# Does anyone feed a complete packaged raw diet?



## ninemaplefarm (Mar 2, 2010)

I really wanted to switch to a raw diet but I was told by a salesperson for a prepared raw diet (complete) that I should not give it to my GSD puppy as her only diet as the phosphorous and something ratio is off and they would not recommend it. She said to mix kibble with raw?

But, the girl in the store that sells it and feeds raw said never mix the two.

So, now I am REALLY confused!!!!


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

From about week 9 I have been feeding kibble one meal and prepared raw from "fresh is best" for the other meal with absolutely no issues. The only reason he still gets kibble is purely economical and as soon as I can afford to feed all raw I will. He's almost a year and has been doing great with the mix. The lady at the holistic food store we go to told us not to mix them at the same time but its absolutely fine to feed in one day.


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## MarleyGSD (Sep 29, 2010)

Ive also heard that you shouldn't feed them both in one meal because the two digest at different rates, which could induce bloat. Don't quote me, but that's what i've been informed of.
We give marley raw food 2-3 times a week, would love to do it more often but can't afford that at the moment.


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## vomlittlehaus (Aug 24, 2010)

Kibble and raw are digested at different rates. Feed raw in am and kibble in pm. Only because the kibble will have a chance to digest over night. There is no reason (if you can afford it) to feed any kibble at all. I had all mine on raw, and yes had to switch to high quality kibble for the cost(for now). I still give a 1/2 chicken back in the afternoons to them.

Forgot to ad that I feed (when I can) Oma's Pride and I know several people that do and dont feed anything else. They have several products to chose from. Variety is best.


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## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

No mixing kibble with raw. No No No.

Here's my Odin at 8 weeks old, this was his first raw food, I used Bravo chicken 

















This is how I started Odin:

Week 1- Bravo chicken (they come in 2 lb. chub)
Week 2- Bravo turkey 
Week 3- Bravo Beef

@ 10 weeks old, I gave him chicken frames to try:









His first greentripe @ 11 weeks old









As a young pup, I used to give him 1 egg 2x or maybe 3x a week mixed in his food, yogurt everyday. He doesn't get any of that anymore. I am about to start him on Salmon oil by Carlson, he had diarrhea when I gave it to him a couple of months back.

I rotate his meat source everyday, I copied what's in the ground meat from the vendor's website:

Beef Blend 
Made from Ground Beef Blend with organs 10 - 15% organ meats, 10 % fat, 75 to 80% beef trim. Packaged in 2lb. packages

Venison
Ground Venison 2 lb. pkgs. - may have small bone fragments included; presence of bone not guaranteed.

Chicken Frames
40 to 50 lb. case Chicken Frames, from All Natural Free Range, hand processed chicken, Lots of meat on these.

Chicken Blend
Made from ground up chicken leg qtrs. packed in 1.67 lb. pkgs.
65% chicken leg qtrs., 25% chicken hearts, 10 % chicken liver. Leg qtrs are skinned and then some skin is added back so that there is 10% fat content in the product.

From Greentripe.com
XKALIBER: Green Tripe, Muscle Meat, Heart, Tongue, Trachea/Gullet and Ground Bone 
GreenTripe- Ground greentripe
Tripe/Organ Meat Blend: Freshly frozen blend of green tripe, beef heart, lungs, liver, spleen and pancreas.

I only give the organ meat blend 2x a week (mixed in his either venison or beef) and probably just 3 tablespoon of it- it will cause diarrhea if given too much. 

I am going to add ground turkey necks in my next order, my vendor is always out of it!


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## ninemaplefarm (Mar 2, 2010)

Thanks, Guys!

But, what about the salesperson who said that I shouldn't feed strictly raw food to a GSD puppy (large breed) because the calcium/phosphorus ratio is wrong?


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## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

She's just not experienced enough or educated enough in the raw department. Haven't you come across a salesperson who has no idea what he's selling??


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## ninemaplefarm (Mar 2, 2010)

Josie/Zeus said:


> She's just not experienced enough or educated enough in the raw department. Haven't you come across a salesperson who has no idea what he's selling??


Yeah, but this was a salesperson at the main company not a dealer!!!!

Well, do you all think I can feed Natures Variety patties and I will just switch the different meats up every day (one day chicken, one beef, one lamb)?

Josie- How did you transition Odin to raw? Did you feed kibble in morning; 1/2 patty of raw at lunch; kibble at dinner? My girl is being fed 3 times a day so I want to stick with that schedule if possible?

My puppy came from breeder eating purina puppy chow (yuck).


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## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

You can Pm me the main company's name if you don't want to share it here, they are obviously not very confident about their products.

As soon we got home with Odin- we started raw. No kibble, in fact I did try to feed the kibble (the bag from the breeder) in the morning, after having his first raw chicken, he won't even look at his kibble. 

How old is your pup?

I fed Odin 3 times a day as a young pup, then one day he just won't eat his lunch. Then we switched to 2x a day. He is starting to refuse his breakfast lately, which is a telling sign to ME, he maybe ready for once a day meal. We shall see. 

My old dog Zeus was fed only once a day.


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## ninemaplefarm (Mar 2, 2010)

Josie,

So you just switched cold turkey?

Did you have diarrhea? We are, obviously, potty training so I don't want to complicate things with massive diarrhea!!

My puppy turned 8 weeks today......

I will PM you name.


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## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

No diarrhea. 

Try chicken breast first if you are uncomfortable, just chicken breast - see how he takes it. Next- find a Bravo dealer- by a couple of chicken blend and see how your pup do.


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## ninemaplefarm (Mar 2, 2010)

Josie/Zeus said:


> No diarrhea.
> 
> Try chicken breast first if you are uncomfortable, just chicken breast - see how he takes it. Next- find a Bravo dealer- by a couple of chicken blend and see how your pup do.


You mean just a raw piece of chicken breast from a grocery store or some kind of chicken breast from a pet store? I know..I'm pathetic!


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## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

Yep, grocery store. You are fine!


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## ninemaplefarm (Mar 2, 2010)

Josie/Zeus said:


> Yep, grocery store. You are fine!


Ok.....I am a basketcase right now but I will try the regular old boneless chicken breast. I think that's all I have! 

Thanks again!


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## saraja87 (Jul 12, 2011)

We've been making our own raw food for our now 15 week girl since she was 11 weeks and have also been mixing it with the commercial raw diet Stella and Chewy when needed. When we make our own, we use chicken breast, thighs and legs, beef, turkey and sweetmeats. We finely chop it for ease of storage and mix it with pureed kale, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, blueberries, strawberries etc. and freeze the mixture in 10 oz patties wrapped in saran wrap. 

When we feed her our mixture we make sure she gets at least two raw meaty bones (RMB) per day, usually one chicken leg/piece of chicken neck/piece of turkey neck with each meal. Since she's teething we also mix in cottage cheese or yogurt and missing link, just for good measure lol. For teething, she gets beef back rib bones (4 for $2 from the supermarket) but they're just for chewing and she isn't supposed to have them after 7 months because they can break adult teeth. We freeze them, let her gnaw on them for a couple hours, then toss them back in the freezer once they get sticky for next time. 

When we feed stella and chewy large patties, we use chicken and duck and they have fresh bone ground right in so she doesn't need her chicken legs. Eventually we'd like to purchase pre-made frozen raw food from a friend's GSD breeder since most commercially made diets are $4 - $6 per pound in my area and making her food ourselves can also get expensive.


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## neiltus (Mar 10, 2011)

i mix kibble and raw. Same meal. My breeder does. My vet does. The company that makes my food has a feeding calculator to use for mixing their kibble and their raw.

Are there any studies or papers that someone can point me to regarding the hazards of foods digesting at different rates?

I am also curious as to different types of kibble. Some kibble contains higher moisture and others are pretty dry. I assume this is where the digestive process speed varies?


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## ninemaplefarm (Mar 2, 2010)

Thank you for the additional posts! It's nice to know what works for people for future use!!


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## ninemaplefarm (Mar 2, 2010)

Well, today my girl started her raw diet so thanks to all who responded (especially Josie)!!! I went with the Bravo complete beef patties. At first, I wasn't sure she would eat it but then she became a little wolf and devoured it! Actually, it was kind of cool! No poop yet so hoping it's not mush. But, I plan on heading out to get some mashed up pumpkin just in case....

Anyway, to all that feed a prepackaged complete raw diet:

1) Do you supplement with vitamins?

2) Do you add probiotics?

3)Do you add an enzyme something or other?

Basically, I just want to know if I can feed the prepackaged diet. I hope to eventually add the bones once she is eating ok with no stomach issues as I read it is good for their teeth.

Thanks in advance!


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## TankGrrl66 (Jun 29, 2010)

There is some good info in this thread 

What do you all think about bones for puppies? Something that could quiet her in her crate when I leave? She goes right through kongs no matter how well I stuff them. She is getting most of her adult teeth in, and I don't want her to crack them before they even really come in! 

Knuckle bones, rib bones, leg/marrow bones? Or are they al loff limits due to the lack of supervision?


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## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

I tried salmon oil but Odin had diarrhea from it so I stopped. I was going to start him again on it when he's about 8 months.

The only probiotic I used is greek yogurt, I include an egg in there as well.


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