Raw Frozen Diets

[Poppy]

Don't know anything about the brand but yes some do half kibble half raw without any problems. Others get stomach problems, and it's hard to tell what is causing it - the raw or the combination feeding. You could try alternating a full day of kibble and a full day of raw. People say that it's because they digest at different rates - raw is digested faster whereas kibble sits in the belly.

 

[Hidapriscila]

We tried switching to the Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Frozen patties. It didn't go well. We started the switch slowly and we were mixing kibble and raw in the same meal. I know that can cause problems. However, I think and my vet thinks as well that the puppies picked up salmonella from the raw diet. Looking at their symptoms and they both had them, it fit the best description. Lily started with the diarrhea 10 days in. We thought they were doing great, they LOVED the food. 3 days of uncontrollable diarrhea and we were at the vets for $500 worth of tests to make sure she hadn't picked up something else or eaten a sock and blocked her gut. As soon as we started getting her under control with a bland diet, Humphrey started with the uncontrollable diarrhea.

I thought the patties were the answer to my time constraints. I thought raw would fix our allergy woes. After reading all the pro comments on here about raw feeding and several other articles, I thought I knew enough to make a good decision. After she started getting sick, I googled "downsides of raw dog feeding diet" and read a lot of the negatives that I hadn't seen.

I respect your opinions and I know my dogs looked better just in the short 11 days they were on the diet, but I won't risk getting salmonella for them or the humans that take care of them again. Lily had to be put on IV fluids the day before Christmas Eve for 4 hours. She might not have made it through the weekend if she hadn't. I know some diarrhea is expected with a food change, but this was not that unfirm poo...it was awful.

So, we're weaning back from the bland diet to kibble and we'll eventually switch to Fromm from Blue Buffalo which is currently what we're on. Please be careful with your food prep and handling. I think that's where we went wrong. I would wrap the patty in plastic wrap in the fridge while it thawed. I didn't use new plastic wrap every day. I also didn't get to wash their dog bowls every day. That may be where our raw feeding went wrong. Good luck!

Priscilla
owned by Lily & Humphrey, bulldogs extraordinaire!

 

[cowsmom]

oh my im sorry you had so much trouble. but yes you maybe right with the handling. ive been doing a bit of reading and i think you are supposed to put the patties in an airtight container while thawing and yes washing the bowls everytime you feed is essential as well as your hands and anything else it touched. gosh i wish you well in your kibble and there is nothing wrong with the kibble. i feed it as do many others. and ty for posting as someone else reading this can learn from you and your experience which is why we are here.

 

[Maximus]

You stated: "My puppies picked up Salmonella from the raw diet". Did you contact NATURE'S VARIETY about this ? My bully, Maximus, has been on this Raw diet for over 2-months. He never had an onset of diarrhea. If anything, his stool became smaller and more compact and certainly alot "less messy". So I am a little concerned
when you say that your puppies picked up Salmonella from this food. Especially since Nature's Variety states they have such strong measures in place in their manufacturing facilities to insure that there is no risk of Salmonella in their raw diets.
What are the ages of the "puppies" that you fed this diet to ? You never mentioned it in your reply.

 

[izstigspunks]

Salmonella has been talked about numerous times on the Yahoo rawfeeding group. It is everywhere and it is a fear tactic from the pet food industry. Vets who do not know about rawfeeding can't advise you confidently on what it's about, similar to vets who believe that Science Diet kibble will cure everything. And, of course, any raw meat should be handled carefully for everyone's safety and cleanliness should be a priority.

The diarrhea is most likely caused by something else. I remember when Stig first started on raw, he had very loose stools for a couple of, if not a few, days. It was my fault because we didn't give him enough bone. It is highly recommended that dogs who first start on the diet have a high percentage of bone content in their food. I believe that the frozen raw only has 20% bone, Stig had to start with at least 40%. As the days progress, bone should only be 10% of the raw diet.

Again. Please read the archives on the Yahoo feeding group about the myths of rawfeeding. Googling what you fear will certainly result in self-fulfilling prophecies.

Here's a great article of popular myths:

http://www.rawfed.com/myths/

 

[karenben]

i have to say that annie has never had the runs since starting raw even when i introduced organs ,i bought some frozen rabbit blocks from the pet store and failed to read the label and my what a load of rubbish was in it,only 10% rabbit!!!!!,the butcher who delivers to my works is bringing me fresh rabbit off the farm next week as its getting harder to get here i live,i have never had a problem with any germs whilst feeding raw but lots of runs and sloppy poop when kibble feeding ,and lets face it there are germs everywhere ,as long as you clean properly and wash the bowls in scolding hot water after every feed then you should not have a problem,i only ever buy meat fit for human consumption ,i tried some pet mince it was frozen and after defrosting it was gipping so binned the lot!!,karen

 

[Maximus]

I don't know, I'm now having "suspicions" regarding RAW FROZEN DIETS. I don't know what happened with Maximus all of a sudden ...... he has been doing so well.
Than Whooosh, he started having diarrhea, and his stool went back to what it was before I started him on the Raw frozen diet, and it is a mess, and his "gas" is so bad it is permeating my entire house ......

But than again................it could be because he has not has his Probiotics in 3-weeks and his gut is full of bacteria ........

Ugh!

 

[izstigspunks]

I don't know, I'm now having "suspicions" regarding RAW FROZEN DIETS. I don't know what happened with Maximus all of a sudden ...... he has been doing so well.
Than Whooosh, he started having diarrhea, and his stool went back to what it was before I started him on the Raw frozen diet, and it is a mess, and his "gas" is so bad it is permeating my entire house ......

But than again................it could be because he has not has his Probiotics in 3-weeks and his gut is full of bacteria ........

Ugh!

I can't really help much with pre-packaged raw since I've never used them. . Would you be able to speak with the owner of the store you get them from? If they're not helpful, try going to a smaller privately owned store who sells pre-made raw, they usually more enthusiastic to help out customers.

All I know that when Stig first started, we gave him ground chicken with bone since that was what the raw store owner said to do first to transition him smoothly. And she was so wrong! Stig has loose stools, not diarrhea, but really liquidy stools throughout the day for at least 3 days. Finally, I got a hold of his daycare owner who initially suggested raw to us, and she said to start with a chicken back, to increase the bone content. It instantly worked. His next set of stools were firm.

As for the probiotics, it may help. Stig did get his share of green tripe, which is high in probiotics, for the first couple of months. The one that their holistic vet recommended is the one called HMF Forte Probiotics by Genestra, 2 capsules daily. It's human grade, which is an extra bonus.

But I would ask a small pet food boutique owner first and see what they suggest seeing you prefer the pre-packaged types.

 

[Cooper11]

I have been very curious about the raw feeding also. I had NEVER heard of such a thing until I came on this site and to tell you the truth I was kinda grossed out by the thought of the whole thing. I guess I new people were saying raw but I didn't actually think it was raw raw lol.....but then [MENTION=3904]Poppy[/MENTION] I think it was yo who posted the pic of your dog before and after and the tears stains were gone. It amazed me how much healthy and better looking your dog looked. What are the benefits of raw feeding. obviously tear stains and better for them??? Does it help with the shedding, gas, allergies, ect....?????

 

[karenben]

raw feeding will help with food allergy,less shedding,little or no gas,tear stains,fur,ive been raw feeding 11 months now though im limited to pig /ox/lamb heart,tripe,lamb,beef,eggs, due to annie reacting to fish and white meats ,pork is a red meat so she has that too,i supplement with emu oil,i give her a gorge meal once a week then i fast her for 24 hrs,from monday she is starting 1 meal a day ,annie is thriving ,poops once every 2 days ,teeth pearly white ,i do have a problem getting lamb ribs for teeth cleaning but she chews a lot on her nylibones and i give her eggs to keep her poops firm,its a difficult descision switching to raw and people usually do it when their dog has an allergy to food i know thats why i did it thinking she had an allergy to her kibble

you can see how well a dog can be on a raw diet ,the raw balances itself out over the course of time so i dont worry if shes getting all she needs,she also loves liver,kidney,i would love to try lung and spleen but i cant get it here which is a shame,but yes there are definatly many health benefits to raw,karen

 

[Maximus]

Hey Karen,

I think what you're feeding is RAW-RAW, ya know, Tribal Raw, you are not feeding Commercial Frozen Raw like I am. I'm trying to find other owners who are feeding Commercial Frozen Raw Diets (Like Natures Variety Instinct Frozen Raw, or Mr. Chewy's or any other Commercially prepared Raw Diet).

I am still "fine tuning" the Frozen Raw diet with Maximus because of his weight, and I'm not noticing any weight loss, which says I am feeding to many medallions. plus he gets dry kibble.

Max is still shedding alot, and without his "Probiotic" supplement daily he poop is loose and horrible. Infact, I even contacted Nature's Variety and spoke to them because if anything, the Raw Frozen Diet is supposed to "firm up" and reduce the poop and poop size. I got the reverse when I ran out of Probiotics for Max.

So I'm still fine tuning his diet and would really like to see an overall positive effect to this new diet. He still has gotten ear infections, and his pyoderma, and interdigital cysts are still in poor condition. He sheds alot and I have to brush him daily and still get 10-lbs of fur off him. I was hoping the Raw Diet would have
improved that.

 

[izstigspunks]

[MENTION=701]Maximus[/MENTION] - I would personally switch Maximus to all raw and cease giving the kibble portion. I know it's only a small part of his diet, but if he's allergic to anything in it, and he really sounds like he is, then it'll affect him no matter how little you give him. It's like giving a lactose intolerant person a small piece of cheese, you know what happens after ... . With Stig, giving him a few pieces of premium kibble will always result in runny poop. You won't get the full benefit of any food unless it's 100% of his diet. Why don't you try doing it all raw for a week and see how it goes?

 

[karenben]

you really dont know whats in frozen raw you only know exactly what your dog is eating if you buy fresh,prepare it,freeze it and feed,if a dog has so many health issues then the diet is really not doing its job,i agree savemsjeebus and go primal raw,karen

 

[Maximus]

you really dont know whats in frozen raw you only know exactly what your dog is eating if you buy fresh,prepare it,freeze it and feed,if a dog has so many health issues then the diet is really not doing its job,i agree savemsjeebus and go primal raw,karen

Hi -

Well, I really do know what's in Frozen Raw because it's listed on the bag. I'm comfortable with the quality of Frozen Raw for Maximus. I trust the manufacturer to provide quality, nutritious food. My concern right now is how to get Maximus to lose some weight. The problem I have with the Raw Frozen Diet is that it appears
to be high-calorie, so you have to watch the amount of medallions you feed. That causes you to have to increase feeding Dry food, which is also a good gluten-free, grain-free food. Maximus weights 78-lbs. His Vet wants him to get down to 55-60-lbs. I'm trying to find the right balance to promote weight loss while maintaining
health.

 

[Maximus]

[MENTION=701]Maximus[/MENTION] - I would personally switch Maximus to all raw and cease giving the kibble portion. I know it's only a small part of his diet, but if he's allergic to anything in it, and he really sounds like he is, then it'll affect him no matter how little you give him. It's like giving a lactose intolerant person a small piece of cheese, you know what happens after ... . With Stig, giving him a few pieces of premium kibble will always result in runny poop. You won't get the full benefit of any food unless it's 100% of his diet. Why don't you try doing it all raw for a week and see how it goes?

Hi -

Maximus has had Allergy testing. The Vet drew blood and sent it off for a full panel - it all came back Negative. So it appears Maximus does not have any allergies
to food items.