[FrankiesDoggie]

You’re welcome Anne!

Really sucks to hear about Chewy.com selling out to Petsmart. I was going to be use their auto shipping to save a few extra dollars too since they had some of the best prices. Oh well!

[FrankiesDoggie]

I use the patty with the kibble together. I don’t know whether it’s better to alternate, but the kibble/raw combo seems to work out well in my case. 🙂

[FrankiesDoggie]

I have a 35 pound dog, so for frozen raw I feed 1 patty a day (roughly 400 calories) for 50% raw/kibble mix. I haven’t tried freeze dried yet, but Ive had to eliminate a few options from some of my favorite brands because the ingredients don’t match their frozen raw counterparts (namely natures variety freeze dried complete meal versions, the supplemental though is great even if it’s not complete)

My freeze dried list is pretty short: natures variety raw booster mix (supplemental only), vital essentials and OC Raw. Vital essentials is the one brand I found where the frozen raw ingredient list is identical to the freeze dried versions. OC raw has a good ingredient list as well with no synthetics as well, so they also made the cut.

Hope this helps!

[FrankiesDoggie]

I’m having good success with Nature’s Variety frozen raw so far. The patties are the cheapest, and their frozen lineup has no synthetic vitamins. For freeze dried, I would only opt for the Nature’s Variety Raw Boost Mixers which is good as a topper (I plan to use this for travel when frozen raw isn’t viable).

Personally one of my criterion is food with no synthetic vitamins (or very little maybe one or two), and because so few brands have options without synthetics, it makes choosing out of hundreds of brands a lot easier. Some say synthetics are unhealthy, and it might be, but for me it’s just a good indicator of how overly processed the dog food was when they literally have to spray synthetic vitamins back on to it just to make it complete and balanced.

Unfortunately Stella and Chewy’s uses synthetics, so I’ve had to drop them from my list, which is fine because I still have plenty of options. For raw I plan to cycle through Nature’s Variety, Primal, Vital Essentials, Answers and Nature’s Logic (frozen raw). Nature’s Variety is the most widely available next to Primal, but there’s a few pet boutiques that carry the other brands at competitive prices where I live, so I’m happy.

Right now I have my doggie on Nature’s Variety raw and her stools are the best I’ve seen, that is, if stool could ever look good. X__X (firm but not too firm, and a nice brown color).

[FrankiesDoggie]

Thanks, that helps give me an idea for routines to follow. 🙂

[FrankiesDoggie]

So how often do you rotate kibble, and how often the toppers?

[FrankiesDoggie]

I’ll see if it’s viable for my scenario (and if the landlord lets me have one). 😁

So the large bags of kibble you get typically last two weeks?

[FrankiesDoggie]

I know, I’d get larger sizes but I live in a small apartment with a small fridge, so it’s a tradeoff between bulk and storage limits. If I ever get a house though, the first thing I’ll make sure it has is a nice big freezer.

[FrankiesDoggie]

Thanks! I’d be rotating as a given, using the smallest bags so I can quickly rotate out different formulas and brands within say a 2 week span. I just wasn’t sure if I could get creative in terms of mixing different types of meats for the same meal (getting rabbit raw to top off a chicken based kibble, or maybe venison based kibble mixed with duck raw). Wanted to be confident even with odd combinations of meats that the dog would still be fine. 🐶

[FrankiesDoggie]

Thanks aimee, I’ve been gravitating to Nature’s Variety in fact because they’re so widely available, and their frozen raw is one of the few that don’t include synthetic vitamins (or very little).

[FrankiesDoggie]

InkedMarie, bookmarking your suggestions to research further. Thanks!

[FrankiesDoggie]

Thanks for sharing! *jots down notes*

[FrankiesDoggie]

I even use a battery operated adult tooth brush!
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Interesting, what brand do you use?

[FrankiesDoggie]

Thanks anon101, I’d like to take a more natural approach, but brushing is something I will consider if bone chewing doesn’t do the trick.

Susan, my dog would be a cattle dog, so medium sized. There’s a butcher shop by me that sells bones all the time on the cheap, but the variety can vary wildly. I think that’s my ideal, but where I might need a cleaner alternative or something for travel I’ve been exploring alternatives. It’s interesting to learn how the little things can make a difference. For example, bones that are smoked with flavor can get dogs so excited that they excessively chew and wear down their teeth as a result. With antlers, some can break dog’s teeth because they’re so hard (such as deer antlers) while others are more safer, such as elk antlers. Recently shedded antlers are also softer than those that have aged over time (and hence become more harder). I imagine all the horror stories about antlers was due to the mistake of assuming all antlers are the same, but like bones they vary wildly in density and quality. 😳

[FrankiesDoggie]

>>>do I get the stink eye if I have the nerve to give them plain dry food!

I’m sure that’s a look my mother was very familiar with when I was young too. 😀

[FrankiesDoggie]

Thanks for the suggestions, anon101, crazy4cats!

I like the option of adding real food whenever I can, as long as I can ensure that I’m not overfeeding. I’m still researching, but raw mixers, quality wet food, and even healthy food I’m eating (that are equally safe and healthy for dogs) are some of the ways I’m looking to add variety to my dog’s diet. The 25% guideline seems like a good start to keep things simple. 🙂

[FrankiesDoggie]

Thanks for the response, in your case are you reducing the feeding guideline for the kibble by 1/3 to compensate for toppings, or just measure normally?

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