# Pre-made Raw



## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

Does anyone here use dehydrated raw or any premade raw? Ziwi Peak, Honest Kitchen, or the like? I'm just curious cuz I haven't heard much about it on here or maybe I've just missed the conversations. I don't use it except once in a while when I go out of town and have someone watch my dogs, as not all my sitting enjoy feeding necks  but I do think its a good choice for some people. Do you use it, and what are your thoughts?


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## kathylcsw (Jul 31, 2011)

I have only used the ground premade tripe from Blue Ridge Beef. When I go out of town I just put all thie rmeals in separate containers that I label with their name and the number for the order to feed it in. That way my mother can feed them raw without ever having to touch it. I collect little plastic containers with lids for just such times!


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## Deaf Dogs (Apr 10, 2012)

I feed a rotation diet, and do include The Honest Kitchen, Addiction, K9 Natural and Canisource in it. Canisource I mostly use dry as treats though, as my dogs LOVE it, though it does have grains in it. I dont have a problem with a few grains now and then, as long as it's not a big part of their diets. 

I cant believe how GOOD The Honest Kitchen smells though!!! I'm almost tempted by it! LOL

I'm not a great one to ask though, as dehydrated raw is only a small part of their diets (maybe once every 3-4 days) and they get raw meat about as often, and canned, and dry.


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## werecatrising (Oct 15, 2010)

I use the honest kitchen to freeze in kongs for Quinn. I might pick up some of the cat food to have on hand for when hubby is feeding or I forget to thaw something.


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## GoingPostal (Sep 5, 2011)

I don't feed it to the dog or cat but I do use Vital Essentials, Stella & Chewys, Wysong and Ziwipeak for my ferrets, to get proteins in them they won't eat otherwise (beef, venison) or I can't afford/get (lamb). It's like crack to them, they will eat way more freezedried than they would normal raw, my one ferret has to eat before her meds so I use the Wysong for that daily and then they get it a couple times a month besides that. There's no way I could afford to feed it full time to them, much less a dog or cat, it's so expensive. I do have a bag of Nature's Variety Bison and Stella/Chewys Fish in frozen form that they will not eat, I keep forgetting to feed it to the dogs so it doesn't get wasted. I have gotten my cat to like the VE chicken nibblets so I will likely keep a bag of it around just in case my boyfriend has to feed her or something comes up, there's no veggies in it which is awesome. I got the trial sizes of HK cat food and she wouldn't touch it, can't blame her it looks pretty gross so I've gave it to the dogs.


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## KittyKat (Feb 11, 2011)

werecatrising said:


> I use the honest kitchen to freeze in kongs for Quinn. I might pick up some of the cat food to have on hand for when hubby is feeding or I forget to thaw something.


How do you go about that? Do you add water to it and then freeze it?


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## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

The honest kitchen didn't look good but it smelled like real meat. That is the only one I've tried. Its a good idea to use it for the ferrets for other proteins.
The only petstores that exist here don't carry any of the premade raw. We don't have a petco even. So when I travel I purchase anything I might need. I know you can order honest kitchen online, I'm considering getting enough for my 3 dogs to eat for 4 days. When I go out of town soon my service dog goes with me and its not always easy to take raw meat however, I do do it sometimes. And well my relative watching my other dogs would be more comfortable with non raw meat food. And I feel that premade would still be a good choice. I just don't like that The Honest Kitchen has fruits/veggies/and alfalfa since my dogs never eat those things really. Anyone have an opinion on the alfalfa in it?


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## FurMom1089 (Apr 22, 2012)

idk much about dogs digesting alfalfa, but I know rats won't readily eat it, and its not good for em anyway so why *besides the cheapness along with corn* they put it in so many feed mixes. and its a high energy legume, so unless you have a haaard working horse, or desire a rocket horse, u don't feed it to them either... Personally I think its more of a high metabolism food and the potential for obesity is at the surface :/ but I could be wrong I spose...


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## CoverTune (Dec 20, 2011)

I read quite a bit about ZiwiPeak on a chihuahua forum I was part of for a while, and the feedback was all very very positive. I ended up buying a bag of the treats and they are great! I can't believe I forgot about that stuff, and possibly having some on hand for travelling etc.

The place I work now sells tons of THK.. so I might give that a try at some point, as I've heard nothing but good things about it.

I wonder.. would I be risking serious GI upset if, for example... I went on a trip and fed ZiwiPeak for a few days, then back to prey model raw?


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## GoingPostal (Sep 5, 2011)

Also if you are looking for treats for a raw fed dog, just buy regular Ziwipeak or Vital Essentials nibblets, I use them for dog treats a lot, hard to find healthy ones that aren't a fortune.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I tried to buy Bravo! when I first started raw and the rep wouldn't sell it to me because I wouldn't agree to add fruits and veggies to it.

So that kind of turned me off of pre-made raw. Plus, it's really expensive.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

When I first started researching raw for Chelsy (when she was alive), I tried a variety of the raw pre-mades. The Primal and Natures Variety made her horrendously sick because they had so many ingredients in them that she reacted to (fruits and oils). Plus, she really objected to the mushy texture of them all. The Honest Kitchen I just couldn't force myself to buy. It looked like a box of instant mashed potatoes and I felt like I was paying a ton of money for a box of dust! The only one I would even consider (of the mass produced) any more would be the Bravo Balance, just because the other have sooooo many extra ingredients in them that I feel like I'm feeding my dogs a box of very expensive vegies. 

I did just try the locally made Blue Ridge Beef products. They are just bone, meat, and organ in ground chubs. Shade LOVED them. Rocky hated them but will now eat them after starving for a day. I can get them for $1.20-$1.50 a pound for duck and venison so I may continue with those, just for the added protein variety. 
*
Honest Kitchen*
Dehydrated cage-free USDA turkey, organic flaxseed, potatoes, celery, spinach, carrots, organic coconut, apples, organic kelp, eggs, bananas, cranberries, rosemary, tricalcium phosphate, choline chloride, zinc amino acid chelate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, potassium iodide, potassium chloride, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate.


*Primal*
Chicken, Chicken Necks, Chicken Gizzards, Organic Kale, Organic Carrots, Organic Yams, Chicken Livers, Organic Broccoli, Organic Apples, Cranberries, Blueberries, Organic Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Trace Minerals, Organic Parsley, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Salmon Oil, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Quinoa Sprout Powder, Organic Kelp, Alfalfa, Mixed Tocopherols (source of vitamin E).

*
Bravo Balance*
Chicken, chicken frames, chicken organs (liver, gizzards, hearts), green beans, broccoli, acorn squash, salt, potassium chloride, vitamin E, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganous oxide, potassium iodide, vitamin D.

*Natures Variety*
Beef, Beef Heart, Beef Liver, Raw Ground Beef Bone, Beef Kidney, Apples, Carrots, Butternut Squash, Ground Flaxseeds, Montmorillonite Clay, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, Dried Kelp, Dried Apples, Fruit Pectin, Apple Cider Vinegar, Parsley, Honey, Salmon Oil, Olive Oil, Blueberries, Alfalfa Sprouts, Persimmons, Inulin, Rosemary, Sage, Clove


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## Neeko (Aug 11, 2010)

I have fed Primal, Instinct and Ziwipeak. All three were much enjoyed. I got a few 8 oz bags of ziwipeak, that I use as treats. Primal and Instinct both cost approximately $6 per pound, which is why I prefer "homemade" raw.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Honest kitchen is raw??

Murph is fed vital essentials, northwest naturals, and sometimes bravo or nv.


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## catahoulamom (Sep 23, 2010)

Nature's Variety raw was a horrible idea in this house, my dogs have never had colitis before but Finn had the worst bout of it while he was eating NV Rabbit patties. Then I found out the rabbit came from China. Go figure. 

I love Bravo! products and that includes their raw chubs. I buy them every once in a while to give my dogs some variety I can't find in whole pieces (lamb, bison, ostrich, etc). 

Primal seems like a waste of money, their patties are green from all the veggies they throw in there. Not that veggies are bad, but if I'm paying almost $70 for a 10# bag of patties (not sure the exact price or weight) I'd want it to be mostly meat, and theirs isn't. I'm sure the quality of the ingredients is great but the price is killer.

Ziwipeak is awesome for treats and if I had to feed a processed food that would probably be it. My ferrets love it (cats hate it), and of course the dogs love it.


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## _unoriginal (Apr 8, 2012)

I used NV premade raw before switching to full raw. There was a method to my madness. I was first trying to see if it made a difference in the way my boy was digesting his food (it did) and I was also trying to use it as a way to convince my mom to let me try full raw (which she did). I basically said "look how well he's doing but look how much I'm spending!" :lol: That was that. I still keep a bag around just in case I need it.


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## GoingPostal (Sep 5, 2011)

meggels said:


> Honest kitchen is raw??
> 
> Murph is fed vital essentials, northwest naturals, and sometimes bravo or nv.


I don't think so, it's heated or steamed or something and then dehyradrated.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

In my rotation of foods, I've added Instinct (has fruits and veggies) and Vital Essential (nothin' but meat), both frozen. The boys love them. They prefer the Instinct frozen and the Vital thawed. I did buy a bag of Stella and Chewy dehydrated, the pups love it, but I found if I "rehydrate" it and use it as a topper it gives them a bit of the pudding poops. I think I'll just use it for an occassional treat or a dry sprinkle topping. The Instinct and Vital are comparably priced with good quality kibble for me, Stella & Chewy is a bit expensive though.


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## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

I wish I could just find more "novelty proteines" locally! Lamb is local but 4 dollars a pound. And I get elk/venison/rabbit but only during hunting season. Tho I do the a good amount and freeze it. I'd like to try duck, ostrich, and such. So for that reason I also like the premades. But I agree with everyone that the prices are insane and all the non meat ingredients in them, I don't like that.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

OC Raw has some more unique proteins, but I dunno how expensive it is lol. I wanna say around $3/lb


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## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

Thanks, I'll check into that, I'm willing to pay 3 dollars a pound! I wanted to order from haretoday. But the shipping price made me want to vomit! It was more than the cost of the meat!


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## werecatrising (Oct 15, 2010)

KittyKat said:


> How do you go about that? Do you add water to it and then freeze it?


Yeah, I use a little less water than it says to.


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## Noodlesmadison (Sep 18, 2011)

I use premade patties when I have Noodles stay at my inlaws or mom's house. I don't want them to have to handle her confusing raw meat so I give them frozen raw instinct and stella and chewys dehydrated for treats


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