The (Premade) Raw Diet?

[lara2913]

Originally Posted by MyFairLacy

I always heard it was so stinky, but when I opened the can I didn't think it really smelled at all. It just has a slight stinky smell. Maybe it's stinkier to other people??

Maybe its because yours is in the can? I buy it fresh from my supplier and it stinks really bad but they love it.

[MyFairLacy]

Originally Posted by lara2913

Maybe its because yours is in the can? I buy it fresh from my supplier and it stinks really bad but they love it.

Maybe so. I've never smelled the fresh before. My cat, Sophie's, breeder feeds her cats Solid Gold Green Tripe (canned) as a supplement and recommended it to me for Sophie and Lacy. She told me it really stinks. But when I bought a can, i didn't really think it was very stinky. i would love to get some fresh green tripe, but I don't think there is anywhere to get it here. Maybe next time I'm in Dallas or Houston I can find some.

[kalina82]

I feed morgan raw as well. Right now I am alternating between Nature's Variety venison and Primal! beef. She loves both. I give her 3oz a day. With the nature's variety i keep getting buy one and one free coupons so i pay about $15 every two months for food. I also give salmon oil and another supplement for her LPs.

I just started to give real raw food this past week and its going so-so.

[MyFairLacy]

Originally Posted by kalina82

I feed morgan raw as well. Right now I am alternating between Nature's Variety venison and Primal! beef. She loves both. I give her 3oz a day. With the nature's variety i keep getting buy one and one free coupons so i pay about $15 every two months for food. I also give salmon oil and another supplement for her LPs.

I just started to give real raw food this past week and its going so-so.

How do you keep getting coupons every month? I know they have a "Try It" page on their website and when you put in your info they'll give you a coupon for a free 3lb bag of medallions with purchase of another Nature's Variety product. It says you can only use those once though... I would LOVE to keep getting coupons if there is a way.

[kalina82]

Originally Posted by MyFairLacy

How do you keep getting coupons every month? I know they have a "Try It" page on their website and when you put in your info they'll give you a coupon for a free 3lb bag of medallions with purchase of another Nature's Variety product. It says you can only use those once though... I would LOVE to keep getting coupons if there is a way.

i dunno. LOL i just got another coupon last week labeled Try it-II which is good until sept 23.

When i was at the store giving them the coupon the person at the register told me that a woman comes in every month with one. she just continues to create email addresses and they never check to see if its the same person. you can ask your family and friends to use their emails too.

[MyFairLacy]

Originally Posted by kalina82

i dunno. LOL i just got another coupon last week labeled Try it-II which is good until sept 23.

When i was at the store giving them the coupon the person at the register told me that a woman comes in every month with one. she just continues to create email addresses and they never check to see if its the same person. you can ask your family and friends to use their emails too.

Oh okay. I've done that once. I misspelled my name by one letter and used a different e-mail address. Can you still use the same name and just give a different e-mail address? I know this is probably wrong to do but it gets so expensive feeding her and my two cats. I'm a vet student so any money I can save would be great. I could get Hills and Purina so cheap but I just can't feed them that stuff.

[kalina82]

Originally Posted by MyFairLacy

Oh okay. I've done that once. I misspelled my name by one letter and used a different e-mail address. Can you still use the same name and just give a different e-mail address? I know this is probably wrong to do but it gets so expensive feeding her and my two cats. I'm a vet student so any money I can save would be great. I could get Hills and Purina so cheap but I just can't feed them that stuff.

that's what this woman was doing. or you can just make up names. sure its not "right" but hey, this is expensive stuff and NV is all about promoting themselves right now big time because other companies like Aunt Jeni's, Primal, and Bravo! are making their way onto the popular scene. I say go for it.

[sassypup]

Wow, this is such an interesting thread....just learning about raw diet. It's hard to find something suitable for Zoe since she is highly allergic to so many every day foods (had a recent blood test to figure out the root of her itchiness)....do you guys know of any raw diet that doesn't contain carrots (most all do except the honest kitchen) or peas? She has a list of like 30 veggies she is allergic to.

[lara2913]

Originally Posted by sassypup

Wow, this is such an interesting thread....just learning about raw diet. It's hard to find something suitable for Zoe since she is highly allergic to so many every day foods (had a recent blood test to figure out the root of her itchiness)....do you guys know of any raw diet that doesn't contain carrots (most all do except the honest kitchen) or peas? She has a list of like 30 veggies she is allergic to.

This is precisely why I choose to mix the raw myself, that way I can make sure that each of my dogs is eating what suits them and what they do best on. If you do enough research then there is no reason why you shoulden't be able to give her a healthy balanced diet yourself. Indy has allergies and I find she has issues with allsorts of different things, including lots of veggies. Because I do their diet myself if she ever has a bad reaction to something I give to them then I can just make a note of it so that I don't feed it again. That would be really hard with premade.

[TLC]

I miss these days...

TJ and Roxy love Raw and we were doing so well on it since March. But, now with pending Liver Shunt/MVD/Liver Disease - we have had to switch back to Homemade Cooked Food (minimal proteins and NO ORGANS what so ever).

I truly feel that Raw is the BEST for dogs, but with Liver Issues, I can not take any chances.

Anyway, I am not crazy about Nature's Variety - I dunno - just something about it. I just feel that there are BETTER raw out there in the premade verzion - Aunt Jeni's and Bravo

Best of Luck!

P.S. I miss you Raw Feeders

[lara2913]

Originally Posted by TLC

I miss these days...

TJ and Roxy love Raw and we were doing so well on it since March. But, now with pending Liver Shunt/MVD/Liver Disease - we have had to switch back to Homemade Cooked Food (minimal proteins and NO ORGANS what so ever).

I truly feel that Raw is the BEST for dogs, but with Liver Issues, I can not take any chances.

Anyway, I am not crazy about Nature's Variety - I dunno - just something about it. I just feel that there are BETTER raw out there in the premade verzion - Aunt Jeni's and Bravo

Best of Luck!

P.S. I miss you Raw Feeders

I read your post about the liver test results, can't imagine how upset you must of been, heartbreaking. I guess there is still some ways that you can give them some benefits from the raw, such as with live yogurt and raw fruit and veg.

[sassypup]

Originally Posted by lara2913

This is precisely why I choose to mix the raw myself, that way I can make sure that each of my dogs is eating what suits them and what they do best on. If you do enough research then there is no reason why you shoulden't be able to give her a healthy balanced diet yourself. Indy has allergies and I find she has issues with allsorts of different things, including lots of veggies. Because I do their diet myself if she ever has a bad reaction to something I give to them then I can just make a note of it so that I don't feed it again. That would be really hard with premade.

Yeah, I think I'll just have to research like crazy, I did a quick google search and there are books out there that teaches people how to do this. THere's also a local store near us that will give us free lectures on raw diets....gotta go to this one for sure. I'm so afraid I'll miss something that she needs...maybe I just need to trust myself. I cook all the time and can follow recipes really well, so I can do this right

Question: I've read that organ parts for human consumption are not great as they are high in cholesterol etc....is this so for dogs too?

[lara2913]

Originally Posted by sassypup

Yeah, I think I'll just have to research like crazy, I did a quick google search and there are books out there that teaches people how to do this. THere's also a local store near us that will give us free lectures on raw diets....gotta go to this one for sure. I'm so afraid I'll miss something that she needs...maybe I just need to trust myself. I cook all the time and can follow recipes really well, so I can do this right

Question: I've read that organ parts for human consumption are not great as they are high in cholesterol etc....is this so for dogs too?

Well they don't need very much organ meat, just a couple of chunks once a week (obv varies depending on weight and individual dog but thats about average for a yorkie). Otherwise it acts as a laxative.

One thing to remember is that there is no absolutes, what suits one dog may not suit another. The best thing to do is read lots and lots of info on it and take wisdom from them all. For example I know raw fed dogs that have not touched a vegetable in their life and are very healthy, I know others who don't do well without it. Its all about knowing your dog. There are lots of great books about it, but as I said don't take any book, or any website as the final word, learn from them all.

Here are a few quite good websites,

http://www.rawdogranch.com/

http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm

http://www.naturalpetcare.co.uk/nutrition/dogdiet.htm

http://www.holisticvet.co.uk/nutrition.htm

http://rawfed.com/

As I said these websites each give different information, the key to it is to understand that there are all sorts of different ways to feed a raw diet, find the way that suits your girl best. On the first website there is a page about how to switch a dog to raw slowly, if Zoe has a sensitive stomach and as she has allergies it might be a good idea to do it this way as you can gradually add each new food slowly so that you can pick out and eliminate any that are causing her problems.

It is common for people to think that dogs cannot get all the nutrition they need from raw food, but if you do sufficient research, understand what sources provide what necessary constituents then there is no problem. We do not appear to have this problem feeding humans after all, and think that it is necessary to have an "all in one" prepared diet for us!

With all this commercially prepared food we will all lose the knowledge in how to construct healthy diets from raw materials, something our forefathers managed for years.

I say go for it, raw feeding is not for everyone but if you are brave enough you could really see huge benefits in your dogs health because of it.

[sassypup]

Originally Posted by lara2913

Well they don't need very much organ meat, just a couple of chunks once a week (obv varies depending on weight and individual dog but thats about average for a yorkie). Otherwise it acts as a laxative.

One thing to remember is that there is no absolutes, what suits one dog may not suit another. The best thing to do is read lots and lots of info on it and take wisdom from them all. For example I know raw fed dogs that have not touched a vegetable in their life and are very healthy, I know others who don't do well without it. Its all about knowing your dog. There are lots of great books about it, but as I said don't take any book, or any website as the final word, learn from them all.

Here are a few quite good websites,

http://www.rawdogranch.com/

http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm

http://www.naturalpetcare.co.uk/nutrition/dogdiet.htm

http://www.holisticvet.co.uk/nutrition.htm

http://rawfed.com/

As I said these websites each give different information, the key to it is to understand that there are all sorts of different ways to feed a raw diet, find the way that suits your girl best. On the first website there is a page about how to switch a dog to raw slowly, if Zoe has a sensitive stomach and as she has allergies it might be a good idea to do it this way as you can gradually add each new food slowly so that you can pick out and eliminate any that are causing her problems.

It is common for people to think that dogs cannot get all the nutrition they need from raw food, but if you do sufficient research, understand what sources provide what necessary constituents then there is no problem. We do not appear to have this problem feeding humans after all, and think that it is necessary to have an "all in one" prepared diet for us!

With all this commercially prepared food we will all lose the knowledge in how to construct healthy diets from raw materials, something our forefathers managed for years.

I say go for it, raw feeding is not for everyone but if you are brave enough you could really see huge benefits in your dogs health because of it.

Aw, thanks for taking out the time to be so through in your response...I'm one to research and take what I agree with and not necessarily take everything to heart. I'll do some diligent research as Zoe is so sensitive. I have a list of items she is highly allergic to from her blood test...I think I might have to do a 2nd blood test for other items we plan on feeding that has not yet been tested. Ever since we took her off items that were on the list, we've noticed a drastic change in her scratching...I mean drastic. I think this new raw diet will do wonders for her. I too personally eat an all natural unprocessed diet and I noticed a dramatic difference in the way it makes me look and feel. Thanks again!

[Sookie]

Originally Posted by sassypup

Wow, this is such an interesting thread....just learning about raw diet. It's hard to find something suitable for Zoe since she is highly allergic to so many every day foods (had a recent blood test to figure out the root of her itchiness)....do you guys know of any raw diet that doesn't contain carrots (most all do except the honest kitchen) or peas? She has a list of like 30 veggies she is allergic to.

As I said before, Kalina devours the Primal premade raw as if she is starving. She likes the lamb, which has organic carrots. However, the Pheasant doesn't have carrots OR peas. Here are the ingredients.
Pheasant, Pheasant Necks, Pheasant Hearts, Pheasant Livers, Organic Celery, Organic Mustard Greens, Organic Squash, Sunflower Sprouts, Organic Cranberries, Blueberries, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Almonds, Organic Cilantro, Organic Ginger, Organic Coconut Oil, Sardine Oil, Organic Alfalfa, Spirulina, Organic Rosemary, Mixed Tocopherols (Source of Vitamin E), Organic Grapefruit Seed Extract.

I didn't check out the venison or other varities.