# Premade Raw



## csteg (Aug 3, 2011)

I'm just starting to venture into the raw world. I'm not (more my wife isn't) ready to go straight into PMR saw we're taking baby steps. We started our 5 month old Shiba Inu on Nature's Variety premade frozen raw (beef). It's pretty expensive so we're doing Acana in the morning and the premade raw in the evening. A couple of questions. Is doing kibble in the morning and raw at night a bad thing? Also, how is Nature's Variety? I found a lot of info on good and bad kibble, thus how I came to Acana, but I can't find much on premade. Any suggestions on other variety's?


----------



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

I am starting my frenchie on premade raw again. 

My "dog food guru" only recommends three kinds, Vital Essentials, Northwest Naturals, and one other kind whose name has slipped my mind. 

He says that the popular ones: NV, Primal, Bravo, Stella & Chewy's, etc are "radiated" and all the good bacteria is taken out. The quality is inferior to the three brands he mentioned yesterday, and they are much more expensive.


----------



## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

What about getting a grinder and grinding everything up yourself? You can do the correct portion of meat, bone and organ pretty easy and it'd probably be 1/3 the price or less.


----------



## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

csteg said:


> I'm just starting to venture into the raw world. I'm not (more my wife isn't) ready to go straight into PMR saw we're taking baby steps. We started our 5 month old Shiba Inu on Nature's Variety premade frozen raw (beef). It's pretty expensive so we're doing Acana in the morning and the premade raw in the evening. A couple of questions. Is doing kibble in the morning and raw at night a bad thing? Also, how is Nature's Variety? I found a lot of info on good and bad kibble, thus how I came to Acana, but I can't find much on premade. Any suggestions on other variety's?


Kibble in the morning and raw at night is generally considered to be not a good idea. However, some people still do it. I fed my dog this way for about 4 months; he got Orijen in the morning and RMB's at night (not the premade stuff), but I didn't give him RMB's every night. Eventually I think it started to mess with his stomach, so I just went full PMR and never once thought about looking back.

I agree with what Meggels said, and additionally, pretty much all of them are packed with unnecessary ingredients. I do believe though, that it is a great way to get comfortable feeding raw. I used to incorporate some Primal and it helped ease me into full PMR somewhat. I'm not a fan, but premade raw is a good "gateway drug" :biggrin:


----------



## csteg (Aug 3, 2011)

I figured that kibble in the morning and raw at night isn't the "best" thing to do, but do you think it's better than feeding just kibble during the day? I figured some raw is better than no raw. I do allow 12 hours between feeding so the digestion of the kibble should be about complete. Basically her diet is Acana in the morning, NV raw in the evening and then a marrow bone or something like that a couple times a week.


----------



## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

I think if your dog can handle it, some raw is better than none!

Are you giving her marrow bones as in raw beef marrow bones? If so, you might want to try ribs instead as marrow bones are dense and can potentially crack or break teeth.


----------



## csteg (Aug 3, 2011)

schtuffy said:


> I think if your dog can handle it, some raw is better than none!
> 
> Are you giving her marrow bones as in raw beef marrow bones? If so, you might want to try ribs instead as marrow bones are dense and can potentially crack or break teeth.


Yes, they are raw beef marrow bones. Did not know that they could break her teeth. hmm, it seems like she loves these things. I'll no doubt take your advice though. What are some other raw bones that I should be able to buy from some local pet supply stores? I have a TON of specialty pet stores where I live so it's usually not a problem finding whatever I'm looking for. Thanks again. Before we got this pup all I ever new was to feed a dog Purina Dog or Puppy Chow. Man, I"ve come a long way!!


----------



## sozzle (May 18, 2011)

I started off that way too, ie kibble in the morning and premade raw at night (K9 Naturals frozen) but it is very expensive and contains vegetables which dogs don't need. Then when I became more comfortable and learnt more, just transitioned straight to PMR or close to. I was worried about running out of food so keep a bag or premade raw 'just in case' but that is nearly finished now and I won't replace it. I got my 5 year old greyhound end of Feb and he went full raw 2 months later of this year. He loves it and his condition has really improved. Greyhounds don't have very good teeth so I am hoping the bones and chewing will help. Don't worry you'll get more confident as you learn. Sometimes you just have to 'take the plunge'.


----------



## Northwoods10 (Nov 22, 2010)

As long as you're spacing out the meals about 6-8 hours its fine to do half and half. We did it this way for about a year before making the full switch. 

What makes you unsure about going to PMR?? Even if it were just half of the meals, it would save you a lot of money and probably cut out a lot of the un-needed ingredients. 

My opinion about pre-made is this: Save your money. But, if it helps you get started, give it a shot. I think you'll see that PMR isn't all that scary or difficult once you try it.


----------



## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

meggels said:


> I am starting my frenchie on premade raw again.
> 
> My "dog food guru" only recommends three kinds, Vital Essentials, Northwest Naturals, and one other kind whose name has slipped my mind.
> 
> He says that the popular ones: NV, Primal, Bravo, Stella & Chewy's, etc are "radiated" and all the good bacteria is taken out. The quality is inferior to the three brands he mentioned yesterday, and they are much more expensive.


I wonder what he means by 'radiated'. I wonder if he means irradiation. 
I sure hope to God that these foods are not irradiated as I've been trying to get my kitten to eat a bit of Mollies premade raw lamb. (lamb is way, way too expensive to buy fresh here). 
Wouldn't they have to mention that it's irradiated on the packaging? I think I'm going to look into this a bit further, especially since I don't think cats can eat irradiated foods and it doesn't mention anywhere on the package that cats must not eat the food. Maybe it's different with raw meat versus kibble - remember the cat's in Oz that died because Orijen was irradiated before it was allowed into the country and no-one knew irradiation was fatal to cats? 
I really hope your food man is wrong.


----------



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

MollyWoppy said:


> I wonder what he means by 'radiated'. I wonder if he means irradiation.
> I sure hope to God that these foods are not irradiated as I've been trying to get my kitten to eat a bit of Mollies premade raw lamb. (lamb is way, way too expensive to buy fresh here).
> Wouldn't they have to mention that it's irradiated on the packaging? I think I'm going to look into this a bit further, especially since I don't think cats can eat irradiated foods and it doesn't mention anywhere on the package that cats must not eat the food. Maybe it's different with raw meat versus kibble - remember the cat's in Oz that died because Orijen was irradiated before it was allowed into the country and no-one knew irradiation was fatal to cats?
> I really hope your food man is wrong.


I could ask for more details next time I go in there. I can't imagine he's wrong though, he's one of the most knowledgeable guys I know in the business who is brutally honest with customers. I am pretty sure he used the word "radiated" and said that the process they use gets rid of all the beneficial bacteria...


----------



## swolek (Mar 31, 2011)

Stella and Chewy's definitely doesn't use radiation but they do use HPP.


----------



## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

Yea...they pasteurize it. Primal didn't used to do that, but recently they had a recall due to salmonella and they are now doing it as well (not sure when exactly they started, but I stopped buying it anyway).

csteg, unfortunately many bones sold in pet stores aren't really fit for animal consumption in my opinion. Basically you want to avoid weight bearing bones from large animals (cows) like femurs and such. How do you feel about giving a RMB once or twice a week? When I started I just went to the grocery store and bought a pack of chicken wings, trimmed some skin and fat off the first couple of times. Your dog is a little bigger than mine, but it might still work. I was very much hesitant and afraid of PMR at first. With all the encouragement from people on this forum, I finally did it, and I am super grateful for it! That's basically how it all started for me.

We've all come a long way, and we all fed kibble at one point or another...I started with Iams. The important thing is you know better now :biggrin:


----------



## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

meggels said:


> I could ask for more details next time I go in there. I can't imagine he's wrong though, he's one of the most knowledgeable guys I know in the business who is brutally honest with customers. I am pretty sure he used the word "radiated" and said that the process they use gets rid of all the beneficial bacteria...


The process that they use is High Pressure Pasteurization to eliminate pathogens.


----------



## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

meggels said:


> I am starting my frenchie on premade raw again.
> 
> My "dog food guru" only recommends three kinds, Vital Essentials, Northwest Naturals, and one other kind whose name has slipped my mind.
> 
> He says that the popular ones: NV, Primal, Bravo, Stella & Chewy's, etc are "radiated" and all the good bacteria is taken out. The quality is inferior to the three brands he mentioned yesterday, and they are much more expensive.


ive only looked at the vital essentials but what a rip off.....a bag only lasts a TWENTY FIVE POUND DOG 7 days.....
so it would last me 1.5 lol

also it says the protein is only 11? but maybe premade raw is different?
ctually the freeze dried is 41 percent..so why would i buy the frozen at 11 percent


----------



## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> ive only looked at the vital essentials but what a rip off.....a bag only lasts a TWENTY FIVE POUND DOG 7 days.....
> so it would last me 1.5 lol
> 
> also it says the protein is only 11? but maybe premade raw is different?
> *ctually the freeze dried is 41 percent..so why would i buy the frozen at 11 percent*


When moisture is added the protein values change.


----------



## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

BrownieM said:


> When moisture is added the protein values change.


so u have to add moisture to the freeze dried? but not the frozen? i thought u feed them like is..grab a patty and give it to the dog


----------



## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> so u have to add moisture to the freeze dried? but not the frozen? i thought u feed them like is..grab a patty and give it to the dog


Freeze dried, kibble, dehydrated...it is all without moisture. If someone would like to rehydrate freeze dried meat, yes, they have to add water to it. It can be fed without water added. 

Frozen raw meat and fresh raw meat have moisture in them already. This is why the protein percentage is different.


----------



## tem_sat (Jun 20, 2010)

I started with feeding my Doxie a large chicken wing or drumstick 2 days per week and the rest of the week I fed Acana supplemented with a tablespoon of boneless chicken or sardines packed in water. I then increased to 3 days per week....then 4....then 5...then....I forgot all about the Acana! As others have advised, I would not feed any sort of bone purchased from a pet store. You will not see the sort of difference I saw when I started to feed PMR for a full 3 months, but, you will definitely see some very nice results!

For reference, my Doxie is 12 lbs and eats a bit less than 4 ounces per day. He has had: chicken wings, chicken drumsticks, chicken backs, chicken thighs, chicken hearts, chicken liver, pork roast, pork riblets, pork hearts, pork kidney, beef hearts, beef liver, turkey wings, turkey thighs, sardines, salmon, and tilapia.


----------



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

BrownieM said:


> The process that they use is High Pressure Pasteurization to eliminate pathogens.


Yeah, I honestly forget the details, the scientific stuff tends to go right over my head. I think the basic point he was trying to make was that the bigger premade raw companies aren't of high of quality and as fresh as the three that he mentioned.

And again, the three he told me about are cheaper, so it's not like he was making money off of this.


----------



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> ive only looked at the vital essentials but what a rip off.....a bag only lasts a TWENTY FIVE POUND DOG 7 days.....
> so it would last me 1.5 lol
> 
> also it says the protein is only 11? but maybe premade raw is different?
> ctually the freeze dried is 41 percent..so why would i buy the frozen at 11 percent


This shouldn't be a surprise, premade would be very expensive for a larger dog. It's already expensive enough for my 22lb frenchie. 

When I fed Vital Essentials, I did mostly the carnivore blend 5lb rolls that he formulated with the company and sold exclusively, so it was more cost effective than nuggets/patties. $10 and would last my dog about 8 days. 


I wanted to put him back on raw and do PMR style, but I was contacting butchers for prices and could only get backs/necks in 40lb boxes. I just moved into a studio apartment and only have one small freezer, there's no way I could fit it all :-X


----------



## jdatwood (Apr 13, 2009)

meggels said:


> I just moved into a studio apartment and only have one small freezer, there's no way I could fit it all :-X


I know someone that gave up her dining room table so she could fit a freezer into her small apartment :wink:


----------



## DoglovingSenior (Jun 26, 2011)

My dogs have all been "vigorous" chewers! I give them marrow bones about once or twice a month they love getting that marrow out. I haven't had any broken teeth (will keep my fingers crossed) I have had one who broke her tooth on the Nylabone-Galileo and I stopped using them. Since these two have held onto their teeth for 10 & 12 years I'll chance it.


----------



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

I don't even have a dining room table lol. I have a bed, a nightstand, a tv, the dogs crates, and a chair. Nice...small...cozy studio apartment lol.

Hey at least he is on, raw, even if it is premade  and I hope to add in duck/turkey necks that I can get from the guy I buy the raw from. Ribs too. Will keep my eyes out for good deals at grocery stores. Just don't have space for bulk storage.


----------



## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

I can pack about 2.5 months of food into my fridge's freezer for two small dogs and two cats. My boyfriend won't let me use the big freezer for the dog food. It's for his precious steak.. lol. Meggels I still think supermarket meat is half the price of premade raw if not less. I never buy from wholesalers and I spend about $30 a month for my pets. I live in Canada where everything is overpriced, too!


----------



## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

Lily has a couple chips from me being an idiot and giving marrow bones. Just don't do it. The ONLY beef bone she gets is whole oxtail and they crunch that down no problem.

Premade has never even been an option for me, my dogs are too big... I'd be insane to pour all that money into premade.

I did do half pmr and half Acana grain free with Scout the foster for a while at the start. Usually a chicken quarter or beef heart in the am and kibble in the pm. It did not go well and she's on full pmr now. :wink:

Oh, and I work out of the little freezer above my fridge for dogs that weight 50 and 60lbs respectively...


----------



## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

BrownieM said:


> Freeze dried, kibble, dehydrated...it is all without moisture. If someone would like to rehydrate freeze dried meat, yes, they have to add water to it. It can be fed without water added.
> 
> Frozen raw meat and fresh raw meat have moisture in them already. This is why the protein percentage is different.


but u just said it can be fed without water added?
meh either way still pricey at 300 plus dollars per month.


----------



## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

meggels said:


> This shouldn't be a surprise, premade would be very expensive for a larger dog. It's already expensive enough for my 22lb frenchie.
> 
> When I fed Vital Essentials, I did mostly the carnivore blend 5lb rolls that he formulated with the company and sold exclusively, so it was more cost effective than nuggets/patties. $10 and would last my dog about 8 days.
> 
> ...


i thought it'dd atleast be reasonable. who is going to spend 300 dollars on pre made raw? i wouldnt even spend that if prey odel raw was that pricey


----------



## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> but u just said it can be fed without water added?
> meh either way still pricey at 300 plus dollars per month.


I'm not sure how...but somehow you are missing the point....

Your dog will end up drinking water....IF you feed, say, a freeze dried stella and chewy's patty without adding water..they WILL get thirsty and will drink water. The protein percent is higher in a freeze dried patty because the water has been taken out so, of what is left in that product, a higher percentage OF the product is protein. This does not mean that there are more grams of protein in that patty than in a frozen stella and chewy's patty.


----------



## csteg (Aug 3, 2011)

Luckily I only have one dog and my pup is only 14 pounds and shouldn't get heavier than 20. Because of this I can afford premade raw, especially if I do it half and half. A bag of NV would last me 12 days and would end up costing me about $35/month. Add in a bag of Acana that would probably end up costing me $15/month. $50/month on dog food for my dog isn't unreasonable. Now, if I had a big dog or multiple dogs I know that premade would be out of the question. I just don't feel comfortable with all our pmr yet. For one the wife isn't too into it and secondly I just don't have enough confidence in myself to make sure she's eating everything she needs too. Also, we live in Wisconsin and while it's great outside now, shortly it will be much too cold to sit outside. I could see pmr getting a little messy and that would make it difficult to do inside.


----------



## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

Believe it or not, I had the same exact fears as you about 1 year ago. I started during the summer months so it was convenient to just feed Louis outside on our deck. When fall rolled around and it started to rain more, I just gave up and started to let him eat inside. The first time it was messy...he dragged that chicken thigh around a bit. But then Louis miraculously just learned to eat in one place...he prefers to eat on a crate pad. Wherever the pad is, is where he will bring his food. Most meals don't even touch the floor. If they do, I just wipe it up with a paper towel. After I touch the meat, I wash my hands with soap. Dogs are smart...sit next to them when they are eating their RMB. If they pick it up and try to move away, take the meat and place it back in the same spot. They will pick up very quickly :tongue:

I also would not have fed premade if I had a bigger dog, but I figured if I just gave him a few Primal 1-oz nuggets a couple times a week, that 4 lb bag could last me 3 months. Unfortunately, that 4-lb bag also cost me $20 a bag, and that was only for the chicken/beef varieties. At $5/lb for premade, I hunted around and I could find certain cuts beef in the grocery store for the same price. That's precisely why I decided it was eventually not worth it.

Take your time with the premade...but I would suggest eventually supplementing some of your designated premade raw meals with a chicken wing or something a couple times a week. You will see with each feeding how your dog learns and adapts to chewing...not to mention how much she would love it! With time you will get comfortable, trust me :smile: I worried a lot about nutrition and proper balance, but after a year on PMR my dog is doing great. Our wholistic vet supports raw and comments on how he's thriving. I add salmon oil only when I remember, and I don't supplement with anything else. I still have a bag of vitamins and ocean kelp I bought when I was worried about nutrition, but they are still sitting there unopened. We aren't trying to force you to jump into PMR if you aren't comfortable with it yet, but we will try to encourage you :biggrin:


----------



## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

I have to say...that I live in Missouri where it gets damn hot in the summer and frigid in the winter. THAT said - I only let my dogs eat outside in the winter. It is just TOO NASTY to have them eat outside in the 100 degree heat with flies buzzing and stuff. They eat inside. In the winter I let them eat on the snow outside sometimes.


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

MollyWoppy said:


> I wonder what he means by 'radiated'. I wonder if he means irradiation.
> I sure hope to God that these foods are not irradiated as I've been trying to get my kitten to eat a bit of Mollies premade raw lamb. (lamb is way, way too expensive to buy fresh here).
> Wouldn't they have to mention that it's irradiated on the packaging? I think I'm going to look into this a bit further, especially since I don't think cats can eat irradiated foods and it doesn't mention anywhere on the package that cats must not eat the food. Maybe it's different with raw meat versus kibble - remember the cat's in Oz that died because Orijen was irradiated before it was allowed into the country and no-one knew irradiation was fatal to cats?
> I really hope your food man is wrong.


primal foods are not irradiated. this was taken from their site:

'Based on Primal Pet Foods' manufacturing process, there are currently two options available for implementing the elimination of pathogenic bacteria.

The first option is irradiation. Food irradiation is the process of exposing food to ionizing radiation to destroy microorganisms, bacteria or viruses that might be present in the food. 

The second option is High-Pressure Processing. HPP is a unique process that kills pathogenic bacteria through high-pressure, water-based technology. High-Pressure Processing is a USDA-approved, 100% natural process, and is allowed for use on organic and natural products. 
We have studied HPP for the past 3 years and have a thorough understanding of its benefits. We have performed enzyme testing on both non-HPP and HPP raw pet foods and the findings show that there is virtually no change at all if the process is performed accurately and with the correct scientific and production knowledge.'


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

csteg said:


> I figured that kibble in the morning and raw at night isn't the "best" thing to do, but do you think it's better than feeding just kibble during the day? I figured some raw is better than no raw. I do allow 12 hours between feeding so the digestion of the kibble should be about complete. Basically her diet is Acana in the morning, NV raw in the evening and then a marrow bone or something like that a couple times a week.


i live in the world of no marrow bones, but that's me...the odds are just not worth it to me...

on the other hand, between kibble and premade...you're giving your dog an awful lot of vitamins.....

but, if i were to have to do a pre made, i would probably go with K9 or darwin.

even though they have veggies and stuff in them, i think they are a higher quality product.

i would also not confuse my dog's digestive system with two different kinds of feeding....\


it's like being a vegan in the morning and a carnivore at night.

the two conflict. just because a dog's stomach can handle a lot of things doesn't mean we have to push the envelope.


----------



## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> but u just said it can be fed without water added?
> meh either way still pricey at 300 plus dollars per month.


FREEZE DRIED can be fed with or without water added. Water does not change the nutritional content of the food, it just dilutes it. Think of it this way.. if you ate a slice of bread at 100 calories and 50g, you are consuming 100 calories. If you soak a piece of bread and eat it (gross) it might weigh 150g but still only be 100 calories. So overall it doesn't matter NUTRITIONALLY if water is added at all. The cost of the food is still going to be the same. Your dog will just drink more to make up for the less water later on.

Frozen is just ground.. frozen.. meat. You don't add water. I think that's the kind of premade the OP was talking about. Yes, it's expensive, between $2 and $7/lb. IMO you are much better off quality wise and cost wise to just grind it yourself if you aren't comfortable feeding bones.


----------



## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

Caty M said:


> FREEZE DRIED can be fed with or without water added. Water does not change the nutritional content of the food, it just dilutes it. Think of it this way.. if you ate a slice of bread at 100 calories and 50g, you are consuming 100 calories. If you soak a piece of bread and eat it (gross) it might weigh 150g but still only be 100 calories. So overall it doesn't matter NUTRITIONALLY if water is added at all. The cost of the food is still going to be the same. Your dog will just drink more to make up for the less water later on.
> 
> Frozen is just ground.. frozen.. meat. You don't add water. I think that's the kind of premade the OP was talking about. Yes, it's expensive, between $2 and $7/lb. IMO you are much better off quality wise and cost wise to just grind it yourself if you aren't comfortable feeding bones.


what u said makes sense, but if you can feed both without adding water, than why is the freee dried 40 plus percent protein while the frozen is 11 percent?
i guess i misunderstood brownie's post, but i thought she was saying the water make the protein less.
this is why i dont feed raw  im incompetent


----------



## tem_sat (Jun 20, 2010)

csteg said:


> Luckily I only have one dog and my pup is only 14 pounds and shouldn't get heavier than 20. Because of this I can afford premade raw, especially if I do it half and half. A bag of NV would last me 12 days and would end up costing me about $35/month. Add in a bag of Acana that would probably end up costing me $15/month. $50/month on dog food for my dog isn't unreasonable. Now, if I had a big dog or multiple dogs I know that premade would be out of the question. I just don't feel comfortable with all our pmr yet. For one the wife isn't too into it and secondly I just don't have enough confidence in myself to make sure she's eating everything she needs too. Also, we live in Wisconsin and while it's great outside now, shortly it will be much too cold to sit outside. I could see pmr getting a little messy and that would make it difficult to do inside.


No need to feed outside. My 12 lb Doxie is trained to eat on a hand towel in the kitchen. After he is finished, I can either toss the towel in the washing machine or fold it up to use again the next day. Zero clean-up required.

Added: Just for kicks, I will give you an estimate of how much it costs to feed my Doxie PMR for 1 year: approximately $75 to $100. Yea!


----------



## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> what u said makes sense, but if you can feed both without adding water, than why is the freee dried 40 plus percent protein while the frozen is 11 percent?
> i guess i misunderstood brownie's post, but i thought she was saying the water make the protein less.
> this is why i dont feed raw  im incompetent


Again....the freeze dried has the moisture taken out of it, so 40% of the patty is protein and 0% is water. The Frozen STILL has water in it, so 11% OF THE PATTY is protein, and ____% is water. The actual GRAMS or AMOUNT of protein should not change. Do you get it yet? It is all relative! 

If you rehydrate that freeze dried patty - the percent of protein will DECREASE because water will now have be a substantial percentage. Does this mean there are less grams of proten suddenly? NO.


----------



## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> what u said makes sense, but if you can feed both without adding water, than why is the freee dried 40 plus percent protein while the frozen is 11 percent?
> i guess i misunderstood brownie's post, but i thought she was saying the water make the protein less.
> this is why i dont feed raw  im incompetent


Because freeze dried is just like kibble.. no water. If you rehydrate it so that the moisture content is comparable to raw meat, then likely they will have a similar protein percentage. You can feed kibble with or without adding water and either way, the meal itself will have the same nutrients.

You can choose whether or not to add water but if you don't freeze dried is a dehydrated product. Raw meat is not. 

Usually you add water to get the dog to drink more. Most dogs don't drink enough water to make up for not eating foods high in moisture. In nature a dog would never eat a food with less than 10% water.. considering their prey is 70%. This can eventually be hard on the kidneys. Also it can add bulk to the meal and make your dog feel full longer..


----------



## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Ok ok here's an example. You take a piece of beef jerky. It has 10 grams of protein for a protein percentage of 50%. (I have no idea if that's what jerky is nutritionally, but w/e.) It weighs 20g.

If you add water to rehydrate it back to what raw meat would be it might weigh 100g. It will still have 10g of protein in it overall. With a protein percentage of 10%. Less protein percentage because it's a diluted product.


----------

