# Paw Naturaw Premade raw



## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

I was wondering if anyone knew anything about paw naturaw premade raw? My Whole Foods market sells this and I was just curious as to its quality. I feed my dogs Nature's Variety Instinct pre-made raw for one of their meals.

PAW NATURAW distinct by instinct ®  |  Organic, Raw, Frozen Dog Food and Cat Food, Organic Raw Diets for Pets

Does anyone know how this is in comparison to Nature's Variety raw, Primal raw, etc?

I think it is awesome that Whole Foods has taken on providing a raw diet for pets!


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Well, I took a look at the ingredients and of course it has veggies, but besides that it has flaxseed in every single one of its formulas, not a fan of it as it is a allergy hit for many dogs. The protein levels are fairly low at 17% being the highest and 14% being the average. If it gives you variety then use it, it really is up to the person and what they feel comfortable feeding their dog.


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

You may not know the answer to this question....but, do any premade raw formulas NOT have veggies? Are there any that model the PMR diet instead of BARF? Just curious as I have yet to see any.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Primal makes a roll that is only made with meat organs and some bone of the meat that is used, you would have to cut off your own size patty when it was frozen and serve.


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## JayJayisme (Aug 2, 2009)

I think the whole point of commercially sold, premade raw products is so they can include ingredients other than meat and bone. Why on earth would anyone pay a premium for ground up pork ribs (for instance) when you can buy them cheap and fresh at the supermarket and just feed them as-is?

None of these premade raw products make any sense to me. They all start with the right ingredients, meat and bone. But then they ruin that by grinding it up. Then they ruin it even further by adding a bunch of useless ingredients that do nothing other than bulk up the product cheaply, and lower the protein content. It's doggie meatloaf. 

Remember, meatloaf was invented back in the days when ground beef was a luxury. All the stuff that was added in was to stretch it and bulk it up so a little meat went a long way. Omnivorous humans can get away with eating stuff like this, but carnivores are just getting robbed of what is basic and essential to them.

If you want to "mimic" PMR, just feed PMR. It's easy and way cheaper than anything you can buy in a pet food store and your dogs teeth will thank you. If you're convinced that all the cereals, celery, alfalfa sprouts, and all the other veggie matter that is in these premade raw products is useful to your dog, well, I guess it's one step better than kibble, but just barely.


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

JayJayisme said:


> I think the whole point of commercially sold, premade raw products is so they can include ingredients other than meat and bone. Why on earth would anyone pay a premium for ground up pork ribs (for instance) when you can buy them cheap and fresh at the supermarket and just feed them as-is?
> 
> None of these premade raw products make any sense to me. They all start with the right ingredients, meat and bone. But then they ruin that by grinding it up. Then they ruin it even further by adding a bunch of useless ingredients that do nothing other than bulk up the product cheaply, and lower the protein content. It's doggie meatloaf.
> 
> ...


Well, I simply do not have time to feed a true raw diet right now. At the moment, I would rather spend more money and less time feeding my dog a quality diet. It's either kibble or premade raw, or both, for now. It is possible in the future, but not at the moment. Anyway, this is besides the point.

I was simply wondering, hypothetically, if PMR based pre-made raw diets existed.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Yes, I believe the closest you will find is the primal grinds, but they only come in a roll or chub form and you have to slice a piece off when frozen or you could slice it all up at once when frozen.


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## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

whiteleo said:


> Well, I took a look at the ingredients and of course it has veggies, but besides that it has flaxseed in every single one of its formulas, not a fan of it as it is a allergy hit for many dogs. The protein levels are fairly low at 17% being the highest and 14% being the average. If it gives you variety then use it, it really is up to the person and what they feel comfortable feeding their dog.


Take out the moisture and it is more like 48% protein, just fine. 15% protein, 69% moisture. 15% protein/31% solids=48% protein

Completely agree about the flax. Not a good thing. Fish, use fish for omega 3! And is it even needed if the meat is as good as they say it is? Well poultry would unless it is pastured.

If I was forced, kicking and screaming, from feeding prey model raw AND won the lottery I might chose a food like this one. But the flax bothers me. Try it, many dogs do just fine but Sassy's poop doubled in size when I tried a supplement containing flax and it didn't work as an omega 3 source at all.


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## bdb5853 (May 21, 2010)

BrownieM said:


> Well, I simply do not have time to feed a true raw diet right now. At the moment, I would rather spend more money and less time feeding my dog a quality diet. It's either kibble or premade raw, or both, for now. It is possible in the future, but not at the moment. Anyway, this is besides the point.
> 
> I was simply wondering, hypothetically, if PMR based pre-made raw diets existed.


yes, hare-today.com has a nice variety of grinds of meat/bone/organ. A friend emailed her to ask percentages and she said they were 80/10/5/5 so that would be as close to prey model as you can get.

Here's some examples ....

Hare Today, Gone Tommorow

The shipping can add up, but she has a quality product. If you order, get a chub of tripe as well. Your dogs will love it.


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## bumblegoat (May 12, 2010)

JayJayisme said:


> I think the whole point of commercially sold, premade raw products is so they can include ingredients other than meat and bone. Why on earth would anyone pay a premium for ground up pork ribs (for instance) when you can buy them cheap and fresh at the supermarket and just feed them as-is?


Well, I live in Sweden, and we have at least two companies that makes premade raw that pretty much mimics PMR (other than the obvious fact that it is ground). One of them is even quite expensive (for premade raw here, which tends to be cheap compared to US prices) when bought in the smaller packages. But you know what, people still buy it! I think the main reason is that a lot of dog owners don't have the confidence when it comes to preparing the food themselves. Even I'm guilty of that, and I still have some of that premade raw in my freezer as we speak. I doubt I'l buy much of it again, if any.


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## bdb5853 (May 21, 2010)

The flax issue tends to come up over and over. That many dogs are sensitive to it and that dogs can't process it completely because it is from a plant. Having said that - many dogs do absolutely fine on flax and I wouldn't rule out a pre-made because it has it in it.

If a pre-made is the only way that a person can try out raw, then I think we should be supportive of that. A little raw is better than no raw at all. Not everyone has a dedicated freezer and the time, space or inclination to feed their dogs PMR. 

Sometimes a pre-made is a safe way for people to try out raw. To see some of the differences it can make. To get some of the benefits. And for many, this is a stepping stone towards do it yourself raw later on. 

I think people should be more tolerant of different choices in the raw arena and help people get started, even if that means using a pre-made. It's easy to take the high road and say that PMR is the ONLY way to feed raw but its not. It's simply not.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Who exactly are you pointing that at! I'm a PMR feeder and am trying to point Brownie to the Primal grinds, and yes many dogs do have issues with flax, just look at the many, many ear and yeast issues that dogs have.


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## JayJayisme (Aug 2, 2009)

I'm sure it was aimed at me whiteleo. I basically said, if you want to feed a "model" of PMR, why not just feed PMR? Obviously the OP doesn't want to spend the time on that, which I understand. I was there once. I didn't want to deal with it even though it sounded great. I wanted the benefits of raw and the convenience of kibble, which I discovered doesn't actually exist. 

One point I was trying to emphasize, and didn't do a good job at, was that unless you actually try PMR, it will always SEEM like it's more work than it is. It isn't that difficult or complicated once you've done it for awhile. Plus, one of the best and most gratifying effects of PMR are the clean teeth your dog will soon have, which you won't even get to enjoy with any kind of pre-made raw. That alone is worth the slight extra effort to feed PMR to me, but I only discovered that after I did it.

There was probably a better way for me to make the point in my previous post. To be honest, I'm pretty tired right now as my wife just gave birth to twins so we're not getting much sleep and I'm not as articulate as I usually try to be in making a point or a recommendation. But while I stand by what I said, I admit that bdb5853 is right. Some raw is better than nothing and hopefully the OP will eventually use pre-made raw as a stepping stone to PMR since it's not as inconvenient as it seems when you read about it, and PMR is the only way the dog will ever experience all the true benefits of raw.


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

^^Great post with excellent points. :smile:
BTW, congrats on the birth of your twins!!! :biggrin:


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## bdb5853 (May 21, 2010)

I apologize if I ruffled feathers. I didn't mean to. 

I just didn't want the OP to give up. Sometimes pre-mades are an "easy" way to ease into raw. Many, many people are uncomfortable with the whole idea of feeding a PMR diet but they are willing to get their feet wet with a pre-made.

Sometimes that's all it takes and then they can feel confident doing PMR later.

Sorry if I came across rudely.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

congrats on the twins, jay.....


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

BrownieM said:


> I was wondering if anyone knew anything about paw naturaw premade raw? My Whole Foods market sells this and I was just curious as to its quality. I feed my dogs Nature's Variety Instinct pre-made raw for one of their meals.
> 
> PAW NATURAW distinct by instinct ®* |* Organic, Raw, Frozen Dog Food and Cat Food, Organic Raw Diets for Pets
> 
> ...


if i were to feed a grind....and i can see why people do....it gives them the best of both worlds, in a way....

i'd still look for a food that was pmr based rather than barf...

the one you're talking about, of course, is barf model, and certainly that is your prerogative.....but i too have a problem with flax....

flax is a bowel irritant....it is meant to keep the intestinal motility flowing, shall we say?

it's hard on a dog's intestines...it has laxative properties and can, long term, affect a dog and human, for that matter....irritate the mucosal lining and such.

primal would be the way i'd roll...


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## Guest (Sep 28, 2010)

BrownieM said:


> You may not know the answer to this question....but, do any premade raw formulas NOT have veggies? Are there any that model the PMR diet instead of BARF? Just curious as I have yet to see any.


BRAVO sells chubs (tubes) of exclusively meat, bones, and organs minus all the veggie matter. If you have BRAVO sold anywhere near you, it's worth a try. I feed this regularly.

Bravo! Raw Diets - home page Should assist you in finding a local retailer.


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

Thank you everybody! These replies have been very helpful. My poodles eat NV medallions for breakfast. I looked at the ingredients and they do have veggies and flax. Regardless of the veggies/flax, I still think this is a nice alternative to feeding purely kibble. Baby steps! I am a kibble feeder who is very slowly trying out raw. 

My dogs are doing just fine and do not seem to have any trouble with flax. In fact, I saw many digestive improvements as soon as I started feeding NV medallions. I will probably continue on the NV for a while, but I definitely am going to try rotating in the Primal and maybe even switch to that in the future. 

Thanks again for the help!


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