Commercial Raw Diets vs. Home Based Raw Diets

This is a dedicated place for all of your questions and answers about Raw Diets. There are also some really cool groups like "Raw Fed" on the topic you can join. This forum is for people who already know they like the raw diet or sincerely want to learn more. Please remember that you are receiving advice from peers and not professionals. If you have specific health-related questions about your dog's diet, please contact your vet!

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Member Since
09/25/2012

Barked: Tue Sep 25, '12 11:52am PST


	I've been researching raw diets for quite some time now and have decided do so with my dog. An honest question I have that I would like answered is what is the difference between the commercial frozen raw diets and home prepared raw diets. I'd really like if replies could provide an honest look at both sides and their pros and cons instead of saying don't do one vs the other. I'd like to understand the "why" behind it. Thanks!

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Gray Dawn- Treader

Don\\\'t Tread- on me

Barked: Tue Sep 25, '12 12:05pm PST


	Commercial raw: Pros: -balanced for you -convenient -more healthful than kibble Cons: -expensive -bones are ground into a patty of meat and veggies, so you lose any teeth-cleaning benefits I've never fed commercial raw myself, though I have nothing against it. Edited by author Tue Sep 25, '12 12:07pm PST

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Brody

Tiny boy, but he- has a huge- heart!

Barked: Tue Sep 25, '12 12:18pm PST


	I agree with the above post. Pre-mades usually contain more than 10% bone as a rule in order to keep the dogs stool firm. People are used to kibble and it's stool hardeners and nobody wants to feed a food and then have the dog have soft stools. It may contain fruits and veggies which some raw feeders don't think are necessary. Quality control .... what kind of meat was used? Was it organic? Probably not. What parts of the carcass was used? Really no way of knowing. You just really don't know what is in it as far as the quality of the meat. Some premades are pasteurized to cut down on pathogens. Artifical vitamins/minerals may be added. If you do it yourself, you know EXACTLY what your dog is eating. You control it completely.

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Conker - CGC, CA

OBEY ME!

Barked: Tue Sep 25, '12 1:53pm PST


	I've never fed commercial raw, so I cannot accurately compare it to homemade. The cost really puts me off, availability as well, I can't get much of it in my area.

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Winston-dog

Sir Winston- Crazy-dog - can we play yet?

Barked: Tue Sep 25, '12 3:10pm PST


	I started off on pre-made raw, because I had to get my dog off kibble, and hadn't done too much research into raw at that stage. It was convenient, said it was nutritionally balanced, and not too much more work than kibble was, but it was expensive, and I wanted Winston to have the teeth-cleaning benefits of home based raw. Also, my commercial raw had veges in it, and I could see them coming out the same way they went in. I now feed prey model raw, I love the fact that meal time takes half an hour, I know exactly what he is getting and can adjust it on a daily basis, and its around half the price of commerical raw. But it is a lot more work, and I use the commercial raws freeze dried variety (K9 Natural) for travelling still so I don't need to travel with as much meat. Hope this helps

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Maxwell

I'm triple- superior MAD- now!

Barked: Tue Sep 25, '12 5:02pm PST


	Cons of commercial Price Too many ingredients that could disagree with your dog Boring meals that are gone in a flash. Dogs may act hungry just because of this. Pros More confidence in knowing the dog is getting all the nutrients required Easy to feed Only a small amount of room needed for storage Cons of Prey Model Steep learning curve. Dog may have some trouble getting used to the new food. Time spent shopping/prepping Storage, only get half the price benefit unless you can pounce on those good deals and stock up so a dog freezer is a wonderful thing to have. Concern over the dog getting all he/she needs especially if those good deals aren't including much beef, pork or lamb Can be difficult to source organs, recently posters haven't even been able to find liver Pros of Prey Model PRICE! Tooth cleaning Much more engaging for the dog. Max generally sacks out after a nice meal that took 5-20 minutes to eat. You KNOW what is going into the dog and can easily take away something that doesn't work for him/her as in Max's ear goo and sardines. Can easily add or subtract fat and bone as dog needs.

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the chi-weenie

Barked: Tue Sep 25, '12 5:37pm PST


	haha it's hard not to be biased when you've chosen one, but I'll try. Commercial raw: pros: very convenient! may come in varieties that you could not buy normally. cons: you still need to read ingredients carefully, may include more bone and veggies to cut production cost, they smell weird to me, you still have to brush your dogs teeth, there is debate over that pressure pasteurization thing Nature Variety uses (about how it IS cooking to an extent). expensive!! Homemade raw: pros: you know what's in it, and you can change things as needed. You can feed whole pieces which keep your dogs teeth amazing. You are in complete control. cons: not convenient

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Presley- Dillon

People should- pet me more!

Barked: Wed Sep 26, '12 2:02am PST


	(Lol) I'm laughing because I thought of this comparison while reading the other entries! Pros to premade raw vs do it yourself raw is like the pros to raising your own children vs shipping them off to boarding school... It comes down to controlling the situation yourself vs the convenience of letting someone else do it... Do you agree??

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Member Since
09/25/2012

Barked: Wed Sep 26, '12 7:26am PST


	This is all great information everyone. Thanks for responding. I have even more questions on the comparison of the two if you don't mind continuing on the same subject. In regards to the argument on the benefits of raw feeding at home and teeth cleaning. I understand you're saying that commercial raw diets that are ground do not provide the same teeth cleaning benefits. Could someone feeding commercial raw just provide recreational bones to their dogs in addition to their frozen raw diet to help with teeth cleaning or does this not get the same effect?

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Maxwell

I'm triple- superior MAD- now!

Barked: Wed Sep 26, '12 7:40am PST