Which brand of raw?

[sakirby]

hi guys, i am curious to know which brand of raw you guys feed your frenchies (those that feed raw)? franp...i know you feed bravo. i liked the bravo site but, there is no dealer in my area. some ship so, i may look into that. a local store here has a brand called prairie. also, my local wholefoods store sells raw but it is REALLY expensive. so, just curious as to what other brands there may be. thanks.

[franp]

Look for Omas; they are very similar to Bravo.
My friend Monica has been in the factory and it is spotless..

A suggestion; call the company if you do not see a supplier. sometimes the site is not up to date.

fran

[sakirby]

franp....do you add supplements to the raw diet or just feed raw? can i switch oscar to raw right away or should i do it gradually? he is on mostly innova now but, still has occasional diarrhea or lbm. thanks for your help!

[franp]

Some people say you can switch a pup cold turkey.Emily switched Penny over 2 weeks.

If you do it the conservative way, you can not go wrong.

As for suppliments; first get him switched.Then start reading. I use Prozyme and apple cider vinegar.Also wild salmon oil.Some people use kelp.Others use ester C.

You MUST read and understand what each is for.or get a sense of what each is.It is very hard to make blanket recommendations.
The one that all dogs do well with is Prozyme or Probiotics.. Add SLOWLY. a tiny bit at a time building up till the prescribed amount.

I remember after I switched Dari, I tried adding Kelp; she HATED the smell so much she refused to eat for days.. Because I added it too fast..

Do you have a holistic pet food store that can guide you? That really is the best way .And get "The Ultimate Diet.."This book is a very good guide.

I can not stress enough that each dog is different and you have to determine what you want to do for your dog..Males need different things than females and intact different than neutered and spayed.

[franp]

I am making raw sound HARD; it really is not.. Once you get into it, it is easy.. Just reading.

Just like anything else that is new; getting used to it..

Ask EmilyMd , what she does with Penny. You both have pups. I have an adult..The needs may be different.

[adora's mom]

We used Nature's Variety - I'm not sure if it's available in all parts of the country, but it is good stuff and easy to use. It was less expensive than the first brand of raw we tried (Steve's Natural Food) and had more variety of ingredients and a lot more protein. Natures Variety comes in small medallions or in patties.

[Martina]

Fran,

Is that Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats: The Ultimate Pet Diet by Kymythy Schultze? That's what I found at Amazon, and I'm assuming this is a book for pets. There are other "Ultimate Diet" books that are for humans. Thanks!

[franp]

Fran,

Is that Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats: The Ultimate Pet Diet by Kymythy Schultze? That's what I found at Amazon, and I'm assuming this is a book for pets. There are other "Ultimate Diet" books that are for humans. Thanks!
Yes, that is the book; thanks, The author's name is SOOO odd that I can never remember how to spell it.
This is one of the easiest books about Raw to read. One that I was given when I wanted to learn; and still use as a reference.

Once again, Martina, you have come to the rescue :D thank you . my mind is not what it used to be :confused:

fran.

[Martina]

Here's a really interesting website I found about the health benefits of apple cider vinegar for anyone who's interested: http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/acvfordogs.html

[wasabi-glow]

Fran,
How much BRAVO TUB do you give to your babies? Assuming that they are adults how much or how many tubs do you give them each meal?


I found this on the bravo site on how to calculate the amount to feed but they are in Oz.. :( isn't an ounce like 30 mls? so how do I figure out how much tub to give to my dog??? How much is one cup? :confused:

[wasabi-glow]

Sorry, here's the site calculator...
http://www.bravorawdiet.com/calculator.html

[franp]

I don't know how to convert.And when I used the amount that Bravo told me to use;Dari got FAT :(

Dari weighs 22-23 pounds; she gets about 4 oz of food a day.The best I can advise you is to feed your dog and see how he does. If it is not enough; give more and if it is too much; less.

I buy the 5 pound rolls, cut them up and defrost as I need it. Usually I take out enough for a day or so.I bought a saw to slice it when it is frozen. I let the log sit for about 15 minutes and then cut it up and put it back.

fran

[wasabi-glow]

:) I don't know how to convert.And when I used the amount that Bravo told me to use;Dari got FAT :(

Dari weighs 22-23 pounds; she gets about 4 oz of food a day.The best I can advise you is to feed your dog and see how he does. If it is not enough; give more and if it is too much; less.

I buy the 5 pound rolls, cut them up and defrost as I need it. Usually I take out enough for a day or so.I bought a saw to slice it when it is frozen. I let the log sit for about 15 minutes and then cut it up and put it back.

fran

Thanks.. :) So, how long does the 5 lb rolls last for DARI?

[franp]

Close to a month. 4 oz a day 5 pounds has 80 20 oz . So 20 days .

fran

[wasabi-glow]

Close to a month. 4 oz a day 5 pounds has 80 20 oz . So 20 days .

fran

Thanks Fran,
My lil picky eater evilicon seems to like BRAVO RAW so hopefully he'll stick to it... appicon appicon appicon

Problem though is that the store that sells bravo is sooo far from where I live.... I might just buy it online.... we'll see how it goes. And yes, the Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats: The Ultimate Pet Diet book by Kymythy Schultze is on its way which I bought at AMAZON.com and several other RAW FEEDING DIET BOOks..... :D ;)

[adora's mom]

Here's a really interesting website I found about the health benefits of apple cider vinegar for anyone who's interested: http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/acvfordogs.html


OMG! Martina, I was just going to post a question about this. How odd...

Thanks for posting the link - saved me from posting another question! ;)

[franp]

Thanks Fran,
My lil picky eater evilicon seems to like BRAVO RAW so hopefully he'll stick to it... appicon appicon appicon

Problem though is that the store that sells bravo is sooo far from where I live.... I might just buy it online.... we'll see how it goes. And yes, the Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats: The Ultimate Pet Diet book by Kymythy Schultze is on its way which I bought at AMAZON.com and several other RAW FEEDING DIET BOOks..... :D ;)

Let me tell you about picky eaters; FOUR years of force feeding. How is that for picky eating. There was not one food she would eat.
I had to literally shove it in her mouth.

The first time I gave her raw; she inhaled it. In over a year, Dari has NOT refused a meal. I CRIED the first time she ate..
If your dog does not like this food.....I donot know what to tell you.(But I bet he will)

[EmD, MD]

Sheesh, Fran! Penny eats over 8 oz per day and you saw how tiny she is! What gives? The vet said her weight is really healthy, but Bill thought she was too skinny. Go figure. She is extremely active, though. :confused:

[franp]

Sheesh, Fran! Penny eats over 8 oz per day and you saw how tiny she is! What gives? The vet said her weight is really healthy, but Bill thought she was too skinny. Go figure. She is extremely active, though. :confused:

When Dari was young she was SKINNY!!!

Bill saw Dari when I first switched her over and he YELLED at me; she got fat.Every dog is different. Don't forget she is 5 years old and has started to slow down a bit.

One thing that I want to make a VERY strong point of:Be careful of too much organ meat.

Dari has been suffering from Billous stomach. In simple terms, she has been vomiting acid at about 4 AM for the past couple of weeks because her stomach has been empty. The dr said this happens as dogs get older sometimes. The solution (which is working) is to feed her at night before we go to bed.
I called Bravo to ask what exactly is in the blend I am using and found that there is organ meat.This should ONLY be once a week. I was using it daily.So it may be that it was too rich..

Anyway....she is better.No vomiting for 4 days appicon

[GigiMcKeehan]

I just wanted to add my .02 here on raw feeding. I have a one year old female Frenchie who has had health problems. I wanted to give her the best diet I could find so I did my research. She began raw in Feb.

My understanding was that Bravo is created with raw meat, bones and veggies. You can then add supplements as you feel they are needed for your dog. I use BARF World raw since it contains Flax seed, vitamin E, Cod Liver oil, etc. I don't add anything extra. The food is drop shipped to me and is in 8 ounce patties.

I was amazed at the results on every level.

Deb & Gigi