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  1. #1
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    Default Raw or Kibble - what do you feed and why?

    In an effort to put information out to our members on BOTH sides of the issue, I am going to attempt to start a thread here. We ALL believe we are feeding our beloved pets the best, and it IS the best for our individual situations, financial, environmental or just comfort level.

    There are some ground rules

    1) You can only state what you feed and why

    2) No commenting on the other side of the argument. Even if you completely disagree with a statement made -- BITE YOUR TONGUE! If you do not, your post may be modified or moved from the topic altogether.

    3) Here is a link to dogaware which lists the top canned and kibble foods. It has lots of information if you wish to further research specific diets.

    DISCLAIMER: Remember different dogs have different needs! Your dog could have an allergy or food sensitivity or a specific medical condition - liver, kidney troubles etc. This is just information on what our members feed and why. If your vet has recommended a specific food, do not change your pets food without consulting your vet.

  2. #2
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    Default

    I'll go first

    We feed Nature's Variety Raw Medallions and Healthy Paws Complete Patties (available only in Canada) the reason I chose these products is because Pogo had serious tummy issues that turned out to be a grain sensitivity. I did try him on a grain-free kibble, but it was too rich for him.

    Rafi was REALLY skeptical about making the switch to Raw. First, I tried to make my own but it was a huge disaster, I joined the raw-weenies board and found lots of useful information, but the boys constantly had loose poop, and wouldn't eat what I made. I was grossed out handling the raw meat as I am a germaphobe plus we live in Canada. This made it tough to feed outside (the Canada part) and inside (the germaphobe part). Another member had switched to the medallions and had lots of positive feedback, so I switched the boys when Rafi was out of town one weekend. Once he and saw them, read the information on them, saw how the dogs loved them, he was convinced too.

    Some benefits we have found.
    - no more barfies (yay!)
    - Pogo has lost lots of weight, he has now lost a total of 5 pounds.
    - Pixel LOVES his food, he used to be so fussy.
    - No stinky gas
    - Poops goes hard and white within 24 hours which makes it easy to pick up.
    - Pogo's anal glands are better - Not 100% but better
    - Amazing soft coats
    - Great variety of protein, they get duck, lamb, chicken & turkey, quail, salmon, bison, rabbit, venison etc. etc.
    - no measuring - just pop the medallion(s) in the bowl and go.
    - they are getting fruits, vegetable, meat, organs and bone. Don't know if dogs need all that or not, but I like that they are getting it.
    - Energy - WOW, it is amazing. It could be because they are not carrying the extra pounds but they have a lot more energy now.
    - It is super easy to give the dogs any meds -- just pop them in the medallions and they are gone.

    Downsides
    - I do brush their teeth regularly still as they do not get the teeth cleaning benefits of raw bones.
    - Cost, it's not cheap to feed. If they were bigger dogs or I had a lot more of them, it might be an issue for us.
    - It is raw meat, we don't have kids but I might be more concerned about salmonella and them giving kisses if we did (the germaphobe thing!)
    - Traveling feeding medallions is not easy! It's okay for short trips with a small cooler, but longer trips the freeze dry is super expensive and the boys don't seem to like it as much.
    - Availability - we used to travel 40 minutes to buy their food, there is now a place within 20 minutes that sells it, but it's not super easy to purchase.
    - Storage - we only have one freezer on top of our fridge and that's it. So it pretty much is dog food, ice and frozen pizza

  3. #3
    Jen Guest

    Default

    Tasha gets Evo kibble at breakfast (she cannot tolerate corn or wheat) and Nature's Variety at dinner. She is thriving, shiny, and full of energy.

    Pros

    -she loves it
    --no barfies
    --firm poops
    -great coat

    Cons

    -both pricey and not easy to find
    -raw hard for travel though we've tried freeze dried
    --must remember to defrost every day as smells bad to microwave defrost raw patties

  4. #4
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    Default

    Low-la and Mitch get NV medallions. I tried all different types of kibbles but Mitch would turn his nose up or there would be an allergy issue. We would beg him to eat. I finally bought 2 bags of the medallions. I never discussed it with DH I just stuck it in their bowls. Mitch loved it! DH said he didn't care what it was or what it cost as long as Mitch would eat.

    It has been 2 months, with no problems. Both dogs are slowly losing weight thank doG! and looking great. I'll never feed anything but raw again.

    I keep 2 seperate plastic bowls with lids for the food. I defrost 4 or 5 days worth at a time and keep it in the fridge. When I am down to 1 day of thawed left, I pour more medallions into the other bowl and put it in the frdge to defrost. Rafi told me this trick - thanks Rafi!

  5. #5
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    Default

    Solid Gold "Just a wee bit"

    Easy to feed and store
    Gigi loves it
    I put 1/2 of her morning portion in her treat toy... so she doesn't need to eat too much treats and can stay slim
    Reasonable price
    Firm poop the majority of the time
    No barfie
    Great coat
    Jen & Gigi


  6. #6
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    Default

    Kibble only. Having worked for a vet, had several patients come in with splintered chicken bones in their intestines. Was horrible for the patient, and very icky surgeries, had an effect on me. Sorry only kibble here.
    Willie and Clover!!! Ozzie

  7. #7
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    Default

    Kibble here. I feed Natural Balance and the gang has done wonderful on it. I have to travel 30 miles to get it one way so it makes it hard with my work schedule some times this is why I can't at this time feed raw. My work is so crazy that I cannot even seriously think of switching them over.

    NB pros:
    great coats
    small firm poop


    cons:
    I cannot buy it in town
    They cannot have over 2/3rds a cup a day so they are always hungery
    ~Shonda, Jackson, Daphne (Mitzi Moo, Dudley, Lily Bug, Buddy and Charlie see you my sweet pups on the Rainbow Bridge)

    http://www.goodsearch.com Help CCDR raise funds. Put Coast To Coast Dachshund Rescue in the "Who do you Goodsearch for" box and hit verify. Then search away!![/COLOR]

  8. #8
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    Default

    I feed Casey and Sophie the Nature's Variety Medallions.
    They really the Chicken/Turkey & Beef. They didn't like Rabbit and Venison, but they ate it.

    They love them! :cheer2:
    Like Lisa I tried to go the whole "raw" way and make it myself, but it was a disaster and too time consuming for me.
    At one point I was giving them Liver & Chicken Giblets. Their stools turned black I pm'd with Courtney ALOT that day!!! *you can stop laughing now Courtney!"

    We NV medallions.
    I thaw out about 12 medallions in the fridge (enuff for 3 days -- they get 2 each a day) plus I add more veggies and a tablespoon of cottage cheese or non fat yogurt. Yup! They are SPOILED!

    I spoke with Lisa a few days ago and we are going to try the Healthy Paws Medallions. They come in a wider variety of flavoUrs.

    I have cut out most of their treats..... Licorice, Candy Apples, Milk Shakes, Whip Cream from a can, Jello, etc :lol:

  9. #9
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    Default

    I rotate. Both of my guys eat NV raw ( I am buying the chubbs since they are cheeper and bought a scale to weigh them) For kibble there are a couple of brands I buy.. Merrick, Innova small bites and Wellness. And the wet canned food Merrick.

    My puppers eat it all. But I love that with raw the poops are so small and do not smell as much. My guys also dont have tarter on there teeth.

    We are lucky in Seattle ( I am in Kirkland 20 min away) that there are so many "specialty dog places) that I will never have to drive very far for the food!!!

  10. #10
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    Default

    Pippit gets raw chicken(I usually buy a big bag of whole legs and cut them into portion sized servings and re-bag and freeze them), beef bones, veggies, cottage cheese, pumpkin and yogurt(he may not get all of these at once! I also have some NV Medalions that I alternate with(I will not shop at the local store that carries these, so have to travel about 40 miles to get them)

    Pros~he loves it
    he no longer inhales his food
    more energy
    firmer and less poop
    no gas
    soft coat(no more dandruff)
    he has learned to stay on his mat to eat
    when he stays late at my parents, they can just take a chicken leg out
    of the freezer for him

    Cons~remembering to take them out of the freezer
    traveling can be tough
    I still have to wear rubber gloves when touching the chicken:vomit:

    Mom to Dachshunds: Pippit, IzzyBean and Calli

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