Premade Raw Diets - Opinions...
 

I'm just researching/deciding on if I want to put my gang on raw - but I definitely do not want to go homemade - I'm too lazy to even cook/perpare meals for myself!

I called my local Global Pet to see what premade raw diets they carry there first...
Healthy Paws
[URL="http://www.tryhealthypaws.com/products_dogs.php"]http://www.tryhealthypaws.com/products_dogs.php[/URL]
[URL="http://www.tryhealthypaws.com/products_cats.php"]http://www.tryhealthypaws.com/products_cats.php[/URL]

Pets 4 Life
[URL="http://www.pets4life.com/index.php?p=products/h4l"]http://www.pets4life.com/index.php?p=products/h4l[/URL]

Mountain Dog - I found this website was an eye sore...I don't know where the product listings are?? :confused:
[URL="http://www.mountaindogfood.com/"]http://www.mountaindogfood.com/[/URL]

He also said he carries Prairie, which he said is Nature's Variety but when I looked it up on their website it says it's a kibble? :shrug:

I'd just like to weigh my options while I see how Kali is doing on Orijen, and depending on how well I do at getting the cats to eat canned...I figure if they don't agree with my nutritional plan for them I might just move them all to raw (provided I get a dedicated freezer for them, my freezer's packed enough as it is with my own food and the frozen smelt/shrimp etc for all the fish!)

Are you sure he didn't mean the Nature Variety Raw, that is what I feed my foster kittens. Global's here in Kingston also carries Pawsitively-Raw which is made in the GTA which is the one I prefer, but mix the two just to make sure they are getting enough taurine, calcium, etc etc. The Pawsitively-Raw meat seems fresher than NV and they do make dog versions, I feed mine the feline (of course).

They do have a website:

[url]http://www.paws-itivelyrawfoods.com/[/url]

[QUOTE=Love4himies;623454]Are you sure he didn't mean the Nature Variety Raw, that is what I feed my foster kittens. [/QUOTE]

He definitely said Prairie, because I wrote it down and I asked him what Prairie was and he told me it's NV, I was hoping that they sold NV Raw as it seems to be the favourite, for cats at least...

When I had Kali when she was younger, I had her on Ultimate Diet [URL="http://www.theultimatediet.com/index.htm"]http://www.theultimatediet.com/index.htm[/URL]
Which she did great on, but IMO I think it has entirely too much garlic...now that I think back about it she used to burp a lot and it would stink like garlic! But other then that she did really well on it...

I spent quite a bit of time researching pre-made raw foods because one of my dogs has pretty specific diet needs. In case this might help, these are the basic questions I like to have answered about any given food, either by looking at the website or phoning the company directly.

-what else is added to the meat/bones and in what amounts?
[I]Are there fruits and veggies? What % of the food does that make up and what are they? Personally, I'm not a fan of food that are 10%+ veggie mix.
What is the bone to meat ratio? Some pre-made raw diets are very bone heavy and can cause issues for some animals
Is one meat source used or do they combine multiple meats into one patty?
Again, this is something that some dogs can't deal with, so you might be left thinking there's a problem feeding raw when in fact the dog could handle chicken and beef, just not chicken + beef in one meal.
What supplements are added? Will you want to supplement with things like kelp, fish oil, ect. or is it already added in adequate amounts/quality?
What organs are included in the mix? Is it enough variety?[/I]

-what's the story on production (method and facilities), meat sourcing and transportation?

-will the food be consistently available?
[I]This is a personal thing, but I like to and think there are advantages to using small, more local-ish companies, but I want to know it's going to continue to be available.[/I]

Granted, I'm pretty neurotic because on of my dogs can get really, really ill if anything changes or is a bit wonky with his food, but I think the above are good questions to get the answers to.

The pre-made raw foods I've used are the Nature's Variety raw frozen, Arusha meat and bone patties, and currently Urban Carnivore whole animal patties. I've been happy with all of them, though the NV are the only one of those that are considered a "complete diet", which is probably an advantage to most, but for my situation I prefer just meat/bone/organ mixes of only one meat type so that I can tailor any other additions specifically to each dog.

The Urban Carnivore also includes a wider variety of organs than I've found with any other pre-made raw food, so to me, that's an advantage.

[URL="http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html#frozenraw"]Dog Aware [/URL] has a great list of pre-made raw foods, both complete and not.

NV Prairie is canned or kibble, but not their raw, maybe the clerk misunderstood. :shrug:

[url]http://www.naturesvariety.com/raw_products[/url]

[QUOTE=Love4himies;623475]NV Prairie is canned or kibble, but not their raw, maybe the clerk misunderstood. :shrug:

[url]http://www.naturesvariety.com/raw_products[/url][/QUOTE]

Actually I think it was the owner that answered, I've never seen a man in there other then the owner...sounded like him too - it's OK. Maybe I can get them to order the Raw for me if I go that route as it seems more people like their Raw diet over others.

[QUOTE=pitgrrl;623470]
-what else is added to the meat/bones and in what amounts?
[I]Are there fruits and veggies? What % of the food does that make up and what are they? Personally, I'm not a fan of food that are 10%+ veggie mix.
What is the bone to meat ratio? Some pre-made raw diets are very bone heavy and can cause issues for some animals
Is one meat source used or do they combine multiple meats into one patty?
Again, this is something that some dogs can't deal with, so you might be left thinking there's a problem feeding raw when in fact the dog could handle chicken and beef, just not chicken + beef in one meal.
What supplements are added? Will you want to supplement with things like kelp, fish oil, ect. or is it already added in adequate amounts/quality?
What organs are included in the mix? Is it enough variety?[/I]
[/QUOTE]

Can I tell from this list? It seems like there's not enough info just on their website..
This one's for Healthy Paws...
Canine Chicken Complete

Product ID: CCC1P
Size: 454g (1 lb)
Format: Patties - 1oz. (approx.)

Ingredients: Chicken (including liver, heart and gizzard), Sweet potato, Squash, Romaine Lettuce, Apple, Kelp, Parsley, Fish Oil (blend of Sardine, Anchovy and Mackerel oils for Omega 3), Apple Cider Vinegar

Protein (min.): 0.11
Fat (min.): 0.09
Fibre (max.): 0.02
Moisture (max.): 0.72

Get Aunt Jeni's Home Made 4 Life.

[url]http://www.auntjeni.com/[/url]

The website you had seems outdated.

It takes a while to defrost I found out but my cats approve of it..... and it's good for them and easily available at the pet store I shop at. The animals are free range and humanely slaughtered so i like that since I'm a vegetarian and all.

Actually I think Homemade 4 Life is only in the US?
And Pets 4 Life is here in Canada?

They seem to be linked though, somehow..

[QUOTE=szelynn;623603]Actually I think Homemade 4 Life is only in the US?
And Pets 4 Life is here in Canada?

They seem to be linked though, somehow..[/QUOTE]

You are correct, they're the same food.