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Just gonna do raw

babyjoemurphy

Well-Known Member
I have been struggling with my husband with raw talk. I want Linc on raw but my husband says no. He really has no good reason. He says it's gross and the germs are nasty.
I think I have figured out a way around him.
Pre made ground meals. No messy germs in the kitchen, no samonila slobber all over the floor (his words)
If I can start this way then slowly work into adding my own whole prey then he will not realize it till its too late.
He works and lives away from home 6 days a week so he will never notice.
Funny thing is I am the germ freak and I'm good with raw.

I went and got 10 lbs of raw for free today, going to get 8 more lbs tomorrow.

Now my biggest questions are
1- what's your thoughts on pre made raw diets?
2- what's your thoughts on kibble for one meal, raw for a second?

I know mixing kibble and raw together is a no no but I think I will have to do this for a bit till my hubby gets use to the idea

Also what about supplements?

Wish Linc and I luck on this one. We are gonna need it

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Hector

Well-Known Member
I don't have an opinion on pre made raw as I have never fed any. I feed kibble or raw or both mixed in one meal. No troubles here and when I do feed raw, kibble or both, I feed all 3 that way.I only do supplements when the dog needs it. Right now I'm giving Hector canineactiv for breakfast, glycoflex stage 3 chew in the afternoon and night, started on kelp powder again, and also started thyroid powder supplement.
 

TricAP

Well-Known Member
Depends on what you mean by pre-made raw? There is some that is pasturized, some that is dehydrated and then there is some that is a the alleged optimal blend of bone, meaty muscle and organ meat. Some are more marketing hype than nutritionally balanced.

We have tried all of the above at some point and it comes down to what you dog will eat. Angus is not fond of green things in his food . Yes he spits out peas and green beans, so the veggies some of them add go uneaten and in my opinion a waste of money for us. I do keep kibble in the freezer for times when life gets a little crazy and I need to quickly feed the dogs or for when we travel. Raw is just too big a hassle on the road. No adverse affects of mixing the 2. Other than gas that is a little worse than normal.
 

NYDDB

Well-Known Member
I fed "pre-made" frozen raw (basically ground meat/bones/organs- no veggies) when I got Mateo as a pup- he did well on it. But, as he grew, and my own confidence in feeding a real Prey Model Raw diet also grew, I ditched the (very expensive) pre-made stuff and went straight to the butcher, and haven't looked back. :)

No experience mixing kibble with raw.
 

babyjoemurphy

Well-Known Member
That's my plan to go whole prey but have to tip toe around it for now lol.

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DennasMom

Well-Known Member
Ditto all the above... we started out by just adding a raw-pre-made patty as a topper to Denna's kibble meals, then I read more... and we went full on whole-prey-model raw a few months later. We kept her left-over kibble to use as treats and kong-stuffers.

We do use a number of different pre-made options in our rotation of foods, and for convenience when traveling or boarding (places where chomping on big bones is problematic).

One theory I have... is kibble makes the GI tract lazy, so it gets sensitive to changes. Raw gears up the GI tract for variety, and once you get the systems running well on 100% raw, adding kibble back in is no problem. If you start with kibble and add raw in slowly, I think you're probably also OK, but some dogs might still have easily-upset systems (i.e. loose poops). So, how much you can mix and match might be dog-dependent.

I like your plan (to get some raw in, around hubby's ewww factor) :)
I'd read all the ingredient lists, contact manufacturers to get % splits in meat/bone/liver/kidney (some pre-mades are 30% bone) and mix and match to keep the diet as a whole balanced. If you balance the raw portions with meat and organ especially, I think you'll be OK. That's all just personal, anecdotal, non-scientific thoughts on the matter... definitely be on the look out for changes in energy, eye and ear issues, skin issues, etc. to make sure the dog is handling the new diet well.

Good luck!! and Have Fun!
 

BAMCB

Well-Known Member
Much more experience from above posts^^ I will add that frozen(if the pup will eat it) would really cut down the Ewww and icky germs factor. Maybe you can do all the prep while he is out and just have the meals easy to pull out and feed mess free. Chica will only eat frozen meatballs with regularity so I have kept up with that for her. The meatballs I prepare are super easy for anyone to feed with no mess at all. Just count and serve. I look at them like the balanced portion of their diet and the add ins are for extra benefits and treats. It truly is a super fun way to feed our dogs! I even have hubs harvesting tripe now;) LOL
 

cj-sharpy

Well-Known Member
Premade frozen completes are absolutely the best way to start in my opinion.
Check the ratios ate correct (80/10/10 most are) and once you've seen the benefit and you know your dog is handling the change well then you can get more adventurous.


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