# Pre-packaged Raw



## ladyfreckles (Nov 10, 2011)

I'm assuming it's always best to prepare the food yourself, however, I have had a few people highly recommend pre-packaged raw foods to me. 

Specifically, this brand:
Northwest Naturals

Sometimes I hang out at the local natural pet store (they have freezers with raw food in it to buy). One of the part-time workers has four dogs. One of them was a 12-year-old GR with some of the most beautiful and health teeth I have ever seen on a dog. I asked her what she fed him, and she recommended this brand. One of the other customers who comes in a lot also said she feeds that brand and her dogs looked very healthy too.

It's less time consuming than preparing the meat myself and a lot easier. I'm just wondering what you guys think of the "nuggets" or "dinner bars". That just seems weird to me. It's this or kibble, since I can't handle raw meat myself (one of the reasons I'm considering going vegetarian again). 

Is there any info on this?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

If you have the $$ to feed premade raw, go for it. 
The main reason I feed raw is that I control what my dogs eat and I like them to crunch bones instead of eating ground mix w/ bone already ground. I also don't see the need to add many of the ingredients that some pre-mades have in them; This is the beef patty ingredients:

Beef, Beef Heart, Beef Liver, Ground Beef Bone, Broccoli, Carrots, Beef Kidney, Romaine Lettuce, Apples, Ground Flaxseed, Salmon Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Blueberry, Cranberry, *Inulin, Dried Kelp, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Ginger, Parsley, Garlic, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Mixed Tocopherols (as preservative), Vitamin D Supplement. CA/PH 1.68/1 36%DMB*
If I really trusted the source and had $$ to pay for pre- packaged, I'd go for it.


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## ladyfreckles (Nov 10, 2011)

How much does non-premade raw cost when you're not ordering 300lbs of it in bulk?


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

ladyfreckles said:


> How much does non-premade raw cost when you're not ordering 300lbs of it in bulk?


I haven't found a good supplier yet that will do anything in bulk so I am stuck with grocery stores and their clearance section. I pay about $30-$55 every 2 weeks for my 100 lb GSD depending on pricing. It's not exactly the best deals but it's all I got until I find a place selling in bulk.


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

I'm switching over to Blue Ridge Beef premade raw products. They are the cheapest I've found at about $2/lb and they don't have all of the additives. Blue Ridge Beef: Raw Meat for Dogs - Cats

I plan on still buying chicken necks to throw in for teeth cleaning reasons.


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## juliejujubean (May 4, 2011)

I just found the blue ridge beef at a local petshop (might i add they do not sell science diet so that automatically makes me want to support them)
That being said i want to keep her on her blue wilderness and get this when ever i can. She eats about 3.5 to 4 cups a day so i have no idea how much raw i should put in and cups to take out.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

Premade raw gets very expensive if you're feeding a big dog. I do buy it for my cats, but I couldn't afford to feed my dogs that way. Currently I'm looking into a distributorship for premade raw, so that I can get it at wholesale.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

I feed "Fresh is Best" pre-made raw as it is made locally and comes in "bulk" containers. Chicken is about $55 for 32 lbs and beef, turkey, or duck, is $70-80 for 32 lbs. I only feed it half the time so it doesn't hurt the wallet as much as it could. I don't have the space to freeze bulk sized orders of meat so this is really my only option. Its actually just a little more expensive than Orijen, and for that difference I prefer to feed raw. Maybe if I get a raise at work we will go to full time pre made raw. With only one dog its not that bad, if I had two they would probably be eating the Fromm kibble we switch out between meals.


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## anjum (Oct 29, 2011)

It looks like a decent diet & the nuggets & bars look like the same thing as the chubs, just in different forms. They could be convenient for a number of situations. 

IMO, the main drawback of the pre-made, ground diets like this is that they don't provide the dental benefit of whole foods. But you could get the best of both worlds if you fed something like this most of the time, and gave a substantial & complicated RMB once a week or so. Or, on a regular basis, fed this plus a smaller RMB daily. 

Also, another thing to keep in mind, this product has a number of ingredients (mostly fruits & veggies). If your dog was prone to allergies (or developed them later), it's possible they could react to something & you'd need a limited ingredient diet. None of these ingredients strike me as ones that frequently cause allergies, but it's a small possibility.


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## mego (Jan 27, 2013)

Hello, sorry for bumping a year old thread, but I'm looking around at these prepacked raw foods. I hunted for threads but most were just about differences between feedign straight raw and prepackaged raw. 

What do you guys think the 'best' brand for prepacked frozen raw is right now? We do not have blue ridge beef in my area.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I did a google search with the words st. louis, MO raw food distributors and these came up:
Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa Delivery | My Pet Carnivore I get food from MPC so can vouche for the quality....a bit pricey on some things however.

Natural Healthy Diets for Dogs and Cats | Four Muddy Paws - A Self-Service Dog Wash and Healthy Pet Market | St. Louis, MO | Edwardsville, IL

Distributors - Oma's Pride Raw Pet Food
You could also join a local yahoo raw feeder group for more contacts in your area. There may be some that go in on the BRB in bulk orders that you could get in on.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

mego said:


> What do you guys think the 'best' brand for prepacked frozen raw is right now?


I like Bravo - seems to be the best bang for your buck. I tried Oma's Pride - was watererier (sp?) than Bravo.

I would also say save your money and don't bother with the "complete" formulas. They add things like carbs, veggies and fruits that dogs do not need, just to satisfy the AAFCO.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I feed Rafi mostly Bravo chicken blend. It comes in a 10 lb. chub and it costs me $18. Sometimes there is a good deal on pre-packaged beef or lamb and I buy that so he gets some variety. He also gets an egg every day and tripe when can get it. 

My cats also eat Bravo but they do get the "Balance." It's a little more expensive ($11 for 5 pounds) but they are little so it's still a lot more affordable than feeding them canned or the little pre-packaged raw nuggets. Sometimes I run out and they get Rafi's blend.


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## volcano (Jan 14, 2013)

i duno what you meant by preparing meat? I thaw it and either put it into a bowl or feed out of hand, zero prep. Actually I do cut neck ito peices, otherwise my pup swallows them whole. But she chews feet up for awhile, she just knows.


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