Nature's Variety (Prarie)

[twomanydogs]

I just ordered some of this frozen raw food from our local pet store. Ever heard of it ?

[groupieindenial]

Yep. Isn't it much more expensive than their kibble?

[twomanydogs]

I am not sure yet. Just saw on the website that they had kibble. Thought I would try a 75% Raw and 25 % kibble. The store is calling back with prices.

[twomanydogs]

My main concern is feeding a well rounded diet. The best I possibly can.
I am still not clear on the raw. I keep reading.

[brunie's mom]

Raw is a great way to feed. A prepared raw is a good way to start if you have never fed raw.
The problem is to feed a prepared raw diet to our large sized dogs is very expensive!!

It looks like a great food... and if I could afford to feed it to both of my dogs I would.
Right now I feed about 3-4 raw meals per week.

Gina

[groupieindenial]

Originally Posted by twomanydogs

My main concern is feeding a well rounded diet. The best I possibly can.
I am still not clear on the raw. I keep reading.

I agree. And there is nothing to substantiate which is better utilized raw or kibble. In general, there is a lot of crap kibble out there. On the other hand, many raw diets fail.

For meat/protein - nothing beats raw. For nutrients fruits and veggies prove better utilized in kibble through extrusion. Its everything in between that ruins it. The grains/corn in kibble - terrible, the cellular walls in raw-not digested.

I guess the proof is in the results; do what works best for your dog.

[spidey]

I feed super-premium kibbles for breakfast (we rotate brands) and the Prairie frozen prepared raw for dinner. My dog does very well on this combination.

[Cherry Heart]

I brought home several dog food company pamphlets when we were in the specialty store getting Arwens food a couple weeks ago. I didnt really pay much attention to the raw prices but I did take home a book for this food. It looks really good, I beleive they also have a food along the lines of EVO with no grain in it. Will you be feeding their "raw" kibble with the frozen? She's my first dog so I am learning. Moving up foods one at a time. So far shes done well on Canidae and were working on our first bag of Innova, maybe over time we'll move up to Raw, but right now we just dont have the freezer space.

[anni's.mom]

i fed it to jack -- 50% raw and 50% kibble -- until about two months ago when i compared the price of the frozen raw ($24.99 for a package of the larger (8 oz) patties) to the price of frozen ground turkey at the grocery store ($1.39 per pound). i was horrified, and decided to start cooking for jack, basing it around the ground turkey. he consumes about four lbs turkey and 5 lbs potatoes plus veggies, eggs, etc. per week. his energy is good, his coat is good, and he does love meal time now.

[twomanydogs]

I am trying to comprehend b-naturals raw diet along with suppliments.
I hate dealing with food so I am going to incorperate the frozen.
My guys are on premium kibble along with veggies/pollack.We alternate or mix. Flax seed, vitaman e, berts green blend and antioxidant treats and fat boy dry extra kelp mixed in. Baby carrots and bananas for treats. Kind of all over the place...
I am lucky in that my dogs are my only children so I can afford to feed...Whatever.
If I ever figure out HOW!!!

[twomanydogs]

The last time I went to our pet store I grabbed a bag of Dick VanPattens Natural Balance Potato and Duck. 30 pounds. $47.00 .WOW
My dogs love it but the gas it gives my big boy darn near burns my eyes.
Nobody will ride in my truck....

[groupieindenial]

Originally Posted by twomanydogs

The last time I went to our pet store I grabbed a bag of Dick VanPattens Natural Balance Potato and Duck. 30 pounds. $47.00 .WOW
My dogs love it but the gas it gives my big boy darn near burns my eyes.
Nobody will ride in my truck....

LOL, burns your eyes!! Looks like the food is missing probiotics, you can try adding this and/or prebiotics to his meals, should help him digest. The food is pretty simple list of ingredients, I can't see what would be in it to cause this. More of what is NOT in it.

[spidey]

Originally Posted by groupieindenial

LOL, burns your eyes!! Looks like the food is missing probiotics, you can try adding this and/or prebiotics to his meals, should help him digest. The food is pretty simple list of ingredients, I can't see what would be in it to cause this. More of what is NOT in it.

If the dog can't tolerate one of the ingredients, it makes no difference whether there's pro/pre or antibiotics in it! You can't tell by looking at the list of ingredients whether or not an individual dog can or cannot tolerate all the ingredients. If a food gives a dog a lot of gas, the problem is most likely that the dog simply can't tolerate some of the ingredients, not that the food is missing anything.

[groupieindenial]

Well, here's the ingredient list, pretty much just duck and potato and mostly fortified with nutrients.

Potatoes, duck, duck meal, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), potato fiber, dl-methionine, l-lysine, sodium chloride, salmon oil, flaxseed oil, rosemary extract, natural flavor, yucca schidigera extract, potassium chloride, choline chloride, vitamin e supplement, ferrous sulfate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfate complex (source of vitamin K activity), riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid

Gas is an indication of difficulty digesting, does not mean it is necessarily an intolerence unless is also caused loose stools. We all get gas from eating beans, does not mean we are all intolerent to it!