# Prepackaged raw food ???



## cdnpoodle (Dec 10, 2009)

I feed Natures Variety to my guy, he loves his raw food. This stuff isn't cheap, but it's great quality, and my dog loves it. He's a rather fussy eater so if he will eat it, I'll buy it, I don't care how much it costs.

Nature's Variety: Raw Diets for Dogs | Nature's Variety


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## Vixen (May 31, 2011)

My dogs eat both totw and a prepackaged raw food, stella and chewys, and my dogs do fantastic on the mixture. My big hairless guy, Vernon, is allergic to corn so I have to be careful with food and treats. My dogs freak over the Stella and Chewys and isn't overly expensive and I've had pretty much no skin issues and my hairy two have soft healthy hair. If the food has a good grade and your dog likes it and is healthier eating it that's what counts


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## cdnpoodle (Dec 10, 2009)

Another good one is Wellness Core.....It's not raw I know but still a good dog food

Wellness Dog Grain Free Recipes


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Brenda-A. First, I think it is great you are doing your research to give your dog a high quality food. I have a toy too. I feed commercial raw. The kind that I feed is Aunt Jenni. I like raw of kibble for several reasons. I know a number of dogs who are fed raw and do very well on it. One major difference I see is in their teeth. Dogs fed raw have sparkling white teeth while many dogs on kibble suffer from bad breath and tarter encrusted teeth. This is particular concern for those of us who have toys as they are notorious for having problems with their teeth. I feel that eating fresh food is preferable to a food that is still good after sitting on the shelf for months. I do not have scientific studies to back this up but I do feel it makes common sense. There are some high quality kibbles out there that also do a good job. Because I have a toy and they eat so little I want to make sure it is of very high quality. If I had a bigger dog because of the expense I might feed a high quality kibble and supplement it with raw bones and meat. I do feel if you feed just kibble it is important to add in a healthy fat for skin health. Kibble cannot have this because it would go rancid in the bag. My dog is on the thin size too but he attacks his food with gusto and he has a nice covering of muscle. I get so much enjoyment seeing how happy he is when he is fed or he gets a bone. He just quivers with joy. I also cook his treats. He is not overfed but if someone offers him a pet store treat or kibble he will spitting it out. It is just not food to him. Whatever decision you make you have already improved his diet vastly by rejecting IAMS and the like.


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## brownlikewoah (May 3, 2012)

raw is ideal over any kibble. I do homemade, big meal raw. From my research I've done, it is most ideal for what dogs were made to eat. I'm not a fan of the premade raw- it is very expensive, usually has a bunch of fruits and vegetables in it (which dogs do not need), and is ground up so the dogs can eat it too quickly, and don't get the benefit from chewing through bones for their teeth.
Look into doing home made raw- I've been feeding my two dogs for nearly FREE for the past month and a half. I post ads on craigslist looking for raw frozen meat, and you would be amazed at what people get rid of. It's very simple to feed, and there's not nearly as much involved in it as people think.


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## Brenda-A (Jan 7, 2013)

brownlikewoah said:


> raw is ideal over any kibble. I do homemade, big meal raw. From my research I've done, it is most ideal for what dogs were made to eat. I'm not a fan of the premade raw- it is very expensive, usually has a bunch of fruits and vegetables in it (which dogs do not need), and is ground up so the dogs can eat it too quickly, and don't get the benefit from chewing through bones for their teeth.
> Look into doing home made raw- I've been feeding my two dogs for nearly FREE for the past month and a half. I post ads on craigslist looking for raw frozen meat, and you would be amazed at what people get rid of. It's very simple to feed, and there's not nearly as much involved in it as people think.


Where can I find information how to feed homemade raw?


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Look at the stickies at the top of poodle food part of the forum. I eventually will do this but I appreciate the convenience of pre made raw for now. I know my brand Aunt Jenni is made with high quality ingredients.


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## Sotoya (Jul 3, 2012)

I also feed my pup Nature's Variety Instinct - Raw Lamb formula. We tried Orijen but his stool never did firm up on it. He did a bit better on Acana but still not great. Finally we found Nature's Variety and haven't looked back. It is a bit pricey (one bag of medallions lasts us about 2 weeks) but the benefits have been amazing! I wouldn't dream of switching to anything else 









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## Brenda-A (Jan 7, 2013)

Sotoya said:


> I also feed my pup Nature's Variety Instinct - Raw Lamb formula. We tried Orijen but his stool never did firm up on it. He did a bit better on Acana but still not great. Finally we found Nature's Variety and haven't looked back. It is a bit pricey (one bag of medallions lasts us about 2 weeks) but the benefits have been amazing! I wouldn't dream of switching to anything else
> View attachment 33090
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks! I will look into the brands you mentioned. 

I have read about dogs getting used to raw and then not wanting kibble. That seems like an issue to me because we are planning to go to Mexico during the summer and ofcourse Teddy will come. We went this past year and I took kibble from home, but if he's on raw I cant take that on the plane. Or when we go camping or something. 

Do you have any suggestions for that?


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## brownlikewoah (May 3, 2012)

There is a group on facebook called "raw feeding". The people who run it promote large, prey drive style meals. Like, here's a whole rabbit, have at it, here's half a deer, have at it, very natural (and unusual) If you join the group don't be discouraged- a lot of people in there can be real jerks and are extremely opinionated, but, knowledgeable. Read through the files they have saved, they have tons of information. Here's a note from the FB page: The general rule of thumb for feeding raw is: 80% meat (muscle, fat,
skin, connective tissue and such muscular organs as heart, tongue and
gizzard) 10% EDIBLE bone (not all bone that is served must be consumed) and 10% organs (3-5% of this is liver, the rest is as much variety as you
can find and afford) This is not an immutable 'daily requirement'.
One of the things I like about feeding like this, is that there isn't nearly as much involved with it as you'd think, this is a different style of feeding then traditional B.A.R.F. since the belief is that you only feed various types of meat, and meaty bones, not messing with preparing fruits and veggies, portioning everything out in advance. 
I did buy a chest freezer for all the meat, but even as a vegetarian myself, it is satisfying to look inside and see all the REAL food for my dogs.


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## Brenda-A (Jan 7, 2013)

brownlikewoah said:


> There is a group on facebook called "raw feeding". The people who run it promote large, prey drive style meals. Like, here's a whole rabbit, have at it, here's half a deer, have at it, very natural (and unusual) If you join the group don't be discouraged- a lot of people in there can be real jerks and are extremely opinionated, but, knowledgeable. Read through the files they have saved, they have tons of information. Here's a note from the FB page: The general rule of thumb for feeding raw is: 80% meat (muscle, fat,
> skin, connective tissue and such muscular organs as heart, tongue and
> gizzard) 10% EDIBLE bone (not all bone that is served must be consumed) and 10% organs (3-5% of this is liver, the rest is as much variety as you
> can find and afford) This is not an immutable 'daily requirement'.
> ...


Thanks!
I will look into the thread and keep in mind what you mentioned.


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## liljaker (Aug 6, 2011)

The prepared raw sounds like it could be K9 Kravings, which comes in patties. Sunny has been on them. I use premade raw, and have for years. I try to mix it up, though, and use some premade raw, some dehydrated (Honest Kitchen) that I add water to and is a complete meal, and a high quality grain free kibble like Acana.

The dehydrated foods are great for traveling. Stella and Chewys make dehydrated patties.....just put in a zip lock for travel. Add water and voila! Same with Honest Kitchen.


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## Brenda-A (Jan 7, 2013)

Thanks I will try the raw. Its a little scary to switch from kibble to raw, but if its better for him then its worth a try.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I travel a lot with Swizzle. He has just turned two and he has been on a plane 16 times so I understand your concern about traveling. If I am going to have access to a freezer later I will carry his food in a chill bag. If not I use Honest Kitchen which is dehydrated raw. Swizzle does not mind the change at all. I supplement the commercial raw with raw chicken necks which are great for their teeth. The first few times you give them a raw bone it is a little nerve wracking. It just seems odd that they eat the whole bone to me. Swizzle took to it right away. I trained him to eat on a towel so my floor stays clean.


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## Brenda-A (Jan 7, 2013)

CT Girl said:


> I travel a lot with Swizzle. He has just turned two and he has been on a plane 16 times so I understand your concern about traveling. If I am going to have access to a freezer later I will carry his food in a chill bag. If not I use Honest Kitchen which is dehydrated raw. Swizzle does not mind the change at all. I supplement the commercial raw with raw chicken necks which are great for their teeth. The first few times you give them a raw bone it is a little nerve wracking. It just seems odd that they eat the whole bone to me. Swizzle took to it right away. I trained him to eat on a towel so my floor stays clean.


Thanks. I will look into those brand. 

The guy at the store told me to first get Teddy at his ideal weight before changing to raw; is that correct?

Teddy is a little on the skinny/boney side so I'm giving him a mix of kibble(which is Pure Veta mixed with oat flour and baby rice) and wet food. He seems to be gaining weight and is not to thin know. 

I can feel his ribs covered with a very thin layer of fat. I feel his spine isn't cover with fat yet, which by the way I don't know that it should.


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## Poodlemama99 (Feb 12, 2010)

My kids eat blue buffalo wilderness small breed and love it.


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## Poodlemama99 (Feb 12, 2010)

When I switched to it after a couple weeks I noticed breath was better. A definite bonus. They eat it like they are starving and it is treats.


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## Brenda-A (Jan 7, 2013)

Poodlemama99 said:


> When I switched to it after a couple weeks I noticed breath was better. A definite bonus. They eat it like they are starving and it is treats.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Seems like there a lot of benefits. Definitely will give it a try and see how it goes.


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## liljaker (Aug 6, 2011)

Don't agree with the guy at the store saying to get Teddy to his perfect weight before switching to raw. Makes no sense. Raw / dehydrated / kibble / etc. are just different ways of providing nutrition. If you want to switch him do so, do it gradually tho, over a week or so, and it will be fine. Don't agree with that at all.

And, your dog can be raw fed and still like kibble. At least Sunny is fine with food in any form!!!


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## Brenda-A (Jan 7, 2013)

liljaker said:


> Don't agree with the guy at the store saying to get Teddy to his perfect weight before switching to raw. Makes no sense. Raw / dehydrated / kibble / etc. are just different ways of providing nutrition. If you want to switch him do so, do it gradually tho, over a week or so, and it will be fine. Don't agree with that at all.
> 
> And, your dog can be raw fed and still like kibble. At least Sunny is fine with food in any form!!!


That makes sense. Thanks!

On Saturday I will go and get some Raw.

How do I gradually switch?

I had called during the week for something and asked if I could feed kibble and raw. The guy (which was a different one) told me that it wasn't recommend to be feed at the same time since raw and kibble digest differently.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I don't agree that you need to have him achieve his desired weight before you switch him either, that simply does not make sense. I started giving Swizzle a raw chicken bone every couple of days prior to switching totally to raw. He had no issues except he got fossil poop because i was feeding too much bone. It was not really an issue I just found out on this forum if that happens give. Him a little muscle meat to loosen things up. Now I keep some chicken hearts and gizzards in the freezer. If Swizzle's poop gets too firm I give him a gizzard or heart. If you see his stool is a little loose give him a chicken neck. Another great thing with raw is you will notice smaller poops.


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## Brenda-A (Jan 7, 2013)

CT Girl said:


> I don't agree that you need to have him achieve his desired weight before you switch him either, that simply does not make sense. I started giving Swizzle a raw chicken bone every couple of days prior to switching totally to raw. He had no issues except he got fossil poop because i was feeding too much bone. It was not really an issue I just found out on this forum if that happens give. Him a little muscle meat to loosen things up. Now I keep some chicken hearts and gizzards in the freezer. If Swizzle's poop gets too firm I give him a gizzard or heart. If you see his stool is a little loose give him a chicken neck. Another great thing with raw is you will notice smaller poops.


Thank you for all the info


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## kcp1227 (Jan 25, 2013)

Hhb


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## kcp1227 (Jan 25, 2013)

kcp1227 said:


> Hhb
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I'm sorry. This was an accidental post from my iPhone and 4yo!


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## AngelsMommy (Nov 3, 2012)

I transitioned Angel to raw over time and when she first started I had to hand feed it for a couple of days. But now she EATS! and Loves it! For her a good thing as she was and is very picky! I love the difference that it has made in her teeth, coat and energy levels, she is a much younger acting dog than the one I brought home in October. Her coat alone is at Least twice as thick if not three times as thick! I love that she is excited to eat and will tell me her preference. Some days she has chicken, other days Satin balls and other days deer. Which she loves btw. I love the deer because it is something I got for just the time and energy to process. I friend went hunting and was willing for me to have the deer for my baby. Very sweet. It is so funny because I was vegetarian for years but do eat meat now for health reasons, but my dog eats more than I ever have! lol

As far as meat in Mexico, I asked my mom because she has been there many times and she said it should be easy to feed raw there. Meat is readily available, but just make sure that you do like we do with the deer meat and freeze it for one month first. That is supposed to get rid of parasites. If you don't have time to do the freezing yourself, then see if you can buy already frozen while you are there and then thaw it at need. Of course if you have someone that you trust down in Mexico, they can guide you to the best supplier of meats and what have you. Ones that can be trusted to be safe. That was how my mom stayed healthy while down there, they had a friend that showed them the ropes and where and what to buy.  

Good Luck, I love the raw diet and would never feed kibble to Angel as she is a different dog on the raw! And she was great to start with, so now she is tops! If I had a dog that would not do raw, I would use dog food recipes to make my own dog food. I know that I love fresh food and so does my baby.


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## Brenda-A (Jan 7, 2013)

AngelsMommy said:


> I transitioned Angel to raw over time and when she first started I had to hand feed it for a couple of days. But now she EATS! and Loves it! For her a good thing as she was and is very picky! I love the difference that it has made in her teeth, coat and energy levels, she is a much younger acting dog than the one I brought home in October. Her coat alone is at Least twice as thick if not three times as thick! I love that she is excited to eat and will tell me her preference. Some days she has chicken, other days Satin balls and other days deer. Which she loves btw. I love the deer because it is something I got for just the time and energy to process. I friend went hunting and was willing for me to have the deer for my baby. Very sweet. It is so funny because I was vegetarian for years but do eat meat now for health reasons, but my dog eats more than I ever have! lol
> 
> As far as meat in Mexico, I asked my mom because she has been there many times and she said it should be easy to feed raw there. Meat is readily available, but just make sure that you do like we do with the deer meat and freeze it for one month first. That is supposed to get rid of parasites. If you don't have time to do the freezing yourself, then see if you can buy already frozen while you are there and then thaw it at need. Of course if you have someone that you trust down in Mexico, they can guide you to the best supplier of meats and what have you. Ones that can be trusted to be safe. That was how my mom stayed healthy while down there, they had a friend that showed them the ropes and where and what to buy.
> 
> Good Luck, I love the raw diet and would never feed kibble to Angel as she is a different dog on the raw! And she was great to start with, so now she is tops! If I had a dog that would not do raw, I would use dog food recipes to make my own dog food. I know that I love fresh food and so does my baby.


First of all, your poodle is adorable 

I tried raw once and he started pooping red blood took him to the vet and he got medicine and now he's all better. 

I don't think I did anything wrong. I unfroze it for 24 in the fridge and gave him only a little bit, which by the way he didn't even like. So maybe i'm scared to try it again.


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## AngelsMommy (Nov 3, 2012)

Thanks.  

I know that raw isn't for everyone and that is all good. I don't eat the way my friends eat either.  We have to find what works for each of us. I know that some small dogs do well on raw and others not so good. My thing is try something that you are comfortable with and see how it works. I just maintain that raw or homemade is better than almost any store bought providing the raw or homemade has all the nutrition that the dog needs. I say that just because of the time that it sits on the shelves or is in transit etc. 
And I don't even go to the things that are allowed to be put in dogs food because not all dog foods are equal.

Good luck with what you decide.


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## Brenda-A (Jan 7, 2013)

I totally agree with you. I've been learning so much on this forum and outside as to what things are best for my baby. I was told the same thing about kibble so that's why it made sense to switch to raw. I was kinda disappointed it didn't work out for us. I over research the kibble I feed Teddy so I know that he's getting the best. 

Maybe in a few months I will give it another try. For some reason my vet isn't really pro-raw food.


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## AngelsMommy (Nov 3, 2012)

The problem is that Vets and Doctors alike are not trained in Nutrition. They are modeling an illness rather than a wellness model when it comes to care. There are great Vets and Doctors that do know and understand nutrition and it's vital impact on health, but they have made it their focus of study. If you do find a vet that is knowledgeable in nutrition then they can be worth their weight in gold as far as information and support. I have a country vet that knows that food is what makes the difference in livestock and so is willing to see the benefits of thinking outside the box. 

When I first hear of raw, I was like EWWW!!! as a former vegetarian it was something I had to get my head around. I would still be one other than I went down hill health wise without meat in my diet. But that is another issue. But when thinking about what my dog needed and what was best for them, I started coming around. Once I researched, I thought that I would give it a try and see. Once I saw the difference it made in my baby, there was no going back. 
I know that for her it is that it is so much better nutritional value than anything she had been given before. 

I know that if someone is feeding high nutritional kibble, and no that is not an oxymoron, they do exist.  Then their dog may do every bit as well as mine does on raw. However, for me with all of the ways that I get the raw and what she eats, the raw is better financially as well. 

Of course I do still have the Eww factor, but Angel is more than worth it. And gloves are Wonderful! lol


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## Brenda-A (Jan 7, 2013)

Totally agree with the "eww" factor. Even my mom was like why are you feeding Teddy that. In fact, I even bought him a rabbit leg. I ended up throwing it away since he didn't eat it fast enough and it gave me the chills lol.

Rabbit leg :scared:


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## AngelsMommy (Nov 3, 2012)

I have never seen a rabbits leg like that! I can see why you would not want it around! lol

Teddy looks adorable! So how old is he? I love his color, he reminds me of my beloved Peaches. I still miss her. She is my avatar poodle. She crossed the Rainbow bridge this last June. 

I know she has alot to do with my interest in nutrition for my dogs, so they live much longer. I had thought that I was doing well with the high priced food she was on, only to find it was high priced and low quality. Now I do not assume anything about my babies care or others knowing the best for them. I want to know as much as I can to take care of them the best that I can.


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## Brenda-A (Jan 7, 2013)

When I first saw it I couldn't believe it was real. They also had rabbit ears. 

Thank you. He is 11 months old. 
I'm sorry about our baby. I lost my first dog 4 years ago. I cried my eyes out for days. He was a poodle mix. I got him from a backyard breeder. I didn't know any better since I was only 15 

Totally right nutrition has a lot to do with how long they live. Thats why I'm soo picky with everything I feed him. Your right about vets not knowing anything about nutrition. My vet has never suggested any brands, but I have gone to other vets and one suggested Iams another science diet. I was like um..I DON'T think so. I don't eat garbage so why should my baby. BTW I only went to another vet because one, I had a free vet checkup from his AKC registration and two, my vet was closed for the holidays and Teddy had a rash. 

Btw, your poodle is adorable as well. Its astonishing to me to see all this pics of poodle who look like Teddy but in super size lol. Teddy is only 4.5 pounds. I can't imagine how fun it is to cuddle with a big teddybear.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Rabbit is great but I think I would prefer to give a skinned rabbit. I doubt the fur has any nutrition and I can see how it would be off putting to you and your dog. Tell us more about the issue you had when you fed raw before. What are you feeding teddy now? He sure is acute little guy.


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## Brenda-A (Jan 7, 2013)

Well, he seemed to like the leg, he chewed on it alittle bit but would just leave it. Since the creeped me out I just threw it away.

Well I'm feeding pure vita and evanger's as mixer. I was feeding organix before, but he had rashes and vet said it was food allergies so I switched. 

A week before I switched to raw I added oil to his kibble which by mistake I overdose so he had diarrhea. After a few days it cleared up. 

I had heard so many good things about raw so I decided to try it. 
The place where I buy Teddys food (bluecollarworkingdog) sells vitamix and a friend of a farmer. A friend of a farmer is a actually a friend of theirs, hence the name. 

The guy told me that its a friend from up north and they are trainers and decided to raise animals to feed their dogs and then decided to start selling. He told me that brand was better because since the farm was here in California it was frozen for less time. I bought 4 patties for 4 something. He told me to put in the fridge for 24 hours before feeding.

I did exactly that. Cut the patty in 3 and feed Teddy one part. He didn't seem fond of it. He had like half what I served him. That was at lunch. I tried feeding him during dinner and again he only ate a little bit. Next morning he pooped red bright blood. Took him to the vet immediately. 

Vet asked me if we had rat poison. I said no we don't have any kind of poison so he said bright red blood was good. Gave him two shots, and gave me medicine (Albon). I don't know what kind of shots he gave me because he didn't give me an invoice. He's so nice he didn't charge me since Teddy just had leg surgery he said I had spent alot. 

He also told me to feed him cooked food. Vet didn't seem fond of raw. He didn't say anything negative about it he just said feed cooked. He told me to add rice to his food. I did and Teddy only pooped blood that night and the next morning it was normal. 

I'm not 100% sure it was the raw but it's a good guess since that was the only thing I changed.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Vets never like raw but vets are typically not well versed in nutrition. I would be uneasy giving my dog raw from a small start up as there may be issues with quality control. If you decide to try commercial raw again I would ask on here before you purchase any so you could get some feedback. The blood 
Teddy had could be a lingering effect of the diarrhea. Being frozen less time I would not really factor in as long as the food is frozen properly and has a fairly decent turnover. Either way I would give him some time to recover before I introduced a new food.


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