Freeze dried raw vs. Frozen raw

[rebecca127]

Hi all,

Some of you may or may not know that a while back I attempted to give Abby NV Beef Raw and she had a violent reaction to that by vomiting like 5 times with 10 minutes of eating it.

After that I started home cooking and was going well until she stopped eating that. (Miss Abby is A super finicky eater!).

I then went to all the good quality pet food stores i can find in NYC and one store recommend Stella and Chewys Freeze Dried Lamb. And it has been a hit!

My question then comes, I recently bought a package of Frozen Stella and Chewys Lambs and have been mixing it up with the freeze dried. so it would be 3/4 one patty and 1/4 frozen raw patty. She has been reluctant to eat it but has managed to eat it all.

Yesterday I saw vomit on th floor when I came back from school and I do not understand what the deal is? The ingredients are exactly the same... just one is cold and the other u gotta soak in water... Yet she has 2 different reactions to it. Can someone please explain to me why that happens and if that has happened to anyone here?

Also, i wanted to switch to frozen raw because it is less expensive....

Please help...

Rebecca and Abby

[Erin]

Mine puke when they drink very cold water - maybe it's the cold?

Also, is she eating it too quickly? That can also be a problem.

Also, the lack of "starch" might be hard if she's not used to it. Maybe feed some rice or potato too? I realize that defeats the purpose of the raw and I don't know much about it but it's just an idea.

[rebecca127]

She doesnt eat it too quickly. she eats some and 5 min later comes back eats some more and it goes on until is all gone. It isnt recommened that you mix it up with regular food tho. See the thing is is that she eats the freeze dried NO PROBLEM.. Lol she actually likes it A LOT... LOL I just dunno what the problem is?

[Wylie's Mom]

I'm having a Ripleys Believe or Not Moment.

Hmmm...you're not feeding it *frozen* are you? That is to say, you're defrosting it and just feeding it "cool" right? I'm assuming you are. If that's the case, my thought is that - there are some tummies (in humans too) that can be, oddly, sensitive to temperature (does she ever vomit after colder water, btw?). Have you ever let the raw frozen sit until actual room temperature and given it then?

[MyFairLacy]

starting out with freeze-dried might be an easier switch for her if she's sensitive. But it's expensive and not something most people want to feed long-term. I actually haven't used the freeze-dried yet but will be getting some to travel with this summer

[rebecca127]

Freeze dried is what she eats on a normal basis. I know you cannot feed that long term but I have no choice since that is the only thing she eats!! I have literally tried every single 5 star food to the cheapest food u could buy and it doesnt make a difference... she just wont eat it... kibble or wet. It is my only hope for her to at least eat something... Something is better than nothing and trust me I have tried the taking the food away after 20 min like they say when u have a finicky eater and she has refused to eat for 3 days in the past. I cannot let it happen and if she eats a whole entire patty with the gusto that she does... she is more than welcome to have that food...

And no, i do not give it to her frozen. I let it defrost in the fridge the night before as it states on the package. i let it somewhat get to room tempurature because i mix it up with the freeze dried for a bit and then I give it to her. Thats why i do not understand what the problem is.

It is just cheaper for me to do frozen raw. I pay 25 dollars for 32 lamb patties every 2 weeks And 32 lamb patties frozen is 15 dollars. I save 20 dollars a month doing frozen raw.

But i just dont get what the problem is...

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by rebecca127

And no, i do not give it to her frozen. I let it defrost in the fridge the night before as it states on the package. i let it somewhat get to room tempurature because i mix it up with the freeze dried for a bit and then I give it to her. Thats why i do not understand what the problem is.

It is just cheaper for me to do frozen raw. I pay 25 dollars for 32 lamb patties every 2 weeks And 32 lamb patties frozen is 15 dollars. I save 20 dollars a month doing frozen raw.

Aw, gosh. Believe me, I hear you on the cost. Boy oh boy, this is a tough one...so...it makes me think there is something with the temperature (or something else I'm not thinking of) that is stimulating the release of nauseous juices (oddly). What I recommend to help absorb the juices is the addition of some clean carbs. I'd get some canned/sliced white potates - micro them, then mash a few cans - serve a couple tablespoons WITH the raw, at each meal. See if that helps at all. Nothing wrong, at all, if you need to do this long term.

[LuvMySissy]

Why do you feel freeze-dried raw can't be feed forever? My girls eat The Honest Kitchen freeze dried raw and none of their literature suggests temporary feeding. They formulas are not as high in protein content as other raws (especially the medalions) and they do contain fruits and vegetables. Perhaps the high protein content is causing her tummy troubles??

I agree that the food isn't inexpensive, but I really feel it is best for them. It costs me about $20/month to feed my girls dinner with this food. There are several holistic, nutritional sites that highly recommend The Honest Kitchen as the best raw.

[rebecca127]

It cannot be the high protien because the protien for the freeze dried and the frozen is the same. She digests and poos normal and does not and has not vomited. No issues. Its only when I give the non freeze dried is when she vomits.

For those of you that say that it might be tempurature it isnt either. Like i said I mix the frozen with the freeze dried to help the transition. i soak the freeze dried with warm water and mash it up and then i take the frozen and mash it up. So when it is ready to feed, it is all room tempurature.

Do u see where my dilemma comes? I will try the potato thing but when I did homecooking Abby always picked put the carrots and potatoes from the food first... LOL.... So freak pickkkyyyyyyyyyy LMAO

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by rebecca127

Abby always picked put the carrots and potatoes from the food first.

Actually, that would be good - bc if she picks the potatoes FIRST, it'll help coat the stomach and, hopefully, absorb any nauseous juices if they are indeed being triggered.

[rebecca127]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Actually, that would be good - bc if she picks the potatoes FIRST, it'll help coat the stomach and, hopefully, absorb any nauseous juices if they are indeed being triggered.

I am sorry I meant pick them out first and spit it out!!!! Woops!!!

[rebecca127]

I am bumping this myself to see if anyone else has any suggestions.... LOL... BUMP BUMP

[RawfedYorkieLuv]

Hi Rebecca,
I might be of some assistance to you. I'm a prey model feeder because I, like my fellow prey modelers, do not believe canines need veggies, fruit or supplements as everything a dog needs is in meat/bone/offal. of course, that issue is highly debated even amongst the inner circle...... BUT, I used to feed a commercial BARF diet, different brands (NV, Primal to name a few). While my dogs never had the same problems you described, I did hear about those problems with a couple of other people that started on premade RAW and got discouraged really fast when the vomiting issues happened. When a dog eats the prey model, the tearing, ripping and chewing prepares the dog's stomach for the food that's about to come. The saliva has natural occurring enzymes that prepare the stomach. When you feed a premade raw meal, all is relatively gulped down, just like a kibble fed dog and then that food sits in the dog's stomach like a heavy brick. The dog's system didn't get a chance to prepare and now has to work overtime to process the food. Give the following a try, just to see if this could in fact be the problem with your dog as there are some dogs that are sensitive to this; take a whole chicken breast (with bone!!!!!), remove the skin (some dogs cannot tolerate the fatty skin, one of mine can't either) give it a little whack with a meat tenderizer to help a newcomer to prey model along and give it to your baby. If she's really small then cutting the breast in half may work better. I eliminate the mess by putting my dogs in an xpen, lined with an old sheet.
Freeze dried is not exactly like raw. The freeze drying process removes all of the water thus really altering the composition of the protein and how it's digested, but it's a most certainly better alternative than cooked protein sources! Hope this helps!
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[deb22]

I, for one, would like to know if this works.