prepackaged vs "home made"

[bruce'spop]

I have reserved a puppy on a litter to take place in a couple of months. I am looking to get him on a raw prey model diet. Currently, the breeder feeds a prepackaged commercial brand raw meal...lucky for me, I wont have to make a transition from kibble to raw. Anyways, can anyone shed some light on commercial prepared vs prepared at home (bought from the butcher and provided to the dog in variety)? How does price compare (I know this will depend on food prices at the grocery and/or butcher but a generalized answer would be great)? Nutritionally, which has the advantage? Pros and cons of each? I've looked around this forum and learned a lot so thanks to all for the information and contributions you have made to those of us new to raw diets.

[brunie's mom]

I would stick with the pre-packaged raw, to raise your puppy. If you have never fed raw, and are not familiar with raw....it's important to feed a nutritionally balanced diet...especially to a growing large breed puppy. If you want to study and learn about what makes a balanced raw diet for a puppy...and have someone to mentor you then feeding a home prepared is fine.

Pre-packaged raw is usually much more expensive then buying meat wholesale, or on sale ,or marked down at the grocery store.

I've found a local meat packing place not too far from us that takes tripe, organ meats, and leftover dribs and drabs of meats....grinds them up rough...then freezes in 50 lb blocks. They then cut the blocks up into one or two pound sizes. The price is good $35. for 50 lbs of meat...and the dogs LOVE it! You may find a butcher locally that does something like that.

Gina

[Gunnars mom]

Pre packaged raw just doesn't make sense to me as it doesn't get much easier than feeding a raw diet. It just isn't that difficult. Jane Anderson has a god site that dispels a lot of the myths on the difficulties of feeding a raw diet.

Personally I wouldn't trust a pre packaged raw diet but I guess it makes sense if you have the money. Good luck.

[brutus'mother]

You have plenty of time to get yourself educated about feeding a home prepared raw diet. If the litter is being whelped in a couple months and then an additonal 2 months before they are placed, that gives you lots of time. Start reading all the posts in this section, you will also find links to other sources of information in several of the psots here. Keep notes and devlop a sample diet. It's not difficult but does require a little research!

[bliss7373]

The advantage of pre-packaged raw is convenience and peace of mind. You can get a darn good idea of how balanced a food is by reading the label. As Gina said, nutritional balance is CRUCIAL for puppies. I don't have a problem with people choosing to do "home made" raw for puppies, but I do have a huge problem with people not putting the research into it. Not saying that applies to the OP, of course, just stating a general pet peeve.

The downside is price. Prepackaged raw is really expensive. I would also recommend that you go with a known and trusted brand, to ensure you're comfortable with the food quality and food safety practices involved.

[fbkeays]

Pre-packaged generally speaking is very expensive for feeding large breed. You still have to be careful with pre-packaged raw though as they may or may not be complete or suitable for a large breed puppy. The amount of calcium in the food is important for proper bone and joint growth. Too much calcium is a BAD thing for a growing large breed puppy.

[bruce'spop]

Thanks for all the posts. After doing all the research I have done on here as well as elsewhere on the internet on raw food diets, I feel pretty comfortable that I know enough to begin raw feeding. I was just curious as to the benefits of commercial vs home made. Brunie's mom, thanks for confirming something that I already though may have been the case - feeding a puppy a commercial raw diet is safer since the meals are more balanced vice doing the long term balanced home made diets. Therefor, I DO plan on starting him off on a commercial then transitioning to a home made diet. Any recommendations for when I can/should start that transition? And when we do start moving to home-made, would you all recommend starting with chicken then working in other meats after a couple weeks like you would transitioning from kibble or is it safe to jump all in since he's already on a raw diet? There's not much on here about transitioning from commercial to home-made or vice versa. Thanks again.

[Gunnars mom]

I'm not sure what you mean by " home made" but there shouldn't be much difference in feeding raw yourself vs a raw commercial diet. Just in preparation I guess.
I get all of my meat and bones from a local organic rancher every two weeks and divide it up into daily rations in the freezer. Then I just take out the next days ration the night before and defrost it.
The only thing I add is green tripe and organ meat that I pick up once a month.
Couldn't be easier really and it costs me less than a high quality kibble.

Good luck whichever way you go.

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by bruce'spop

Thanks for all the posts. After doing all the research I have done on here as well as elsewhere on the internet on raw food diets, I feel pretty comfortable that I know enough to begin raw feeding. I was just curious as to the benefits of commercial vs home made. Brunie's mom, thanks for confirming something that I already though may have been the case - feeding a puppy a commercial raw diet is safer since the meals are more balanced vice doing the long term balanced home made diets. Therefor, I DO plan on starting him off on a commercial then transitioning to a home made diet. Any recommendations for when I can/should start that transition? And when we do start moving to home-made, would you all recommend starting with chicken then working in other meats after a couple weeks like you would transitioning from kibble or is it safe to jump all in since he's already on a raw diet? There's not much on here about transitioning from commercial to home-made or vice versa. Thanks again.

Depending on what commercial diet you are feeding.?Most of the commercial raw diets are ground up...so the pup/dog does not really have to chew. You may offer your pup a chicken wing even while feeding a commercial diet...so that the puppy learns how to chew. Offering some of your own raw while a pup is not going to hurt. You can feed a prepared raw till you either feel comfortable feeding your own raw diet or till the puppy has done most of it's major growth (usually by about 10 months of age).

If you are feeding a prepared raw...try using different proteins.. so puppy get's used to eating different meats.

I'm a half and half feeder. I feed Orijen kibble in the a.m. and raw for the afternoon meal. I also add some canned sardines or eggs, or even good leftovers of ours. The dogs also get marrow beef bones and pork necks for recreational chewing.

What food is the breeder going to be feeding your puppy?

Gina

[bruce'spop]

Thanks for all the info. The breeder is feeding Oma's Pride commercial raw.

brunie's mom, why do you feed half and half? What are the benefits of doing that vice going all raw? And, if I were to get him on half and half as well, is there a certain way to get him eating kibble seeing as how he only knows raw or should just letting him dive in work well enough?

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by bruce'spop

Thanks for all the info. The breeder is feeding Oma's Pride commercial raw.

brunie's mom, why do you feed half and half? What are the benefits of doing that vice going all raw? And, if I were to get him on half and half as well, is there a certain way to get him eating kibble seeing as how he only knows raw or should just letting him dive in work well enough?

The reason I feed half and half is because of freezer space. I have two Rottweilers and would have to buy another freezer to keep enough raw on hand. You need to buy meat wholesale to get it at a decent price....and that usually means buying a big amount.

Also...I have a tendency to forget to pull meat of of the freezer...so in the morning the kibble is easier...then the raw meat has the day to thaw for the afternoon meal.

Another benefit of having the dogs used to kibble is if you are traveling, as well as if someone has to care for them...much easier to scoop out some kibble and the dogs are already used to it.

Gina

[olliej2k]

I have found a UK supplier of pre-packaged RAW foods supplied in 1 KG (35Oz) resealable frozen bags. Based on feeding my dog around 400grams (14oz) per day, when bought is a 44LB bulk this works out at approx $1.6 dollars per day. Does this seem reasonable? ... I am currently doing my research into switching to RAW

[female locksmith]

Hi~
I am very new at doing any kind of chatting over the computer, but I am going to give this a try. Who knows ... Perhaps I'll get the hang of this.
Raw or not ... I sincerely think that you should make sure that you do not give your new puppy too much protein. Protein could cause a puppy to grow too fast for the bones to mature properly. We believe that that is what happened when we got our dog at seven weeks old (four years ago). With-out going into detail, I suggest that you look into the benefits of giving organic, unsalted vegetables to your new puppy.

[NikoJ]

I have been dabbling in raw for a couple months, mostly adding raw to kibble. I was afraid of making the leap and messing up. Last night I talked with Lew Olson (she is fantastic!) and will be switching Niko over completely to raw beginning tomorrow.

My biggest concern is adding the correct supplements ... Poor Lew, I am afraid I will keep her on speed dial for some time.

I have also ordered Sue Johnson's book, "Switching to Raw"

[fbkeays]

Originally Posted by female locksmith

Hi~
I am very new at doing any kind of chatting over the computer, but I am going to give this a try. Who knows ... Perhaps I'll get the hang of this.
Raw or not ... I sincerely think that you should make sure that you do not give your new puppy too much protein. Protein could cause a puppy to grow too fast for the bones to mature properly. We believe that that is what happened when we got our dog at seven weeks old (four years ago). With-out going into detail, I suggest that you look into the benefits of giving organic, unsalted vegetables to your new puppy.

It would be very hard to give a puppy "too" much protein in a raw diet. Protein is needed to build healthy tissue and energy. A proper calcium-phosphorus ratio is critical. Too much calcium is a problem and it is easy too do with a raw diet (feeding too much bone), but not protein. https://www.msu.edu/~silvar/hips.htm