Pre-packaged Raw

ladyfreckles · 01-10-2012, 05:31 PM

I'm assuming it's always best to prepare the food yourself, however, I have had a few people highly recommend pre-packaged raw foods to me.

Specifically, this brand:
Northwest Naturals

Sometimes I hang out at the local natural pet store (they have freezers with raw food in it to buy). One of the part-time workers has four dogs. One of them was a 12-year-old GR with some of the most beautiful and health teeth I have ever seen on a dog. I asked her what she fed him, and she recommended this brand. One of the other customers who comes in a lot also said she feeds that brand and her dogs looked very healthy too.

It's less time consuming than preparing the meat myself and a lot easier. I'm just wondering what you guys think of the "nuggets" or "dinner bars". That just seems weird to me. It's this or kibble, since I can't handle raw meat myself (one of the reasons I'm considering going vegetarian again).

Is there any info on this?

onyx'girl · 01-10-2012, 05:36 PM

If you have the $$ to feed premade raw, go for it.
The main reason I feed raw is that I control what my dogs eat and I like them to crunch bones instead of eating ground mix w/ bone already ground. I also don't see the need to add many of the ingredients that some pre-mades have in them; This is the beef patty ingredients:

Beef, Beef Heart, Beef Liver, Ground Beef Bone, Broccoli, Carrots, Beef Kidney, Romaine Lettuce, Apples, Ground Flaxseed, Salmon Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Blueberry, Cranberry, Inulin, Dried Kelp, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Ginger, Parsley, Garlic, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Mixed Tocopherols (as preservative), Vitamin D Supplement. CA/PH 1.68/1 36%DMB
If I really trusted the source and had $$ to pay for pre- packaged, I'd go for it.

ladyfreckles · 01-11-2012, 03:44 AM

How much does non-premade raw cost when you're not ordering 300lbs of it in bulk?

wyoung2153 · 01-11-2012, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladyfreckles

How much does non-premade raw cost when you're not ordering 300lbs of it in bulk?

I haven't found a good supplier yet that will do anything in bulk so I am stuck with grocery stores and their clearance section. I pay about $30-$55 every 2 weeks for my 100 lb GSD depending on pricing. It's not exactly the best deals but it's all I got until I find a place selling in bulk.

I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO · 01-11-2012, 10:40 AM

I'm switching over to Blue Ridge Beef premade raw products. They are the cheapest I've found at about $2/lb and they don't have all of the additives. Blue Ridge Beef: Raw Meat for Dogs - Cats

I plan on still buying chicken necks to throw in for teeth cleaning reasons.

juliejujubean · 01-16-2012, 04:51 PM

I just found the blue ridge beef at a local petshop (might i add they do not sell science diet so that automatically makes me want to support them)
That being said i want to keep her on her blue wilderness and get this when ever i can. She eats about 3.5 to 4 cups a day so i have no idea how much raw i should put in and cups to take out.

Freestep · 01-16-2012, 05:03 PM

Premade raw gets very expensive if you're feeding a big dog. I do buy it for my cats, but I couldn't afford to feed my dogs that way. Currently I'm looking into a distributorship for premade raw, so that I can get it at wholesale.

martemchik · 01-16-2012, 06:44 PM

I feed "Fresh is Best" pre-made raw as it is made locally and comes in "bulk" containers. Chicken is about $55 for 32 lbs and beef, turkey, or duck, is $70-80 for 32 lbs. I only feed it half the time so it doesn't hurt the wallet as much as it could. I don't have the space to freeze bulk sized orders of meat so this is really my only option. Its actually just a little more expensive than Orijen, and for that difference I prefer to feed raw. Maybe if I get a raise at work we will go to full time pre made raw. With only one dog its not that bad, if I had two they would probably be eating the Fromm kibble we switch out between meals.

anjum · 01-16-2012, 07:14 PM

It looks like a decent diet & the nuggets & bars look like the same thing as the chubs, just in different forms. They could be convenient for a number of situations.

IMO, the main drawback of the pre-made, ground diets like this is that they don't provide the dental benefit of whole foods. But you could get the best of both worlds if you fed something like this most of the time, and gave a substantial & complicated RMB once a week or so. Or, on a regular basis, fed this plus a smaller RMB daily.

Also, another thing to keep in mind, this product has a number of ingredients (mostly fruits & veggies). If your dog was prone to allergies (or developed them later), it's possible they could react to something & you'd need a limited ingredient diet. None of these ingredients strike me as ones that frequently cause allergies, but it's a small possibility.

01-10-2012, 05:31 PM	#1 (permalink)
ladyfreckles Elite Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Seattle Posts: 1,822	Pre-packaged Raw I'm assuming it's always best to prepare the food yourself, however, I have had a few people highly recommend pre-packaged raw foods to me. Specifically, this brand: Northwest Naturals Sometimes I hang out at the local natural pet store (they have freezers with raw food in it to buy). One of the part-time workers has four dogs. One of them was a 12-year-old GR with some of the most beautiful and health teeth I have ever seen on a dog. I asked her what she fed him, and she recommended this brand. One of the other customers who comes in a lot also said she feeds that brand and her dogs looked very healthy too. It's less time consuming than preparing the meat myself and a lot easier. I'm just wondering what you guys think of the "nuggets" or "dinner bars". That just seems weird to me. It's this or kibble, since I can't handle raw meat myself (one of the reasons I'm considering going vegetarian again). Is there any info on this?

01-10-2012, 05:36 PM	#2 (permalink)
onyx'girl Crowned Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: SW, MI Posts: 17,600	If you have the $$ to feed premade raw, go for it. The main reason I feed raw is that I control what my dogs eat and I like them to crunch bones instead of eating ground mix w/ bone already ground. I also don't see the need to add many of the ingredients that some pre-mades have in them; This is the beef patty ingredients: Beef, Beef Heart, Beef Liver, Ground Beef Bone, Broccoli, Carrots, Beef Kidney, Romaine Lettuce, Apples, Ground Flaxseed, Salmon Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Blueberry, Cranberry, Inulin, Dried Kelp, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Ginger, Parsley, Garlic, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Mixed Tocopherols (as preservative), Vitamin D Supplement. CA/PH 1.68/1 36%DMB If I really trusted the source and had $$ to pay for pre- packaged, I'd go for it. __________________ Jane~ Kept by Onyx, Kacie and Gideon v Wildhaus aka Karlo Last edited by onyx'girl; 01-10-2012 at 05:46 PM.

01-11-2012, 03:44 AM	#3 (permalink)
ladyfreckles Elite Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Seattle Posts: 1,822	How much does non-premade raw cost when you're not ordering 300lbs of it in bulk? __________________ Viking vom Zeder-Kamme (11/19/2011)

01-11-2012, 10:40 AM	#5 (permalink)
I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO Knighted Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: FLORIDA Posts: 2,246	I'm switching over to Blue Ridge Beef premade raw products. They are the cheapest I've found at about $2/lb and they don't have all of the additives. Blue Ridge Beef: Raw Meat for Dogs - Cats I plan on still buying chicken necks to throw in for teeth cleaning reasons. __________________ Mikko GM, RM, AAD, ASA, SJ, SS, EAC, EJC, TN-E, TG-E, WV-O, OCC, HP-O, VerO, NAJ, CGC - 6 year old GSD

01-16-2012, 04:51 PM	#6 (permalink)
juliejujubean Master Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Mississippi Posts: 824	I just found the blue ridge beef at a local petshop (might i add they do not sell science diet so that automatically makes me want to support them) That being said i want to keep her on her blue wilderness and get this when ever i can. She eats about 3.5 to 4 cups a day so i have no idea how much raw i should put in and cups to take out. __________________ Diamond, Mar 19, 2011 Pictures

01-16-2012, 05:03 PM	#7 (permalink)
Freestep Knighted Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Northern California Posts: 3,087	Premade raw gets very expensive if you're feeding a big dog. I do buy it for my cats, but I couldn't afford to feed my dogs that way. Currently I'm looking into a distributorship for premade raw, so that I can get it at wholesale. __________________ Luka von Sontausen, CD Vinca von Sontausen, CGC Freestep's Beluga Whale, BWD

01-16-2012, 06:44 PM	#8 (permalink)
martemchik Elite Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 1,043	I feed "Fresh is Best" pre-made raw as it is made locally and comes in "bulk" containers. Chicken is about $55 for 32 lbs and beef, turkey, or duck, is $70-80 for 32 lbs. I only feed it half the time so it doesn't hurt the wallet as much as it could. I don't have the space to freeze bulk sized orders of meat so this is really my only option. Its actually just a little more expensive than Orijen, and for that difference I prefer to feed raw. Maybe if I get a raise at work we will go to full time pre made raw. With only one dog its not that bad, if I had two they would probably be eating the Fromm kibble we switch out between meals.

01-16-2012, 07:14 PM	#9 (permalink)
anjum Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 42	It looks like a decent diet & the nuggets & bars look like the same thing as the chubs, just in different forms. They could be convenient for a number of situations. IMO, the main drawback of the pre-made, ground diets like this is that they don't provide the dental benefit of whole foods. But you could get the best of both worlds if you fed something like this most of the time, and gave a substantial & complicated RMB once a week or so. Or, on a regular basis, fed this plus a smaller RMB daily. Also, another thing to keep in mind, this product has a number of ingredients (mostly fruits & veggies). If your dog was prone to allergies (or developed them later), it's possible they could react to something & you'd need a limited ingredient diet. None of these ingredients strike me as ones that frequently cause allergies, but it's a small possibility.

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