Darwins Raw Dog Food ?

[Holly_Wood]

Has anyone heard of a "brand" of raw dog food called Dawin's Raw Dog Food based out of Seattle (I'm in the suburbs of Seattle so easy for me to get if its good) ...... I've heard a lot about a raw food diet mostly good but as with anything there are differing opinions most with good intentions ..... my concern with a raw food diet would be the pup not having kibble to clean their teeth .. chew toys, treats or butcher bones could be a substitute I suppose ....

I noticed on the Darwin's site they sell raw duck necks .. this kind of scares me but they state that raw duck bones are ok and get digested and don't splinter ..

http://www.darwinspet.com/darwins-raw-dog-food/

I posted this in reply to thread in the general forum but decided to post here .. so if you've read this twice my apologies

[mimimomo]

We've never tried Darwin's, but they've had different premade raw foods by several different companies. Currently, my guys are enjoying OC Raw Dog. One of the many benefits of feeding a raw diet, since it's not processed like kibble, their teeth stays clean & little to no plaque build up. Chewing on raw bones is also great bc it helps clean the teeth & it doesn't splinter like cooked bones. I personally never gave them bones...yet. Thinking of getting some chicken necks to start, not sure if I'm comfortable w/that yet!
Teresa (Teresiana) fed Darwin's, hope she'll see this thread & give her review.

[Teresiana]

I fed Darwin's for almost a year. In my opinion, it's probably the best premade raw you can buy. Their customer service is excellent too. I only stopped feeding Darwin's because I decided to go with a Prey Model Raw diet. I went with the Natural Selections meals (organic) & got an even mix of all proteins. I also used to order their tripe & duck necks. I'd feed 1/2 of a duck neck every 5th meal as a full meal. You'll be surprised at how they can handle it. The duck neck is mostly cartilage, so the bone is softer & easier for them to chew. But they'll do fine with "real" bones too. Dogs actually need that bone when they're eating a raw diet for the calcium. Darwin's food already has bone ground in it, but the chewing of the larger bones is what keeps their teeth clean. Also, raw food doesn't have any starchy elements so the food is less likely to stick to the teeth & form tartar.

You can PM if you questions about Darwin's. If you're looking for an excellent premade raw, I would highly recommend them. I feel confident about the sourcing & quality of their meat. And everytime I've called them, I feel like I'm talking to some guy sitting in his kitchen. They're all really nice & down to earth.

Btw...I love Seattle so much that I lived there 3 times. Lol. I lived on Queen Anne but I have family in Kirkland. LOVE it there.

[Holly_Wood]

Wow .. thank you for the great write up and feed back .. very much appreciated .. I think I may get there 10 pound trial pack and see how my munchkin goes with it :-)

The Seattle area is great in Summer .. I lived about 3 blocks away from Lake Washington in Newport Shores for a while and had a sailing boat moored there ... absolutely beautiful on summer afternoon/nights sailing on the lake ... was fortunate enough to live right on Lake Sammamish as well for a time .. was amazing to wake up to a sunrise over the lake ... it got really noisy in summer with jet ski's and power boats but that was a minor hassle :-) ... done stints in Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Greenwood (Love Green Lake park) and Lynnwood (or scumwood as we called it :-P ) ... now in Woodinville .. loving it so far ... I have a hard time with winters here though, being from Australia .. but I'm hoping to get a bunch of snowboarding in this season to make up for the doom and gloom :-)

Anyway ... thank you again .. you've helped immensely

cheers

Stu..

[Teresiana]

No problem. Glad I could be of some help. If your pup hasn't eaten raw before, you might want to quickly sear one side of the meal as an introduction. The food comes ground, so it's easy to form it into a thin patty. Mine looked at me like I was crazy the first time I tried to feed them raw. It can also help to put the meal sized portion in a ziploc bag & let it sit in some warm water for a few minutes. That way, your pup won't get turned off by eating something cold and straight from the fridge. Either way helps with a first time raw eater. Don't worry, after the initial shock, they end up stuffing their faces they love it so much. Good luck!!

And I must agree, the winters in Seattle are terrible. It's not so much the cold...it's just the lack of sunshine that really got to me. Luckily, Whistler is right there. That really helps with the winter gloomies. But I've lived in many places (even Australia ...Adelaide), and I can honestly say that summer in Seattle has got to be one of the best places in the world. Other that it being absolutely gorgeous, there's so much to do & the people are all so happy!! It's definitely a great pay off.

Anyway...best of luck with the raw diet. I hope it works out well for you!