Pre-made raw questions

[nikkiluvsu15]

Okay, so my second thread in the same place today. But whatever

Since I'm no longer able to get a good variety for Harleigh's raw (which is exactly what happened last time when I had to switch back - something like this always happens) and not having really anywhere else to get stuff I've got a decision to make.

I'm looking more into pre-made raw and there are so many different companies out there. I've looked at The Honest Kitchen, Bravo, Sojos and Primal - they are all offered at a store about 1hr away.

One question I want to ask is does anyone know in general how much pre-made raw costs? Not really for your dog per month, but just per bag, chub, etc.

I know it'll be expensive for a dog Harleigh's size, but I'm hoping it won't be much more then kibble To give you something to "compare" the prices to, on kibble I was paying $62.99-69.99 (I rotated between NV Instinct, Back to Basics and Fromm).

I don't want to put her back on kibble at all and since I can't get enough to feed a complete PMR diet, I figured pre-made was a good step. She will still get RMB's though - for dental benefits and because she loves them!

If anyone can help I'd be greatly appreciative

 

[CharlieDog]

Honest kitchen is about 55 to 65 dollars (depending on the type) for a 10# box. That would last Enzo about, threeish weeks if I was supplementing her with raw meat, less if that was all she was getting, and a lot longer if I fed her kibble with it.

That's for my area though.

 

[Fran101]

Primal has a great food calculator Feeding, Transition and Safety for Raw Dog Food Diets

For a dog as little as Romeo, Primal costs us less than high quality pet foods (at only 2 nuggets a day)

 

[CharlieDog]

Fran, for whatever reason that doesn't work for us? Enzo needs way more than 1152 calories a day. She gets about 15 to 1600, and she still doesn't gain weight, that's maintenance. To put weight on her, she gets a can of EVO 95% beef with dinner. I think that if I fed her what the calculator is suggesting, she's drop weight, and quickly. Even with the significant weight gain option selected, (and she doesn't need a significant amount) it's saying only 1344 calories per day.

That equals out to three, almost four patties a day. I couldn't afford that Ozzy's is closer to correct, though, and Enzo is not an easy keeper like Oz is.

Of course, every dog is different, and your mileage may vary...

 

[mrose_s]

Kida off topic.
I've seen a few people mention here a few times about where they got their raw becoming unavailable now. Don't supermarkets over there sell dog meat type things? (lamb offcuts, beef soup bones, chicken necks, turkey necks, chicken frames, offal etc) or is it just that its much cheaper to find it elsewhere or go premade raw?
Just curious because we always just go for dog meat cuts from butchers or supermarkets.

 

[nikkiluvsu15]

Thanks! I really have no clue what I'm going to go with... but I'm pretty sure its between those 4 I listed.

I go to grocery stores to get some things, but they don't offer near the variety she needs in order for her diet to be complete. Especially for organs! Not to mention it can get pricey at grocery stores, however when you really look you can mostly get a good deal.

No, it probably won't be cheaper than feeding prey model raw. Though I'm not sure because I have no clue what I'm actually spending per month feeding raw, I've never calculated it

 

[~Jessie~]

We feed premade raw. Bravo averages $2-3/lb which is very economical for premade raw. We buy it at Pet Supermarket in 5lb rolls.

For all five of our dogs (About 55lbs in dogs) we spend around $100/month on food. We were spending ~$90 when we fed kibble (~30lbs of Orijen a month).

Hope that helps

 

[PWCorgi]

I didn't read the whole thread, but here is what I know.

Primal is SOOO FREAKING EXPENSIVE, and look at their meat vs. fruits/veggies ratio. Basically, you are paying money to feed mostly fruits/veggies. I would not feed it to my carnivore. If I WAS going to feed Primal, I would feed the cat variety, which for some formulas is going to run you about $40 for 3 pounds. Ridonk!

Bang for your buck, I'd go with Bravo chubs ($16 for 10 pounds at my store) or Nature's Variety Chubs (if whichever store you shop at has the Buy 10 Get 1 cards). NV and Stella and Chewy's are both 95% meat. Big plus in my book. Plus NV has Montmorillonite Clay in it, which I am a heyuuuge fan of. S&C is pretty spendy.

Sojos, first ingredient is Sweet Potatoes. Dislike. You'd be better off going with a good kibble. Canine Caviar is basically like raw food in kibble form, with their double screw extruder, their product is done in 6 seconds, not a long process time and less nutrients are killed. It's the highest digestibility of any kibble on the market. IMO: Canine Caviar > Sojos.

THK is awesome, but again, very expensive. Bravo is cheaper. If you look at the Bravo ingredient list for their basic formulas it is A meat source, organ meat, bone, and 3 veggies. Closest you are going to get to PMR in a pre-made. Not classified as complete and balanced by AAFCO because they require a SYNTHETIC vitamin and mineral additive. But if it's raw, the vit and min are already in it, so not something I worry about. If you do decide to go with THK, make sure you contact the company and get samples, cause some uber "I'll eat anything" dogs will turn some flavors down *glares at Frodo* Also make sure you save their UPCs cause they have a rewards program too.

Signed,
Your Friendly Neighborhood Pet Food Nerd. :spam:

Hope that helps

 

[~Jessie~]

I also supplement salmon oil with the Bravo, and my dogs look great. It's a very basic food- but it's very similar to how I'd do raw if I were to do it myself. It's just more convenient for me.

I was feeding NV/S&C when only the chis were on raw... but with Rory, it would've cost around $250 a month! Insane.