Raw Diet BARF vs. Organic Pre-packaged diet

[xamalia]

After my sweet yorkie past from cancer this past year, I've been growing to be really aware of the poor quality of dog products that are out there. I'm either looking to feed my little one organic kibble or raw food.

Has anyone tried feeding their yorkie a raw diet? Any thoughts on it, experiences to share? The potential benefits sound great, but I don't know how a small dog with small teeth would chew through. I'm going to talk to my vet before I try this of course, but I'm wondering if anyone has tried it before.

It's either that or organic dry food, but the only organic certified brand I found was organix. Any other recommendations?

[mimimomo]

Hi fellow Angelino. I feed my Yorkies premade raw, mostly Primal & Stella & Chewy's. I'm not @ the comfort level yet...feeding them real raw food, so I'll stick w/the premade goodness for now.

If you have a feed store or a pet boutique that sells food Made in the USA or Canada, you can find many many great foods, there's a lot to choose from!

[xamalia]

Hello neighbor Thank you for the suggestions. I have never heard of these brands before and it all seems really new to me, and I'm suprised there's a lot of places that carry stella & chewys brand. 40% protein content on freeze dried dinner seems like a good choice and I like that they use some organic products. I'm looking to try it out. What are your babies' favorite flavors?

I was just hoping for a little higher protein content, or maybe am I misinformed? I guess it's controversial topic how much carbs dogs actually need. The highest protein I ever found in a dog food was WysongEpigen, at 60%, but it's not raw. I guess I can mix these two together and see how it works out for now.

My little one is only a 2 pound baby right now, so I don't think I'm comfortable giving him whole chicken legs and whatnot just yet, but he does seems like quite an animal around the house. Who knows.

[OwnedByJezebel]

I feed pre-made raw, too.

You hear from time to time about e-coli in beef. And it is a given that a certain percentage of chicken will have salmonella. That's why it all has to be cooked to a certain temp or you have to be careful with handling and not use a knife that has been used to cut raw chicken to cut something else that will be consumed raw, like a tomato. To be safe with cooking and handling, one must assume that all raw meat is contaminated with bacteria.

The brand of pre-made raw that I feed uses high-pressure pasteurization to take care of any bacteria. (I think that most brands do, but I'm not 100% certain on that). I think that makes their raw food actually safer than what I prepare and cook in the kitchen for human consumption. For me, it has another advantage over home-made raw -- it is completely balanced with the nutrients they require. Some people are well-versed in how to prepare and balance a homemade raw diet, I could learn, but I guess I am too lazy so pre-made it is.

I use Nature's Variety, and it comes in kibble sized "beads," 1 oz sized medallions, patties, and chubs. I use the medallions, and when I open a bag I divide it into one meal portions into snack sized ziplocks and then thaw the individual portions in the fridge as needed.

It isn't difficult to eat. It is fully ground up and looks like canned dog food, but without the smell.

They do great on it. They love it dearly, and eat it so quickly. Meal time is so easy.

[mimimomo]

They like all the flavors/ proteins, not picky @ all when it comes to raw food! They've tried everything except venison & anything w/turkey or chicken bc I have 1 that's intolerant of those proteins. I don't think all 4 does well w/venison bc when we tried Ziwi Peak in Venison, they all had soft poopies & when we tried Lamb, their poopies were tiny & firm.
I rotate the proteins so they don't build an intolerance to it (not even sure if that's true) but it also gives them a variety. I have 2 that can't drink or eat cold water or food, so they only get the freeze dried versions, I always add water to rehydrate it. Stella & Chewy's has a wider variety of freeze dried options, so they eat mostly that along w/Primal Duck or Lamb. The other 2 get the frozen version, mostly Primal.

I like the protein content in Primal & S&C. It's a complete & balanced food. They only use grass fed animals w/no antibiotics or added hormones.

[Teegy]

You are speaking my language. My boys are fed raw. They get ground bone in meat with organs and tripe for breakfast and a whole piece of meat for dinner. They are thriving and love it. Several friends have switched their yorkies due to allergies and health issues and they are sincerely overjoyed with the results.
Jane Anderson's Raw Learning Site
RawFed.com Home Page

[Teegy]

Minimomo have you seen primal raw I've been seeing loads of good things about that

[Teegy]

Just know that the acid in dogs stomachs are capable of killing bacteria that normally make us sick. Make and handle their food the way you handle meat for yourself and you will have no issues. It's very important to feed a variety of proteins but start with chicken. I weaned mine onto cooked chicken then raw over a period of a couple of weeks. You feed 80% meat 10% bone 5% liver and 5% other organ meats and green tripe if you wish.
Keep the dog on the one protein for about a month, then you can start to introduce others, such as pork, rabbit, duck, bison and beef and do this slowly a few weeks on each to see if your dog is good on it. I would get a good probiotic/digestive enzyme, some slippery elm. You will see some upset tummies but don't worry it's normal do not get stressed. Some people feed greens and berries too, my raw supplier carries a product called feedsentials.

Omega Alpha Pharmaceuticals - Probiotic 8 Plus


Slippery Elm for Better Pet Digestion

[xamalia]

Thank you all, I'll have to look more into these different brands. I think I'll try Stella's as soon as I get an okay from the vet (if I even do, kind of worries me).

Teegy, do you grind everything yourself or is the first meal pre packaged? Does the tripe have to be a green color? Also, do you feed any kinds of vegatables? Sorry for all the questions, just really curious what different people's approaches are.

[Teegy]

Originally Posted by xamalia

Thank you all, I'll have to look more into these different brands. I think I'll try Stella's as soon as I get an okay from the vet (if I even do, kind of worries me).

Teegy, do you grind everything yourself or is the first meal pre packaged? Does the tripe have to be a green color? Also, do you feed any kinds of vegatables? Sorry for all the questions, just really curious what different people's approaches are.

No my food supplier grinds it all for me actually, it's all ground up bones and all and I add the tripe and the organ meat to it. The tripe has to be green, the bleached stuff we are sold isn't good for dogs.
You can buy a grinder yourself and use chicken backs and carcasses for your bone content as it's soft and easy to process through.
Take your time do your research until you feel right about it. I have met people who've been feeding raw for 20+ years now at my supplier, from Yorkies and Chihuahas to Great Danes and Irish Wolfhounds (couldn't afford their food bill).

I have picked up meats and organs from my butcher and finely chopped them up and packaged them into serving sizes too.

[Teegy]

sorry I missed part of your question, I do not feed vegetables, many people do. In a properly balanced raw diet dogs get everything they require, but some people want to feed them and therefore do. If you chose to do this make sure they are completely pureed as dogs digestive systems are not built to break down plant cellulose. Stick to leafy greens or cruciferous veg, like spinach, swiss chard, broccoli, cabbage. Some folk like to add berries, which I throw my dogs a couple of when I'm having them. Sweet potato is another I hear used a lot. Stay away from peas and potatoes they are full of starches.

[mimimomo]

The Honest Kitchen has a natural probiotic called Perfect Form, it has slippery elm in it.

Originally Posted by Teegy

Minimomo have you seen primal raw I've been seeing loads of good things about that

Yes, love Primal! It's an excellent company, based in Northern CA. I rotate w/Primal & S&C.