raw vs freeze dried

M

Mindlessbear

Forums Regular
Hey folks... just joined the forums. I had three dogs that I fed raw too. One was a sheltie, the other were mixed breeds, one who survived parvo. I have to say, I was very impressed with the diet. It takes work and dedication, but the six years my guys were on it they looked amazing. I'm currently looking at breeders for a sheltie, and have decided to go with a more natural/organic diet. I don't know if I can go pure raw, because we don't have the freezer space to buy meat in bulk. Has anyone tried any of the freeze dried diets?
 
I use Dr. Harvey's Canine Health Miracle Pre-Mix for Pixie, who needs a specialized diet. You rehydrate the food with hot water, let it sit for 8 minutes and add your protein of choice, cooked or raw, and 1 teaspoon of oil. They recommend rotating proteins each week. I really like this food! When you open the bag it smells so good and fresh you want to eat it yourself. You can also call and talk to Dr. Harvey who consults on individual questions or issues free of charge.

They make a grain free, all-veggie mix as well as the basic pre-mix too. It's available at lots of online sources, including Amazon.
http://www.drharveys.com/products/line/17-dogs#type-3
 
I have at one point tried to switch Watson over to raw... he LOVED it! However, I was in grad school and working full time which left my some what squeamish boyfriend to do most of the feeding-- he was not impressed with tossing him a chicken thigh. So, back to kibble we went.

Ann- I am reading the website for Dr. Harvey's and it might just be a good compromise for us... Given recent history, I definitely am more concerned that he gets high quality food (although, I don't know that I think a switch over would be a good plan right now...) The website shows the instructions (3 scoops, 8oz water and 6oz meat) is to be a single serving of 1 pound... Now, Watson eats only 2/3 cup of kibble right now... he definitely would not be eating a pound of food a day.

Do you tend to make up the whole 1 pound serving and divide it up over a few days or make smaller servings each day? Does it keep well once it's been mixed up?
 
I have a Collie with bloat in the family. So the idea of expanding food terrifies me. The shelties would probably be fine on a dehydrated food, but I can't risk the Collie.
 
I feed Stella and Chewys frozen raw patties. My dog has been on it for about 2 years. She has done very well it on it. Her health and digestive system has been the best its ever been since I made the switch.

I also don't have much room in my freezer and I do like how convenient it is, so it works out great for me. It is much more expensive than kibble and real butcher-shop raw, but I only have 1 tiny Sheltie, so it is doable.
 
Rachael- I had that same concern when I first read it too and it would be even compounded if I had to worry about someone prone to bloat. It looks like it soaks in the water to rehydrate it-- so I guess it's dehydrated for easier storage? I would imagine after it's rehydrated the expanding would be done, or minimal by the time it's fed. My concern would be bacterial growth or molding though after it's moistened since I wouldn't be feeding the whole batch all at once... Not sure if that is a big concern though, I suppose we refrigerate our own food all the time..
 
I have used SoJo either for a filler if I was short food or topper off when travelling.
https://www.sojos.com/
Personally I don't believe it gives you the benefits a whole raw food diet gives you, so I wouldn't do it permanently over raw.
Especially the teeth and keeping them mentally engaged with having to work on their food, like dogs do on real raw. BUT if you can feed beef or lamb or pork neck bone, or chicken or turkey necks once a week, I am sure it could work, definitely better than kibble
 
I do a half-and-half with Dickens: I give him half the recommended amount of a good, high-protein brand of kibble, then make up the balance in raw meat, mostly chicken and beef. He seems to be doing really well on it and his weight is constant. It's not time-consuming at all.
 
Watson's Mom said:
Ann- I am reading the website for Dr. Harvey's and it might just be a good compromise for us... Given recent history, I definitely am more concerned that he gets high quality food (although, I don't know that I think a switch over would be a good plan right now...) The website shows the instructions (3 scoops, 8oz water and 6oz meat) is to be a single serving of 1 pound... Now, Watson eats only 2/3 cup of kibble right now... he definitely would not be eating a pound of food a day.

Do you tend to make up the whole 1 pound serving and divide it up over a few days or make smaller servings each day? Does it keep well once it's been mixed up?
Click to expand...

The people at Dr. Harvey's say you can make up the food and keep it up to three days in the fridge, or freeze it in portions and it can be kept longer. Pixie eats 1/4 cup of kibble twice a day so I've had a hard time figuring out what the equivalent of this should be...naturally she'd eat the whole thing if she could. So I have kept it in the refrigerator and it's fine, although I wouldn't do it longer than two days.
 
My guy doesn't care much for raw chicken pieces. I've tried backs, wings, necks - he just turns up his nose.

Any ideas?

I don't have that problem with beef marrow bones, he loves those. I found a place that has knuckle bones and he gets one or two a week.

Question: do raw meaty beef bones have too much fat/calories for a dog who is a little chubby?


I bought a trial size bag of Honest Kitchens freeze dried raw that you mix with water. I'm making a slurry with kibble for my old Lhasa, she loves it. Sheltie boy gets it as a little soup for Sunday dinner ...


Wish I cared as much about my own diet as I do theirs!
 
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