn’t a problem for anyone involved. It is good the government keeps an eye out for it, but the most dangerous part of a recall for a raw pet food company is not in the chance of making a pet sick, which won’t happen, or a human sick, if they are following good sanitary practices, but the PR and loss of business, such as yourself, that accompanies it. In response to your original question, any dehydrated food is going to cause your pet to drink more, because it rehydrates in their stomach, pulling water from them that they have to replenish.

[Aspen A]

Lovx3, I am with Steve’s Real Food, a raw pet food company. The Atwater figures are not particularly helpful, and you will always want to compare dog foods using a dry matter comparison. The reason for this is that as different products contain different moisture levels, it can skew the results. Usually pet food companies will use the at water comparison because they want their numbers to look better, so you need to ask them for the dry matter comparison. It sounds like Naturella is doing a great job, and I can give a second opinion in favor of much of what she/he said. I would also recommend that you consider going to a raw diet, as it is much more in line with how your dog is genetically designed to process food. Adding water and mixing with canned is a great start, and definitely better on your dog’s intestines and ability to digest kibble than just giving straight dry, but raw is best!

[Aspen A]

Hi, SamD, Aspen here with Steve’s Real Food (for full disclosure). Rotating is good – you wouldn’t expect your kids to eat the same thing all day every day, and dogs should have variety, too. If you can’t afford raw all the time then switching back and forth would be fine, but if you can, completely eliminating kibble would be best – it sounds like you are already seeing the difference in how they react between kibble and raw, and it is because raw is so much healthier. You just want to make sure he is getting all the trace minerals he needs, and if he is a pup with lots of energy, proteins with higher fat content are better to help him maintain his energy and weight. Good luck to you!

[Aspen A]

Lovemypuppy, I am with Steve’s Real Food, a raw pet food company (for full disclosure). Well done on switching your pup to raw, it is so much healthier for him than even the highest-end kibble. Any dry product is not going to compare in health benefits and easy digestion compared to raw. It is always good to rotate the food – we don’t expect our children to eat one thing every day for their entire life, but if you only feed a kid ice cream and cherrioos their stomachs are going to have a hard time eating apples and spinach. I hope your pup is doing well!

[Aspen A]

Bulldog Mom, I’m with Steve’s Real Food and we sell pre-blended raw dog food, but it sounds like you are wanting to mix your own. Just be careful to make sure your dog is getting all of his trace minerals and a good, healthy nutritional balance – it takes a lot of research, which is why some people choose to do something like Steve’s so it is done for them, so good luck! There are lots of resources out there to help you. Definitely recommend Dr Becker’s book. It is great.

[Aspen A]

Hi, Carol, I am with Steve’s Real Food (a raw pet food company, so you have full disclosure). I just looked up the Miracle Dog food, but I am not seeing enough specifics about which grains and minerals are in it to speak to whether they are the best fit for your pet. If you are worried about the nutrition balance you may want to go to a frozen raw food, there are some great ones out there (Steve’s included) that do the math and nutrition for you, including the fat content, etc. Pork and beef are going to be higher in fat, if you are wanting low fat sticking to chicken and turkey is going to be best. What is wrong with your dog’s pancrease? Is it pancreatitis? Natural Dog Health Remedies.com (no affiliation) recommends Milk Thistle, Yarrow Root, Echinacea, dandelion, and probiotics, if that helps. I would not recommend switching them to dry food. It is so much harder on the stomach, and harder to digest, it makes them more thirsty, etc. If you are looking to improve their diet I would definitely recommend going to a more raw diet rather than a dry diet, that is just a step back, in my opinion.

[Aspen A]

Hi, Weezerweeks, I am with Steve’s Real Food (for full disclosure). It sounds like you have some great customer service going on with Dr. Harvey. If you are worried about how much water your pup is drinking you may want to look into a completely raw diet. The whole point of freeze dried foods is that they remove all the water from the diet so it can preserve well, which does mean your dog will drink more when using it. Diets that are straight, raw meat are the best for your pup and have enough water in them naturally that dogs actually tend to drink less, not more. You will want to ask about the mineral content, the percentage of sodium, and then compare it to the other foods in your rotation to see if there is a difference.

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