# Nature's variety raw food..tried it and....



## matt1970lemans (Mar 1, 2007)

I have a picky eater.My dog is about a year and a half old and a very picky eater.I've tried every kibble out there just about and he eats and then he doesn't.I'm giving him a probotic thinking this would help,well it did and didn't.So today I figured I would try raw.I saw Nature's variety raw food and figured why not,so I got the venison patties.I thawed it out and took some of his old kibble so i can wen him off of it.Well he ate the venison in about 2 mins if that and left the kibble.I think he was trying to tell me something,what do you all think of there food's anygood?


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

i'll keep my post short since i'm not a raw genius. first off - its convenient but expensive. (i have 2 gsd and they'd basically take a bag a day which ive seen priced from $10-18 for a 3lb bag). second - bones (unground) are necessary for a "complete" raw diet experience.


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: Camerafodderi'll keep my post short since i'm not a raw genius. first off - its convenient but expensive. (i have 2 gsd and they'd basically take a bag a day which ive seen priced from $10-18 for a 3lb bag). second - bones (unground) are necessary for a "complete" raw diet experience.


It IS expensive. But I have a friend with a beautiful GSD who feeds Primal and NV foods. She can't chew bones due to a dental issue. I don't know what you mean by a raw diet "experience." We may assume it's nice to chomp on bones from a dog's perspective, but this dog gets bone in her meals every day (same as my dogs), and she is shiny, healthy, athletic and all the things we associate with raw-fed GSDs. (Yes, bones help keep a dog's teeth clean, but her owner brushes her teeth, as I do my guy's teeth.) And honestly, if I toss a 1 lb hunk of meat in front of my dog or 1 lb RMB, my dog will take the boneless meat first every time. 

I like the fact that *I* prepare my dogs meals. But I don't see a lot to fault in many of the prepared raw foods. They often use organic meats and ingredients of high quality. Dogs apparently love them.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

^yes i was referring to the dental benefits. my dogs would probably refer to the fact that they just like chewing on bones for an hour.


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

The enzymes that benefit clean teath are there no matter if the bone is solid or ground.


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## JulesMichy (Feb 15, 2008)

NV is a good food. Expensive, but good. If your dog will eat it, and you have the money, awesome.

And you can buy recreational bones. My mom buys raw, stripped lamb shanks from a local butcher that her 13 lb poodle will devour in a day.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I love the preprepared stuff. My cat Cleo has been eating the Nature's Variety for 3.5 years and I am positive she wouldn't be alive if I hadn't switched her over. 

I feed the Primal preprepared raw to my dogs as a small meal at night. If I could afford it I would feed that exclusively. Chama can no longer have bones (in fact she broke her tooth on a marrow bone and my vet said it's actually quite common!) but I buy then Primal turkey and chicken necks.


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

Ripping and tearing flesh and tendons is what provides dental benefit with raw-feeding. The medallions don't give dogs that opportunity. 

There's nothing wrong with the NV medallions. I feed them on occasion for variety. But they are pricey! Risa (43-lb Mutt) eats about 1 lb a day so it's just not feasible to feed strictly the medallions. Though I do know someone with a Rotti who eats the NV medallions.


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## matt1970lemans (Mar 1, 2007)

correct me if I'm wrong,my dog is just 76 lbs and on the company's website it saids to feed a 80 lb dog between 16 to 18 oz a day. I'm giving him a 8 oz patty in the morning and a 8 oz in the evening.so if the bag has 12 patties in it then 6 days of food.That correct?Also the price is CRAZY but my dog looks skinny and is so picky with kibble that just to see him go nuts over this food is great but I'm not made of money.I'm very new at this what meals can I make him raw that won't break the bank.I still will give him the patties but if I can fill in every other day to keep different with him and to make a bag last me 2 weeks i'm all for it.any suggestions?


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## tracyc (Feb 23, 2005)

Those patties are terrific food---you're just paying for the convenience of someone else doing the shopping and food prep for you. 

If your dog does well on this raw diet and you want to try it yourself, it isn't difficult to do. You can put together a raw diet for your dog with ingredients you buy at the grocery store, Sam's, butcher store, etc. for much less money--it just takes your time and effort. 

Peruse the rest of the BARF/raw section here for lots of info---and of course, a visit to http://www.rawdogranch.com is the place to go for a how-to primer on raw feeding for newbies.


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## Cooper&me (Dec 18, 2007)

Careful of switching too often. YOU maybe causing the pickiness. 

Thst said one of mine loves the natural variety although Venison is her least favorite of theirs. Her all time fav is Oma's Pride ground ostrich. Very pricey even for a 5 pound dog. She is allergic to kibble. 

After I saw the great results with her I switched my boxer to raw. My shepherd has been raw feed from a weenling. He is also a picky eater but I just wait him out and he eventually eats.


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## matt1970lemans (Mar 1, 2007)

should I offer alot of different raw foods at once.like say venison one day beef the next? Or will that be to hard on his system? I tried mixing in his last kibble food,natural balance, to the venison and he picks out the natural balance.So I guess he will just eat the raw hope he deosn't get sick.what else could I do?


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## The Stig (Oct 11, 2007)

I like Nature's Variety.

I fed it to my cat when I just started on raw, and was still researching on home-made raw. He loved it. But I would say it is more suited for dogs than for cats, from looking at the ingredient list.

But I have not tried it with my dog. It's very expensive to feed it to a pup who eats over 2 lbs a day.

I have used rabbit, lamb, chicken & turkey, and beef for my cat in the past.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: matt1970lemansshould I offer alot of different raw foods at once.like say venison one day beef the next? Or will that be to hard on his system? I tried mixing in his last kibble food,natural balance, to the venison and he picks out the natural balance.So I guess he will just eat the raw hope he deosn't get sick.what else could I do?


I would research the raw threads as suggested, and offer only one protein source at a time. Most start with chicken leg 1/4's for a week, and then you can add another meat. The reason for only one at a time is to make sure your dog isn't having a reaction to the food. The NV has blends of protein sources, which if your dog has allergies you can't pinpoint what is giving him problems. I feed chicken, turkey necks, ground turkey beef heart/tongue blend grind from a butcher, ground green tripe, pork neck bones, and canned mackarel or sardines when I feed _taste of the wild pacific stream_ kibble (twice a week). Supplements are fish oil, vit. E EsterC-fed when I don't feed the kibble meal. Also eggs and plain yogurt supplement a few meals a week.


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## matt1970lemans (Mar 1, 2007)

do I just simply buy chicken legs from the store and give it to him?should I get skinless and boneless?Also how much?Do I count calories and make sure he takes in between 1500 and 2000 a day?Is there a website that tells ya or is there a book I can get?


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## big_dog7777 (Apr 6, 2004)

Matt,

Here is a good start http://www.rawdogranch.com/ . You want the bones, as long as they are raw and skin is not an issue unless you have a weight problem. You are going to be feeding around 2-3% of the dogs adult weight in food with a ratio of about 60% RMB (raw meaty bones) 35% MM (muscle meat - boneless) and 5% organ meat. Add in plain lowfat yogurt with active cultures to aid in digestion and salmon oil and vitamin E and you have a balanced diet. Maybe a glucosamine suppliment as well, but that's up to you. It's actually easier than it sounds, and you probably do not want to buy all that meat at the grocery store over the long run because it's expensive. I usually stay under $1.00 per pound. Sams Club sells whole chickens for about .79 per pound, and at ethnic markets (hispanic) I can catch leg quarters on sale for .49 per pound often. Beef heart is usually around 1.00 per pound (MM) and you can mix in pork necks (RMB), pork butt roasts (MM), whole tilapia (RMB), canned Mackeral (RMB), and any other meat you have access to eventually. Organ meat is very cheap. Gournd meats can be expensive, but if you can find some economically it's easy to use. Venison is great and if you know any hunters you can take what they do not keep and feed everything but the legs to the dog. I buy whatever is on sale and throw it into the freezer. I thaw about a weeks worth at a time, cut it up and throw it into the fridge in containers. I keep a scale on the counter and just weigh out a meal and go with it so all you're doing is taking out the meat, throwing it into a bowl along with yogurt and any additions and feed. Start slow with chicken and go from there.


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## matt1970lemans (Mar 1, 2007)

I'm down to the last peice of natural variety. I got some chicken thighs defrosting,we will se that happens when I give it to him.My wife is telling me i'm nut and you can't give a dog chicken bones.I'm not sure if he will eat them anyway.I can tell you he whines when I opne the freezer up,he gave 2 sh*ts when I opned the bag of kibble.


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## matt1970lemans (Mar 1, 2007)

so i just gave him a pound of chicken thighs with bones in.I smacked the bones with a hammer just to make sure that he won't choke since he never had a bone before.well he put his head in the bowl and never looked up,all I heard was crunching of bones and then he was done.Took him maybe 4 mins to eat it all.licked his lips and looked at me if to say can I have more...now i'll just watch is stool and see if he was good on it.


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

A few things to keep in mind regarding poop and raw food:

If the poop is too runny, you need to add more bone to his food.
If the poop is too dry, you need to add more MM (meat without bone) to his food.

Also, adding too much variety at one time (when you are just starting out) can lead to some, um, digestive issues. So, you want to be sure not to add too many new protein sources all at once. 

Glad he liked it!


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## matt1970lemans (Mar 1, 2007)

ok,thanks for the advice mspiker.I fed venison for a week now.I'm going to feed chicken now for a week,and then beef.I'll see how he will take it.I mixed some plain live culture yogurt into the chicken,also some extra virgin olive oil.anything else I should add,It seems I'm covering everything.


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## tracyc (Feb 23, 2005)

Sounds like you're doing fine. It's good that you're going slowly on the new proteins. But you don't have to feed them strictly one at a time. You can continue to add them, as long as you only add one at a time--for example: 

week one: only chicken---that goes okay. 
week two: chicken and beef---that goes okay.
week three: chicken, beef and venison--that goes okay. 
week four: chicken, beef, venison, makerel---that goes okay. 
week five: chicken, beef, venison, mackerel, turkey...

etc. 

In this manner, each week there's only one new thing---so if anything didn't go okay (bad poop, itching, etc.) you'd know which was the new thing that perhaps caused it. 

After a few weeks like this, you'll have built up a repertoire of many different proteins that you can serve in any combination you want to, based on what you can get seasonally, or when the price is right. 

Just make sure you're doing a reasonably balanced mix of bone, meat, and organs---about 60% RMB, about 40% MM, and a tiny bit of OM. The oil, yogurt, and anything else is gravy.


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## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: mspiker03
> If the poop is too runny, you need to add more bone to his food.


Or reduce the fat content; i.e. leaner beef, chicken with out skin, etc.


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